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South Africa: Former Northern Cape head of department arrested for fraud
A former Northern Cape Health Department head and two company directors have been charged on allegations of fraud and contravention of the Public Finance Management and Private Security Industry Regulation acts.
In a statement, the Hawks said it was alleged that during 2017, the former head of department, who was once a police officer and is currently the Deputy Director-General in another provincial department, irregularly awarded a security contract tender to Defensor Electronic Security.
It is further alleged that the directors of the company submitted fraudulent documents in order to gain an unfair advantage over others to be awarded the tender as the highest bidder, read the statement.
They were awarded the tender between August and October 2017, worth a total value surpassing R224 million. However, the contract later escalated to R384 million.
The case was reported to the Hawks Serious Corruption Investigation in December 2017, where an inquiry was registered. The enquiry was converted into a case docket in January 2020 culminating in the arrest and subsequent court appearance today.
The suspects handed themselves over to the Hawks on Friday morning and are expected to appear before the Kimberley Magistrate Court later today.
National Hawks head, Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya, welcomed the arrests.
The wheels of justice may not have started quick enough in this matter, but there is no doubt that they grind exceedingly fine. It is concerning to observe the involvement of senior managers in criminal activities. he said.
He added that members of the Hawks would continue to secure the attendance in court of all those who involve themselves in committing national priority offences without fear, favour or prejudice. SAnews.gov.za
This story has been published on: 2021-10-08. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Hong Kong: Govt to promote amended flag law
The Government announced that the National Flag & National Emblem (Amendment) Ordinance came into effect today.
Published in the Gazette, the amendment ordinance provides for the use, etiquette, education and promotion in relation to the national flag and national emblem.
The Government explained that the fundamental principle and spirit of the law is to encourage respect for the country and respect for the national flag and national emblem which are the countrys symbols and signs.
Targetting people who conduct public and international acts with the intent of desecrating the national flag and national emblem, the ordinance has maintained and clarified the provisions regarding offences and penalties as punishment and deterrent.
The Government stressed that it will step up publicity and educational efforts to enhance the publics understanding of the law for compliance sake.
It also pointed out that there is no cause for concern of breaching the law inadvertently if one does not misuse the national flag or national emblem, nor has any public and international act with an intent to desecrate the national flag or national emblem.
In accordance with the amendment ordinance, the Chief Executive has revised and published the stipulations for the display and use of the national flag and national emblem as well as the regional flag and regional emblem.
In light of the endorsement of the amendments to the National Flag Law and the National Emblem Law by the Standing Committee of the National Peoples Congress on October 17, 2020, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has fulfilled its constitutional responsibility to implement the two amended national laws locally in accordance with Article 18 of the Basic Law.
Click here for details of the amendment ordinance and related information.
This story has been published on: 2021-10-08. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Vietnam among top 25 most viewed countries on TikTok
The nation ranked sixth on the list of the top 25 most viewed countries on popular social media platform TikTok with 107 million hits.
Ho Chi Minh City ranks fifth on the list of the 10 most viewed cities on TikTok
The study was carried out by Superdry, a UK-based branded clothing company. It analysed the viewing figures of thousands of travel-related hashtags on the video-sharing platform in order to compile a ranking of the most-watched landmarks, cities, and countries globally.
Therefore, a list of 193 countries, 292 cities, and 1,095 attractions was compiled, with their respective hashtags analysed to discover which had the most views.
The results show that Vietnam was ranked sixth, just behind Japan, Russia, Mexico, the United States, and China.
Elsewhere, Thailand ranked in eighth place in the list with 95.1 million hits.
In another category, Ho Chi Minh City ranked fifth on the list of the 10 most viewed cities on TikTok with 32.6 million hits.
Topping the list was New York City with 114 million views, followed by Seoul of the Republic of Korea, Dubai of the United Arab Emirates, and Jakarta of Indonesia.
Beijing (dpa) - Chinese Olympic swimmer Chen Xinyi tested positive for a banned substance, news reports said Friday.
The 18-year-old female swimmer failed a doping test in Rio de Janeiro on August 7, the Chinese news agency Xinhua reported, citing the Chinese Swimming Association.
The swimmer will now be required to submit a second test.
Further details about the doping investigation were unknown.
Chen Xinyi finished fourth in the 100-metre butterfly on Sunday and was scheduled to compete in the 50-metre freestyle on Saturday.
Eurozone ministers approve 1.1-billion-euro Greek bailout tranche
Eurozone finance ministers have given their go-ahead for Greece to be granted 1.1 billion euros (1.2 billion dollars) in bailout aid, while holding back on a further 1.7 billion euros until Athens clears outstanding arrears.
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A demonstrator waves a European flag with the Euro sign seen in the center during a pro Euro rally in front of the Greek Parliament in Athens Greece, 09 July 2015.
Luxembourg (dpa) - The ministers welcome "the implementation by the Greek authorities of the set of 15 milestones" that were due to be completed under the countrys current review, according to a statement.They also acknowledge the "significant progress" made on arrears clearance, while noting that the process should be completed later this month.
May gets election boost as Conservatives make gains in local polls
British Prime Minister Theresa May received a boost for her general election campaign on Friday as her Conservatives made strong gains in local elections.
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Liberal Democrat Vince Cable, a former business secretary in a coalition government with the Conservatives, told the BBC the May"s party was profiting from "taking on board the agenda as well as the former voters of UKIP."
London (dpa) - After results were declared for some 2,000 seats by early afternoon the Conservatives had gained 230 seats, Labour had lost about 110, the Liberal Democrats were down by nearly 30, and the UK Independence Party had lost all of the 41 seats it held at the previous elections.If the trend continues, it could put the Conservatives on course to win dozens of parliamentary seats from its biggest rival, Labour, on June 8.Turnout dipped below 30 per cent in some of the polls, which were held for 88 of Britains 418 local councils.Low turnout had been expected as the local elections followed last years Brexit referendum and a general election in 2015, with another general election to come just five weeks from now.Liberal Democrat Vince Cable, a former business secretary in a coalition government with the Conservatives, told the BBC the Mays party was profiting from "taking on board the agenda as well as the former voters of UKIP."Political analyst Matthew Goodwin said on Twitter that the results suggested a "dismal night" for Labour, with the "writing on the wall" for expected big losses to the Conservatives for the party in the general election.Goodwin, an expert on right-wing movements in Britain, said the early results had also confirmed his forecast that UKIP was "braced for a crash-landing" as many traditional Conservative voters who supported UKIP in recent elections are moving back.The new shift is largely due to Mays "repeated insistence that Brexit means Brexit, her prioritizing of immigration reform, criticism of liberal elites and push for more grammar schools - all of which will be music to UKIP voters ears," Goodwin and fellow analyst David Cutts wrote for Politico.The centre-left online newspaper The Independent said "UKIP is finally dead," but it did not celebrate the demise of the right-wing, anti-EU party.It noted in a commentary that former Conservative prime minister David Cameron had "put party before country" by agreeing to hold a referendum on Britains EU membership last June after he "got spooked by the Ukippers.""And now we see a Tory party successful at the expense of the broader nations interests," it said.May succeeded Cameron last year. He resigned following his failed campaign to keep Britain in the European Union in the Brexit referendum.Speaking to BBC Radio 4s Today programme, Defence Minister Michael Fallon said Fridays early results were encouraging, but he voiced concern that the Conservatives could have "peaked too soon" for the general election.Political analysts also cautioned that big gains in the local elections would not necessarily herald the large parliamentary majority that May hopes to win in the general election.May has asked voters to back her "strong and stable" leadership of the country and her plans for Brexit negotiations with EU leaders.
China's Human Rights Action Plan fully implemented, finds third-party evaluation
Xinhua) 08:13, September 30, 2021
Villagers attend a spring ploughing ceremony in Quxu County, Lhasa, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, March 16, 2020. (Xinhua/Purbu Zhaxi)
BEIJING, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- The National Human Rights Action Plan of China (2016-2020), released by the Chinese government in September 2016, has been fully implemented, according to an evaluation report by third-party experts.
All of the 168 objectives and tasks in The Action Plan have been completed, with the nation achieving many ahead of schedule or going beyond the targets set, said the report evaluating the implementation of the Action Plan unveiled Wednesday.
"Generally speaking, from 2016 to 2020, China adhered to the people-centered development concept, earnestly implemented the constitutional principle of 'respecting and protecting human rights,' and took practical measures to actively promote the implementation of the objectives and tasks" of the Action Plan, read the report.
It noted an improvement in the protection of people's economic, social and cultural rights, civil and political rights, the rights of ethnic minorities, women, children, the elderly and the disabled, the promotion of human rights information dissemination and education, and achievements in relevant international exchanges and cooperation.
In particular, the report hailed China's success in eliminating absolute poverty and building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, which have led to significantly greater protection for human rights in China.
The evaluation was commissioned by the Joint Meeting Mechanism of the National Human Rights Action Plan and conducted by the China Society for Human Rights Studies and the Human Rights Institute of Southwest University of Political Science and Law.
(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Clock ticks toward Friday as U.S. gov't shutdown looms
Xinhua) 08:17, September 30, 2021
Photo taken on Sept. 3, 2021 shows the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)
"Ultimately, there will be a continuing resolution that keeps the government open, but there is a lot of posturing now for purely political reasons," Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Darrell West said.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- The clock is ticking toward a shutdown of some U.S. government services if Congress does not pass a budget by Friday.
Democrats this week scrambled to extend funding for some federal government operations, in a bid to avoid a shutdown as negotiations with Republicans reached a stalemate amid a bitter partisan divide in Washington.
U.S. President Joe Biden canceled a trip in an effort to focus on budget negotiations amid a tense moment in Washington.
If legislation fails to pass through the House and the Senate by Friday, certain government services could shut down.
The Senate could vote as soon as Wednesday on legislation that would thwart a shutdown, according to Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
This week saw GOP lawmakers in the Senate block an effort by Democrats to combine an increase in the amount of money the government can borrow - known as the debt ceiling - with government funding.
Democrats argued that the Republicans' move was irresponsible.
The GOP move is forcing Democrats to come up with a plan to fund the government, as the Friday deadline rapidly approaches. If Congress fails to pass a short-term plan by Thursday midnight, certain government services will shut down on Friday.
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C., the United States, Feb. 2, 2021. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua)
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer vowed to extend funding before the Friday's deadline.
"This isn't your typical Washington fracas and it shouldn't be treated as such," Schumer said.
The issue has "far more severe consequences than the typical political catfight," Schumer said.
GOP Senator Bill Cassidy blasted Democrats for combining government funding with a bid to increase the debt ceiling.
"I voted no once it became clear it couldn't pass," he said.
Cassidy said a budget resolution needs to be passed separately from the debt ceiling.
Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Darrell West told Xinhua that each party is "making policy with an eye towards the 2022 elections and trying to position itself in the best possible manner."
"Ultimately, there will be a continuing resolution that keeps the government open, but there is a lot of posturing now for purely political reasons," West said.
"Each side sees the current situation as one that will benefit their party. Democrats want the public to believe Republicans are irresponsible and not committed to effective governance, while Republicans are focusing on the large spending bills and their view that too much money is being spent," West said.
A shutdown would mean many federal government functions would be put on hold until a budget is passed, and some federal workers would be placed on furlough.
A woman walks a dog near the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Sept. 6, 2021. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)
Services considered essential, such as law enforcement or public safety, would continue. Military operations would continue, as would medical care for U.S. veterans, air traffic control and criminal investigations conducted by the federal government. The U.S. Postal Service would also continue its operations.
On the list for suspension would be national parks and certain museums in Washington, D.C.. There would also be delays in passport and visa applications.
Many Americans believe the U.S. government spends far too much.
Kim Bristol, in her 50s and working in information technology in the D.C. area, told Xinhua: "I believe that the government spends money frivolously."
She also questioned why "career politicians live in million dollar houses when they make 200,000 a year."
Carl Richardson, in his 40s and in food management in the D.C. area, told Xinhua he believes the government "spends too much."
Polls show that approval of Congress remains low.
A paltry 27 percent of Americans approve of the job Congress is doing and 69 percent disapprove, according to a Gallup poll released earlier this month.
(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Demographic development in Xinjiang self-explanatory against anti-China attempts, experts say
Xinhua) 08:19, September 30, 2021
BEIJING, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- The population growth in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region speaks for itself against such fabrications as "genocide," which are Western anti-China forces' attempts to interfere with China's development, foreign experts told Xinhua.
Their remarks came after China's State Council Information Office issued a white paper detailing the demographic development in Xinjiang on Sunday, which indicated that over the past 70 years, Xinjiang has seen rapid and steady population growth, with population quality, life expectancy, urbanization and modernization apparently improved.
Numerous facts and data demonstrated that Xinjiang, since 1949, has made a historical achievement in demographic development concerning the population quantity and quality, while people of various ethnic groups boast significantly ameliorated living conditions, life expectancy and education, noted Ghassan Youssef, a Syrian political expert and analyst.
"The white paper reveals a number of realities," said Aneel Salman, an economist at the Islamabad-based COMSATS University of Pakistan, noting the annual growth of the Uygur population in the region between 2000 and 2020 is higher than average growth rate of ethnic minorities in China.
Apart from the steady population growth, the past over 70 years also witnessed the improved quality of population, the speeding up of urbanization and the development of industries and tourism in Xinjiang, the economist told Xinhua.
Having seen storytellers "write so much about these so-called atrocities or genocide, but they have never been physical to this country," Salman condemned such practices, saying "that is pretty criminal."
Sonia Bressler, a French writer and sinologist, who has once traveled to Xinjiang, said she has seen the rapid progress in local economy, social stability and people's wellbeing, with the Chinese government's efforts to promote the inclusive development of ethnic groups, and protect their cultural traditions and religions.
By interviewing local residents and listening to their own stories, Bressler gained the knowledge of their enthusiasm to and trust in the country.
"I have been to Xinjiang eight times since 2005, and I have witnessed how Xinjiang has changed over the past 16 years," said Andrey Ostrovsky, head of the Center for Social and Economic Research of China of the Institute of Far Eastern Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Xinjiang has been developing very rapidly in recent years, said the expert, noting that "many mosques in Xinjiang" reflect the country's protection for the freedom of belief and religion.
Given the Uygur population in Xinjiang increasing by more than 3 million over the past 20 years, the alleged "genocide" of Uygurs makes no sense, the academic said, who asked "What kind of 'genocide' are we even talking about when the Uygur population of Xinjiang is constantly growing?"
Additionally, what is called "concentration camps" in the West is actually "not camps, but the places where people are able to master certain professions ... In the understanding of Russians, these are vocational schools," said Ostrovsky, recalling his visit in 2018 to a vocational school in Urumqi.
(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Chinese military holds joint tabletop exercise with UN peacekeeping forces
Xinhua) 08:21, September 30, 2021
BEIJING, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- A joint tabletop exercise of peacekeeping missions is being held in Beijing by China's Ministry of National Defense (MND) and the UN Department of Peace Operations.
Running from Sept. 23 to 30, the exercise is comprised of theoretical orientation, case studies and review. It engages around 70 participants in assessing and discovering best action plans for peacekeeping missions including armed patrol, civilian protection, emergency response, logistic assistance and civil-military coordination, in-person or via video link.
Among all the participants from the Chinese side and UN peacekeeping forces, 85 percent have previously taken part in peacekeeping efforts.
"We hope the exercise will enhance the cooperation between China and the United Nations in peacekeeping, and contribute China's experience and solution to global peacekeeping efforts," said a senior training officer at the peacekeeping affairs center under the MND.
(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)
Algeria inaugurates production of Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines
Xinhua) 08:23, September 30, 2021
A staff member works at a joint venture between China's biopharmaceutical firm Sinovac Biotech and Algeria's pharmaceutical group Saidal in the province of Constantine, Algeria, on Sept. 29, 2021. Algeria on Wednesday started manufacturing the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines at a joint venture with China, which is located in the eastern province of Constantine. (Xinhua)
ALGIERS, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Algeria on Wednesday started manufacturing the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines at a joint venture with China, which is located in the eastern province of Constantine.
The production line was inaugurated at a ceremony, attended by Algerian Prime Minister Ayman Benabderrahmane and Chinese Ambassador to Algeria Li Lianhe, at the joint venture between China's biopharmaceutical firm Sinovac Biotech and Algeria's pharmaceutical group Saidal.
In his opening remarks, Benabderrahmane said that this production line is likely to pave the way for producing other vaccines in the near future.
"This unit will enhance Algeria's vaccine self-sufficiency and health security," he noted.
He added that the production line aims to produce 6 million doses of Sinovac vaccine by the end of this year, and 96 million doses each year thereafter, "provided the existence of enough raw material and orders locally and internationally."
For his part, the Chinese ambassador hailed the completion of this project as "a milestone in the history of cooperation between China and Algeria, which share distinguished historical friendship and convergent views on many issues."
Li noted that "the two countries' goals for development are similar, as they have exchanged support for each other during the past decades."
"In response to Algeria's request, China has overcome the huge pressure of domestic demand for Sinovac vaccines and made unremitting efforts to supply them to Algeria," he said, citing that China signed a contract to provide 15 million doses of vaccines to Algeria, becoming the largest vaccine supplier to the North African country.
The Chinese envoy vowed that China is always ready to continue strengthening cooperation with Algeria in various fields, and expand bilateral cooperation within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative with high quality.
Since the COVID-19 outbreak, Algeria and China have been closely cooperating to fight the pandemic. In February 2020, Algeria was one of the first countries to send medical donations to China, which in return has also sent several batches of medical aid and experts to Algeria.
(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
PLA Air Force unveils new aircraft at Airshow China
Xinhua) 08:33, September 30, 2021
The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force has unveiled an array of new aircraft at the 13th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, or Airshow China 2021, which opened Tuesday in the southern port city of Zhuhai, Guangdong Province.
Aircraft put on show included two J-20 stealth fighter jets, China's new electronic warfare aircraft J-16D, and a new high-altitude reconnaissance drone, WZ-7.
The Y-20 heavy transport aircraft and some other major battle equipment were also displayed at the show.
The PLA Air Force is working in line with the strategic requirements of integrating air and space capabilities as well as coordinating offensive and defensive operations. Its goal is to advance toward building itself into a world-class strategic air force, said Commander of the PLA Air Force Chang Dingqiu at the event.
(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)
Global cooperation is not only needed on vaccination, on trade, but also on macro economic policy, Mattoo said, as coordinated stimulus is mutually reinforcing and will be more powerful, says Aaditya Mattoo.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Vaccine nationalism amid the COVID-19 crisis has been disappointing, said Aaditya Mattoo, World Bank chief economist for East Asia and Pacific Region, urging policymakers to boost trade openness to rein in the virus and support recovery.
"I am a trade economist and all my life, I believed that production should happen where it is most efficient and then be distributed to where there is greatest need," Mattoo told Xinhua in a remote video interview Monday.
"But this crisis has disappointed me because instead of countries pursuing a globally optimal cooperative strategy, there has been what we call vaccine nationalism," Mattoo said.
According to the World Bank's East Asia and Pacific Fall 2021 Economic Update, vaccination in the region faces three major constraints, as availability held back vaccination rates in larger countries like Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam, smaller, poorer countries are constrained by limited distribution infrastructure, and there is also vaccine hesitancy.
Faced with vaccine nationalism, Mattoo said "perhaps not nationally, but at least regionally," it is necessary to have reliable supplies, so countries are "not hostage to a situation where other countries do not share vaccines."
In addition, the trade economist called for allowing easier access and facilitating transfer of vaccine technology, where the whole world can work together to expand production now.
"You see the perverse result of a strategy that just focuses domestically, because if you do not suppress infection outside your country, you will remain vulnerable to the emergence of new variants," he said.
"We might be condemned to a perpetual race between vaccines and variants, and we need to win that race globally, not nationally," he added.
The World Bank estimates that most countries in the East Asia and the Pacific region can vaccinate more than 60 percent of their populations by the first half of 2022, which would significantly reduce mortality, allowing a resumption of economic activity.
A medical worker inoculates a man with a dose of COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination center in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sept. 24, 2021. (Xinhua/Zulkarnain)
Apart from vaccination, Mattoo said there needs to be a complimentary strategy, which consists of precautionary behaviors, such as wearing masks, social distancing, as well as sustained testing, tracing and isolation, calling it the "second arrow in our quiver" to deal with this disease.
The latest report noted that the East Asia and Pacific region's recovery has been undermined by the spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant, and growth forecasts have been downgraded for most countries in the region.
While China's economy is projected to expand by 8.5 percent, up 0.4 percentage point from April projection, the rest of the region is forecast to grow at 2.5 percent, 1.9 percentage points less than forecast in April, the report showed.
Noting that there is variation across countries, Mattoo said some countries like China have been relatively successful in at least keeping this virus at bay, but other countries which had done well previously, especially like Vietnam and Malaysia, are now struggling to contain it and are suffering a "significant" contraction in economic activity.
Others like the Philippines and Indonesia, he continued, had always struggled and their struggles have been "worse," so they are also seeing a contraction in economic activity and forecasts for them are less promising than before.
Mattoo laid out three major reasons for China's strong recovery: China's efficiency in containing the disease; China's robust exports, supported by sustained recovery abroad; the government's capacity to provide support.
The economist, however, noted that there are also challenges China needs to address, as the disease is not conquered, global demand has peaked, geopolitical tensions can affect trade, and macro-prudential policies need to avoid instability.
He also noted that a country like China can "take initiatives as it's already doing to revive multilateral cooperation."
Global cooperation is not only needed on vaccination, on trade, but also on macro economic policy, Mattoo said, as coordinated stimulus is mutually reinforcing and will be more powerful.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte (C) stands with Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian (1st L) and other officials upon the arrival of government-purchased Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines in Manila, the Philippines, on March 29, 2021.(Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)
"The one risk is that when one country provides stimulus, others are sometimes tempted to hold back and that can then also create trade tensions, where you feel they are not doing their share," he said.
"So both from a purely economic point of view, but also from a political stability point of view, coordinated policies are desirable," he added.
The World Bank economist noted that trade has remained resilient for countries in the region despite the pandemic, but there are export restrictions and supply chain disruptions.
"The best response to protectionism abroad is more trade openness at home, and more trade facilitation" within the region, Mattoo said. "We showed that actually would lead to even faster growth in the region, than retaliating through protection."
The trade economist noted that trade has been the engine of growth for all the countries, "any successful country," not just in the region.
"So at this stage, even if some countries are beginning to doubt the benefits of globalization and retreating from it, I do not think the region should," he said.
Beyond containing COVID-19, the World Bank also called on policymakers to adopt a comprehensive strategy to boost inclusive growth, including increasing public investment in hard and soft infrastructure, like clean energy, transport, health systems and schools, improving social protection systems, and supporting broader technology diffusion.
"So I would say contain the disease, ensure stable macro policy for recovery, and then work hard on structural reforms for long-term growth," Mattoo said.
"A crisis is an opportunity (that) changes the political economy and the time to take advantage of it is now," he added.
AUKUS nuclear submarine deal brings five harms to region, says Chinese FM
Xinhua) 09:02, September 30, 2021
BEIJING, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday held a phone conversation with the Malaysian and Bruneian foreign ministers.
During the talks, the foreign ministers exchanged views on the new security partnership between Australia, Britain and the United States, known as AUKUS, as well as the countries' plan to conduct cooperation on nuclear submarines, over which the officials expressed grave concern.
Wang said the AUKUS move is likely to bring five harms to the region.
Firstly, it will cause risks of nuclear proliferation.
According to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, non-nuclear-weapon states can only use nuclear energy in a peaceful manner under supervision and safeguards.
Nuclear submarines, however, are used for military purposes and are fueled by highly enriched uranium, which can be used directly to build nuclear weapons, while the International Atomic Energy Agency is unable to conduct effective and timely supervision of nuclear submarines.
While the United States has unilaterally imposed sanctions on countries developing enriched uranium technology, it gave Australia a green light, which will inevitably give rise to more risks of proliferation of nuclear technology and materials, impacting the global non-proliferation regime.
Secondly, it will induce a new round of arms race.
Nuclear submarines are strategic security forces, capable of carrying nuclear weapons.
Australia's move will break the strategic balance in the region, mocks the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty that Australia has signed, and constitutes a real threat to countries in the region.
It could not be ruled out that other countries would follow the move to wage a new round of arms race, even crossing the nuclear threshold.
Thirdly, it will undermine regional prosperity and stability.
With the joint efforts made by China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for many years, the region has become the most dynamic and fastest developing one in the world. This situation is hard won and should be cherished.
However, AUKUS will surely to create tensions, casting a shadow on the region's peace, stability, and development.
Fourthly, it will sabotage the building of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in Southeast Asia.
The Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon Free Zone reflects the common will of the people in Southeast Asian countries, which should be understood and respected by other countries.
Among the five nuclear weapon countries, China was the first to have announced its readiness to join the treaty and sign a protocol to this end.
The United States and Britain chose not to participate in the treaty. Instead, they have transferred military nuclear technology to the region under various pretexts and provided highly enriched uranium materials, running counter to the efforts made by ASEAN countries to build a nuclear-weapon-free zone.
Fifthly, it will revive the Cold War mentality.
AUKUS, in line with the Quad, complies with and serves the U.S.-led Indo-Pacific strategy, seeking to overturn the current status quo and start all over again, with an eye to provoking rivalry among blocs in the region and ushering in geopolitical zero-sum games.
It goes against the trend of the times and is a revival of the Cold War mentality, which should arouse vigilance and opposition from countries in the region and the international community.
(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
California officials, organizations send congratulations upon China's National Day
Xinhua) 09:02, September 30, 2021
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- California officials and representatives of local organizations delivered warm congratulatory messages to an online celebration held by the Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles on Wednesday for the 72nd anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.
China's National Day falls on Oct. 1 every year to commemorate the founding of the People's Republic of China.
U.S. Congresswoman Judy Chu, the first Chinese American woman ever elected to U.S. Congress, joined the celebration. She represents the 27th Congressional District, which includes Pasadena and the west San Gabriel Valley of Southern California.
"Cooperation between the U.S. and China has had historic significance, like defeating fascism in WWII," Chu noted in her video message, saying that she is proud of the 20,000 Chinese Americans like her father, who went on to serve during the war.
Chu pointed out the cooperation between the two countries is vital for moving the globe forward and "there is so much more for us to accomplish together from combating climate change to defeating pandemics."
"So many immigrants from China have made incredible contributions to our country as well. We can see it every day here in Southern California, where the Chinese community is an essential part of our vibrancy from the food we eat, to how we conduct business," she added.
The congresswoman stressed that the growing impact of the Chinese community in California can be very helpful at erasing xenophobia and encouraging more work together and she is committed to fighting all prejudice and anti-Asian sentiments.
California's Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis said in a written message to the Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles that the Golden State's ties to China are "deep, long-standing, and enduring" and "we are extremely proud of these close relations."
"The people of China and California have been inextricably intertwined since the earliest days of our statehood. In fact, today a significant percentage of Californians can trace their roots to China," Kounalakis said, adding the ties and cultural connections have helped to make China California's largest trading partner in Asia.
"It is my hope that continued friendly people-to-people relations will continue in the coming year," the lieutenant governor noted.
The western U.S. state, home to around 40 million residents, is the most populous state in the country. China is one of California's largest trading partners and California attracts the biggest amount of Chinese investment, tourists and students among all U.S. states.
Kathryn Barger, a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, also joined the celebration on behalf of the most populous U.S. county, home to approximately a quarter of California's total population.
"The Board takes this opportunity to express appreciation for the continued friendship between the people of China and the residents of Los Angeles County," said Barger in a written message.
"This friendship is increasingly important to the trade, business, and cultural relationships that benefit the people of our two countries," she added.
"China is our biggest trading partner. Half of all containers moving through the Port of Long Beach represent trade with China. We value our partners from China tremendously," said Mario Cordero, executive director of the Port of Long Beach.
Through August, the Port of Long Beach handled 6.4 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) and is back on track this year to surpass 9 million. That would shatter the previous year's record of 8.1 million TEUs.
Cordero pointed out that the tariff disputes between the United States and China have affected trade between the two nations. He said cargo volume has improved in the past 18 months as shippers satisfied pent-up demand generated in the first several months of the pandemic and "as a port authority, we sincerely hope our two nations find ways to resolve their differences and resume trade normalcy."
Lori Bettison-Varga, President and Director of Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County, offer well wishes on behalf of the largest natural and historical museum in the western United States.
"We celebrate decades of collaboration and shared discovery, particularly in the field of Vertebrate Paleontology," she said in her video message, hoping to resume important shared work, paused by the pandemic, alongside their Chinese colleagues and continue to develop relationships with their sister museum in China next year.
Jeffrey Greene, chairman of the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation, and Harry Moyer, a centenarian "Flying Tiger" veteran fighter pilot, also extended their greetings upon China's National Day in their video message.
Many members of the organization were famed "Flying Tiger" veterans who served in China to help the Chinese combat the Japanese invasion during World War II.
"I wish to this my best wishes for Chinese people as they celebrate China's National Day," said Moyer, who was based in Chengdu of China in 1944, where his fighter squadron was supporting B-29 Bombers that were flying missions against the Japanese Home islands and also supporting the Chinese who were fighting the Japanese in central China.
Zhang Ping, Chinese Consul General in Los Angeles, expressed his best wishes to the friends in his consular district during the event.
"Sub-national cooperation and people-to-people exchanges are important part of China-U.S. relations," said the Chinese Consul General, adding that California is an important participant and beneficiary of China-U.S. practical exchange and cooperation.
"California's close connection with China is a vivid portrayal of the closely intertwined interests between China and the U.S. and defines the mutually beneficial nature of China-U.S. relations," he noted.
(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
China brings prosperity to its people in equal manner, experts say
Xinhua) 09:06, September 30, 2021
BEIJING, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- China has brought prosperity to its people using the principles of equality and non-discrimination and offered experience to other countries, experts from across the world have said.
China has achieved moderate prosperity in all respects through the consistent hard work and wisdom of the Chinese people, according to a white paper titled "China's Epic Journey from Poverty to Prosperity" issued by the State Council Information Office on Tuesday.
The main driving force behind China's journey and struggle from poverty to prosperity is a people-centered approach adhered to by the Communist Party of China (CPC), which prioritizes the Chinese people and their welfare, said Rizwan Naseer, a Pakistani strategic security analyst.
Under China's policy with the principles of equality and non-discrimination, all citizens are entitled to equal rights and respect, Naseer said.
Through its development, China has given the world the confidence that the ideal of a community with a shared future for mankind is achievable and other countries can also lift their people out of poverty, he said.
"China's modernization is characterized by seeking common prosperity, and balanced material and cultural progress for all," Patricio Giusto, director of the Sino-Argentine Observatory told Xinhua.
China's experience gives a new option to countries and regions seeking to achieve growth, he said.
Ahmed Waly, a former Egyptian diplomat and head of the Egypt-China Friendship Association, said China has strived for development in various fields including economy, science, technology, education, culture, environment, public health and community governance.
The fruits of development, such as high-speed rail and digital technology, can be enjoyed by the entire population, "which is beneficial to the whole society," he said.
China's contributions to the United Nations' goals of reducing global poverty can hardly be overestimated, and its success is important for many countries facing poverty, said Natalia Pecheritsa, director of the Center for the Asia-Pacific Region of the Russian New University.
(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
China issues white paper to share experience in building moderately prosperous society in all respects
People's Daily) 09:18, September 30, 2021
Photo taken on Sept. 25, 2021 shows children having fun at an autumn-themed exhibition in Ejin Horo Banner, Ordos city, north Chinas Inner Mongolia autonomous region. (Peoples Daily Online/Wang Zheng)
Chinas State Council Information Office published a white paper titled Chinas Epic Journey from Poverty to Prosperity on Sept. 28, intending to document Chinas journey to moderate prosperity in all respects, introduce the countrys approaches to and actions in achieving the goal, and share with the rest of the world its unique experience in the construction of modernization.
Achieving moderate prosperity fulfills a long-cherished dream of the Chinese nation, said the white paper.
Since the Opium War (1840-1842), China had suffered greater ravages than ever before, the white paper said. However, the indomitable Chinese people never lost heart they continued to fight tenaciously for their dream of a happy life, it added.
Over the past hundred years, led by the CPC, generations of the Chinese people have persevered, progressing step by step from a subsistence standard of living to piecemeal prosperity, then to moderate prosperity throughout the country, said the document.
Chinas experience in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects has fully proven that the country considers all-round development essential to moderate prosperity, in pursuing which the country emphasizes balanced, coordinated and sustainable progress in various fields, according to the white paper.
The moderately prosperous society in all respects that China has built is a society in which all people share the fruits of development, a society where no individual, region or ethnic group is left behind, and a society that promotes the well-rounded development of all, pointed out the white paper. Each of these is essential for achieving common prosperity, a major goal of socialism, it said.
China has achieved moderate prosperity in all respects through the consistent hard work and wisdom of the Chinese people, according to the white paper.
The CPC has united and led the Chinese people in rebuilding the country from scratch through self-reliance and hard work, achieving the moderate prosperity to which they have aspired for thousands of years, the white paper said, stressing that the epic deeds of the CPC and the Chinese people will go down in history.
China cannot develop in isolation from the rest of the world, nor can the world achieve prosperity without China. The country always considers its own growth in the context of the common development of all humanity and binds the interests of its people to the common interests of all peoples across the world, the document said.
The country will continue its efforts to safeguard world peace, contribute to global prosperity, uphold the international order, and provide public goods for the whole world, according to the white paper.
In achieving moderate prosperity for the Chinese people, China has contributed to its own development and delivered benefits to the rest of the world. This has created positive momentum for world peace and common development, and contributed Chinas strength to building a global community of shared future and a better world, it said.
In the future, China will continue to embrace and interact with the rest of the world, adopt a more open and inclusive mindset, and contribute even more to building a global community of shared future and a better world, the white paper noted.
(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
China's sci-fi industry exceeds 36 bln yuan in H1
Xinhua) 09:29, September 30, 2021
A woman visits an exhibition of Three-Body, an award-winning sci-fi trilogy, in Shanghai, east China, Feb. 24, 2021. (Xinhua/Zhang Jiansong)
BEIJING, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- The output value of China's sci-fi industry reached nearly 36.3 billion yuan (5.6 billion U.S. dollars) in the first half of 2021, according to an industry report.
The sci-fi reading market contributed 1.4 billion yuan, an increase of 12 percent year on year, showed data from the report released at the ongoing China Science Fiction Convention 2021 in Beijing.
China's sci-fi industry generated 55.1 billion yuan in 2020, stated the report, adding that the digital reading and audio reading industries also saw rapid growth in the country.
The convention is scheduled until Oct. 5.
(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)
Freedom of bearing arms dragging America into mire of tragedies
Xinhua) 09:52, September 30, 2021
BEIJING, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Over the last few days, the headline-grabbing mass shootings that occurred nearly back to back across the United States have once again cast doubt on the freedom of bearing arms, a controversial right that has been guarded by the U.S. constitution.
When lawmakers adopted the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1791, they might have not foreseen that more than 200 years later, what they treasured as fundamental individual freedom has become the main culprit in nationwide shooting crimes, with people killed and families broken on a daily basis.
The easy accessibility to fatal arms guaranteed by the amendment has also created such tragedies as a 4-year-old kid killing himself with a gun and a 3-year-old child shooting his brother dead by accident. It has even resulted in a horrible scene: arming the teachers to protect themselves against students who bear guns.
Since 1972, more than 80 people on average, including about 12 children, have been killed by gunshots per day in the United States, according to statistics.
The staggering figures can find their root causes in America's pervasive social problems. In recent years, the widening wealth gap and growing social division have prompted some marginalized groups to go to extremes and resort to violence.
The intensifying racial conflicts and rising living pressures resulting from the COVID-19 outbreak have also played their roles, causing a surge in violent crimes, especially shootings with racist tendencies.
It is a vicious circle that the freedom of owning arms fuels social violence, which in turn pushes people to buy more weapons. In the first quarter of the year, U.S. gun sales rose 18 percent year-on-year, without counting in underground transactions. It is estimated that the U.S. society as a whole has more than 400 million guns.
"Americans are in an arms race with themselves," said Marqueece Harris-Dawson, who represents South Los Angeles.
The recurrent shootings have laid bare the incompetence of the U.S. governance. Even though there are loud voices within the country opposing bearing arms, Washington has hardly taken a step forward on the issue.
Among the main obstacles to gun control efforts in the United States are influential interest groups. The production, sales and use of guns in America have formed a huge industrial chain that generates tremendous interests. Related interest groups have a sway over nearly every aspect of U.S. politics.
For example, the National Rifle Association of America, which has millions of members and includes powerful gun manufacturers and distributors, is able to influence general and local elections as well as the appointment of Supreme Court justices.
No wonder California Governor Gavin Newsom has grumbled that "our politics, stale rhetoric, finger-pointing, all the hand-wringing, consternation that produces nothing except more fury and frustration."
The so-called freedom of keeping arms has made increasing Americans feel despairing. Shannon Watts, founder of the gun control advocacy group Moms Demand Action, once tweeted "This isn't freedom ... No other nation would tolerate this, and we don't have to either."
However, the urges have proven futile. In the United States, the gun control issue seems insoluble. Without some determined actions, America will only find itself mired deeper in more tragedies.
(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)
China's leading truck brand speeds up new energy transformation
Xinhua) 10:39, September 30, 2021
CHANGCHUN, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Jiefang, a truck brand of China's leading automaker FAW Group, will invest over 30 billion yuan (about 4.64 billion U.S. dollars) to develop new energy vehicles (NEVs) during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), the company announced Wednesday.
The company will develop pure electric, hybrid and fuel-cell vehicles over the next five years, and aims to become an industry leader in key and core technologies by 2030, it said, adding that it will gradually boost the market share of its NEVs.
The investment will be used to build new energy innovation bases in nine domestic and overseas locations and an exclusive base for developing fuel-cell vehicles and systems.
Hu Hanjie, chairman of FAW Jiefang Automotive Co., Ltd., said the move also aims to contribute to China's goals of peaking carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060.
Founded in 1953 and headquartered in the northeastern province of Jilin, the state-owned FAW Group is known as the cradle of China's auto industry.
(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)
Chile launches 2021-22 cherry season with eye on Chinese market
Xinhua) 10:49, September 30, 2021
Workers work in a factory of Agricola Garces in Mostazal, Chile on Jan. 19, 2018.(Xinhua/Xu Rui)
According to the Asoex Cherry Committee, 352,000 tons of cherries were exported last season, up by 54 percent from the previous season, with 91 percent of the total going to China.
SANTIAGO, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Chile launched its 2021-22 cherry season with an eye on China, its main export market for the ruby red stone fruit, and with high expectations for its success.
A recent Cherry Blossom celebration organized by the Chilean Fruit Exporters Association (Asoex), drew agricultural entrepreneurs, and representatives of institutions and officials.
Chilean Minister of Agriculture Maria Emilia Undurraga, who attended the event, hailed agriculture, particularly fruit growing, as "an engine of development for many of the country's regions."
With that in mind, it is "fundamental" to value China's role in moving food markets with its demand for cherries at a particular time of year, which also "contributes to the health and welfare of the population," said the minister.
The official told Xinhua she was grateful for the good relationship with the Chinese technicians who helped Chile adapt to new import requirements to ensure the quality product gets to the Chinese market.
"The way we have been welcomed not only by Chinese authorities, but also by the Chinese people, has been a really impactful experience," said Ronald Bown, president of Asoex.
Those attending the Cherry Blossom celebration held at the headquarters of Garces Fruit, a leading fruit exporter located just 70 km south of the capital Santiago, were given a guided tour of the grounds and facility.
Chinese Ambassador to Chile Niu Qingbao, who also attended the event, said he was impressed by the quality control and advanced technology used in cherry planting and processing.
As Chile's cherry exports to China suffered a setback last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, authorities held talks this year and have agreed to take the necessary steps to promote trade in cherries and other agricultural products, ensuring exports meet all the safety requirements of the Chinese market.
The Chinese diplomat said that with efforts from both sides, he hoped this year's cherry exports would be very successful.
Meanwhile, the president of Garces Fruit, Hernan Garces, said, "everything we have built here has been with the Chinese market in mind."
Chile's cherries are "a product that all Chinese people love and that we have built together," Garces added.
Patricio Toro, a founding partner of Exportadora del Sur S.A., another fruit exporter, said he exports his entire cherry harvest to China.
"There is always growth and progress with China," he said, adding he had "the same expectations" for 2021-22.
According to the Asoex Cherry Committee, 352,000 tons of cherries were exported last season, up by 54 percent from the previous season, with 91 percent of the total going to China.
(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)
Digital innovation empowers China's governance efficiency
Xinhua) 11:03, September 30, 2021
HANGZHOU, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- As digital technology is being fully integrated into the production and life of humankind, China is stepping up efforts to improve its digital governance to create better lives for all.
At an expo titled "the Light of Internet," various types of cutting-edge digital technologies and products empowering digital governance and promoting inclusive development were showcased to the audience. The expo was held as part of the 2021 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit, which concluded on Tuesday in Wuzhen, east China's Zhejiang Province.
Zhejiang, which has been designated as a demonstration zone for promoting common prosperity, is driving its governance modernization with digital reform.
For instance, Wusi Village in Huzhou City has benefited from the local government's efforts to build the first 5G base station in the village. Dynamic data about the production, life and ecological environment of the village was displayed on digital platforms, providing valuable information for the government to improve public services for rural residents.
"Thanks to the convenience and the opportunities brought by the digital transformation, more and more young people have chosen to come back to start businesses and live in the village," said Sun Guowen, Party secretary of Wusi Village.
Other healthcare services have adopted digital medical care to effectively facilitate high-quality medical resource distribution, enabling residents, especially those in remote areas, to access high-quality medical services without leaving home.
At Wuzhen Internet Hospital, patients can make consultations online, get their e-prescriptions, and make medical insurance claims via their mobile phones. One of the earliest adaptors of this technology, the hospital's medical platform connects with 31 Internet hospitals across the country, and nearly 20 of them have been covered by medical insurance.
The stories of Wusi village and Wuzhen epitomize China's actions to enhance digital governance efficiency through digital innovation to benefit more people. To reduce the regional gap and advance inclusive development, the country has actively developed public services in digital forms such as online classrooms and "smart" libraries.
China's efforts in enhancing digital governance efficiency have been recognized by the world. According to the 2020 United Nations E-Government Survey, China's Online Service Index (OSI), as a core index to measure the development of national e-government services, has risen sharply to 9th place in the world.
Meanwhile, with the rapid development of digital technologies, cybersecurity has been facing new challenges. To better capture the "digital dividends," China has formulated laws and regulations to sustain the healthy development of the Internet industry.
The Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress, China's top legislature, has adopted a new law on personal information protection. The law makes provisions prohibiting the excessive collection of personal information and big data-enabled price discrimination against existing customers.
(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)
Shanghai releases latest promo video of upcoming CIIE
(People's Daily App) 11:04, September 30, 2021
Jinbao, the mascot of the import expo, invites people from around the world to come to Shanghai to feel the city's energy in the latest promotional video of the upcoming fourth China International Import Expo to be held from November 5 to 10.
(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Somali officials congratulate China on 72nd anniversary of PRC's founding
Xinhua) 11:15, September 30, 2021
MOGADISHU, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Somali officials have recently extended congratulations on the 72nd founding anniversary of the People's Republic of China during a virtual reception.
The officials expressed appreciation for the historic friendship between Somalia and China at the online reception held by the Chinese Embassy in Somalia on Tuesday.
In his congratulatory message, Osman Abokor Dubbe, Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, said that China has shown how hard work and integrity can create an economic giant, and spoke highly of the country's significant contributions in the fields of space, infrastructure and technology.
Fawziya Abikar Nur, Minister of Health and Human Service, thanked the Chinese government for its consistent support for the Horn of Africa country during the pandemic.
Nur congratulated China on its National Day and expressed his gratitude for China's donation of vaccines this year.
Chinese Ambassador to Somalia Fei Shengchao said that China is preparing to donate another batch of vaccines to Somalia to better protect the local people.
"China has continued to give tangible assistance to Somalia in humanitarian aid, education, medicine and other areas, in support of Somalia's peace and reconstruction," Fei said during the event.
Somalia established diplomatic ties with China in 1960.
(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Ink Dances: 'Mid-Autumn Wonder Tour' reveals the boundless creativity of Chinese culture to New Zealand audiences
13:25, September 30, 2021 By Rui Ma ( People's Daily Online
'Ink Dance Mid-Autumn' (Photo provided by China Cultural Centre in Wellington)
SYDNEY, Sept. 29 (Peoples Daily Online) The Chinese Cultural Centre in Wellington recently shared its series Mid-Autumn Wonderful Tour, a program celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival, to New Zealand netizens through its official social media accounts. The event was supported by the Bureau of International Exchange and Cooperation of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China and the Chinese Embassy in New Zealand.
The series was created around traditional Chinese folk custom, mythology, dance, calligraphy, murals, martial arts, opera and other intangible cultural heritage techniques. With the use of digital technology, the series has offered up an audio-visual feast to Chinese culture lovers in New Zealand and all over the world.
Mid-Autumn Wonderful Tour is structured as a network drama within a network show. This program is based on traditional Chinese culture, which is the sole focus of the entire program.
In the opening scene of the program Autumn Moon Fete, performers create a wonderful show and present good wishes to the audiences through the use of molten iron fireworks and a fire dragon dance.
In the dance The Return of the Crane, dancers dress up as cranes, showing the exquisite posture and beauty of the crane, highlighting the splendor of the mid-autumn moon, and sending forth their good wishes.
The creative dance Ink Dance Mid-Autumn fuses calligraphy with dance, using the dancers' physical bodies to elicit the beauty of Chinese calligraphy in a dynamic dance form. By using a variety of special effects when filming, this dance is able to showcase the enchanting power of traditional Chinese calligraphy.
Shaolin Kung Fu is a program that uses XR technology to wholeheartedly present dancers entering the world of murals and performing martial arts as monks to illustrate the majesty of Shaolin Kung Fu.
(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
China Cultural Center in Wellington shares master paintings online: revel in Chinese ancients celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival
People's Daily Online) 13:49, September 30, 2021
Poster of Mid-Autumn Festival in Traditional Chinese Paintings (Photo provided by China Cultural Centre in Wellington)
SYDNEY, Sept. 29 (Peoples Daily Online) The China Culture Center in Wellington recently shared a group of Chinese painting masterpieces in a "Micro Class" on the theme of the Mid-Autumn Festival in an online session, displaying four representative Chinese paintings touching on cultural elements related to the Mid-Autumn Festival as created by Ma Yuan, Chen Mei, Li Song, and Tang Yin.
Since ancient times, there have been numerous Chinese paintings created on the theme of the Mid-Autumn Festival, such as those depicting the beautiful scenes of Mid-Autumn Festival reunions, the raising of glasses to enjoy the moon and celebrate the night together, expressions of people's tender feelings in missing their hometown and prayers for a better future.
A Cup in Hand Under the Moon is a masterpiece created by Ma Yuan, an artist from the Southern Song Dynasty. The painting is unique in its composition, and with a profound artistic conception. The painting depicts a mid-autumn reunion banquet scene. A round moon is hung high in the sky, and the visit of friends creates a beautiful atmosphere of gathering together.
One of the classic masterpieces of the Qing Dynasty painter Chen Mei, Qiongtai Moon Viewing Picture, portrays a mid-autumn night with a crisp autumn atmosphere and fragrant laurels. The painter depicts women of the Qing Dynasty with slender figures composed of fine and smooth lines and bright and vivid colors.
Watching the Tide on a Moonlit Night by Li Song, a Southern Song Dynasty painter, depicts a scene of the tide coming in on a mid-autumn night in Lin'an, Southern Song Dynasty. With delicate, emotive and vivid brushstrokes, he paints a poetic picture of gazing out at the tide during the mid-autumn season.
Chang'e Holding a Laurel was painted by Tang Yin, one of the "Four Artists of Ming". During the Mid-Autumn Festival, when people look up at a bright and full moon, they have tended to associate it with the "Guang Han Palace" and "Chang'e" of ancient myths and legends, and painters have often created timeless masterpieces in this theme. (Zhiyuan Ren)
(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
27 milu deer released back into wild in N China's Inner Mongolia
People's Daily Online) 16:28, September 30, 2021
A total of 27 rare milu deer have been released back into the wild at the Daqingshan Nature Reserve in north China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region in an effort to improve their living environment.
(Photo/People's Daily APP)
At a later stage, the released deer will be required to wear Beidou GPS positioning collars, so as to have their activities and migratory trajectories more accurately monitored. In this way, targeted measures can be adopted for their future protection.
In recent years, the population of milu deer has been steadily growing thanks to efforts such as the restoration of wildlife habitats and implementation of more scientific research. As of now, the number of milu deer has risen to around 10,000.
(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
The 2021 International Cultural and Creative Industry Development Forum will be held from Oct 14 and 17 in Huangshan city, East China's Anhui province, officials announced at a recent press conference in Beijing.
Over 300 experts, entrepreneurs and government officials in the culture and tourism industry will gather in Huangshan city, and communicate with their counterparts from overseas via the internet on how to boost recovery of the cultural and creative industry via innovation and build a sustainable culture and tourism industry amid the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Audiences will be able to watch livestreams of the discussions and interact online with guest speakers. Some cooperative projects in the culture and tourism industry will be signed during the forum. Meanwhile, a committee of entrepreneurs from home and abroad in the culture and tourism industry will be established, so they can better exchange views with each other and cooperate in more projects.
Cheng Hong, deputy mayor of Huangshan city, talked about the advantages of the city in tourism, culture, ecology and public transportation at the press conference. She said besides well-known Huangshan Mountain, the city is also home to Huizhou merchants who gained nationwide influence during the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911) and the national-level Huizhou Cultural Ecology Protection Zone that aims to preserve local intangible cultural heritage.
"It makes the city like a creative, roofless museum that tourists can directly interact with," she said.
Relatives and neighbors of the Ahmadis gather around the incinerated husk of a vehicle targeted and hit by an American drone strike that killed 10 people including children, in Kabul, Afghanistan, August 30, 2021. /CFP
Commander of the U.S. Central Command Gen. Kenneth McKenzie said Tuesday he took full responsibility for the August 29 drone strike in Kabul that killed 10 civilians.
"We acted based on the intelligence read that we saw on the ground. We acted several times on intelligence that we saw, and we were successful in other occasions in preventing attacks," he told a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee. "This time, tragically, we were wrong."
The U.S. admitted in mid-September that a drone strike in late August in Kabul of Afghanistan killed as many as 10 civilians, including 7 children.
McKenzie said the strike was "a tragic mistake" and he as a commander took full responsibility.
The U.S. initially claimed the strike had eliminated an "imminent" threat posed by ISIS-K, an Afghanistan-based offshoot of the Islamic State, to Kabul International Airport, where evacuations of U.S. service members and personnel were underway.
The Taliban has controlled the airport and most parts of Afghanistan since September.
General Mark Milley, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff who also attended Tuesday's Senate hearing, said it was a "strategic failure" that put the Taliban back in power.
Both Milley and McKenzie said they believed the U.S. should maintain 2,500 troops in Afghanistan and feared a quick drawdown from the country could lead to a collapse of the Afghan government and military.
But U.S. President Joe Biden has said last month that no military officials advised him to keep troops in Afghanistan after the withdrawal deadline.
(With input from Xinhua)
Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley testifies during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Sept. 28, 2021. Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Tuesday during a Senate hearing that it is a "strategic failure" with the Taliban back in power and U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Milley, alongside Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and U.S. Central Command head Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, testified for the first time before Congress since the United States ended its longest war in Afghanistan. (Patrick Semansky/Pool via Xinhua)
WASHINGTON, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Tuesday during a Senate hearing that it is a "strategic failure" with the Taliban back in power and U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Milley, alongside Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and U.S. Central Command head Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, testified for the first time before Congress since the United States ended its longest war in Afghanistan.
"It is obvious, the war in Afghanistan did not end on the terms we wanted, with the Taliban now in power in Kabul," Milley told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
"Strategically, the war is lost, the enemy is in Kabul. So you have a strategic failure while you simultaneously have an operational and tactical success," he said, referring to the massive personnel evacuation since mid-August.
Milley and McKenzie said they believed the United States should maintain 2,500 troops in Afghanistan, and a quick drawdown from the country could lead to a collapse of the Afghan government and military.
Such comments seemed to contradict President Joe Biden's words in an interview last month, in which he said no military officials advised him to keep troops in Afghanistan after the withdrawal deadline.
Meanwhile, Milley and Pentagon chief Austin stressed that the sudden collapse of the Afghan military was beyond their expectation.
"The fact that the Afghan army we and our partners trained simply melted away, in many cases without firing a shot, took us all by surprise," said Austin.
Milley noted that most intelligence assessments indicated the collapse "would occur late fall, perhaps early winter, Kabul might hold till next spring."
Top military commanders pointed to the agreement reached between the United States and Taliban in February 2020, which called for a full withdrawal of the U.S. troops from Afghanistan by May 2021 if the Taliban meets the conditions, had a demoralizing impact on the Afghan military.
The U.S. military completed its withdrawal from Afghanistan on Aug. 30 under Biden's order, ending 20 years of occupation. The hasty and chaotic evacuations drew fierce criticism from both home and abroad.
Milley admitted in the hearing that the withdrawal damaged U.S. credibility. "Damage is one word that could be used."
He also raised terrorism threats that could potentially emerge from Afghanistan in the near future.
Reflecting on the Afghan war, Austin questioned if the United States had the right strategy in the past two decades, adding that Washington might never fully comprehend the situation on the ground, including the depth of corruption in Kabul.
A poll conducted last month by the Pew Research Center showed only 26 percent of Americans believed the Biden administration handled the Afghanistan situation well, and 69 percent of the public said the United States mostly failed in achieving its goals in Afghanistan.
UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- The Cold War mentality must be eradicated before nuclear weapons can be totally eliminated, said Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations.
"The total elimination of nuclear weapons must begin with the total elimination of the Cold War mentality. With such a mentality, the world cannot achieve real nuclear disarmament and will not enjoy real peace and tranquility," Geng told the high-level plenary meeting of the General Assembly on Tuesday to commemorate and promote the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.
Geng highlighted the fact that in recent years, some individual countries have been sticking to the Cold War mentality, seeking absolute military superiority, pursuing an offensive nuclear policy, shunning responsibility for nuclear disarmament, obsessed with forming closed and exclusive small circles and bending on provoking conflicts and confrontation.
"Just recently, a couple of countries blatantly announced cooperation in nuclear submarines, which will result in serious nuclear proliferation risks," the envoy pointed out.
"Such practice heightens regional tensions, stimulates the arms race, undermines international efforts in nuclear non-proliferation, and runs counter to the goal of the total elimination of nuclear weapons as well as the aspiration of regional countries for peace and development," he added.
Geng recalled that a week ago, a country stated in the UN General Assembly Hall that it does not seek a new Cold War, and has no intention of creating division.
"We hope that this public pronouncement made before the whole world will be shown in action," he said. "We hope that the relevant country will discard the outdated zero sum mentality of the Cold War era and narrow-minded geopolitical concepts and make concrete efforts to maintain global strategic balance and stability and uphold regional peace and security."
The envoy emphasized that since the very first day when it came into possession of nuclear weapons, China has been advocating the complete prohibition and thorough destruction of nuclear weapons.
"China has declared that it will not be the first to use nuclear weapons at any time and under any circumstance, and unconditionally committed itself not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon states or nuclear-weapon-free zones," he said.
"China never seeks to compete with any country in the scale or quantity of nuclear weapons, nor will it engage in a nuclear arms race with any country. We never shirk our obligations for international disarmament and arms control and have always kept our nuclear force at the minimum level required for national security," he continued.
"China supports building a world free of nuclear weapons, supports the Non-Aligned Movement in promoting the nuclear disarmament agenda, and supports the General Assembly in holding this meeting to commemorate and promote the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons," he said.
China's independently developed AG600 large amphibious aircraft performed a flight at the 13th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, or Airshow China 2021, which opened Tuesday in the southern port city of Zhuhai, Guangdong Province.
The aircraft displayed its capabilities of aerial water-dropping by opening the hatch door underneath and dropping nine tonnes of water during the flight.
Code-named Kunlong, the AG600 is a key piece of aeronautical equipment in China's emergency rescue system.
It completed its maiden flight from land in 2017, its first takeoff from a water reservoir in 2018, and its first sea takeoff in 2020.
China's Chang'e-4 on the lunar surface. /CFP
The lander and rover of the Chang'e-4 probe have worked for 1,000 Earth days on the far side of the moon as of Wednesday, according to the Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center of the China National Space Administration.
The lander and rover Yutu-2 are in good condition. The payloads aboard are also working properly and will continue the scientific exploration on the far side of the moon.
As of Wednesday, Yutu-2 has traveled 839.37 meters and obtained 3,632.01 gigabytes (GB) of data.
A lunar day is equal to 14 days on Earth, and a lunar night is the same length. Currently, the lander and rover have been switched to dormant mode for the 34th lunar night due to the lack of solar power.
The Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center will continue to publish the latest findings of the probe.
The Chang'e-4 probe, launched on December 8, 2018, made the first-ever soft landing on the Von Karman Crater in the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the moon on January 3, 2019.
Source(s): Xinhua News Agency
By Sumesh Shiwakoty
President Joe Biden, joined virtually by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, speaks about a national security initiative from the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., the U.S., September 15, 2021. /CFP
Editor's note: Sumesh Shiwakoty , a policy analyst and commentator, currently serves as a board member and South Asia director for the U.S. Department of State-funded California-based non-profit "United by Love," has worked in the past with the World Policy Institute in New York, has received a research grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and written analyses for publications including The National Interest, The Diplomat, and The Times of India. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.
In his announcement of AUKUS, the trilateral security pact between the U.S., UK, and Australia, U.S. President Joe Biden stated that the deal will ensure "peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific over the long term." President Biden is wrong. If anything, the opposite is true.
AUKUS will exacerbate the arms race while seriously undermining the current international nuclear nonproliferation governments. The deal will further militarize the Pacific. Only the military-industrial complexes of the three nations will benefit, while those who will pay the ultimate price will be the people of Pacific island nations.
Many of the world's leading nuclear policy experts and scholars have expressed concern that AUKUS will cause the proliferation of highly sensitive military nuclear technology. To operate nuclear-powered submarines under this deal, Australia must be the first to exploit a loophole under the 1970 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which allows non-nuclear-weapons states to acquire nuclear-powered submarines and remove nuclear materials used for fuel from the inspection system of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
We can assume from Australia's indication that its nuclear submarines will not need refueling that it will use highly enriched uranium (HEU) like that of the U.S. and the UK, instead of low enriched uranium. The danger for nuclear nonproliferation government is obvious, as currently, the American and the British nuclear submarines use HEU enriched above 90 percent, a similar concentration of uranium, for making nuclear weapons.
James Acton of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace states that while it is improbable that Australia will acquire nuclear weapons, this "will set a damaging precedent," making it difficult for a nonproliferation government to deter future proliferators. He is right.
Other nuclear countries could exacerbate the arms race by exploiting this same loophole to supply nuclear technologies to countries that are interested in acquiring nuclear weapons. AUKUS will also heavily militarize the Pacific as it includes cooperation on underwater technologies to long-range strike capabilities. This will invite rival powers to militarize the Pacific further.
On the other hand, the AUKUS deal has alienated a close NATO ally of the U.S. and UK. Australia's unilateral cancellation of its $66 billion contracts to purchase diesel-powered submarines from the French defense contractor the Naval Group is a severe economic setback to the French defense industry.
France showed its anger by recalling its ambassadors from Washington and Canberra, having never before recalled an ambassador from the U.S. The French foreign minister called the deal a "stab in the back," while French opposition politicians asked France to leave NATO.
Royal Australian Navy submarine HMAS Rankin is seen during AUSINDEX 21, a biennial maritime exercise between the Royal Australian Navy and the Indian Navy in waters off Darwin, Australia, September 5, 2021. /Getty
If there were really a military threat of the gravity that Biden would like us to believe in the Indo-Pacific, he would have included France, whose Indo-Pacific territory has two million citizens and 7,000 troops, and whose alliance with the U.S. dates to 1778, to counter this security threat mutually.
With Boris Johnson, the British Prime Minister, publicly touting in the British parliament that the AUKUS deal will add jobs across his country, it seems that economic incentives to the U.S. and the UK outweigh any perceived security concerns in the region.
That the profit motives of the military industry underlie foreign policy decisions seems incontrovertible. The failed 20-year U.S. occupation of Afghanistan was still a big victory for U.S. military contractors. A Brown University report showed the price since 2001 to American taxpayers for the U.S. military operations globally was around $8 trillion. During that period, the share prices of the top five U.S. defense contractors increased three to 12 times, outperforming overall stock markets by 58 percent.
Meanwhile, the people of the Pacific Island nations still live with the environmental consequences of nuclear testing decades ago by Americans, British and French and have worked hard to keep the Pacific nuclear-free going forward. They were already concerned that Japan's plan to discard treated nuclear wastewater into the Pacific would adversely affect their habitat.
Now they have more to worry about: the nuclear submarine deal contravenes their long-standing dream of making the region a nuclear-free zone. They now confront the possibility that any accidental spillover of nuclear waste from submarines will poison their habitat.
Other countries in the regions are also protesting the AUKUS deal. For example, New Zealand has stated that the nuclear submarine will not be welcome in their waters, and Malaysia and Indonesia have jointly raised concern that the deal will heighten the tension and arms race in the region.
But for the AUKUS nations which seek hegemony and are addicted to the profit of military-industrial complexes, these concerns of Pacific nations do not seem to matter much. In the age of pressing transnational problems like climate change and nuclear proliferation, any country which seeks hegemony and a return to the 19th century model of balance of power is engaged in primitive, self-defeating thinking.
BEIING, Sept. 30 -- The US playing up the military ties between the US and Taiwan island in its National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 is blatant playing with fire, said a Chinese defense spokesperson at a regular press conference on Thursday.
Senior Colonel Wu Qian, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks when being asked to comment on the US Act lately approved by the US House of Representatives.
According to media report, the US Act claimed self-righteously that the Chinese mainland's "threat of military force against Taiwan" is contrary to the expectation of the peaceful resolution of the Taiwan question, and the US should continue to provide support to "enhance the defense of Taiwan", including inviting Taiwan to the Rim of the Pacific exercise.
"The US Act clings to the Cold War mentality, makes groundless hype about the so-called "China threat", and grossly interferes in China's internal affairs. China is firmly opposed to it," said Wu, adding that whenever budget and appropriation come into question, some American politicians will make a big fuss over China and exaggerate the non-existent "China threat", which is an extremely irresponsible and dangerous move.
Wu also pointed out that the Taiwan question is Chinas internal affair and concerns Chinas core interests and brooks no foreign interference. The Chinese people cherish Chinas sovereign and territorial integrity like they cherish their eyes, and they allow no sand in the eyes. "If anyone dares to challenge China's bottom line on the Taiwan question, the Chinese PLA will never agree with it and will resolutely defend China's sovereign and territorial integrity," Wu stressed.
BEIJING, Sept. 30 -- The British side has significantly increased its military deployment in the Asia-Pacific region since this year, which is not conducive to regional peace and stability. said a defense ministry spokesperson on Thursday.
Senior Colonel Wu Qian, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense made this remark when being asked to comment on the at least 5-year regular deployment of two British Royal Navy patrol ships to the Indo-Pacific, and the first docking of the British aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth at the US naval base in Yokosuka, Japan. Media reports said that the UK aimed to proclaim to its allies and partners its determination and capacity to manage the Indo-Pacific in the long term. In response to that, Wu pointed out that for the past few years, bilateral military relations between Britain and China have maintained stable development in general.
On September 10, General Li Zuocheng, member of China's CMC and chief of staff of the CMC Joint Staff Department, was invited to have a video call with General Sir Nick Carter, UK's Chief of the Defence Staff, through which they had a frank and in-depth exchange of views on regional security situation and national defense policy, bilateral relations and military relationsbetween the two countries, and other issues of common concern. With the increasing global challenges, China and the UK should enhance exchanges and cooperation, which is not only in the common interests of the two countries, but also conducive to world peace, stability and development, Wu stressed.
Wu mentioned at the same time that in recent years, the situation in the Asia-Pacific region remained stable in general. Most countries in this region actively carried out anti-pandemic cooperation, strengthened joint prevention and control, and speeded up work resumption to promote economic recovery.
However, it is noted that the British side has significantly increased its military deployment in the Asia-Pacific region since this year, which is not conducive to regional peace and stability. The Chinese armed forces will take necessary measures to earnestly safeguard national sovereignty, national security and development interests, as well as maintain regional peace, stability and prosperity, he reiterated.
Chinese peacekeepers participating in the Shared Mission-2021 command post exercise for UN peacekeeping operations communicate with the UN Department of Peace Operations and UN peacekeeping missions in Lebanon, Mali and South Sudan via video link
By Huang Panyue
BEIJING, Sept. 30 -- The Shared Mission-2021 Command Post Exercise for UN Peacekeeping Operations was held in Beijing from September 23 to 30. The exercise was co-organized by UN Department of Peace Operations (DPO) and the Peacekeeping Affairs Center of Chinas Ministry of National Defense (MND).
At the training base of the Chinese side in Beijing, Chinese participants have online interactions with experts from UN Department of Peace Operations and peacekeepers from UN missions in Lebanon, Mali and South Sudan via video link.
This was the first exercise of this kind jointly held by the UN Department of Peace Operations and a peacekeeping troop contributing country. The exercise comprised of three stages theoretical orientation, case studies and summative evaluation. Revolving around the study and training of standard operating procedures (SOP) of UN peacekeeping missions, the participants conducted analysis and study of cases in light of typical peacekeeping tasks ranging from armed patrol, civilian protection, emergency response, logistic assistance to civil-military coordination, and made responsive contingency plans.
Senior Colonel Wang Chuanjing, senior training officer at the Peacekeeping Affairs Center of Chinas Ministry of National Defense, said the exercise was based on real cases of UN peacekeeping operations, and coupled with emergencies like compound attacks on peacekeepers barracks, epidemic spreading, etc., aiming at beefing up the participants capability of responding to various kind of contingencies in the complex and volatile peacekeeping environment and their technical and tactical capability of carrying out joint command and control with peacekeepers from multiple countries.
The exercise is conducive to strengthening cooperation between China and the UN in the peacekeeping field, raising the professionalism of Chinese peacekeeping staff officers, it helped the participants have a better command of the policies, rules and decision-making procedures for UN peacekeeping operations, said Zhou Hui, a training officer of the exercise.
The exercise is also an epitome of Chinas commitment to safeguarding multilateralism and the international order with the UN Charter at the core, Zhou added.
BEIJING, Sept. 30 China is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed to Japanese defense officials' provocative words on China, said Senior Colonel Wu Qian, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, at a regular press conference on September 30.
It is reported that Japan's Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi recently accused China of its increase of national defense expenditure.
Senior Colonel Wu pointed out China's national defense expenditure is open, transparent and appropriate. He illustrated that in the past nearly 30 years, Chinas annual defense expenditure accounts for less than 2% of GDP, lower than that of other major countries and the world average level of 2.6%, and the per capita military expenditure is only 1/5 that of Japans. In contrast, Japan, instead of sincerely reflecting on its aggressive history, has kept increasing its defense budget to new records.
In addition, Japan has also reinforced military forces on its southwestern islands and developed emerging combat forces such as the cyber force and space operation squadron, which far exceeds the needs of exclusively defense-oriented strategy, Wu added.
Apart from the military expenditure, Nobuo Kishi also claimed that the Diaoyu Island is Japanese territory. Yasuhide Nakayama, Japan's Deputy Defense Minister, even alleged that Japan takes the peace and stability in Taiwan as its own business.
Wu stressed that these words have grossly interfered in Chinas internal affairs, and damaged Chinas sovereignty. He reiterated once again that the Diaoyu Island and its affiliated islands have always been an inherent part of Chinese territory, which is a fundamental fact that cannot be changed no matter what Japan clamors.
"Taiwan question is fully and completely Chinas internal affair. It has nothing to do with Japan". Wu solemnly admonished the Japanese side that China today is not what it used to be, and China will not allow any country to meddle in the Taiwan question by any means.
WZ-8 drone is displayed at the Airshow China 2021. (Photo/Xinhua)
By Li Jincheng and Li Jianwen
ZHUHAI, Sept. 30 -- The Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) held a press conference on September 29 during the 13th China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition (Airshow China) and introduced its development in recent years.
According to Lieutenant General Wang Wei, deputy commander of PLAAF, the J-20, Y-20, new type of UAVs, special-purpose combat planes, and a range of ground-based air defense weapons and new types of radars all joined the exhibition, fully demonstrating the PLAAFs capability and confidence to defend the national air and space security, safeguard national unity, and contribute to the world peace.
Major General Wang Zhilong, deputy director of the PLAAFs Equipment Department, said that the air force has conducted equipment development and capability enhancement targeted at plateau and maritime operations, giving a strong impetus to regular oceangoing and high-altitude training.
When introducing modified fighter jets such as the J-10C and J-16D, Wang explained that the J-10C is a multi-purpose fighter jet modified from J-10 with much improved overall combat efficiency, while the J-16D is a new type of electronic warfare aircraft (WEA) independently developed based on J-16 fighter jet. Following the guiding thought of one generation in exploration, one generation under research, and one generation in service, the PLAAF is developing weapons and equipment in a sustained, healthy and orderly manner toward the goal of building a world-class strategic air force thats fully capable of protecting national sovereignty, security and development interests.
Tang Changhong, chief designer of the Y-20, explained that as a large multi-purpose transport plane integrating strategic and tactical performance, the Y-20 has accomplished all kinds of tasks since it was commissioned. It has basically met the design expectations and will continue to exert its value through constant improvements. Tang also said that Y-20 has had test flights with homemade engines and recorded exceptional performance.
A Swedish study has found that the more chocolate women said they ate -- especially dark chocolate -- the lower their risk of stroke.
The Swedish study in the Journal of American College of Cardiology looked at 33,000 women and found that two chocolate bars per week appear to help reduce a woman's chance of stroke. The results support evidence linking cocoa to heart health, but doctors caution this is not a free pass to over-indulge.
Scientists believe antioxidants and flavonoids may be the substances that allow chocolate to help lower blood pressure, a contributing factor for strokes.
Dr. Susanna Larsson points out that the amount of cocoa in brands of chocolate varies. Chocolate consumed in Sweden has as much as 30-percent cocoa solids. U.S. chocolate may contain much less cocoa.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric warned Wednesday of deteriorating health conditions in Afghanistan, which the Taliban seized in August following the pullout of U.S. and allied troops after 20 years.
At a daily briefing, Dujarric said there had been a decrease in access to health care, that cases of measles and diarrhea were rising, that the response to the COVID-19 pandemic had slowed and that there had been a resurgence of polio.
The UN spokesman said the World Health Organization had reported that only 17 percent of the more than 2,300 health facilities previously supported by the World Bank were fully functional and that two-thirds of them had run out of essential medicines.
A similar app called Reface has already been downloaded 100 million times and there are more than 650,000 images floating around in cyberspace that were made with it.
Smartphone apps that make it easier to produce such images have resulted in a rapid spread of them on social media. The FacePlay app that was released in August has been downloaded more than 1 million times here and around 37,000 clips have been posted on Instagram.
Calls are growing to crack down on 'deepfake' porn, which uses advanced imaging technology to replace a person's face in a pornographic video.
A petition posted on the Cheong Wa Dae website in January called for tough punishment for people creating and uploading deepfake porn videos of Korean celebrities and drew around 390,000 signatures.
But increasingly, people's ordinary friends and acquaintances have become victims. Police in North Jeolla Province arrested a man in his 20s who created deepfake porn videos of a woman he met on the Internet and uploaded them on porn websites.
A growing number of ads on social media offer to create deepfake porn using photos sent by clients.
A government taskforce tracked 11,891 deepfake porn videos on adult websites and social media last year and found that 20 percent of them targeted ordinary people.
Park Sung-hye at the taskforce said, "Deepfake technology has become more accessible and we need to be more vigilant against abuses."
People who create and spread sexually explicit videos or images face criminal charges. A new clause in Korea's sexual violence law makes them punishable by up to five years in prison or a fine of up to W50 million (US$1=W1,184).
Ahn Joo-young, an attorney, said, "It is a digital crime to create sexually explicit deepfake videos or images without the consent of others. They could also constitute defamation."
Marvel Studios' "Eternals," in which actor Ma Dong-seok makes his Hollywood debut, will hit big screens here in November. Ma is better known as Don Lee in Hollywood.
The Walt Disney Company Korea on Wednesday released the main poster for the superhero film and announced Nov. 4 as its release date.
The film also stars Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani and Salma Hayek among others. It is directed by Chloe Zhao, who won the Best Director and Best Picture Oscars at this year's Academy Awards for her critically acclaimed film "Nomadland."
In the movie, the Eternals, immortal alien heroes who have lived on Earth without revealing their identities for thousands of years, come together once again to fight their evil counterparts the Deviants.
Ma plays Gilgamesh, the strongest Eternal, with a deep connection to Thena, played by Jolie. As the first Korean superhero in Marvel films, he hopes to be an inspiration to the younger generation.
Seoul has been ranked as the 16th-best place in the world to start a business, climbing four spots from last year and overtaking Singapore and Berlin in the process.
According to this year's report by San Francisco-based firm Startup Genome, Seoul has the 16th-best start-up ecosystem among 290 cities in 100 countries.
The Korean capital's ecosystem is valued at US$47.2 billion, almost five times the global average.
The city government's aggressive efforts in making Seoul a start-up hub were cited as a key contributing factor in its rise in the rankings.
The top five start-up ecosystems maintained their reign from last year. The U.S.' Silicon Valley topped the list, followed by London and New York City (tied at second), Beijing and Boston. In Asia, Seoul ranked fourth, following Beijing, Shanghai and Tokyo. Singapore was ranked fifth.
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Texas flags wave in the wind outside the Comal County Courthouse for Texas Independence Day on Tuesday, March 2, 2021. MIKALA COMPTON | Herald-Zeitung
Registered Nurses Kelly Flourny and Rachelle Curtis coordinate care for patients in the coronavirus intensive care unit at CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Hospital on Friday, Jan. 22, 2021. MIKALA COMPTON | Herald-Zeitung
Bill Gates, co-founder and former CEO of Microsoft, and his wife, Melinda French Gates, announced on Monday that they plan to divorce after 27 years of marriage. "After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decis...
It is reported that on the 17th local time, the Japan National Tourism Administration released estimated data that in February 2021, the number of foreign tourists visiting Japan was 7,400, which was a 99.3% decrease from the same month in 2020, and a ye...
The American technology company Intel says it is working to address a shortage of semiconductor chips affecting the automotive industry. That same day, U.S. President Joe Biden convened CEOs for a virtual summit on the semiconductor supply chain. "We hop...
UAE-based restaurant, patisserie, baker and artisan cheese seller, Jones the Grocer has revealed it will open 10 new outlets within a year and will double its footprint to 50 stores in total within five years, Zawya reports.
Grocery store, cafe and cheese room brand which started in Australia in 1996 said the first 10 new outlets will be opened in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt initially taking its total number of outlets to 33.
In the second phase, the company will add a further 17 outlets within five years which will be mostly in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and India. The company current has 24 stores across UAE & the Middle East according to its Linkedin page.
Israels Foreign Minister Yair Lapid arrived this Thursday Sept.30 in Manama for the first official visit by an Israeli cabinet member to Bahrain since the establishment of diplomatic ties a year ago.
Weve landed in Bahrain. Im proud to represent Israel in an official and historic first in the kingdom. Thanks for the warm reception, Mr Lapid tweeted on Thursday morning.
Mr Lapid will open the new Israeli embassy in Manama and sign several agreements during his trip.
The first commercial flight from Manama to Tel Aviv took off after Lapid landed.
Bahrain has also posted an envoy in Tel Aviv. On September 14th, Khaled Al-Jalahma, presented his credentials to the Israeli President.
We see Bahrain as an important partner, on the bilateral level but also as a bridge to co-operate with other countries in the region, an Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson had said.
Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco and Sudan normalized relations with Israel as part of US-brokered deals known as the Abraham Accords.
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Critiquing Health News, taught by epidemiologist Cecile Janssens, equips students to deconstruct scientific research and think critically about news coverage being shared.
Years before shaky scientific claims about COVID-19 flooded the internet, Cecile Janssens spotted media coverage of a study in a peer-reviewed journal that would prompt her to create a critical thinking course in Emory College of Arts and Sciences.
The findings that a 45-year decline in time spent housekeeping contributed to American women becoming obese were trumpeted across trusted media that included doctor-focused Medscape and the New York Times, which called the research scrupulously even-handed.
Except Janssens, an epidemiologist at Emorys Rollins School of Public Health, saw that it wasnt.
The study relied entirely on self-reported diaries of women recording how they spent their day. It didnt account for other factors, such as food intake or the womens weight.
You dont need a strong science background to see the research does not support the conclusion, Janssens says. Students can see the contradictions, but I think they just feel overwhelmed by the news. The class gives them more and better skills to make sense of it all.
The class, Critiquing Health News, is part of a collaboration between Rollins and the Colleges Center for the Study of Human Health that began six years ago after undergraduates increasingly expressed interest.
Its a natural fit for human health, which integrates the Colleges liberal arts emphasis on evidence and critical thinking with Emorys renowned health sciences research. Last year the program launched an undergraduate focus in epidemiology, built around a core of epidemiology classes.
We consume so much information on a daily basis, says Lauren Christiansen-Lindquist, an epidemiologist who helped shape the undergraduate initiative and teaches an introductory course in addition to directing Rollins masters programs of public health in epidemiology.
Epidemiology provides a wonderful framework for critical thinking that helps you understand what youre really reading and if you have additional questions or need to change behaviors, she adds.
Deconstructing scientific research
Students in Janssens course learn to deconstruct scientific research by breaking down news coverage of different studies. First up for review this fall was an article about research showing that zinc and folic acid supplements did not boost male fertility.
The Associated Press wrote the story, which was posted on the NBC News website. Government researchers conducted the study, which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Such respected sources initially seemed believable to first-year students Madi Olivier and Caroline Hansen.
Olivier, who studied journalism in high school, found she was skeptical about the claim itself. Coming off a summer internship working with data at a Kaiser Permanente regional office made Hansen want to know more about the data, especially overall rates of fertility.
With Janssens guidance, they were part of a team that noticed mention that the study did not examine the female partners of the men in the study. It then mentioned that a third of those women were infertile, dramatically skewing the results.
It feels weird to be a freshman in college, critiquing the bigger names, says Olivier, who is considering a career in medicine and science writing. Luckily, Ive always been very curious so Im enjoying learning how to ask better questions.
Hansen agrees. The class has been really good at letting me think as I read, so I can go to the actual research and see if I pull answers there.
Starting with questions
Janssens wants the students, who range across all undergraduate years and from pre-med to humanities majors, to look for questions as they read.
In showing how scientists do science, she encourages students to start with basic questions about the research process itself: What kind of study is this? What is the hypothesis? What data are collected?
Scientific research is not abracadabra. It needs to make sense, Janssens says. If you can look critically at how the researchers conducted the study, you have a better opportunity to understand and consider if the claims are justified.
Muhammad Mukarram decided the critiquing class would complement the introductory epidemiology course he had just completed and deepen his understanding of health statistics on the path to medical school.
The senior human health major was in the class when it was first offered in the spring of 2020 and developed an eye for that analysis by examining real-time news in the unfolding pandemic.
Professor Janssens really showed me I have a knack for seeing the fallacies and inconsistencies and I rely on those concepts in my day-to-day life now, says Mukarram, who at Janssens urging added the epidemiology focus to his major and plans to pursue both an MPH and MD after he graduates.
As an African-American, I feel like its my duty to understand and ask the questions for the whole community, Mukarram adds. Its not just something to know. Its something I can do.
Michelle Lampl, Charles Howard Candler Professor of Human Health and Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Anthropology, is director of the Center for the Study of Human Health. She notes that kind of student excitement is common and growing.
The enthusiasm also gets at the heart of the program, she says.
Thats our mission: to provide students with knowledge and critical thinking skills that they can use to become leaders for change, Lampl says. What better time than now to have an informed understanding of scientific evidence and how it can affect your life and health?
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Five persons receive long prison terms for plotting terrorist attacks in Russia
RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov
13:19 30/09/2021
MOSCOW, September 30 (RAPSI) The Second Western District Military Court has sentenced five members of the Islamic State terrorist organization prohibited in Russia to prison terms ranging from 18 to 25 years for plotting terrorist attacks in the metropolitan area, according to the Federal Security Services (FSB) statement.
Additionally, the convicts received harsh fines varying from 250,000 to 300,000 rubles ($3,400 4,000).
The sentence has come into force.
According to the FSB, the defendants created an undercover community to commit terrorist attacks in Moscow. After the attacks they planned to leave for Syria for further participation in terrorist actions.
Russian Supreme Court head urges to create international e-platform for judicial interaction
RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov
11:30 30/09/2021
MOSCOW, September 30 (RAPSI) Chairman of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation Vyacheslav Lebedev proposes to create an international electronic platform for judicial interaction for the exchange of documents on international legal assistance.
The Chairman is convinced that such a platform will speed up the protection of the rights and legitimate interests of citizens and organizations.
The proposal was voiced at the XI International Legal Forum of the Asia-Pacific Region, organized by the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation.
Russias Communist Party files 32 lawsuits seeking to cancel electronic voting results
RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov
14:26 30/09/2021
MOSCOW, September 30 (RAPSI) The Moscow Presnensky District Court has registered 32 administrative claims filed by the Russian Communist Party and candidates for State Duma lawmakers seeking to cancel the results of electronic voting, the press service of the court informs RAPSI.
The claims have been registered, but no decision if those are to be accepted or dismissed has not yet been made, the court representative said.
Elections to the State Duma were held last weekend, five parties passed to the lower house of parliament: United Russia received 324 mandates, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation - 57, A Just Russia - For Truth - 27, LDPR - 21 and New People - 13.
Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting with the leadership of the parties that passed to the State Duma noted that electronic voting, like technical progress, cannot be stopped, so it was important to monitor the quality of the process.
With a career spanning six decades, Alan Whicker was Britains most famous television reporter. At a time when interviews were notoriously obsequious Whicker and his team wrote the grammar of the television we watch today. With a journalists nose for a story, his mission was to inform and to entertain, never to preach. His deceptively conversational style encouraged intimate revelations from the great, the good and the not so good, with penetrating questions masked in old-school manners. Often ahead of his time, Whickers reports on divorce, gay marriage and racial inequality changed attitudes, and, in some cases, changed the law. From the Sultan of Brunei to Butch Cassidys sister, the descendants of the Bounty mutineers to Papa Docs Haiti, Whickers World was innovative and adventurous.
Our celebration of his centenary features screenings of some of his memorable programmes, followed by a panel discussion with those who worked with, admired and learned from Alan Whicker.
For more information on the event and tickets, please see the BFI Southbank website
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying's Regular Press Conference on September 30, 2021
2021/09/30
CCTV: The High-Level Week of the 76th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations was concluded at the UN headquarters in New York on September 27. China has been very active in both Beijing and New York in recent days. How do you see China's performance at UNGA meetings this year?
Hua Chunying: This UNGA has received great attention as our world is facing the combined impacts of changes unseen in a century and the COVID-19 pandemic, and is now in the period of new turbulence and adjustment. The General Debate of this session of the UNGA was held both online and offline from September 21 to 27, and leaders from altogether over 190 countries made statements. All parties called on major countries to strengthen solidarity and cooperation, avoid division and confrontation, and hoped to see more cooperation in poverty alleviation and climate change, among other areas. They believe the world needs a spirit that serves the welfare of humanity instead of self-interests in the future.
China attaches great importance to the role of and cooperation with the UN. China highly values this session of the UNGA. President Xi Jinping virtually attended the General Debate and made an important statement, in which he put forward the Global Development Initiative, emphasized accelerating the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and pursuing more robust, greener and sound global development. President Xi also expounded on China's propositions on such issues as fighting the pandemic in solidarity, economic recovery, development of international relations and improvement of global governance, offering China's proposal to the world at a new historical crossroads. State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended many UNGA activities, including the high-level meeting of the UN General Assembly to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action via video link, the Meeting of Foreign Ministers of Permanent Members of the UN Security Council and the UN Secretary-General via video link, G20 Foreign Ministers' Video Conference on Afghanistan, and meetings with UN Secretary-General Guterres and President of the UNGA Abdulla Shahid. The international community shares the view that China has made important contributions to responding to global challenges and promoting the UN to play a bigger role. Facts have proven again that China is an advocate of world peace, a contributor to global development, a defender of the international order and a provider of public good.
At the Meeting of Foreign Ministers of Permanent Members of the UN Security Council and the UN Secretary-General, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi put forward key messages of carrying out duties, fulfilling obligations, shouldering responsibilities and making a difference. He called on major countries to set examples in upholding multilateralism and inject more confidence and stability to the world, instead of practicing unilateralism and hegemony in the name of multilateralism. One can expect China's support for the UN, which is lasting and reliable. China will continue to work with other countries to accelerate the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, strengthen anti-epidemic cooperation, actively address climate change, advance democracy and rule of law in international relations, practice the philosophy of international relations featuring mutual respect and win-win cooperation and true multilateralism, and build the UN into a central platform for countries to jointly safeguard universal security, share development achievements and chart the course for the future of the world.
Macau Monthly: On September 29, US ambassador to Indonesia and Special Representative for the DPRK Sung Kim reportedly said at an online forum that AUKUS is a "forward looking, positive" initiative and will not pose threat to the stability of the Indo-Pacific. He said he is not worried that AUKUS would cause an arms race or nuclear proliferation. What is China's comment?
Hua Chunying: We have noticed the reports you mentioned. In fact, for days, different parties of the international community have expressed concerns and worries about the nuclear submarine cooperation among the US, the UK and Australia. I wonder where the confidence in the remarks of the US Ambassador to Indonesia came from and on what basis. In fact, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said the other day that Russia has raised a range of questions concerning the AUKUS establishment to the US side, which include whether the nuclear submarine cooperation correlates with international non-proliferation requirements.
China believes that the nuclear submarine cooperation among the US, the UK and Australia creates serious nuclear proliferation risks, clearly violates the spirit of the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). It will not only have a far-reaching impact on the international non-proliferation system, but also bring real threats to regional peace and stability.
The questions raised by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov actually reflect the common concerns of the international community. The three countries should treat the concerns of all parties seriously and make response to each and every one of them:
First, in what way can the US confirm that its provision of weapons-grade highly-enriched uranium meet international non-proliferation rules and requirements?
Second, how does Australia ensure that the weapons-grade highly-enriched uranium is not excluded from effective safeguards of the IAEA?
Third, if Australia, a non-nuclear-weapon state, can possess weapons-grade highly-enriched uranium, then for what reason the US, the UK and Australia oppose DPRK, Iran and other countries in doing the same?
Fourth, if the US can flagrantly transfer highly sensitive nuclear materials and nuclear technologies to Australia in disregard of international rules and nuclear proliferation risks, then should it immediately stop unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdictions over others including the DPRK and Iran for developing nuclear technologies?
Fifth, if all countries turn a blind to rules and conduct nuclear proliferation activities without restrictions as the US, the UK and Australia did, then where is the authority and the meaning of existence of the NPT and international non-proliferation system?
Yesterday, State Councilor Wang Yi pointed out in his phone calls with foreign ministers of Malaysia and Brunei that the nuclear submarine cooperation among the US, the UK and Australia may bring five dangers to the region. First, it could create nuclear proliferation risks and shocks to the international non-proliferation system. Second, it could induce a new round of arms race, as other countries could follow suit and even cross the nuclear threshold. Third, it could undermine regional prosperity and stability and create regional tensions. Fourth, it could undercut ASEAN countries' efforts to build a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (NWFZ) in Southeast Asia. Fifth, it could lead to the resurgence of Cold War mentality, provoke bloc confrontation and zero-sum geopolitical games in the region.
I also want to stress that AUKUS, like Quad, is subservient to and serves the Indo-Pacific strategy with US dominance. It seeks to start things anew in the region and is a move against the trend of the times. Regional countries and the international community should stay wary of and be opposed to this. China will stay in communication with the Secretariat and other member states of the IAEA to resolutely defend the authority and efficacy of the international non-proliferation system.
China Daily: We have noted that China's first batch of emergency humanitarian assistance has arrived in Afghanistan. Can you confirm that and give us more details?
Hua Chunying: On the evening of September 29, the first batch of emergency humanitarian assistance delivered by the Chinese government to Afghanistan arrived at Kabul International Airport. Chinese Ambassador to Afghanistan and Acting Minister of Refugee Affairs of the Afghan interim government co-chaired the handover ceremony held at the airport.
As a friendly neighbor of Afghanistan, China has always paid close attention to the needs of the Afghan people. China has overcome numerous difficulties and delivered to Kabul in a short period of time blankets, down jackets and other winter supplies urgently needed by the Afghan people. This is a strong testimony that China has been earnestly fulfilling its assistance commitment to Afghanistan and making every effort to help the Afghan people tide over difficulties. The Chinese side will continue to speed up the preparation of food and other supplies, which will soon be delivered to Afghanistan.
Acting Minister of Refugee Affairs of Afghanistan's interim government expressed deep gratitude to China for providing emergency humanitarian aid in a timely manner when the Afghan people are pulling through the most difficult time. Afghanistan is in dire need of assistance from the international community in various fields as it faces extremely severe economic and livelihood difficulties. Afghanistan will honor its commitments to its neighbors and the international community. The Afghan side said that as winter is drawing near, almost a million displaced people need to be housed, clothed and fed, and hoped that the international community can lend a helping hand.
Afghanistan is still facing severe challenges such as humanitarian and livelihood issues and the COVID-19 epidemic. The international community should make concerted efforts to help the Afghan people tide over the difficult time. In particular, countries that started the Afghan issue should earnestly shoulder their due responsibility to Afghan people, act in a responsible manner and do more tangible things to ease the difficulties faced by the Afghan people as soon as possible.
Yonhap News Agency: DPRK leader Kim Jong-un said he is willing to restore the North-South communication lines, but also accused the US of proposing talks without changing its "hostile policy" toward the DPRK. Do you have any comment?
Hua Chunying: As a close neighbor of the Korean Peninsula, China always supports the DPRK and the ROK in improving relations and advancing reconciliation and cooperation through dialogue and consultation. We hope relevant measures can play a positive role in improving and developing the inter-Korean relations.
We believe under the current circumstances, the key to breaking the stalemate and restarting dialogue is taking seriously and resolving the DPRK's legitimate concerns. The US should avoid repeating empty slogans, but rather show its sincerity by presenting an appealing plan for dialogue. It is imperative to invoke the rollback terms of the Security Council's DPRK-related resolutions as soon as possible and make necessary adjustments to relevant sanctions, especially those relating to provisions on the humanitarian and livelihood aspects. This will be conducive to resuming dialogue, and maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, and is in line with the spirit of the resolutions.
Beijing Youth Daily: US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said in an interview the other day that the US doesn't want China to write the rules of the road. "If we really want to slow down China's rate of innovation, we need to work with Europe, to write the rules of the road for technology", whether it's artificial intelligence or cyber. Do you have any comment?
Hua Chunying: The remarks of this US official again exposes the US true intention to contain and block China's development by all means. This is quintessential autocracy and bullying.
China always believes that all countries have equal opportunity and right to development. International rules should be what is recognized by all countries, rather than something that is decided by a few. Cooperation between countries should be aimed at serving the interests of the whole mankind, instead of ganging up against certain countries based on ideology and seeking global hegemony through bloc politics. Any political manipulation and oppression that threatens to hold back other countries' development and harm their people's right to development and a better life will find no support and is doomed to fail.
China maintains that international affairs should be addressed through consultation. All countries should remain committed to extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, promote equal rights, opportunities and rules of all, discard small cliques and zero-sum game, adhere to inclusiveness rather than exclusiveness, and engage in international cooperation in a more open, equal and fairer manner.
Beijing Daily: Bloomberg reported that US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry said in an interview on September 29 that he was hopeful that China "will make the decision that they could move further with respect to the reduction of emissions during the course of the next 10 years", calling this a "critical decade" for keeping global warming in check. Do you have any response?
Hua Chunying: The global impact of climate change is becoming increasingly severe. During the just-concluded General Debate of the UNGA, many countries expressed the hope to work together to address climate change. We believe that every year is crucial for countries to increase their ambition to reduce emissions and step up their actions for implementation. China has always been taking actions to promote global climate governance. Having over-fulfilled the climate action goals of 2020 ahead of schedule, President Xi Jinping has announced China's objective and vision of carbon peaking, carbon neutrality and new goals of and measures for nationally determined contributions since September last year. It involves carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP, the share of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption, the total installed capacity of wind and solar power, coal consumption and many other aspects. Not long ago, President Xi reiterated that China will step up support for other developing countries in developing green and low-carbon energy. China has been doing its best and putting pressure on itself to step up climate action and make greater contribution to the global response to climate change.
But at the same time, we have to stress that addressing climate change is a cause that requires the joint efforts of all countries around the world and calls for the concerted efforts of the international community. Developed countries should earnestly follow the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, face up to their historical responsibilities and show greater ambition and actions. They should provide financial, technological and capacity building support to help developing countries enhance their capacity to respond to climate challenges.
Bloomberg: French Senator Alain Richard will lead a French delegation visiting Taiwan soon. Does the foreign ministry have any comment on this visit?
Hua Chunying: The one-China principle is the political foundation for China to develop friendly and cooperative relations with other countries, including France. China firmly opposes all forms of official contact and exchanges between certain French congressmen and the Taiwan authorities. We urge relevant individuals to abide by the one-China principle and safeguard the favorable environment for normal development of bilateral relations.
NHK: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that due to the need of COVID-19 containment, tickets to the Beijing 2022 will be sold exclusively to spectators residing in China's mainland, who meet the requirements of the COVID-19 prevention and control measures. What is your comment?
Hua Chunying: I may not be in the best position to give a comment on this matter.
When hosting the Tokyo Olympics, did Japan invite spectators overseas? I don't think so.
The IOC President Thomas Bach held an Executive Board meeting the other day, where key COVID-19 prevention and control measures of the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games were deliberated. Facing the uncertainties in the spread of COVID-19, the Beijing 2022 Organizing Committee established a working mechanism for meeting and consultation with the IOC and maintained close communication with all stakeholders. With a high sense of responsibility toward the life and health of athletes, the big Olympic family and all stakeholders, the Organizing Committee adheres to the bottom line of safety and prioritizes COVID-19 prevention and control in order to host a safe event as scheduled. Spectators overseas can enjoy the impressive event on television.
After it successfully hosted the Tokyo Olympic Games, Japan is believed to have more understandings about how to safely host the event. China provided strong support to the Japanese side in hosting the successful games. We hope we can receive understanding and support from Japan, too.
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Tomorrow will be China's National Day. As per public holiday schedule, our regular press conference will be in recess from October 1 to October 7 and resumed on October 8. Although we won't meet in-person during the recess, you may still reach the MFA Spokesperson's Office via fax, e-mail and WeChat. We will do our best to give you timely reply.
I wish you all a happy holiday!
A colored topographical image showing river valleys on Mars. The outlet canyon Loire Vallis (white line) formed from the overflow of a lake in Parana Basin (outlined in white). Black lines indicate other river valleys formed by processes other than lake overflows. Background is colored Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter-derived topography over a Thermal Emission Imaging System image mosaic. Image is approximately 650 kilometers across. CREDIT NASA/GSFC/ JPL ASU
On Earth, river erosion is usually a slow-going process.
But on Mars, massive floods from overflowing crater lakes had an outsized role in shaping the Martian surface, carving deep chasms and moving vast amounts of sediment, according to a new study led by researchers at The University of Texas at Austin.
The study, published Sept. 29 in Nature, found that the floods, which probably lasted mere weeks, eroded more than enough sediment to completely fill Lake Superior and Lake Ontario.
"If we think about how sediment was being moved across the landscape on ancient Mars, lake breach floods were a really important process globally," said lead author Tim Goudge, an assistant professor at the UT Jackson School of Geosciences. "And this is a bit of a surprising result because they've been thought of as one-off anomalies for so long."
Crater lakes were common on Mars billions of years ago when the Red Planet had liquid water on its surface. Some craters could hold a small sea's worth of water. But when the water became too much to hold, it would breach the edge of the crater, causing catastrophic flooding that carved river valleys in its wake. A 2019 study led by Goudge determined that these events happened rapidly.
Remote sensing images taken by satellites orbiting Mars have allowed scientists to study the remains of breached Martian crater lakes. However, the crater lakes and their river valleys have mostly been studied on an individual basis, Goudge said. This is the first study to investigate how the 262 breached lakes across the Red Planet shaped the Martian surface as a whole.
The research entailed reviewing a preexisting catalog of river valleys on Mars and classifying the valleys into two categories: valleys that got their start at a crater's edge, which indicates they formed during a lake breach flood, and valleys that formed elsewhere on the landscape, which suggests a more gradual formation over time.
From there, the scientists compared the depth, length and volume of the different valley types and found that river valleys formed by crater lake breaches punch far above their weight, eroding away nearly a quarter of the Red Planet's river valley volume despite making up only 3% of total valley length.
"This discrepancy is accounted for by the fact that outlet canyons are significantly deeper than other valleys," said study co-author Alexander Morgan, a research scientist at the Planetary Science Institute.
At 559 feet (170.5 meters), the median depth of a breach river valley is more than twice that of other river valleys created more gradually over time, which have a median depth of about 254 feet (77.5 meters).
In addition, although the chasms appeared in a geologic instant, they may have had a lasting effect on the surrounding landscape. The study suggests that the breaches scoured canyons so deep they may have influenced the formation of other nearby river valleys. The authors said this is a potential alternative explanation for unique Martian river valley topography that is usually attributed to climate.
The study demonstrates that lake breach river valleys played an important role in shaping the Martian surface, but Goudge said it's also a lesson in expectations. The Earth's geology has wiped away most craters and makes river erosion a slow and steady process in most cases. But that doesn't mean it will work that way on other worlds.
"When you fill [the craters] with water, it's a lot of stored energy there to be released," Goudge said. "It makes sense that Mars might tip, in this case, toward being shaped by catastrophism more than the Earth."
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The study's other co-authors are Jackson School postdoctoral researcher Gaia Stucky de Quay and Caleb Fassett, a planetary scientist at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center.
NASA funded the research.
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Photo Illustration (d'uh)
[Editor's Note: This story has been updated below to provide links to podcasts of Pearson Cross' "Bayou to Beltway" program on KRVS featuring interviews with Louisiana Secretary of State Tom Schedler and Lafayette Parish Clerk of Court Louis Perret.]
On May 11, President Donald Trump issued an executive order establishing the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity. This commission was principally created to pursue Trumps claim that fraudulent ballots cost him the popular vote in the 2016 election. If true, such a claim would be deeply troubling, given that Hillary Clinton was reported to have won the popular vote by 2.87 million. Yet, Trumps claim of voter fraud is a canard, as is his Commission on Election Integrity. Any number of scholarly studies have shown voter fraud to be extraordinarily rare. What the creation of this commission does reveal, however, is the cynical use to which a fact-finding body may be put by an administration determined to arrive at a particular conclusion, however unjustified. It also illuminates how the Trump administration works, generally speaking.
Here are the Trump administration rules: keep promises, no matter how rash; address issues of little real importance but of high public sensitivity; increase the publics fear of the future and mistrust of government; take actions that disguise your true intentions; and finally, maintain, or when opportunities present themselves, extend your power. For those paying attention, Trumps farcically misnamed Commission on Election Integrity promises to illustrate each of these rules.
First, the creation of the commission fulfills a promise made to Trumps supporters. It was not so long ago that Trump referred to the 2016 presidential election itself as rigged. Second, the commissions conclusions were telegraphed with the selection of Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who has long perpetuated Trumps dubious vote-fraud claims, as commissioner. Does anyone doubt that a commission on voting integrity that is led by someone who believes the few cases of illegal registration on record are only the tip of the iceberg will fail to conclude, as Kobach has already announced, that substantial numbers of noncitizens [are] getting on our voter rolls. (Wines, Bosman, New York Times, May 14, 2017).
Wikimedia
Third, the commission tilts at windmills. Criminal voting fraud has been shown to be extremely rare here in Louisiana and across the United States. As Louisiana Secretary of State Tom Schedler, recently appearing on Bayou to Beltway (KRVS 88.7), pointed out, the election system has never been better we do it as good as anybody else (Nov. 23, 2016). Seconding Schedlers view was Lafayette Parish Clerk of Court Louis Perret , who said it would be almost impossible in Louisiana for someone to steal an election (Feb. 1, 2017). Thus, the Integrity Commission is a sham, tackling a problem that doesnt exist.
Fourth, the commission fuels what Americans already fear about their political institutions. Currently, just 26 percent of Democrats and 11 percent of Republicans say they can trust the federal government just about always or most of the time (Pew Research, Trust in Government, 1958-2015). This lack of trust limits the effectiveness of government and makes passing meaningful legislation and working across the partisan divide especially difficult.
Last, the deceitful search for voter fraud prevents recognition of what is truly scandalous about elections today: low voter participation. Voter turnout is already perilously low and efforts to undercut public confidence in our electoral institutions will only decrease it further. A focus on illegally cast votes also disguises who benefits from a smaller turnout. Some strategists in the GOP have decided that reducing the size of the electorate by making it harder for minorities, poor people, women and other groups to vote will result in more Republicans getting elected. This strategy was clear in Kansas, where just nine cases of voter fraud have been detected since 2015 but a court found that restrictive registration requirements [have] denied more than 18,000 Kansans their constitutional right to cast ballots (Wines, Bosman, 2017).
Cynical efforts to reduce turnout have helped Republicans take control of the legislatures in several states and worked for that party nationally as well. This effort has been aided by the prejudicial effects of racial redistricting, where black and Democratic voters have been shoved into districts that diminish their clout. The audacity of these efforts was made clear last month when the Supreme Court decided that efforts by the Republican legislative majority in North Carolina to limit minority voting were so blatantly transparent that even Clarence Thomas, the bane of voting rights advocates everywhere, joined the majority in striking them down.
Yet, without limiting the size of the electorate, the Republican coalition of religious voters, older voters, rural voters, white male voters and voters without a college degree cannot hope to retain power, thus the rationale for the creation of the Kris Kobach-led Commission on Election Integrity. It requires no Cassandra to foretell that a Kobach-led commission will find evidence of significant or widespread voter fraud regardless of what the research reveals. As the Kansas City Star Editorial Board caustically opined after Kobach had won his ninth conviction for voter fraud, Keep this up, sir, and you may yet prove that of the 1.8 million registered voters in [Kansas], the number of those who have perpetrated this crime is in the double digits. The only fraud Kobach is likely to uncover in this expensive taxpayer-funded goose chase is himself.
Pearson Cross is an associate professor in the Political Science Department at UL Lafayette. He holds a Ph.D. from Brandeis University (1997), and his principal areas of teaching are state and local politics, and Southern politics. Cross interviews local politicians and newsmakers on his radio show, Bayou to the Beltway, which airs on KRVS 88.7 FM at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesdays and 5:30 p.m. on Saturdays. Contact him at pearson.cross@lusfiber.net.
Leading Saudi real estate group Jabal Omar Development Company (JODC) has announced that it has sold a parcel of land within its project in Makkah city via a public auction for SR517 million ($138 million).
The 2,600.32 sq m plot, which was sold at SR199,000 per sq m, is infrastructure-enabled and fully developed, located within close proximity to the Grand Mosque, making it one of the most highly sought-after areas in Makkah, said the company in its statement.
The move comes in line with the developers holistic financial transformation strategy that seeks to strengthen its capital structure, it stated.
The key parcel of land has been snapped up by Aqarat Development Company, stated JODC in its filing to the Saudi bourse Tadawul.
This land plot has easy access to the main roads in central Makkah, can be used for the development of residential, commercial and hospitality properties.
The proceeds from the strategic land sale will enable JODC to progress with the completion of construction of its critical phases in the project, it added.
Jabal Omar had appointed Adeer, a Saudi-based real estate service provider, to act as its real estate broker to manage the sale. On the deal, CEO Khalid Al Amoudi said: "The successful outcome of the auction is testament to investors confidence in the long-term viability and scalability of Jabal Omars masterplan and proves that there is strong appetite for investment in residential, commercial and hospitality properties in Makkah."
"While this strategic land sale will enable us to move forward with the completion of the critical phases in our project, it will also fast-track the development of the areas in proximity to the Grand Mosque, one of the busiest and highly demanded areas in Makkah during the Hajj and Umrah season," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Seatrade Maritime Middle East (SMME), the largest in-person exhibition and conference taking place during UAE Maritime Week, has opened registration for participation in the landmark week of maritime-led events and activities.
Being held under the UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, the in-person exhibition and conference will be held at Dubai Exhibition Centre from December 13-15, 2021, as part of Expo 2020.
This year, the UAE Maritime Week is supported by Dubai Maritime City Authority (DMCA) as the strategic partner for the event. As one of the most influential events in the maritime sector, SMME, under the umbrella of this strategic Week, has been at the forefront of introducing pioneering initiatives that empower the industry.
The event will provide participants with opportunities to meet thought-leaders, build lasting partnerships and exchange ideas that will contribute to reinforcing the regions position as a prominent industry hub.
Owing to the value it adds to the maritime industry, SMME is one of the most awaited events that has been vital in aiding the growth of the sector valued at over AED90 billion annually. To help sustain this growth, year after year, the event hopes to enable the sector by engaging professionals with experts, through dialogue that will encourage the industry to adapt to the ever-changing market trends and respond to the challenges faced.
The event agenda for the 2021 edition features an impressive line-up of speakers who will tackle key topics including the status of the maritime industry in the Middle East, market overview, regulatory challenges, developments in ports and terminals, digitalisation, crew practices and the impact of Sulphur 2020, to name a few.
Chris Morley, Group Director Maritime Events, Informa Markets Maritime said: Over the last one year the industry has witnessed rapid developments. Despite the market challenges, nations like the UAE have showcased their prowess retaining their leading position in many competitive indexes. The country ranks 5th globally as a key competitive maritime hub. Our goal is to continue supporting the countrys growth by providing a platform like SMME, for the industry to converge. Through the event, we are also hoping to enhance the UAE's candidacy for IMO's Executive Council category B membership.
Emma Howell, Director of Digital and Content, Seatrade Maritime, Informa Markets Maritime added: SMME is a great forum that helps professionals shape strategies that will enable their companies to thrive. Through various endeavours, we hope to facilitate engagement between governments in the region, policymakers, business leaders, disruptors and innovators.
Through these conversations, collaborations and connections, the event will indeed help the industry to address challenges and utilise opportunities that arise in the future. Over the course of three days, we will witness several thousand attendees and more than 100world-class suppliers and service providers, giving the industry access to boundless networking opportunities. The 2021 edition will be extra special since the event is being held under the umbrella of the UAE Maritime Week.
Apart from SMME, the UAE Maritime Week has multiple opportunities for the industry to embrace including the Seatrade Maritime Awards, in association with Lloyd's List and exclusive experiences such as Maritime Leaders Forum and Experience Maritime. Attendees can utilise these platforms to interact with key industry leaders and decision-makers and explore whats new in the industry. TradeArabia News Service
Ajlan & Bros Holding Group Abilitii (Abhga), one of the leading Saudi investment holding companies, has entered into a deal to invest SR50 billion ($13.3 billion) into the National Industrial Development and Logistics Programme (NIDLP) over the next 10 years.
The agreement is aimed at supporting the NIDLP's strategy towards transforming the kingdom into a leading industrial power, maximizing the economic impact of the mining sector and sustaining its growth, and creating an attractive investment environment.
The agreement was signed by Engineer Suliman bin Khalid Almazroua, the chief executive of NIDLP, and Engineer Ali Alhazmi, Abgha CEO in the presence of Bandar bin Ibrahim Alkhorayef, the Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, Chairman of the Program Committee, and Mohamed bin Abdulaziz Alajlan, Deputy Chairman of Abgha.
Affirming the importance of co-operation between the public and private sectors to push development in the kingdom, lmazroua said: "Abgha's big investment plan will be instrumental in helping achieve the goals of Saudi Vision 2030."
This agreement is a strategic one as it will lead to the launch of several vital projects, including developing strategic titanium industries to become the key in localizing promising industries such as aviation and military industries, and establishing a mining services company and modern laboratories that provide services to the mining sector locally and regionally, he stated.
"It will also lead to the establishment of a stock market for mining companies and a minerals trading platform that empowers investors and increases private sector contribution in achieving diversification and economic growth for the kingdom," he added.
Alajlan said: "Through this investment we aim to contribute to achieving the goals of the Vision 2030 and hel boost the level of cooperation between the public and private sectors.
Already the Saudi company has signed an investment partnership agreement with Amic company to develop the manufacturing supply chain.
In addition, a further agreement has been signed with the National Stock Exchange of Australia that specialises in listing mining and natural resources companies, to set up a stock exchange market for mining companies and building a minerals trading platform, stated Alajan.
"We are also signing an agreement for establish a mining services company alongside a consortium of Australian companies lead by Resolve Mining Solutions company and under the supervision of the Australian Embassy," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Italys Leonardo will present its robotic drill which is expected to break the record for drilling on Martian soil at Expo 2020 Dubai. Besides, the company will showcase the most stable and accurate atomic clock ever made for space applications, and the only tiltrotor in the market set to receive civil certification.
These unique technologies are the pillars of Leonardo's participation. As a leading high-tech company in the world and Italy, Leonardo, a Platinum sponsor of the Italian Pavilion, was keen to contribute to the event an international showcase of future solutions as a catalyst for innovation and sustainability in the strategic technologies of its sectors of operation, both in Italy and in the UK, US, Poland and Germany.
Leonardo's hydrogen atomic clock is the most accurate in the world, losing just one second every three million years. It makes Europe's Galileo satellite navigation system the most precise ever made for civilian use.
The one on display in Dubai is a new project: the RbPOP (Rubidium Pulsed Optically Pumped) rubidium atomic clock, which provides the same performance but weighs just 10 kg.
The robotic drill ready to blast off to Mars with the ESA-Roscosmos ExoMars 2022 mission, produced with the support of the Italian Space Agency (ASI), will also be on display, and it is about to break a world record: drilling up to 2 metres into Martian soil, compared to the existing 7 cm reached so far.
With five times less power than a domestic drill (80 watts) and 60 revolutions per minute, it will drill into the ground using a polycrystalline diamond bit. It will search for traces of past or present life, which at that depth should not have been destroyed by the Red Planets cosmic radiation.
The AW609 tiltrotor is the company's world first in the aviation sector. It is the only aircraft of its kind set to receive civil certification. Thanks to the ability to change the position of the two drive shafts in less than 60 seconds, it can take-off vertically like a helicopter while flying with the performance of an aeroplane.
Capable of carrying out different types of missions, from passenger transport to medical care, from civil protection to search and rescue, the AW609 can fly at over 500 km/h. It has a range of almost 1,400 km, which increases to over 2,000 km with auxiliary tanks.
As part of the company's strategic vision for urban aviation in the near future, Leonardo has built with its Emirates partner Falcon Aviation Services a new concept helicopter terminal at the Dubai Expo site, representing the latest frontier in vertical mobility.
The travellers' spaces are designed to house showrooms where commercial and cultural activities can be offered, within a structure built with sustainable materials. They can easily be remodelled or reallocated as the needs of urban transport and the city itself changes.
Leonardo also features in Oscar-winning director Gabriele Salvatores Saper Fare documentary. This journey through the Italian craft and manufacturing tradition, synonymous with excellence and Made in Italy, will be screened in a dedicated area inside the Italian Pavilion.
Indiana Production's cameras entered some of the Leonardo group's factories, recognised as national flagships of innovation: Nerviano (MI) is the home of the world class space technologies on display in the Italian Pavilion; Grottaglie (TA), the site of the development of innovative aerostructures for civil aeronautics; the Fucino (AQ) and Matera space centres are known internationally for their key role in the provision of satellite services.-- TradeArabia News Service
Foodics, the leading FoodTech company based in Saudi Arabia, has signed a partnership with American Express Saudi Arabia, which is set to accelerate the firms growth.
With this, Foodics is on track to exceed its 2021 targets, with 11,000 brands onboarded so far and growing, as well as new product launches also in the pipeline.
The announcement comes at the back of its series B fundraising in February this year, during which it raised $20 million (SR75 million) in a funding round led by Sanabil Investments, a firm wholly owned by Saudi Arabias Public Investments Fund (PIF).
The partnership will enable Foodics Saudi F&B and retail customers Foodics Pay customers by October 1, 2021.
Abdullah Bugshan, Foodics Pay General Manager commented: We are on a mission to become a one-stop-shop platform for restaurant owners to grow their operations effortlessly. Our partnership with American Express Saudi Arabia will further help restaurant and retail owners increase their sales, by offering an additional world-class payment option. We are thankful to the American Express team for their trust and support, and delighted to welcome them to the Foodics family.
Assim Alshmassi, American Express Saudi Arabia Chief Business Development Officer said: At American Express Saudi Arabia, we are committed to offering unique products and services to our existing and prospective customers. In this context, we are delighted to be signing this partnership with Foodics, as this allows us to extend our network of merchants to include Foodics F&B and retail customers in the kingdom. This partnership comes in direct support of our objective to continuously meet and exceed our customers' expectations.
Since its inception, Foodics has successfully processed over 5 billion orders through the platform, and over 50,000+ terminals while catering to over 11,000 F&B brands. This latest major announcement further strengthens its position in KSA.
The tech company, which offers an all-in-one retail management platform helping retail and restaurant owners run their business, had recently announced its Series B, bringing the total funds raised by Foodics so far to $28 million (SR105 million).-- TradeArabia News Service
Floating wind can play a major role in the world reaching carbon neutrality in the coming decades, but as a maturing technology there is not yet a standard implementation proven at commercial scale.
Francisco Rodrigues, Mammoet Global Segment Lead for Offshore Wind, discusses how engineered heavy lifting and logistics can help this exciting technology to mature and realise its potential.
The overwhelming majority of offshore wind farms in our waters today are composed of fixed bottom turbines. As the name suggests, these sit on top of foundations that have been physically driven into the seabed, generating power that travels via a substation back to land.
Generally speaking, offshore wind farms benefit from stronger and more reliable winds than on land, because they lie in locations where that wind is not interrupted by the heat from cities, or physically stopped by large mountains. However, the yield of coastal wind pales in comparison to those you can find further out to sea.
Around 80% of the worlds offshore wind generation potential lies away from the shore, over waters deeper than 60 m. But in such extreme depths it becomes more difficult or actually impossible to hammer turbine foundations into place.
So, over the last decade, floating wind technology has started to emerge. Rather than connecting directly to the ocean floor, this technology instead consists of a floating foundation with a turbine on top, tethered to an anchor in the depths.
Not only does floating wind allow greater flexibility to install wind parks where the flows are strongest and most reliable, it also removes many of the restrictions presented by fixed bottom turbines, such as the need for shallow water and a specific type of seabed meaning more countries will be able to benefit from it.
However, the structure of floating wind assets is significantly different to fixed bottom designs: its foundations weigh thousands of tonnes sometimes over ten thousand. To date, there have been multiple successful prototype projects using different foundation designs, but each of these have only installed a small handful of turbines.
To unlock the potential of floating wind, the most effective methods of constructing wind parks at scale must be established as soon as possible, and standardised. Given their high potential yield, floating wind farms provide a fast route to de-carbonise the worlds energy supply - and engineered heavy logistics will play a central role in achieving this.
EFFICIENT FABRICATION AND LOAD-OUT
A complete floating wind farm turbine consists of a floating foundation, manufactured by specialist fabricators, and the turbine tower, nacelle and blades, manufactured by a wind industry OEM. While the manufacturing process remains similar for everything above water, the sheer size of each floating foundation will mean huge changes to its supply chain, logistics and launch.
Facilities that fabricate floating foundations will face demand to increase production rates as the sector grows. Whats more, given the broad similarity between floating foundations and petrochemical modules, competition for facilities will be high as they will require the same facilities, equipment and personnel to build.
Space needed for the storage of these giant foundations will challenge even the largest facilities, ultimately opening the market up to new entrants. Clearly, storing foundations that can measure 100 sq m on land will not be a viable long-term option, and will mean that manufacture and logistics must go hand-in-hand.
Then there is the task of managing the load-out of these huge structures, akin to the demands seen during modularised projects for the petrochemical sector. The industry will need to look beyond Europe to locations such as Southeast Asia, China and the Middle East to make best use of the facilities available.
Using multiple fabricators in several locations will allow more of each project to be undertaken in parallel, and by specialist facilities - shortening the schedule of projects and therefore increasing cost-effectiveness. This, in turn, will increase the viability of projects and allow more of them to move forward.
When fabrication of foundation is complete and its time to get them in the water, there are further challenges. For one, this must be achieved for the most part without the use of dry docks, as the majority of these will be unsuitable for objects of this size. Ports of a suitable draft are also needed, typically around 12 m or more.
Choosing the right partner to handle lifting and load-out operations will be crucial if developers are to best manage risk and increase the cost-effectiveness of projects without being tied to one particular region.
Luckily, the expertise that has been used in the past to load-out modules of over 40,000t can be re-deployed to match the needs of floating wind, as foundations grow ever-larger.
UPGRADING PORTS
Of course, once floating foundations have been fabricated, they must be transported to a port close to the wind farm location so that the turbine can be integrated on top of it. To achieve this, foundations may travel halfway around the world on top of transport vessels.
Here, projects will face similar challenges of size and scale. Establishing efficient port operations at scale will be critical for the industry to reach a mature model.
This will mean ensuring there are a sufficient number of ports worldwide that can offer the large areas of land, good maritime access and necessary ground capacity required to integrate and launch foundations. The sponsor country may also need to develop their facilities to meet the demands of the industry.
But many ports will face multiple issues when measured against these criteria; given the volume of expected floating wind work it is likely that the they will need to rely on facilities that have not been designed for offshore wind projects.
The space required to handle multiple floating foundations as large as 100 sq m and 16,000t is not to be found at many ports - especially those designed for other, smaller scale projects. And of course, floating wind projects will still need significant real estate to handle tower sections, blades and nacelles.
Furthermore, even where ports have the space to accommodate these dimensions, they may not have the required ground strength to withstand the assembly and launch of components.
This means that many ports will need to upgrade in order to accommodate floating wind projects - but facilities will want to see a reliable pipeline of projects and the prospect of significant returns before they consider investing in the work required. So, project-based upgrades that can deliver the required capabilities on a temporary basis will be preferred.
Mammoets Enviro-Mat additive can be added to the native soil on site to produce a flat heavy lifting surface capable of withstanding 50t/sq m of pressure. Innovative marine engineering allows large components to be brought ashore in shallow water via an intermediate barge.
Other temporary upgrades can be used to facilitate floating wind. For example, docks can be strengthened using additional piles driven into the existing quay without touching the water at all, where the permitting process is tougher. This can help to create the foundations necessary for heavy lift equipment to be used, turning any port into a floating wind terminal.
Many of the above measures can be achieved for a fraction of the cost necessary to permanently upgrade infrastructure, allowing ports to turn capital expenses into operational expenses and hence participate in more projects.
LAUNCHING 16,000T COMPONENTS
With weights of anything between 3,000t and 16,000t, the launch of floating foundations is far from simple the key challenge being to find a safe, cost-efficient and scalable method for placing large units in the water.
To date, a range of different solutions have been used to perform launching and one common approach has been the use of semi-submersible vessels. But there are questions over whether enough vessels will be available to meet demand, and whether they will be cost-effective when hired over a long period of time, during which they will be stood idle for long periods.
So, what are the solutions for projects where this is not a suitable - or available - option? Mammoet has found that moving foundations directly into the water is the most effective method of launching, as opposed to the use of transition equipment such as a floating platforms.
A promising methodology is to use a hybrid approach, whereby the floater is lifted from both land and sea and lowered onto the water directly at the quayside. Made possible by new technology such as Mammoets 6,000t SK6,000 crane, a hybrid approach offers a number of advantages.
As components are placed directly into the water right next to the quay, the process takes less time, is therefore less costly and requires less auxiliary equipment generally needing only commonly available grades of barges.
SUPER CRANE CAPACITY WILL BE KEY
With water depths at sea ruling out assembly solutions such as jack-up vessels, the most efficient way to integrate turbines onto floating foundations is to position the floater in the water directly alongside the quay, and piece it together using a large crane. But crane assembly presents its own challenges.
As Ive mentioned, the largest floating foundations can be 100 sq m. If the turbine lies close to the center of the foundation, the lifting radius required could be as much as 55 m that is, half of the foundations width plus the space between quay edge and crane. At the same time, nacelle weights are expected to reach 1,000t in the near future, and hub heights a staggering 170 m. This means that even the largest of crawler cranes are no longer sufficient, and that far fewer suitable cranes are suitable than the market may realise.
Given that a large capital expenditure investment to purchase a suitable crane is unlikely to be an appealing option for many, Mammoet recognised the market needed support to provide greater lifting capacity and address this bottleneck.
The SK6,000 crane has been designed with exactly this type of challenge in mind. Capable of lifting over 4,000t to a height of 175 m and with a maximum reach of 144 m, it can lift some floating foundation types directly into the water and also assemble wind turbines - all from a single position turning the quayside into a highly efficient production line.
Mammoet is also exploring suitable alternatives to crane lifting. Project Elican, in partnership with our customers in the H2020 consortium, is looking at other ways to carry out turbine assembly. For example, the use of a telescopic crane mast that uses remotely operated strand jacks which are later raised at sea.
If this proves successful it would reduce the industrys expected reliance on the small number of large cranes and help to alleviate potential supply issues. This idea was developed due to early engagement with Siemens Gamesa at the FEED stage of a project, highlighting the value possible when project phases are considered holistically.
MAINTENANCE NEEDS INNOVATION AND EXPERIENCE
It is estimated that around 25% of floating wind turbines will have a maintenance incident during their lifetime, creating significant pressures on operational expenditure budgets. With thousands of turbines being installed in the coming years this is a key consideration for the industry.
Whilst in some cases turbines can be brought into port to conduct maintenance, the limited availability of suitable vessels and port facilities means that in most cases this work will need to be conducted in situ. This could also lead to large periods of downtime on a key asset.
To reduce this downtime and also risk, maintenance should be performed as much as possible at sea. This will mean meaning moorings do not need to be unlashed, and turbines do not need to be towed to their port of origin, which may no longer be available in any case.
Mammoets Conbit operation offers specialised expertise in performing repairs to offshore assets in situ and has developed a modular solution that offer important advantages for floating wind. This attaches directly to the turbine itself, making it possible to execute certain types of maintenance and modification operations at the wind farm itself.
This new 200t modular lifting system facilitates an even greater range of maintenance work without the use of a crane vessel. With only the facilities found at a fishing port required to launch the system, it offers a rapid response solution to lifting equipment such as motors, gearboxes, generators and shafts. It is of course also much more cost-effective compared to the typical costs for a crane vessel.
DEVELOPING FLOATING WIND AT SCALE
The huge potential of floating wind is beginning to be realised, but all elements of the industrys supply chain must work together to establish the most effective and scalable way forward to fully deliver on this promise.
Mammoets expertise both in offshore renewables and other relevant heavy industry sectors can provide proven knowledge, methodologies and equipment creating a drag-and-drop advantage for your floating wind project.-- TradeArabia News Service
A competition has been launched by the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) giving residents the opportunity to win flights and accommodation for their friends and family to come and visit them.
The competition is part of the Time is Now campaign, initiated by DCT Abu Dhabi to showcase the capitals landmarks and tourist attractions and encourage people to visit and enjoy the weather at this time of the year. The activation also aligns with Abu Dhabis decision to welcome fully vaccinated tourists without quarantine.
The contest will run until October 1 and challenges the emirates residents to share their experiences in the UAE capital on their social pages, tagging two of their family and friends abroad in order to win the free trip to visit Abu Dhabi.
The prize, for four winners, includes airline tickets and a five-day stay in one of the emirates hotels. One winner will be announced live on Stories on @VisitAbuDhabis social media accounts every four days starting September 20 until October 2.-TradeArabia News Service
The West Bay Lounge on Abu Dhabi's beachfront is re-opening its doors in time to welcome the cooler months.
Overlooking the Corniche shorelines and enclosed with glass walls, West Bay extends on to the beach with an option of hammocks, swings and sunbeds just steps away from the waters of the Arabian Gulf.
Chef Niko has created a new menu which includes an international selection of popular dishes, from sushi and sashimi to pastas and steaks, as well as a selection of salads and soups, the hotel said in a press release.
The dessert selection offers specialties with a must-try Melting Chocolate Bomb, while the bar at West Bay boasts a wide selection of beverages.
West Bay Lounge first opened its doors at the end of 2020.-TradeArabia News Service
Digital travel platform Agoda has launched its Welcome Back to Europe campaign to help property partners in Europe capitalise on early international travel demand and drive incremental bookings.
Partners signing up to the programme can put up special international travel offers with discounts up to 10 per cent, appealing to and converting travellers who are looking for great deals, a press release stated.
Participating accommodation providers will benefit from Agodas multi-channel promotion targeting inbound travellers.
These hotel partners will be featured across the platforms product and marketing touchpoints, including a landing page for international travel to Europe, social media campaigns, customer and affiliate marketing.
Agoda Partner Services Vice President Errol Cooke said: As the travel industry begins to recover, we want to make sure our hotel partners are best placed to get a head start in capturing that demand. While intra-region travel has dominated summer plans in Europe, more international markets are lifting travel restrictions, including USA, Singapore, UAE and India to name a few.
"In our soft launch phase, hundreds of hotels have already offered additional discounts to international travellers and enjoyed the benefit from these bookings. We are confident that Agodas Welcome Back to Europe programme will help all our hotel partners, as we work together to bring back travellers.
According to Agodas booking data, Italy retains top spot as top destination for international travellers, when compared to the same period (July 1-September 18) in 2019. Spain climbs two places to #2, knocking United Kingdom to 5th, while Greece jumps seven spots to third place. Germany's been nudged out of the top five, and is now #7.-TradeArabia News Service
Six in ten residents in the UAE have flown out of the country in the past 12 months to meet their family or relatives, a new KPMG survey has revealed.
The first KPMG UAE Aviation Survey 2021 captures the impact of Covid-19 on passengers sentiment, assessing their outlook on consumer travel.
According to the survey, only four out of ten residents in the UAE (40 per cent) flew out for leisure, while 13% constituted business travel and 5% for medical reasons.
Reflecting the countrys demographics, the KPMG survey revealed that South Asia was the most common destination for travellers from the UAE, followed by the GCC states (30%) and Europe (27%). South Asia (39%) and Europe (38%) are also among the regions that UAE residents would like to visit in the coming six months.
Partner, Head of Transport & Logistics at KPMG Lower Gulf Avtar Jalif said: The pandemic led to a brutal upheaval of the aviation industry. With global travel bans, millions of stakeholders were impacted as flights grounded and the skies emptied. The tourism industry suffered its worst year on record in 2020, with international arrivals dropping 74% annually.
"Amidst signs of economic recovery, increasing consumer confidence and rising vaccination numbers, the KPMG Aviation Survey provides insight into peoples propensity to travel, and the factors affecting the decision. Now is the time to buckle up for travel as flights are taking-off, albeit with requisite health and safety guidelines in place.
While nearly three quarters of residents are fearful of contracting Covid-19 through air travel, almost the same proportion of respondents nevertheless plan to travel within the next six months.
This is contingent on airports and aircraft maintaining stringent health and safety protocols, full vaccination for passengers and crew, and social distancing, as well as better end-to-end customer service.
The survey also found out that an overwhelming 71% of respondents believed that, despite the generally adopted online platforms, corporate travel will be necessary for meetings in the future.
An even higher percentage (81%) of respondents believe corporate travel will be justifiable for events like exhibitions and conferences.
Consumers also believe that Covid-19 will leave an indelible mark on companies approach to business travel. About 78% predict that the company policy will dictate the countries or destinations for business travel, the survey said.
Even amidst these turbulent times, respondents generally remained loyal to their choice of airlines. 56% of interviewees airline choice has not changed since the outbreak of Covid-19.
For those whose preferences had changed, the most common factors contributing to their decision were health and safety protocols, costs, and availability of flights.
The survey also found that the main reason respondents did not want to travel in the past 12 months was that they did not need to, followed by the fact that the borders of the countries they wanted to travel to were closed.
The other reasons for preferring not to travel were worries about contracting Covid-19 away from home, and wanting to get vaccinated first.
Only 5% of respondents who travelled by air over the past year did so for medical tourism; a figure which remains consistent for those planning to travel over the coming six months, highlighting the respondents belief to stay in the UAE and benefit from its high standards of healthcare.-TradeArabia News Service
Etihad Airways has announced three new quarantine-free destinations for the coming winter season.
In November, the airline will begin flying to Johannesburg and Cape Town in South Africa, and the Indian Ocean island of Zanzibar. The new additions to Etihads network mean the UAEs national carrier will be operating to 70 destinations across 47 countries.
The airline has launched a sale on fares to the three African cities valid until midnight on October 6, according to a statement from Etihad.
Group Chief Executive Officer Tony Douglas said: Johannesburg is an important route on our network and offers vital connectivity to and from the southern African region. On the southern coast, Cape Town is a breathtaking part of the world, with something to offer the most discerning traveller.
"Likewise, the beautiful island of Zanzibar will complement our network to the Maldives and Seychelles offering more choice for leisure travellers looking to enjoy the Indian ocean.
We are also thrilled to offer connectivity for travellers from both countries to visit the UAE over the winter months. With Expo 2020 opening there has never been a better time to visit Abu Dhabi and the UAE.
Flights to Johannesburg, South Africas biggest city, and the coastal city of Cape Town will start from November 25. Both destinations will operate three times per week on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays and will be serviced by the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
The service to Zanzibar will operate from November 26. The route will also offer easy connectivity for guests travelling from Europe and North America and transiting through Abu Dhabi. The flights will operate on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays on the airlines Airbus A320 aircraft.-TradeArabia News Service
Help India!
A high-level joint delegation of Muslim organisations including Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind and Students Islamic Organization of India (SIO) visited Assam to assess the police brutality and deaths of civilians during the eviction drive in Dholpur village of Darang district of Assam. The joint delegation included JIH Vice-President S. Ameenul Hassan, Jamiats General Secretary Maulana Hakimuddin Qasmi, JIH Secretary Shafi Madani, SIO President Salman Ahmed, and other leaders.
TCN News
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NEW DELHI Jamaat-e-Islami Hind has demanded strict action against culprits for brutality during the eviction drive in Assam and has urged the state government for the rehabilitation of evictees.
A joint level delegation of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind and Students Islamic Organization of India (SIO) met Assam Chief Minister Hemanta Biswa Sarma recently to raise the issue.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday held at its headquarters, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) President Syed Sadatullah Husaini said, Some people misuse the laws for political gain. This is what happened in Assam. Before carrying out evictions on any land or area, a complete legal procedure has to be followed and alternative accommodation has to be arranged for the people who are being displaced, as per the interpretations of the law. But this has not been done in Dholpur village of Darang district, even where the inhumane treatment has been meted out to the villagers, giving communal colour to the eviction drive.
The press conference was held on the conclusion of the Assam visit of the high-level joint delegation of Muslim organisations including Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind and Students Islamic Organization of India (SIO) to assess the police brutality and deaths of civilians during the eviction drive in Dholpur village of Darang district of Assam. The joint delegation included JIH Vice-President S. Ameenul Hassan, Jamiats General Secretary Maulana Hakimuddin Qasmi, JIH Secretary Shafi Madani, SIO President Salman Ahmed, and other leaders.
Husaini further said that according to the report presented by the joint delegation after visiting the affected area, the administration did not follow due eviction procedures. It is the responsibility of the government to make alternative arrangements for the accommodation, livelihood, education and health of long-term residents before they are evicted. But here, the manner in which a particular community has been targeted by giving a communal colour to the issue is a blot on any civilized state, he pointed out.
Speaking on the occasion, a member of the delegation and JIH Vice President Ameenul Hasan informed that the delegation visited all the affected areas and met with the victims and found the situation quite grim on the ground. In a meeting with Assam Chief Minister Hemanta Biswa Sarma, the delegation has expressed its concern and anger over the recent police brutality and two deaths of unarmed civilians in Dholpur village of Darrang district and demanded that the whole incident be investigated impartially and transparently, taking action against the culprits. As promised, one acre of land for farming and one acre of land for housing as well as basic education and health facilities should be provided to the affected families immediately. The delegation also demanded that the families who have been evicted and those who have died be given adequate compensation, he said.
The CM assured the delegation that all citizens of the state will be treated equally and nobody shall be treated unfairly. The delegation also met the Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police, Darrang to raise the issue. They assured to deliver justice to the victims impartially.
Addressing the press conference, another member of the delegation Shafi Madani informed that the government recently evicted about 900 families living along the river in Dholpur village of Darrang District and the eviction of families was carried out to implement an organized farming project on 25,000 acres of land. While the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind immediately announced some financial assistance, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind has arranged basic necessities and medical facilities to help the victims. SIO has undertaken to bear the expenses of the education of the children of the deceased, he added.
Madani vowed that Jamaat-e-Islami Hind would continue to work closely with their local cadres to help the victims and restore their legitimate rights.
Help India!
Two years after the BJP government abrogated Article 370 of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, the region where it promised the abrogation will bring development is up in arms against what regions traders, businessmen term BJPs anti-Jammu policies.
Auqib Javeed | TwoCircles.net
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SRINAGAR More than two years after Narender Modi led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unilaterally read down the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the erstwhile state into two Union-territories, the party is facing the heat in the Hindu majority region of Jammu for its Anti-Jammu policies.
Soon after the Home Minister of India announced the abrogation of Article 370 in parliament, the Jammu region of the erstwhile state rejoiced the annexation. More than two years after the abrogation, it seems the Dogra heartland is fuming over the governments policies and actions in the region.
On September 23, the traders and transporters in Jammu observed a complete shutdown against the proposed opening of 100 Reliance retail stores in the region.
The call was given by the Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) which was supported by twenty-five trade and industry lobbies besides several political parties.
First shutdown after Article 370
Wearing black badges to protest anti-trader policies, the business community assembled at various markets and the chamber house raising slogans like Jammu Ekta Zindabad
Several groups of traders under different banners staged a peaceful protest at their respective markets.
The Jammu transporters also joined the protests and said that the protest was not for traders only but every stakeholder of Jammu.
The traders alleged that businessmen in Jammu are facing the highest degree of discrimination due to the directionless policies of the Union Territory government like ending age-old biannual Darbar move, new Excise and the Geology and Mining Department policies, proposed move by big business houses like Reliance to open stores and restrictions on banquet halls, among other issues.
Anil Gupta, President Raj Tilak Road Traders Association told TwoCircles.net that the businessmen in the region are under tremendous pressure and have apprehensions that the economy might come under a grinding halt.
Yes, we indeed celebrated the abrogation of Article 370 but we didnt know Jammu will be its first victim, Gupta told TwoCircles.net.
Not only traders, Gupta said, but hotels, restaurants, transporters and other stakeholders are now realising the impact of the abrogation of Article 370.
Amid the ongoing protest over the opening of Reliance retail stores, the company said the talk of 100 stores being opened by us is completely untrue. We have not opened any stores in Jammu. We have a few delivery points in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and these are set up by our delivery partners to support the small traders, a spokesperson of Reliance NSE 1.68 % Retail told news agency PTI.
However, the people of the region maintain that the shutdown call was given just to signal to BJP that its anti-people policies wont work in Jammu.
It may be noted that the BJP won both the parliamentary seats of the region in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections. In December 2020 District Development Council (DDC) elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party won the most seats in the Jammu region with 75 seats after securing the largest vote share in the polls.
However, the people maintain that despite supporting the party in every election, the party has failed to win the hearts of the people of the region.
The next elections will decide and they will come to know what they have achieved, said Surinder Pal, a shopkeeper from Jammu.
Mineral blocks acquired by non-locals
In 2020, the Government allotted most of the mineral blocks to outsiders both in Jammu and Kashmir divisions, leaving people, who are dependent on the sand mining, fuming.
Earlier, no outsider could have participated in the bidding process for mining contracts before the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A on August 5, 2019.
The government has allotted 25 minor mineral contracts to outsiders in J&K and most of the allotments have been made in the Jammu region and three are Kashmir.
Since then the government has left us jobless and we are unable to even buy our essentials, said a contractor from Jammu, who wished not to be named.
He said they have been left at the mercy of outsiders and work under their kindness.
Wine traders against new policy
Earlier, in March 2021, the wine traders in Jammu were up in arms against the governments fresh draft policy to allow liquor vends in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Draft Excise Policy 2021-22 has spelt out to allot liquor vends through an e-auction, which the wine traders of Jammu and Kashmir say would eliminate local businesspersons from the trade and would benefit only rich capitalists from outside J&K.
According to a report, there are 30,000 families directly or indirectly associated with the business from Jammu and most of the present licensees are widows, senior citizens, and unemployed youth who have no other source of income.
Darbar Move
In June 2021, the LG administration ended the 149-year-old tradition in Jammu & Kashmir known as the Darbar Move.
The Darbar Move was a biannual practice in which the government functions for six months each in the two capitals of Srinagar and Jammu.
Around 8000-9000 employees working in Civil Secretariats, with headquarters in Jammu and Srinagar, would move along with files twice every year.
Thousands of employees working in civil secretariats, with headquarters in Jammu and Srinagar, would move along with their families twice every year. While Srinagar served as the summer capital, Jammu was the winter capital.
Over the years, the practice boosted Jammu economically. Several Kashmiris would travel to the winter capital along with their families to escape the harsh winters thus furthering the business of Jammu traders.
The move to do away with the Darbar Move has also angered residents of Jammu.
BJP deceived people
Sunil Dimple, a Jammu based political leader told TwoCircles.net that
Jammu traders, Bar, Chamber, Mission Statehood and other political parties called Jammu Bandh for the restart of Darbar Move, Restoration of Article 370 and the closure of the Jio, Reliance stores.
He said the shutdown united Jammu Kashmir & opened the eyes of the BJP.
Dimple, who is President of Mission Statehood claimed that the BJP government at the centre and the LG govt did not accept the demands of the people of Jammu.
He said the abrogation of article 370 and special status has caused heavy loss to traders, transporters & the people of J&K.
Chief Spokesperson Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress, Ravinder Sharma told TwoCircles.net that the people of Jammu were told that the region will become an economic hub after the abrogation of article 370 and that the political discrimination will end but now people are realising that they were deceived by BJP, thus you can see people reacting angrily, Sharma said.
President JCCI Arun Gupta, however, doesnt link the protest with the abrogation of article 370. He argues that the protest was against the opening of Reliance stores in Jammu.
The assault on Jammu traders was even before the abrogation of Article 370 when local regional parties were ruling the erstwhile state, Gupta said adding that We are hopeful that both the issue of Reliance stories of continuation of Darbar Move will be restored.
Help India!
The Assam governments eviction drive in Darrang district on September 23 has left many families in distress, including pregnant women. A TCN Ground report looks at how these women are surviving amidst lack of proper food and necessary medicine.
Mahibul Hoque | TwoCircles.net
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SIPAJHIR (ASSAM) For 18-year-old Minura Khatun from No 1 Dholpur village in Darrang district, the last four months have been distressing. An expecting mother, her anxiety started when the chief minister of Assam announced in June that an agriculture project would be taken up at her village. She was perplexed about where her first child would be born. Amid the uncertainty, her family did not sow seeds in their fields. For her, it meant her first child will be born amid destitution. The tragedy came sooner than she feared as government bulldozers razed her house on September 20 and demolished their land along with displacing 800 families from the area.
On the fateful day when the district administration and police department marched ahead with their plan to demolish and uproot the Muslim dwellers, despite the locals seeking time to remove their homes, the security personnel also burnt down many belongings of the people without maintaining any documentation to assess the damage.
For people who had already vacated their homes in the first round of evictions, and especially for Minura the scenes of demolition and fear for her unborn baby left her in panic.
Although she has been living under a tin structure which used to be the roof of her home, and surviving on pulses and potatoes provided by the relief workers, Minura has not eaten any green vegetables nor has she been provided with medical assistance necessary for pregnant women.
The non-availability of drinking water facilities or hygiene facilities is a matter of shame and struggle for the women evicted during the demolition drive, especially the pregnant ones. I have to carry water from another persons house which is around 100 meters away. I feel tired and I cannot walk properly. Going far from my place to fetch water is very difficult for me, Minura told TwoCircles.net. She complained about experiencing mental distress which she said increased since the eviction as she has never seen the burning of houses before.
Other pregnant women who have been evicted complained about the trauma and lack of medical assistance which the government should have provided to them as they are citizens of the country.
I cannot lift my leg. Someone has to help me get up from bed at night. I need medicines as I am pregnant. I went to the medical camp (organized by volunteer groups) seeking help but there was not much medicine for me. These medicines are generally provided by the government to its people. Instead of taking care, they have taken our land and everything else, 30-year-old Samina Khatun from No 3 Dholpur village said remorsefully. She is six months pregnant.
30-year-old Sharufa Khatun has similar complaints. Sharufa, who lost a child some months ago, told TwoCircles.net, I asked the doctor to give me medicine for illnesses women get. But they did not have any of those medicines. The government should provide some assistance to us.
Mohela Khatun, who is seven months pregnant, has not been able to get her ultrasound done as her family has no money to go to the doctor.
We were confused and unsure about the governments decision to evict us. We did not even start the seed sowing process. We did not cultivate our land in the confusion and hence left with no money. This time we will not be growing cabbage, cauliflower, or anything else, rued the 28-year-old woman from No 1 Dholpur village.
The sowing session was disturbed in the area as the government had announced to take over 77,000 bighas of land to start an agriculture and allied activities project to ostensibly to provide employment to some 200 people from indigenous community, which as per people would dislocate around 55,000 Bengali-speaking Muslim farmers.
While hundreds of families, left homeless from No 1 and No 3 Dholpur villages, are relying on relief material provided by various non-profit groups, the government on September 27 announced that the affected families will continue to get the benefits of government schemes. The announcement has come as a relief although it will be without addition to necessary medicines for women, children and traumatized people.
On the first day of the eviction, the government gave some plastic toilet sheets, tube well, and pipes to set up basic facilities for the evicted families. But after the firing incident and death of two persons, the district officials neither visited the place nor provided other basic help. They have been left with nothing but NGO relief. Rice and dal (pulses) is there and as citizens, they are entitled to get benefits from government schemes. But as displaced families, they should get basic water, hygiene and medical facilities which are missing, a local from the area said on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
The state government on September 23 announced that the evicted families would continue to get the entitled government scheme facilities and the next day the supply of rice was resumed in the area. However, the toilets and drinking water facilities have not been announced yet which indicates that the families will not be provided with a settlement at the place as of now.
The initial aid of plastic toilet sheets and tube well facilities were given on humanitarian ground for the evicted families, said Darrang district Commissioner Prabhati Thaosen. She said negotiations and consultation were going for further help to the evicted people.
As for 57-year-old farmer Anuwar Hussain, a settlement is a better option as they can cultivate the land and start afresh. We are citizens and I have my fathers 1951 NRC. The government has taken the land we were cultivating for more than four decades. They should provide a permanent settlement to us, he said.
The state government has assured that six bighas of land would be given to evicted landless people, but it has not been formally announced yet. According to the Assam Land and Revenue Act 1886 and 1989 land policy, the government has to provide an alternative place for rehabilitation prior to any eviction. Without giving any alternative, the governments move to evict the people is a violation of law, said All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) MLA Mazibur Rahman from the same district. His party is demanding six bigha land for agricultural purposes and one bigha of land for housing while terming the eviction as an inhuman, barbaric attack on helpless Muslim farmers.
It is unfortunate that till now the government has not sent any delegation and additional relief to the victim families who are genuine Indian citizens, he added.
Meanwhile, the All Assam Minority Students Union (AAMSU) sought drinking water, sanitation, and housing facilities (under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana) for the evicted families. According to the office-bearers of the influential student body, Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has agreed upon their demands.
Whatever verbal assurances have been given to us, we will ask the government to announce officially when we meet the CM after the cabinet meeting, AAMSU general secretary Imtiaz Ali said.
Caught in between verbal assurances and homelessness, 6-month pregnant Minura said, The government does not consider us as citizens. That is why no representative from the government has come to see our condition. We need our lives back. We need shelter even if they provide us with these on humanitarian grounds, she said.
Student hears charges being read in front of tearful mother. Seven members of the group Returning Valiant, including four minors, were denied bail. Accused of conspiring to incite subversion. The assets of the Alliance that organizes the annual Tiananmen vigil frozen.
Hong Kong (AsiaNews) - Pro-Beijing city authorities claim that even 15-year-olds can be a threat to national security. The Magistrates' Court of West Kowloon yesterday indicted seven members of the group Returning Valiant on charges of conspiring to incite subversion.
The crime is punishable under the draconian security law imposed last year by the central government.
The defendants, who include four minors, were denied bail by judges. A student in a school uniform listened to the charges being read in front of her tearful mother.
On September 28, police arrested another person belonging to Returning Valiant. Between May and June, police had already detained 14 members of the group for allegedly possessing explosives and pro-independence material.
As reported by the Hong Kong Free Press, the hearing was attended by more than 100 people, including family members of the accused. Some of those in the public shouted at the youth to resist. The city's criminal laws prohibit the press from giving details of the proceedings and the names of the accused.
In another blow to the pro-democracy camp, the city's national security police yesterday froze the assets of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, which on June 4 each year organizes the traditional vigil in remembrance of the 1989 Tiananmen massacre.
The Alliance has been targeted by Carrie Lam's executive and pro-Beijing personalities for months. In early September, the IDF arrested five of its leaders. Lee Cheuk-yan and Albert Ho, among the most important figures of the democratic group, have been in prison for some time on charges of participating in illegal demonstrations in 2019.
Facing pressure from the authorities, the Alliance had decided to disband on September 25. Two historic organizations had previously done so: The Teachers' Union and the Civil Human Rights Front. The first was the largest sectoral city union, the second the main democratic coalition. Now the existence of the Hong Kong Journalists Association is also at risk.
Security Secretary Chris Tang did not answer the journalists' question whether Hong Kong citizens will still be able to commemorate the events of Tiananmen. He merely said that the police will evaluate on a case-by-case basis, as with the possibility of celebrating Taiwan's national holiday on Oct. 10.
The event is set for 22-26 June 2022 in Rome. Bishops are invited to organise activities in their diocese, for the same period. On every continent, at home, with a computer or smartphone, families will be able to participate remotely. The inaugural meeting with the Pope, that is, the Festival of Families on 22 June; the Mass on Saturday afternoon, 25 June, with all the families of Rome in St. Peter's Square; and the Angelus the next day, will be broadcast worldwide.
Vatican City (AsiaNews) The 10th World Meeting of Families, centred on the theme Family love: A vocation and a path to holiness, will take place in dioceses around the world, and online. The meeting in Rome will also be available online, live.
At the presentation of the meeting, Card Kevin Farrell, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, said that the worldwide event will allow families to participate in diocesan meetings, celebrations and Holy Masses, which each bishop is invited to organise in his own diocese, on the same days in which the Pope meets the delegates of Bishops Conferences, family movements and associations in Rome.
The festival with the testimonies of families will be held in Rome on 22 June 2022 in the Popes presence. The pastoral congress will be held from 23 June to the morning of 25 June, and will include celebrations and Eucharistic adorations, pastoral conferences and panels to share pastoral experiences from all over the world. On the afternoon of Saturday 25 June, Francis will celebrate Mass in St Peter's Square, followed by the Angelus the next day.
We urge the bishops, Card Farrell said, to accept the holy Father's invitation and plan both the journey of preparation for the event, and the diocesan event itself, which can take place in the week from 22 to 26 June 2022, in parallel with the Pope's Meeting in Rome with the delegates.
The beauty of this opportunity, he added, consists in the fact that not only those who work in the pastoral care of the family, but all the families in parishes and dioceses will be able to gather around their bishop.
As for the delegates, their number, noted Gabriella Gambino, under-secretary of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, will be proportional to the size of the Bishops Conferences. The same goes for movements and associations who will have a pre-established number of delegates.
We will directly send suggestions to the bishops in dioceses around the world, on how to organise the event at the local level for the first time. We realise that it is not easy to take the initiative, especially in some geographical areas and in some particular pastoral situations, but we encourage everyone to try to involve families in this adventure. Many families wish to participate and would like to be involved even at the diocesan level.
In the dioceses, the meetings can be set up starting from the theme chosen by the Holy Father, which forms the basis of seven catecheses that will soon be published by the Diocese of Rome in five languages and be available to the whole world. These catecheses constitute in themselves a journey of preparation for the meetings to be held both in Rome and individual dioceses.
Families, on every continent, at home, with a computer or smartphone, will have the opportunity to participate remotely with a special registration method both during the preparation process over the next few months in fact, once registered, they will receive information on the pastoral tools that will be gradually made available by our Dicastery and during the Rome meeting online in the week from 22 to 26 June 2022.
In this regard, Mgr Walter Insero, director of the Social Communications Office of the Diocese of Rome, noted that "one of the main challenges will consist not only in strengthening communication, but also in encouraging social participation in this event.
In addition to face-to-face meetings organised at local level, families from every continent will have the opportunity to feel close to each other by following the World Meeting in Rome with their computer or smartphone.
The journey of preparation will also be made available to everyone online thanks to the website www.romefamily2022.com. The delegates in attendance will be joined by thousands of participants. Every moment of the World Meeting can be followed in streaming on social media.
The inaugural meeting with the Pope, that is, the Festival of Families on 22 June 2022, in the Paul VI Hall, will be broadcast worldwide, as will the Holy Mass on Saturday afternoon, 25 June, with all the families of Rome in St Peter's Square, and the Angelus the next day with the mandate to families from all over the world.
During the months leading up to the event, the website will serve mainly to disseminate content that can help dioceses, movements, associations organise events, reflections and meetings in local communities. There will be space for the seven catechises, which will be gradually published, linked to videos with testimonies.
A section of the site will be dedicated to collecting material put out by the Diocese of Rome and the Dicastery, available to everyone to download for free: logos, videos, texts, suggestions.
Another section will be reserved for concrete help to the three Roman projects that support families in difficulty, of which Cardinal De Donatis spoke earlier.
As far as the social strategy is concerned, we have opted for an approach centred on many centres. The goal is to involve as many people online as possible to share with them our hashtag #wmof22 and thus share our content.
In addition to the videos that will address the themes of catechesis, there will be interviews with Roman families, testimonies of families from other continents, some stories of holy families, and more.
by Alessandra De Poli
Today almost 400 delegates aged 15 to 29 will deliver the final document with their climate proposals to the ministers who will participate in COP26. Asian delegates shared their concerns and hopes with AsiaNews. Yesterday the Pope said: "I wish to thank you for your dreams and good projects and for the fact that you are concerned both with human relations and with care for the environment.
Milan (AsiaNews) Almost 400 delegates from around the world met in Milan for the Youth4Climate: driving ambition (Y4C) event, on 28-30 September.
Ranging in age between 15 and 29, participants were selected respecting the proper geographical and gender balance, and include young researchers, activists, founders of organizations fighting against climate change, sociologists, engineers, and journalists.
Organised by the Government of Italy, the meeting was designed to give young people an opportunity to discuss and formulate concrete proposals to tackle climate change.
On the first day, 28 September, Greta Thunberg gave a caustic speech, slamming world leaders for their blah, blah, blah.
Italys Minister of Environmental Transition Roberto Cingolani promptly responded to her, saying that Climate change and global social inequalities must be treated together. There is no single solution. I hope that in addition to protesting, which is extremely useful, you will help us identify new visionary solutions; this is what we expect from you.
Participants accepted the challenge, and after two days of discussions, they will deliver their proposals to the ministers set to take part in the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow next month.
Handing over their proposals in a final document, the young people seem to be telling the older folks: These are our climate solutions, now think about putting them into practice.
In a video message yesterday, Pope Francis thanked young people for their "dreams and good projects". In his view, People and the environment must be harmony. In fact, We are not enemies; we are not indifferent," he added.
Now that the time has come to deliver the results of the three-day meeting, some delegates wonder whether world leaders will not just throw them away.
Jan Kairel Guillermo, who is not a delegate but is part of the commission that selected some of the young people, the event is important, especially after two years of global pandemic during which young people met online.
I am excited by the stories young people tell," he told AsiaNews. But until the United Nations creates a mechanism that allows institutions to include youth contributions in international treaties, we can't really make a difference.
Jan, who is 28, is critical because he already works for the United Nations in Geneva and is at the conference as coordinator of working groups. He also personally experienced the effect of climate change.
In 2013 I survived one of the most powerful cyclones ever recorded. It's not just that I care about the climate. My province, Leyte, was almost completely destroyed by Typhoon Haiyan.
Even Heeta Lakhani, 30, comes from India. She understood from a very young age that taking care of the environment is important.
I come from Mumbai, which is a coastal city. On the waterfront, there used to be a gorgeous row of palm trees. One day I passed by and the trees had been uprooted for a project to beautify the city. I didn't understand how it could be more beautiful that way.
Her first time at an international event was as a translator. In 2015 I took part in COP21 in Paris, to translate from the German. After that experience I realised that it is possible to change things if you get involved. I quit my job, enrolled in a master's degree in Environmental Studies, and started volunteering for the climate.
Heeta is now a member of YOUNGO, the youth committee of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC).
Indigenous communities were also represented in Milan. Anish Shrestha, 29, comes from Nepal and is acting as their spokesperson. I am here to give voice to the people of South Asia, who bear the burden of climate change even though they pollute less than developed countries.
Back home, Anish founded the Youth for Environment Education and Development (YFEED) Foundation to protect the rights of the indigenous peoples of his country, where nearly 36 per cent of the population is indigenous.
Indigenous people are both among the main victims of climate change and a fundamental player in mitigating the harmful effects of human action on the climate. Ecosystems are in danger. In Nepal, the melting of the Himalayan glaciers is a very serious problem, Anish told AsiaNews.
We are losing a fundamental resource for tourism, he explained, but also for traditional practices. Young people abandon farming because fields are less and less fertile. Climate change has an impact on the lifestyle of indigenous peoples but also on the economy of the whole country.
Taimoor Siddiqui hails from Hyderabad (Pakistan). He speaks excitedly, his eyes shining when he talks about how necessary it is for less developed countries to cut CO2 emissions as well.
"According to the Climate Index, Pakistan is the fifth in terms of climate vulnerability. We are beginning to invest in order to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda, but we continue to be a fragile country.
If the most developed countries have made it, why can't we do it too? wonders Taimoor who, as an activist, has involved almost 17,000 people in his educational initiatives.
"The most developed countries are like bigger brothers for developing countries. We have to think like a family, because sharing is caring." Sharing (financial resources, in this case) is an act of caring that is good for everyone.
Finally, Mayumi Sato, 26, from Japan, studied at the University of Cambridge and is now doing a PhD on the impact of climate change on prisoners.
Many prisoners have a mobile phone and tweet about their conditions in prison; they also talk about air pollution because prisons are located near places where toxic products are released.
Although environmental and social issues intersect, Mayumi is realistic. It is clear that the Y4C is not a very concrete event from many points of view.
No one expects a solution after two days of negotiations between 400 young people from all over the world. But just being here, talking to each other in person, is important to understand what climate change means in a country other than your own. It is a process that helps keep the momentum going among the youngest.
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Immigrants, refugees drive population growth, improve quality of life in Buffalo, UB expert says
By DOUGLAS SITLER
Buffalo and Western New York will always be competitive in offering affordable housing and a lower cost of living compared to other cities in the U.S. We also have a growing, well-structured support network for immigrants and refugees. Wooksoo Kim, associate professor of social work and director Immigrant and Refugee Research Institute
The 2020 U.S. census revealed that the city of Buffalo gained population for the first time in 70 years, a trend fueled by an influx of immigrants and refugees. The positive impact made by these groups, says Wooksoo Kim, associate professor of social work and director of the Immigrant and Refugee Research Institute at UB, goes against the misaligned and politicized views of the immigrant and refugee communities. For the last 10 to 15 years, we have witnessed tremendous growth in immigrant and refugee populations in Buffalo, says Kim, whose research aims to improve the lives of immigrant and refugee populations by understanding their needs and designing culturally responsive intervention approaches to address those needs. We have heard the stories of Bangladeshi immigrants moving into the East Side and refugees from Burma into the Lower West Side, Black Rock and waterfront neighborhoods, Kim says. When we walk down Grant Street or Broadway, we see more and more business signs in various languages popping up every year, which suggests a growing demand and interest in serving immigrants and refugees in the area.
Cost of living, support networks spur growth
Kim says she was initially worried that immigrants and refugees would not be accurately counted in the census. Typically, immigrants and refugees are underrepresented in the census. Adding the pandemic to the mix, I was concerned that the 2020 census would further undercount their numbers, she says. However, I am personally delighted to see the growth reflected in this years census. I believe this is the result of the hard work and dedication of various community organizations to make sure the population was accurately counted. Affordable cost of living and support networks are expected to fuel Buffalos immigrant and population growth for the next decade, she says. Historically, affordability and strong support to welcome new Americans have been the major attraction for immigrant and refugee populations to settle in Buffalo, she explains. Buffalo and Western New York will always be competitive in offering affordable housing and a lower cost of living compared to other cities in the U.S. We also have a growing, well-structured support network for immigrants and refugees. Thanks to local resettlement agencies and their newcomer support programs, ethnic community organizations and government agencies all work together to make Buffalo and Western New York an ideal place for successful integration.
Immigrants, refugees add cultural diversity
Buffalo immigrant and refugee populations are also making significant contributions to the citys life, culture and economy, Kim notes. Immigrants and refugees have always been main contributors to economic development they accomplish this by opening up small businesses, buying houses and contributing to the wonderful diversity of the region, she says. Without setting foot outside of Buffalo, there are so many opportunities to learn and experience the worlds cultures and languages located right here in our backyard. There are many cultural events held year-round. To name a few: the Burmese Water Festival, Karen Wrist-tying Ceremony, Puja for Hinduism and Eid Mubarak for Muslims. These events and the people who attend them help to bring different cultural and international experiences to Buffalo without the need for travel. I believe they are the ones responsible for bringing in much of the character and livelihood of the region.
Continue investment in support systems
Oum II Joseph Archives
Oum II Joseph, Senior Divisional Officer (SDO) for Manyu Division has taken measures aimed at blocking armed separatist fighters from carrying out public demonstrations on Friday, October 1.
In a radio announcement, the Senior Divisional Officer for Manyu Division revealed that separatists are threatening to disturb public order on October I, 2021.
In a bid to foil the plans of separatist militia active in the area, Oum II Joseph informed the population of restrictions to nightlife among other measures until October 4, 2021.
The circulation of motorbikes, private and inter-urban transport vehicles is proscribed from 6:00 pm to 6:00 am daily starting from Wednesday, September 29 until October 4, the SDO said.
Oum II Joseph said drinking spots and off-licenses will remain closed between 6 pm and 6 am each day from Thursday, September 30, 2021, to Saturday, October 2, 2021.
According to the senior civil administrator, all unauthorized gatherings as well as processions on the highway on October 1, 2021, are banned.
These measures aimed at ensuring public order might be lifted on Monday, October 4, 2021, by 6 am. The measures shall be strictly respected by all, said the SDO.
Manyu SDO announces measures to foil separatist plans (c) Document
In November 2017, armed separatists in the town of Kembong located in the Manyu Division of the Southwest region killed at least six state forces, changing the narrative of the Anglophone crisis.
What began in the last quarter of 2016 as peaceful protests by Anglophone activists against perceived marginalization by Cameroon's Francophone-dominated elite has turned out to be a protracted armed conflict.
The secessionists declared an independent state called Ambazonia on October 1, 2017. Since then, at least 50,000 people have fled to Nigeria, including 2,300 who fled in a single day on December 4, 2017, fearing government reprisals after raids by separatist militants killed at least six soldiers and police officers.
At the end of World War One, Germany's colony of Kamerun was carved up between allied French and British victors, laying down the basis for a language split that still persists.
English speakers make up less than a fifth of the population of Cameroon, concentrated in former British territory near the Nigerian border that was joined to the French-speaking Republic of Cameroon in 1961, a year after its independence in 1960. French speakers have dominated the country's politics since.
Dr. Mohamadou Facebook
The death has been announced of Dr. Mohamadou , Permanent Secretary at the South West Governor's Office.
The senior civil administrator is said to have died Thursday, September 30, 2021, at the Douala General Hospital where he was receiving medical attention.
He was interred before midday in Douala.
Mohamadou was born on August 7, 1976, in Mayo-Tsanaga Division, Far North Region.
He started his career on October 27, 2011, as 1st Assistant Senior Divisional Officer for Bui Division. From July 3, 2017, to September 19, 2018, he served as Inspector General at the South West Governor's Office.
On September 19, 2018, a presidential decree appointed Dr. Mohamadou as permanent secretary at the South-West Governor's Office.
He leaves behind his wife and two children to mourn him.
He was last seen at a public event last week during the visit to Buea of Prime Minister, Head of Government, Chief. Dr. Dion Ngute Joseph.
Mourners and well-wishers have been flooding the South West Governor's Office in disbelief even as workers at the South West Governor's Office mourn the passing away of Dr. Mohammadou.
Eulogies have since been pouring in. The Regional Director of Eneo for the South West and Mungo, Marie Charlie Bassega says it is with great sadness that they learn from the passing, early this morning, of Dr. Mohammad following a brief illness.
This very humble and helpful man was one of our closest, most loyal and very tireless allies in the relentless battle that we, Eneo, are waging to ensure that continuity of service prevails in this environment where it has become extremely difficult to work, Bassega said.
As such, we greatly salute his memory, and we pray for the eternal rest of his soul, Bassega added.
He goes on to extend his condolences to the Governor of the South West Region, and to the great family of administrators of the South West Region, which has been so badly hit by this death.
The Mayor of Buea, Barrister David Mafani Namange says, Late Dr. Mohammadou was a fine gentleman, academically sound and administratively up to date. He was somebody who knew how to keep people together. May his soul rest in peace.
Fame Ndongo and Eloundou Essomba placate angry populace WhatsApp
Cameroons Minister of Water and Energy, Gaston Eloundou Essomba has disbursed FCFA 200 million for the immediate supply of electricity to the Ngotto I and II sectors situated along the Ebolowa-Akom II stretch of road.
The Ministers decision was taken Tuesday, September 28, 2021, in response to some disgruntled locals who staged a protest that paralyzed circulation for several hours along the Ebolowa-Akom II road.
The movement of persons and goods along the Ebolowa-Akom II highway came to a standstill for several hours on Tuesday. The populations of some villages along Ngotto I and II had blocked circulation along the major road to draw the governments attention to their plights.
The irate locals demanded social amenities including roads, water, network coverage, and power supply.
Amateur videos showed groups of locals felling trees that blocked the Ebolowa-Akom II road, paralyzing traffic for several hours.
We are protesting to draw attention to the problems of electricity, roads, and network coverage in our area, a local of the area told state media, CRTV.
Others added that the impassable nature of the road, many control posts, and high transportation fare stirred up their anger.
A mediation team led by Governor Felix Nguele Nguele was unable to calm the protesting locals. It was thanks to the rapid intervention of Minister of State, Minister of High Education Jacques Fame Ndongo and Minister Gaston Eloundou Essomba for the roads to be liberated.
We rapidly went through our budget and made available the sum of FCFA 200 million so that work can begin, Eloundou Essomba told CRTV.
The two ministers held talks with the population at nightfall in the epicenters of the protests. They reassured the people of the imminent supply of electricity.
Prof Motaze Akam, spokesperson of the people said he is satisfied with the decisions arrived at and that the people are impatient to see the realization of the promises.
Akom II is located mainly on the national road no. 17 connecting the capital of the South Region, Ebolowa to Kribi. The road network is almost impassable in the rainy season on the 60km national road no. 17 connecting Ebolowa to Kribi. The 40km road linking Akom II to Bipindi is also impracticable throughout the year.
Almost half of the localities in Akom II are not connected to the electricity grid.
Potable water remains a scarce commodity for nearly 80% of the town's population.
During the classified hearing with Senators on Wednesday, the top Pentagon officials said that the US is in talks with countries that border Afghanistan about housing "over the horizon" counterterrorism operations that would allow the US military to more easily surveil and strike targets in the Taliban-controlled country. Those sites could include bases run by Russia in those countries, Politico reported on Wednesday (local time).
Briefing the lawmakers behind closed doors, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley revealed about the discussions, which are taking place with the governments of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and others, according to Politico.
Kenneth McKenzie, US Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander, detailed the types of military aircraft and launching points that could be used to launch strikes against targets in the Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
The top generals testified for the first time before the Senate after the US withdrawal.
On August 31, the US completed the withdrawal of its forces from Afghanistan under the Doha accord it signed with the Taliban last year.
Earlier, during the public testimony, Milley stressed that he had warned US President Joe Biden that a rushed withdrawal from Afghanistan could increase risks to Pakistan's nuclear weapons and the country's security.
Milley said, "We estimated an accelerated withdrawal would increase risks of regional instability, the security of Pakistan, and its nuclear arsenals."
"We need to fully examine the role of Pakistan sanctuary," the general said while emphasising the need to probe how the Taliban withstood US military pressure for 20 years.
(ANI)
Also Read: US lawmakers call for probe into Pakistan role in Taliban win in Afghanistan
Centene said in a news release at the time of those settlements that it restructured its pharmacy benefits operation in 2019 to create a more transparent relationship between its health plans and its pharmacy benefits manager and has eliminated spread pricing, which is when pharmacy benefit managers charge more for medications than they pay the pharmacies. It also said Envovle would operate as an administrative service provider, not a pharmacy benefit manager on behalf of Centenes local health plans.
In August, San Francisco became the first major city in the nation to require proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 for people dining inside restaurants, with employees having until Oct. 13 to get the shot. Akash Kapoor, founder of the Curry Up Now Indian restaurant chain, said more than 90% of his employees in his downtown San Francisco location are now vaccinated, with one or two per store refusing. Hes making unvaccinated workers get tested twice a week.
This will be a new model of local nonprofit journalism, and we anticipate support for this initiative through the generosity of philanthropy, individuals and organizations who share the same belief in journalisms role in having an informed citizenry, connected community and healthy democracy, Moog said.
The Bears signing a purchase agreement for Arlington International Racecourse is a move that would take the team a step closer toward securing property for a new stadium and leaving their longtime home at Soldier Field. Send us your thoughts via this form.
Illinois Republican legislative leaders question whether a provision in the sweeping crime bill passed at January was aimed at ousting the head of the Illinois State Police Merit Board who had launched an investigation into an ally of the Pritzker administration.
Those were the good old days. With Democrats in control of Congress and the White House, they have reverted to their historic fondness for making policy in Washington for all 50 states. The notion of letting states go their own way, in keeping with the preferences of their citizens, has suddenly lost its charm. Its a shift liberals may come to regret, for more reasons than one.
Another manager checked the keg room and confirmed something was wrong, according to Mathie, which led to the discovery of a poisonous carbon dioxide leak. The situation was resolved, but Mathie said management never addressed the issue broadly with workers or provided instruction in case such an issue were to happen again. Managers joked for the rest of the day that she had been the canary in the coal mine, Mathie said.
I wanted to start here because, when I think back on a life of reading, when I try to recall the spark that transformed me into this creature called a reader, when I think of that first time I felt some independent joy from a book, I think of Bradbury. Probably many of you do, too. For myself it wasnt his obvious entry points not those middle-school standards Fahrenheit 451 or The Martian Chronicles but the creepy Something Wicked This Way Comes and the sunny Dandelion Wine (all of which are in this new LOA edition). I told my editor I wanted to begin here partly because its the autumn equinox, the formal end of summer, and Dandelion Wine is a fantasy about Bradburys childhood summers in Waukegan and the falls abrupt door-slam on days of nothing much at all. (Indeed, Bradbury titled his last novel Farewell Summer; it arrived in 2006, half a century after Dandelion Wine.) As a kid you expect kids books to get you. But here was an adult book that pictured the world and summer the way I hoped to see it.
In fact, she never wanted Gustav Klimt's celebrated portrait of her aunt, Adele Bloch-Bauer, to leave Austria, the country Altmann had escaped during the Holocaust.
Altmann told me so in no uncertain terms in 2004, as we sat in her Los Angeles living room near a reproduction of the painting at the center of "Woman in Gold," a new film about Altmann's yearslong struggle to reclaim her family's Nazi-looted property.
But the Austrian government fought Altmann every step of the way, all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court and for years beyond. For Austrian officials didn't simply want to keep the family's art inside Austria for future generations to cherish. No, the Austrian government vigorously disputed Altmann's ownership of "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I" and several other Klimt works, valued at approximately $150 million, while denying the Holocaust underpinnings of this case.
The event at the center of the play is, of course, a horror of singular brutality. But the piece understands that complicity is complicated, charting how people got to this point not that it even remotely excused their actions and then focusing, in the quieter but equally intense Act 2, on a truth that somehow hit me uncommonly hard on Sunday afternoon. So many years went by before the events came to light that, for those still alive, it was just too late to mean anything. There are many plays about the murder of Jewish people in the 1930s and 1940s; few are the pieces that carry the weight of these acts so far or analyze them in such depth. There are no innocents here: Americans, the play argues, chose to find out little and did less.
You could look at it as big industry and big money coming in and trying to take advantage of a poor family of fishermen or descendants of fishermen, he said. Or you could look at it as some very smart, astute German people who got together and decided to fight against industry and see what they could get out of it.
Katherine Rosenberg-Douglas
This Quick Response Team reporter has edited and reported in California, Texas and Florida during a nearly 20-year-long career focusing on crime and breaking news. She joined the Trib in 2016 after returning to her hometown of Crystal Lake with her husband and their twins.
The text messages obtained by the Tribune, meanwhile, show Dohertys pitch to the mayor about the investigation heated up In June 2020, when he sent her a text reading: CONFIDENTIAL(.) I am looking to meet with you in person for 10 minutes. Please know that I would not ask if I did not think this is worthy of your time. Please advise.
There are many reasons for gun violence in Chicago and other places but one of the obvious ones is we are awash in guns. We have guns coming at us from every direction, and sadly many gun dealers are not accepting their responsibility to safely store the weapons, Durbin told the Tribune on Thursday. It is a real problem and its not too much to ask these federally licensed firearms dealers who are making a pretty penny selling these firearms to store their firearms safely so that they cannot be stolen by burglars who just smash and run.
He did not report the encounter to police until August 2017, after Lathem had been named a suspect in the stabbing death of Trenton Cornell who was a friend of Zalouns. Zaloun testified during the fourth day of the former professors murder trial, which is expected to stretch into next week.
Madigans main campaign fund paid nearly $462,000 in legal fees in the first three months of 2020 to a law firm that employs former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, campaign finance records show. In the final quarter of 2019, Madigans campaign fund paid more than $445,000 for legal fees to different firms, which a Madigan spokeswoman at the time said was to cover the cost of a $275,000 settlement with a former campaign worker, as well as ongoing civil cases and routine staff training.
Johnsons solution, outlined in his new book, Our Fair Share: How One Small Change Can Create a More Equitable American Economy, is at once radical in its conception and relatively modest in its demands. Johnson calls for businesses to pay 5% of their profits to fund an annual citizens dividend payment of $570 for every American.
This is where I got to be involved. One evening, the interpreter did not come to the meeting, and I had to translate for the Spanish-speaking workers. I stood in a smoky union hall next to a lean and tall young lawyer translating words that I didnt fully understand as best as I could. It was at that moment when I understood what had happened to my father and to the hundreds of Black and Latino workers. I understood the work of a lawyer was to help those who experienced an injustice. This was the moment I knew I could do the same by becoming and become a lawyer.
In doing this work, we attempt to further understand diverse communities and hope to promote media literacy discuss fact-checking, editing, anonymous sources, the importance of captions for photos and more. These events will not mine for stories or sound bites, they are for and about you the community and intended to establish an ongoing relationship with those who cover your home.
The allegation that Mr. Robinson led police on a car chase in the middle of the afternoon just blocks from a grammar school is unconscionable, Berlin said in the release. Whats even more disturbing, if thats even possible, is the allegation that this defendant then ran from the police through a residential neighborhood, again in the middle of the afternoon, with a loaded weapon. The unprecedented levels of violence we have seen recently in DuPage County, such as alleged in this case, will not be tolerated and will be met with the full force and effect of the law.
It was definitely unexpected, he said. Mathematically, it clearly improves our chances. But our proposal was always going to generate more revenues and create more jobs than any other proposal, so we have always felt confident about our chances.
She took in Dukes, who she said was a bad influence for her son. He was originally charged as an accomplice in the case, before they were dropped. He was lined up as a witness to testify before he was sentenced to 30 days for contempt of court, records show.
CCTV: On September 28, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said the US-UK-Australia submarine cooperation is a "very tricky" issue in terms of inspections. It will be the first time that a non-nuclear-weapon state regulated by the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) introduces a nuclear submarine, and it means highly-enriched uranium used in power reactors of nuclear submarines will be excluded from IAEA supervision. The IAEA has to enter into a very complex, technical negotiation to see to it that there is no weakening of the nuclear non-proliferation regime. On the same day, the Philippine Presidential Spokesperson said that Philippine President Duterte is concerned that AUKUS could trigger a "nuclear arms race". What is China's comment?
Hua Chunying: The international community is closely following and is vigilant about AUKUS and the plan for nuclear submarine cooperation. Many countries have expressed concerns and doubts. China has taken note of the statements of Director General Grossi and President Duterte.
State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi pointed out yesterday when co-chairing the China-EU High-Level Strategic Dialogue with Josep Borrell, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, that such move of the US, the UK and Australia will pose three potential dangers to regional peace and stability and the international order.
First, the danger of Cold War resurgence. The three countries, drawing lines along ideology, have built a new military bloc which will heighten geopolitical tensions. When the international community widely rejects Cold War and divisions, the US blatantly violates its political statement of not seeking a new Cold War and gangs up with others to create a small Anglo-Saxon "clique", putting geopolitical self-interests above international solidarity. This is typical Cold War mentality.
Second, the danger of arms race. The move will spur regional countries to accelerate the development of military capabilities, and even seek to break the nuclear threshold and increase the risk of military conflicts. The US, on the one hand, sanctions and suppresses some countries with the excuse of developing nuclear technologies, and flagrantly transfers nuclear technologies to non-nuclear states on the other. This is typical double-standard.
Third, the danger of nuclear proliferation. In the name of building nuclear-powered submarines, the provision of nuclear materials to a non-nuclear-weapon state will exclude weapons-grade highly-enriched uranium from necessary supervision and pose huge nuclear proliferation risks. The move will bring shocks to the non-proliferation system, undercut the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty and ASEAN countries' efforts to build a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (NWFZ) in Southeast Asia. This is typical contempt of rules.
It should draw special attention from the international community that the IAEA safeguards mechanism cannot verify whether Australia will use the highly enriched uranium in the power reactors of nuclear submarines for nuclear weapons. As Director General Grossi said, the nuclear submarine cooperation among the US, the UK and Australia will be the first time that a non-nuclear-weapon state introduces a nuclear submarine, which will exclude the highly-enriched uranium from IAEA's supervision. In brief, this is a malicious exploitation of loopholes in international rules for out-and-out proliferation activities. Supervisions on the Australian nuclear submarines will set a precedent, concerns the rights and obligations of all IAEA member states, especially signatories to the NPT, and will have far-reaching impact on the international non-proliferation system. This is not an issue between the IAEA Secretariat and the three countries; it shall be handled by all member states through joint consultation. China will stay in communication with the IAEA Secretariat and other member states to resolutely defend the authority and efficacy of the international non-proliferation system.
TASS News Agency: According to Reuters, the United States has reached out to China diplomatically about reducing its purchases of Iranian crude oil. It is said that this was one of the issues raised by US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman when she visited China in late July. Do you have any comments on this information?
Hua Chunying: China's position is clear and consistent on normal economic and trade cooperation between China and Iran. China and Iran always conduct cooperation following the commercial principles with equality, mutual benefit and win-win results within the framework of international law. We firmly oppose any unilateral sanction, and urge the US to remove the so-called "long-arm jurisdiction" over third-party entities and individuals as soon as possible.
NHK: Today, Japan's former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida is elected as the head of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). He is set to succeed Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. Do you have any comment?
Hua Chunying: We have taken note of the election result. China is ready to work with Japan's new administration to observe the principles and spirit set out in the four political documents between China and Japan, deepen practical cooperation in various fields, and move forward China-Japan ties along the right track in a sound and steady manner.
Hubei Media Group: On September 27, permanent missions of China, Belarus, the DPRK and Venezuela held a videoconference in Geneva on the sidelines of the 48th session of the Human Rights Council with the theme of US, Canada and Australia's violation of indigenous people's human rights. Representatives of Canadian and Australian indigenous people as well as Chinese scholars disclosed the severe crimes committed by the US, Canada and Australia. Representatives from many countries urged the three countries to take practical measures to improve the human rights situation of indigenous people. Can you share more information and what is China's comment on the meeting?
Hua Chunying: The videoconference was co-hosted by the permanent missions of China and three other countries in Geneva, which saw active participation from permanent missions, NGO representatives and reporters from many countries.
The Chinese representative pointed out at the meeting that indigenous people's human rights in the US, Canada and Australia have become a "black hole." The meeting was held for indigenous people in the three countries because their voice should be heard and their rights valued by more people. The international community should devote more attention to the human rights problems of the indigenous people in the US, Canada, Australia, investigate violation of indigenous people's human rights and bring the perpetrators to justice. The three countries should reflect upon themselves, thoroughly investigate the history of indigenous residential schools, return justice to and reveal truth for indigenous people that they deserve and earnestly address their own severe human rights problems.
At the meeting, representatives of indigenous tribes and descendants in Canada and Australia said, for centuries, colonizers in pursuit of self-interests took control of lands that indigenous people had lived for generations and blatantly plundered all kinds of resources, leading to long-term racial discrimination and economic exploitation of indigenous people, and perils of genocide and culture elimination. Colonizers, under the banner of protection, forcibly took indigenous children from their parents and sent them to residential schools. Their real agenda was to wipe out indigenous languages and words, knowledge system and identity toward eventual assimilation. Centuries have passed, but discriminatory laws and policies against indigenous people are still effective, and indigenous people are still among the most oppressed and poverty-stricken in the three countries.
Diplomats from the countries at the meeting said the US, Canada and Australia claim themselves as "human rights pioneers", but their own human rights situations are "fraught with problems". The international community should condemn their gross violations of indigenous people's human rights. All participating parties expressed gratitude to China and other countries for organizing the event and paid their respect to those who are brave enough to speak out on behalf of indigenous people. They hoped the international community can take actions, and redress social and historical injustice, and urge the US, Canada and Australia to give an explanation to indigenous people.
Kyodo News Agency: As the resolution of the Meng Wanzhou incident removed a thorn inserted in China-US relations, will it be possible that President Xi Jinping meet with President Biden on the sidelines of the G20 summit to be held in Italy in November? Is the likelihood of a meeting increased?
Hua Chunying: I can feel from your question that you hope to see the China-US relationship improve as soon as possible and the remaining thorns that vary in size removed from the bilateral ties. We appreciate this. Engagement at the heads-of-state level needs to be discussed and agreed upon by the two sides. We don't have any information on that at present.
As I said yesterday, China put forward two lists to the US side in the Tianjin talks. We hope the US side can attach importance to China's concerns, take concrete actions and make concerted efforts to empty the two lists as soon as possible.
Associated Press of Pakistan: On September 27, China-Pakistan Media Forum was held via video link. Speakers at forum urged the media of China and Pakistan to enhance cooperation in countering fake news to promote regional peace, stability and development. What is your response?
Hua Chunying: Thank you for your attention on this forum. On September 27, the China-Pakistan Media Forum was held via video link by the Institute of Peace and Diplomatic Studies of Pakistan. Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Nong Rong attended and addressed the forum.
You mentioned that participants of the forum called on the media of the two countries to strengthen cooperation and jointly combat fake news. I think this is very necessary and urgent under the current circumstances because we can see that certain countries and individuals have fabricated and spread malicious disinformation with the political purpose of meddling in other countries' internal affairs, endangering their national security and smearing their image. Such malicious disinformation is the common enemy of mankind, as it causes confusion, undermines solidarity, undercuts mutual trust and hinders cooperation. Chinese and Pakistani media should cooperate in cracking down on disinformation. Moreover, we hope more and more countries will understand the harm of disinformation and join hands to combat it, and create a healthy, rational, objective and friendly environment for international public opinion, where people can have correct mutual understanding, friendly exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation.
MASTV: Commander of the US Central Command Gen. Kenneth McKenzie said he took full responsibility for the August drone strike in Kabul which killed ten Afghan civilians. The Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said the the US had sent drones in the airspace of Afghanistan, violating its sovereignty and international laws. He also warned the US of bad consequences if the US continues to operate drones over Afghan airspace illegally. Do you have any response to this?
Hua Chunying: For a start, Afghanistan is an independent sovereign state. The US should earnestly respect Afghanistan's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.
In the past two decades of the US presence in Afghanistan, there were repeated tragedies of countless innocent civilian deaths and displacement. As you mentioned, on August 29, the US military staged an airstrike on a civilian residence in Kabul, killing 10 civilians, including many children. This is just the tip of the iceberg of all tragedies and misdeeds the US made in Afghanistan. According to reports, in 2008, US troops attacked a village in Herat province, which killed nearly a hundred civilians including 50 children and 19 women. Reports said during its military's presence Afghanistan, the US has implemented a project to create a drug laboratory on a global scale there. The production of opiates has increased more than 40 times. The International Criminal Court (ICC) also pointed out that the US troops may have committed war crimes and crime against humanity in Afghanistan through the "cruel or violent" interrogation of detainee and human rights violations including "torture and cruel treatment" between 2003 and 2014. You may all know that in response, the US government last year announced sanctions on the personnel of the ICC who participated in the investigations of relevant crimes, triggering opposition from the international community.
The US troops irresponsibly and hastily withdrew from Afghanistan, leaving behind misery and suffering as well as serious challenges in livelihood and the pandemic to the innocent Afghan people. The Afghan people now finally have a new window of opportunity for their country's peace and reconstruction. On the basis of respecting Afghanistan's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, the international community should support the Afghan people in taking the future in their own hands, and help Afghanistan to maintain stability, forestall turbulence, and achieve sound development.
In the face of widespread doubts and condemnation from the international community, the US, as the culprit of the Afghan issue, should show its responsibility as a major country, make sincere apologies, conduct thorough investigations, do some soul searching and make full reparations. More importantly, the US should stop habitually imposing wanton military intervention and forcing its own will on others, and avoid repeating the tragedies of plunging people into misery and suffering.
Yonhap News Agency: According to the report by Korean Central News Agency on September 29, the Academy of Defence Science of the DPRK successfully test-fired a newly-developed hypersonic missile on the morning of September 28. Do you have any comment?
Hua Chunying: China noted the relevant report and the latest moves of all parties related to the Korean Peninsula. We hope relevant sides can keep in mind the big picture of peace and stability on the Peninsula, stay cool-headed and exercise restraint, meet each other halfway, follow the "dual-track" approach and the principle of phased and synchronized actions, and find an feasible solution to address each other's concerns in a balanced manner, in order to jointly advance the political settlement of the Peninsula issue.
Since Yonhap News Agency pays much attention to the situation on the Korean Peninsula, I would like to elaborate a little bit. We also noticed that a senior official of the US State Department said recently that the US reached out directly to the DPRK to initiate dialogue and stands ready to meet without preconditions. The DPRK's Permanent Representative to the United Nations urged the US to permanently stop its joint military exercises and the deployment of strategic weapons in and around the Korean Peninsula, and give up its hostility toward the DPRK. No matter how the situation evolves, China holds that parties should exercise restraint, meet each other halfway, build mutual trust, and settle the issue through dialogue and consultation.
Under the current circumstances, the key to breaking the stalemate and restarting dialogue is taking seriously and resolving the DPRK's legitimate concerns. The US should avoid repeating empty slogans, but rather show its sincerity by presenting an appealing plan. It is imperative to invoke the rollback terms of the Security Council's DPRK-related resolutions as soon as possible and make necessary adjustments to relevant sanctions, especially those relating to provisions on the humanitarian and livelihood aspects. This is conducive to resuming the dialogue and maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, and is in line with the spirit of the resolutions.
TASS News Agency: According to Times of India, Indian army has deployed more sophisticated artillery to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China in the Eastern Ladakh. It is said that three M777 howitzers regiments has been deployed on the border with China. Do you have any comments on this information?
Hua Chunying: The Indian side has long pursued the "forward policy" and illegally crossed the LAC to encroach on China's territory, which is the root cause of tension in the China-India border situation. China opposes any arms race in the disputed border areas for the purpose of competition over control. We have always been firm in safeguarding national territorial sovereignty and security, and committed to peace and stability in the China-India border areas.
Beijing Daily: It is reported that the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on September 27 said it would open a $1.9 billion program to reimburse mostly rural US telecom carriers for removing network equipment made by Chinese companies like Huawei. Do you have any comment?
Hua Chunying: Considering the grave pandemic and economic situations in the US, the $1.9 billion could be used better in areas in urgent need. The US has kept smearing and slandering Huawei and other Chinese companies, but is unable to present any solid evidence to support its accusations. The so-called "national security" is only a clumsy excuse of the US to impose "national bullying" and practice trade protectionism. We don't mind that the US is restless in making domestic policies. But the US should immediately correct its mistakes and stop abusing state power and trying all means to hobble Chinese companies. The Chinese government will continue to firmly defend the legal rights and interests of Chinese companies.
Beijing Youth Daily: Daniel Drezner, Professor of Tufts University of the US and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, published an article on Foreign Affairs recently, criticizing US administrations for abusing economic coercion and economic violence. Sanctions have become the go-to solution for nearly every foreign policy problem, which do not work but exact a humanitarian toll. The United States of America has become "the United States of Sanctions". What is China's comment?
Hua Chunying: This professor of Tufts University is of great ingenuity. "The United States of Sanctions" is far and away a name tailored for the US. For a long time, the US has been abusing its financial hegemony and technical advantages to adopt frequent unilateral bullying practices, impose long-term sanctions on Cuba, the DPRK, Iran, Venezuela, among other countries, willfully wage "trade wars" with multiple countries and wantonly hobbles foreign high-tech companies in the name of national security. The US not only imposes sanctions on countries it sees as enemies or adversaries, but also adopts illegal, unilateral long-arm jurisdiction on third parties with exchanges with these countries, even without sparing entities and individuals of its allies.
The US abuse of sanctions severely undermines sovereignty and security of other countries, affects their national interests and people's livelihood of countries concerned, violates market economy principles and international trading rules, and disrupts security and stability of global industrial and supply chains. This, in turn, also harms the US own interests.
Some in the US are still talking about coercion. It must be pointed out that the birthplace and headquarters of economic coercion are Washington D.C.. Coercion has been a strength and feature of the US, whose government never shies away from using the expression "coercive diplomacy" but even takes pride in it. The US, through its policies and actions, has provided the world with textbook examples of coercive diplomacy, which means achieving one's strategic goals with military threats, political isolation, economic sanctions and technical blockade. The labels of "economic coercion" and "coercive diplomacy" fit the US better than anyone else.
As a member of the international community, the US government should listen to the advice of visionary people both at home and abroad, give up the old path of wanton sanctions and pressuring, and abandon hegemony and bullying. As a major country in the world, the US should truly play a constructive role in world peace, stability and development.
CCTV: Some panel buyers and solar-energy developers in the US said at an business briefing on September 27 that some Chinese solar-panel manufacturers have stopped sending panels to the United States, or are threatening to halt shipments, over regulatory concerns including a proposal for higher import tariffs. They said the freeze could derail the Biden administration's green-energy goals and lead to large layoffs among US panel installers. What is China's comment?
Hua Chunying: As you all know, the US cooked up the outrageous lie of "forced labor" in Xinjiang, and used it as an excuse for hobbling photovoltaic companies and sanctioning photovoltaic products in Xinjiang. What the US did lacks morality, violates market economy principles and international trading rules, and disrupts and undermines international industrial and supply chains. Both history and practice have proven time and again that those lifting stones up may end up hurting their own feet. Unilateral, illegal sanctions are like boomerangs that will eventually come back to harm the US own interests. We have seen many such examples. We hope the US can have a clear understanding of this and refrain from doing things that are no good to others as well as itself, because ultimately it is the American people that suffer.
The Paper: We noticed today, the spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in the US made remarks on the wanton repatriation of a Chinese student by the US. Can you share more information?
Hua Chunying: Recently, some cases of wanton interrogation and repatriation of Chinese students by US law enforcement have happened. The case disclosed by the spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in the US is one example. A Chinese student with a legal visa issued by the US government was recently wantonly interrogated by the US side at the border entrance. After being confined in a small room for more than 50 hours without proper food and rest, he was deported by the US side through a third country on trumped-up grounds. The US action seriously infringed upon the legitimate rights and interests of the student, and caused serious physical and mental damage to him and his family. This is not the only case. For example, not long ago, a Chinese student was groundlessly interrogated for nearly one hour by the US at the San Francisco airport before leaving the US for China, and thus nearly missed her trip back home. In addition, less than one month after three Chinese students were questioned upon entry into the US and then repatriated in August, other cases of US interrogation and repatriation of Chinese students have happened. The US groundless actions are illegal, unfair and immoral. Over every case, China lodged solemn representations to the US at the first instance and asked it to immediately correct the mistakes.
The current US administration claims that it welcomes Chinese students. In fact, however, it inherits the erroneous practice of the previous administration and restricted or suppressed the pursuit of education or research in the US by Chinese students. Lately it has gone from bad to worse. Under the guise of law enforcement, the US used untenable excuses to harass, interrogate or even repatriate Chinese students. To our knowledge, during their interrogation, the US repeatedly made an issue out of the students' membership of the Communist Party of China and whether or not they would serve the Chinese government. They insisted on looking at the issue through the ideological lens and linking people-to-people, cultural and academic exchange with politics. They even admitted themselves afterwards that there was not enough evidence to support the repatriation. In other words, this is typical presumption of guilt and political manipulation to artificially create confrontation. Given the fact that some in the US accuse China of mistreating foreign nationals in China for made-up charges, the hypocrisy and bullying of the US are laid bare.
People-to-people exchanges are the social foundation of China-US relations. Chinese students in the US play a positive role in promoting mutual understanding and friendship between the two countries. Normal educational and cultural cooperation serves the interests of both sides. We urge the US side to honor its statement of welcoming Chinese students, immediately stop abusing the excuse of national security, stop repatriating, harassing and interrogating Chinese students, stop infringing upon the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens and urge the US side to ensure that such incidents do not happen again. The Chinese side will continue to support Chinese students in safeguarding their legitimate rights and interests in accordance with law, and also reminds the students to raise their awareness of safety and guard against similar incidents.
Reuters: Yes, we spoke a lot about America today. The US Commerce Secretary said yesterday that the Chinese government has been preventing its domestic airlines from buying tens of billions of dollar of US manufactured Boeing airplanes. Has the Chinese government been blocking these purchases?
Hua Chunying: I would like to refer you to competent authorities for the specifics regarding trade between China and the US. But I want to stress that the China-US economic and trade relations are in essence mutually beneficial and win-win, and both sides stand to lose in a trade war. China has all along firmly upheld the WTO-centered multilateral trading system and do business in accordance with international trade rules. The international community sees very clearly who has been wielding the big stick of sanctions, and politicizing and weaponizing economic issues with ideological prejudice in the past few years. We hope the US will earnestly respect market economy principles and international trade rules, and work with China to strive for healthy and steady development of China-US trade and economic relations.
Follow-up: But just specifically about the Boeing airplanes, as far as you are concerned, is the US Commerce Secretary telling the truth?
Hua Chunying: The question you mentioned is whether China will buy Boeing aircraft. I think it's a matter that should be left to companies. The foreign ministry will not involve in such specific economic and trade issues. We hope that both sides will develop healthy, normal and mutually beneficial economic and trade relations based on the principle of respecting market economy and trade rules.
CCTV: The High-Level Week of the 76th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations was concluded at the UN headquarters in New York on September 27. China has been very active in both Beijing and New York in recent days. How do you see China's performance at UNGA meetings this year?
Hua Chunying: This UNGA has received great attention as our world is facing the combined impacts of changes unseen in a century and the COVID-19 pandemic, and is now in the period of new turbulence and adjustment. The General Debate of this session of the UNGA was held both online and offline from September 21 to 27, and leaders from altogether over 190 countries made statements. All parties called on major countries to strengthen solidarity and cooperation, avoid division and confrontation, and hoped to see more cooperation in poverty alleviation and climate change, among other areas. They believe the world needs a spirit that serves the welfare of humanity instead of self-interests in the future.
China attaches great importance to the role of and cooperation with the UN. China highly values this session of the UNGA. President Xi Jinping virtually attended the General Debate and made an important statement, in which he put forward the Global Development Initiative, emphasized accelerating the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and pursuing more robust, greener and sound global development. President Xi also expounded on China's propositions on such issues as fighting the pandemic in solidarity, economic recovery, development of international relations and improvement of global governance, offering China's proposal to the world at a new historical crossroads. State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended many UNGA activities, including the high-level meeting of the UN General Assembly to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action via video link, the Meeting of Foreign Ministers of Permanent Members of the UN Security Council and the UN Secretary-General via video link, G20 Foreign Ministers' Video Conference on Afghanistan, and meetings with UN Secretary-General Guterres and President of the UNGA Abdulla Shahid. The international community shares the view that China has made important contributions to responding to global challenges and promoting the UN to play a bigger role. Facts have proven again that China is an advocate of world peace, a contributor to global development, a defender of the international order and a provider of public good.
At the Meeting of Foreign Ministers of Permanent Members of the UN Security Council and the UN Secretary-General, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi put forward key messages of carrying out duties, fulfilling obligations, shouldering responsibilities and making a difference. He called on major countries to set examples in upholding multilateralism and inject more confidence and stability to the world, instead of practicing unilateralism and hegemony in the name of multilateralism. One can expect China's support for the UN, which is lasting and reliable. China will continue to work with other countries to accelerate the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, strengthen anti-epidemic cooperation, actively address climate change, advance democracy and rule of law in international relations, practice the philosophy of international relations featuring mutual respect and win-win cooperation and true multilateralism, and build the UN into a central platform for countries to jointly safeguard universal security, share development achievements and chart the course for the future of the world.
Macau Monthly: On September 29, US ambassador to Indonesia and Special Representative for the DPRK Sung Kim reportedly said at an online forum that AUKUS is a "forward looking, positive" initiative and will not pose threat to the stability of the Indo-Pacific. He said he is not worried that AUKUS would cause an arms race or nuclear proliferation. What is China's comment?
Hua Chunying: We have noticed the reports you mentioned. In fact, for days, different parties of the international community have expressed concerns and worries about the nuclear submarine cooperation among the US, the UK and Australia. I wonder where the confidence in the remarks of the US Ambassador to Indonesia came from and on what basis. In fact, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said the other day that Russia has raised a range of questions concerning the AUKUS establishment to the US side, which include whether the nuclear submarine cooperation correlates with international non-proliferation requirements.
China believes that the nuclear submarine cooperation among the US, the UK and Australia creates serious nuclear proliferation risks, clearly violates the spirit of the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). It will not only have a far-reaching impact on the international non-proliferation system, but also bring real threats to regional peace and stability.
The questions raised by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov actually reflect the common concerns of the international community. The three countries should treat the concerns of all parties seriously and make response to each and every one of them:
First, in what way can the US confirm that its provision of weapons-grade highly-enriched uranium meet international non-proliferation rules and requirements?
Second, how does Australia ensure that the weapons-grade highly-enriched uranium is not excluded from effective safeguards of the IAEA?
Third, if Australia, a non-nuclear-weapon state, can possess weapons-grade highly-enriched uranium, then for what reason the US, the UK and Australia oppose DPRK, Iran and other countries in doing the same?
Fourth, if the US can flagrantly transfer highly sensitive nuclear materials and nuclear technologies to Australia in disregard of international rules and nuclear proliferation risks, then should it immediately stop unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdictions over others including the DPRK and Iran for developing nuclear technologies?
Fifth, if all countries turn a blind to rules and conduct nuclear proliferation activities without restrictions as the US, the UK and Australia did, then where is the authority and the meaning of existence of the NPT and international non-proliferation system?
Yesterday, State Councilor Wang Yi pointed out in his phone calls with foreign ministers of Malaysia and Brunei that the nuclear submarine cooperation among the US, the UK and Australia may bring five dangers to the region. First, it could create nuclear proliferation risks and shocks to the international non-proliferation system. Second, it could induce a new round of arms race, as other countries could follow suit and even cross the nuclear threshold. Third, it could undermine regional prosperity and stability and create regional tensions. Fourth, it could undercut ASEAN countries' efforts to build a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (NWFZ) in Southeast Asia. Fifth, it could lead to the resurgence of Cold War mentality, provoke bloc confrontation and zero-sum geopolitical games in the region.
I also want to stress that AUKUS, like Quad, is subservient to and serves the Indo-Pacific strategy with US dominance. It seeks to start things anew in the region and is a move against the trend of the times. Regional countries and the international community should stay wary of and be opposed to this. China will stay in communication with the Secretariat and other member states of the IAEA to resolutely defend the authority and efficacy of the international non-proliferation system.
China Daily: We have noted that China's first batch of emergency humanitarian assistance has arrived in Afghanistan. Can you confirm that and give us more details?
Hua Chunying: On the evening of September 29, the first batch of emergency humanitarian assistance delivered by the Chinese government to Afghanistan arrived at Kabul International Airport. Chinese Ambassador to Afghanistan and Acting Minister of Refugee Affairs of the Afghan interim government co-chaired the handover ceremony held at the airport.
As a friendly neighbor of Afghanistan, China has always paid close attention to the needs of the Afghan people. China has overcome numerous difficulties and delivered to Kabul in a short period of time blankets, down jackets and other winter supplies urgently needed by the Afghan people. This is a strong testimony that China has been earnestly fulfilling its assistance commitment to Afghanistan and making every effort to help the Afghan people tide over difficulties. The Chinese side will continue to speed up the preparation of food and other supplies, which will soon be delivered to Afghanistan.
Acting Minister of Refugee Affairs of Afghanistan's interim government expressed deep gratitude to China for providing emergency humanitarian aid in a timely manner when the Afghan people are pulling through the most difficult time. Afghanistan is in dire need of assistance from the international community in various fields as it faces extremely severe economic and livelihood difficulties. Afghanistan will honor its commitments to its neighbors and the international community. The Afghan side said that as winter is drawing near, almost a million displaced people need to be housed, clothed and fed, and hoped that the international community can lend a helping hand.
Afghanistan is still facing severe challenges such as humanitarian and livelihood issues and the COVID-19 epidemic. The international community should make concerted efforts to help the Afghan people tide over the difficult time. In particular, countries that started the Afghan issue should earnestly shoulder their due responsibility to Afghan people, act in a responsible manner and do more tangible things to ease the difficulties faced by the Afghan people as soon as possible.
Yonhap News Agency: DPRK leader Kim Jong-un said he is willing to restore the North-South communication lines, but also accused the US of proposing talks without changing its "hostile policy" toward the DPRK. Do you have any comment?
Hua Chunying: As a close neighbor of the Korean Peninsula, China always supports the DPRK and the ROK in improving relations and advancing reconciliation and cooperation through dialogue and consultation. We hope relevant measures can play a positive role in improving and developing the inter-Korean relations.
We believe under the current circumstances, the key to breaking the stalemate and restarting dialogue is taking seriously and resolving the DPRK's legitimate concerns. The US should avoid repeating empty slogans, but rather show its sincerity by presenting an appealing plan for dialogue. It is imperative to invoke the rollback terms of the Security Council's DPRK-related resolutions as soon as possible and make necessary adjustments to relevant sanctions, especially those relating to provisions on the humanitarian and livelihood aspects. This will be conducive to resuming dialogue, and maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, and is in line with the spirit of the resolutions.
Beijing Youth Daily: US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said in an interview the other day that the US doesn't want China to write the rules of the road. "If we really want to slow down China's rate of innovation, we need to work with Europe, to write the rules of the road for technology", whether it's artificial intelligence or cyber. Do you have any comment?
Hua Chunying: The remarks of this US official again exposes the US true intention to contain and block China's development by all means. This is quintessential autocracy and bullying.
China always believes that all countries have equal opportunity and right to development. International rules should be what is recognized by all countries, rather than something that is decided by a few. Cooperation between countries should be aimed at serving the interests of the whole mankind, instead of ganging up against certain countries based on ideology and seeking global hegemony through bloc politics. Any political manipulation and oppression that threatens to hold back other countries' development and harm their people's right to development and a better life will find no support and is doomed to fail.
China maintains that international affairs should be addressed through consultation. All countries should remain committed to extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, promote equal rights, opportunities and rules of all, discard small cliques and zero-sum game, adhere to inclusiveness rather than exclusiveness, and engage in international cooperation in a more open, equal and fairer manner.
Beijing Daily: Bloomberg reported that US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry said in an interview on September 29 that he was hopeful that China "will make the decision that they could move further with respect to the reduction of emissions during the course of the next 10 years", calling this a "critical decade" for keeping global warming in check. Do you have any response?
Hua Chunying: The global impact of climate change is becoming increasingly severe. During the just-concluded General Debate of the UNGA, many countries expressed the hope to work together to address climate change. We believe that every year is crucial for countries to increase their ambition to reduce emissions and step up their actions for implementation. China has always been taking actions to promote global climate governance. Having over-fulfilled the climate action goals of 2020 ahead of schedule, President Xi Jinping has announced China's objective and vision of carbon peaking, carbon neutrality and new goals of and measures for nationally determined contributions since September last year. It involves carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP, the share of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption, the total installed capacity of wind and solar power, coal consumption and many other aspects. Not long ago, President Xi reiterated that China will step up support for other developing countries in developing green and low-carbon energy. China has been doing its best and putting pressure on itself to step up climate action and make greater contribution to the global response to climate change.
But at the same time, we have to stress that addressing climate change is a cause that requires the joint efforts of all countries around the world and calls for the concerted efforts of the international community. Developed countries should earnestly follow the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, face up to their historical responsibilities and show greater ambition and actions. They should provide financial, technological and capacity building support to help developing countries enhance their capacity to respond to climate challenges.
Bloomberg: French Senator Alain Richard will lead a French delegation visiting Taiwan soon. Does the foreign ministry have any comment on this visit?
Hua Chunying: The one-China principle is the political foundation for China to develop friendly and cooperative relations with other countries, including France. China firmly opposes all forms of official contact and exchanges between certain French congressmen and the Taiwan authorities. We urge relevant individuals to abide by the one-China principle and safeguard the favorable environment for normal development of bilateral relations.
NHK: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that due to the need of COVID-19 containment, tickets to the Beijing 2022 will be sold exclusively to spectators residing in China's mainland, who meet the requirements of the COVID-19 prevention and control measures. What is your comment?
Hua Chunying: I may not be in the best position to give a comment on this matter.
When hosting the Tokyo Olympics, did Japan invite spectators overseas? I don't think so.
The IOC President Thomas Bach held an Executive Board meeting the other day, where key COVID-19 prevention and control measures of the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games were deliberated. Facing the uncertainties in the spread of COVID-19, the Beijing 2022 Organizing Committee established a working mechanism for meeting and consultation with the IOC and maintained close communication with all stakeholders. With a high sense of responsibility toward the life and health of athletes, the big Olympic family and all stakeholders, the Organizing Committee adheres to the bottom line of safety and prioritizes COVID-19 prevention and control in order to host a safe event as scheduled. Spectators overseas can enjoy the impressive event on television.
After it successfully hosted the Tokyo Olympic Games, Japan is believed to have more understandings about how to safely host the event. China provided strong support to the Japanese side in hosting the successful games. We hope we can receive understanding and support from Japan, too.
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Tomorrow will be China's National Day. As per public holiday schedule, our regular press conference will be in recess from October 1 to October 7 and resumed on October 8. Although we won't meet in-person during the recess, you may still reach the MFA Spokesperson's Office via fax, e-mail and WeChat. We will do our best to give you timely reply.
I wish you all a happy holiday!
Near the picturesque Yanqi Lake in northern Beijing, the 11th Beijing International Film Festival dropped its curtain on Sept 29, gathering many celebrities with the unveiling of the festival's top honor, the Tiantan Award.
Beyond the Skies -- a war film about a Red Army operation in 1935 -- became the biggest winner, sweeping three awards for best feature, actor and cinematography.
Russian director Andrey Zaytsev won best director for A Siege Diary, while the best actress award went to Noee Abita for her film Slalom, about a teenage ski prodigy.
Due to the pandemic, the closing ceremony employed internet technology to simultaneously connect to the overseas crews of 12 films which were shortlisted for the Tiantan Award, making the festival still tightly tied to international filmmakers despite the special times.
Veteran actors and actresses such as Chen Daoming, Ge You, Jiang Wen and Liu Xiaoqing also attended the closing ceremony, reminding audiences of the golden era of Chinese cinema.
Gong Li -- president of the Tiantan Award's jury panel -- walked out hand in hand with actor Jiang, stirring up nostalgia over their performances together in the classic Red Sorghum, the first Chinese film to win a Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival in 1988.
A 10,000-metric-tonne port, first of its kind in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River -- China's longest waterway-- began operations Wednesday.
Located in Zhongxian County, Chongqing Municipality, the port has 14 berths with an annual throughput of 25 million tonnes.
The upper reaches of the Yangtze River cover Chongqing and the provinces of Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan. It is an important area along the Belt and Road, as well as the Yangtze River Economic Belt.
"As the first 10,000-metric-tonne port in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, it will provide a more convenient channel for goods from eastern Sichuan, southern Gansu and Shaanxi, and parts of Chongqing to reach the waterway and the sea," said Wang Botao, director of the municipal port and maritime affairs center.
Jiang Xia, Party chief of Zhongxian County, said that a logistics park near the port is under construction. The park will rely on the advantages of port logistics to develop warehousing, green building materials, cold chain logistics and electronic information industries.
A total of 135 projects worth 22.9 billion U.S. dollars were inked at the second China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo which concluded in central China's Hunan Province on Wednesday.
The four-day event, themed "New Start, New Opportunities, and New Accomplishments," was held both online and offline to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic.
A total of 320 companies displayed their products online and over 250 million yuan (about 38.7 million U.S. dollars) worth of products were traded at an online shopping event during the expo, the information office of the Hunan provincial government told a press briefing on Wednesday.
"With the strong support and active participation of all parties in China and Africa, this year's expo has achieved fruitful results. A number of new cooperation initiatives made their debut, and both the contracted projects and amounts exceeded those of the first edition," said Shen Yumou with the expo's organizing committee.
First launched in 2019, the biennial expo is a major platform for strengthening economic and trade cooperation between China and African countries.
The star exhibit of the China pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai "Light of China" SAIC Motor's "Kun," an autonomous, new energy concept vehicle was unveiled at Shanghai World Expo Museum today. Shanghai's "Kun," together with China's BeiDou and China Railway High-speed (CRH), will be making an appearance at the Expo 2020 Dubai's grand opening on Oct. 1r as "China's Three Key Achievements in Smart Manufacturing," showcasing the innovation power and the unique technological charm of China's high-end manufacturing industries. MG and Maxus, notable brands owned by SAIC Motor, will also be providing SUVs, MPVs, and passenger vehicles as the officially designated vehicles to be used at the China Pavilion in Expo 2020 Dubai.
Envisioninggood life with ' smart mobility'
SAIC Motor established a corporate pavilion at the Expo 2010 Shanghai China, where it illustrated a "Drive to 2030" life journey, a future with zero emissions, zero traffic accidents and congestion, and zero reliance on petroleum, effectively envisioning the beautiful aspiration of "simple travels, intimate hearts." In the upcoming Expo 2020 Dubai, SAIC Motor will be showcasing its "Kun" concept vehicle jointly created by SAIC's forward-thinking design teams of its design center in Shanghai and London. Inspired by the legend of the "Kun" in Zhuangzi's "A Happy Excursion" and the idea of "China and the world, oceans and mountains in the same vein," the "Kun" concept vehicle envisages a smart nanosystem incorporating various state-of-the-art technologies such as photosynthetic energy, zero-gravity seats, interactive holographic-display system and self-driving technology. It showcases a wonderful, futuristic vision of smart mobility that is free of space restrictions and enabled by bio-inspired technologies that allow three-way interactions between the driver, vehicle, and environment. It aims to bring a unique experience of a "bird's eye view of technology, the future and China" to visitors of the Expo 2021 Dubai from all over the world.
Establishing China's Brand Image of 'Green Intelligence'
SAIC Motor will be representing China's automotive industry in proactively establishing an innovation-driven "Green Intelligence" image at the Expo 2020 Dubai. As the front-runner that leads the way to the world in China's automotive industry, SAIC Motor has established a global auto industrial chain that brings together critical elements such as research and development, marketing & sales, logistics, motor vehicle parts, manufacturing, finance and second-hand vehicles. Its products and services have penetrated more than 70 countries and regions.
Relying on its industry advantages in various innovative technologies such as new energy and intelligent connectivity, SAIC Motor is proactively forging competitive differentiation for itself in the global scene. This year, its overseas market sales volume from January to August exceeded 370,000 vehicles, a growth of 106.4% compared to the same period in the previous year, retaining its top position in China as the automaker with the highest overseas sales volume. MG, China's single-brand overseas sales champion, hit an overseas sales volume of 182,000 vehicles, a growth of 83.9% year on year, with nearly 40% of the sales contributed by developed countries and regions. The sales volume of new energy vehicles under SAIC's brands in European developed countries was close to 19,000 vehicles, a growth of 133% year on year, and ranked high in country market segments including England, Norway, Denmark and Iceland. At the same time, MG's "i-Smart," an intelligent connectivity system, has been well-received by consumers in countries such as Thailand, India and Indonesia, and has been used in more than 30 types of overseas car models by more than 130,000 active users.
Liu Hongpeng, who grew up in the city, had a rare experience a week ago when electricity suddenly went out in many parts of Shenyang, capital of Liaoning Province.
"On the night of Sept. 23, it suddenly went dark," said Liu, who had to drive to his parents' home to spend the night.
Recently, power supply has been tightened in the provinces of Liaoning, Jilin, Guangdong and other parts of China, affecting production in companies and people's everyday lives.
"Our company's projects in Guangdong, Hunan, Jiangxi and Heilongjiang have been affected by the power cuts, with some projects only operating for nine hours a day," said Peng Shufen, general manager of a tech company in Guangdong.
Experts said structural power shortages are the main reason for power rationing in many places. As thermal power constitutes a majority of the electricity produced in China, the rising price of coal has directly led to power shortages.
"Currently, the price of standard coal has exceeded 1,000 yuan (about 155 U.S. dollars) per tonne, a new high in nearly 20 years," said an executive of a thermal power plant in Liaoning. "With cost of generation more than double, many power plants are reluctant to generate power."
A recovering economy and rising orders for manufacturers also contribute to the strong demand for electricity. Power consumption in China increased 13.8 percent from January to August, mainly due to strong demand by secondary industries, according to Sun Chuanwang, a professor at Xiamen University.
Moreover, the amount of electricity generated by new energy has decreased significantly this year.
Liaoning, which has a wind power installed capacity of 10 million kw, has only generated 70,000 kw this September due to limited wind power. Some water-rich regions have also suffered from droughts this year, causing hydropower output to fall sharply.
In response, central and local authorities have taken a slew of measures to cope with the emergency to meet people's power needs and ensure economic growth and social stability.
The State Grid Corporation of China said Monday it would take comprehensive measures to ensure power supply for people's basic needs and try its best to avoid power cuts.
The company will go all out to guarantee power supply and firmly safeguard the bottom line of power supply to meet people's basic needs and ensure social development and security, said State Grid.
The company will strengthen the distribution of power across its entire network, reasonably arrange the network operation, and ensure that all available generators from power companies connect to the grid.
Work teams have been dispatched to Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, eastern Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang and Hunan, the National Energy Administration said.
They have conducted on-site supervision and guided local governments and enterprises to implement power supply measures, increase energy supply, and make all-out efforts to guarantee electricity during the coming winter and spring.
Experts said power shortages will gradually ease as China is rich in coal resources and can overcome such challenges. As the temperature in southern China continues to drop, so will the electricity load.
"Power supply has been stable in recent days and there has been no outage. We believe the government will do its best to guarantee power supply. We will also heed the call for saving electricity," said Liu, the Shenyang resident.
China has released its latest medical-security plan, issued by the General Office of the State Council, with the aim of benefiting people in all sectors of society.
The plan, designed for the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), states that China should establish a multi-tiered medical-insurance system with universal coverage that benefits both urban and rural residents in a fair and sustainable way.
It highlights the coordinated advancement of the demand-side management of medical insurance and supply-side reform of medical services, in order to better serve the public.
According to the plan, China should enhance the medical-insurance system through collaborative governance, optimizing medical-insurance payments and the drug pricing mechanism, while strengthening the medical-fund supervision system.
Efforts should also be made to build up a strong supporting system with a solid legal basis and better digital services, reads the plan.
By 2025, China will see a more matured medical-insurance system that is equal, law-based, secure, smart and coordinated, the plan says.
To meet people's diverse demands for medical security, more efforts will be made to enhance the basic medical security system, improve the mechanism that provides insurance and aid for the treatment of major and serious diseases, and boost the synergy between health insurance and medical assistance, said Shi Zihai, deputy director of the National Healthcare Security Administration (NHSA).
Over the next five years, a key task is to establish and improve a long-term mechanism that prevents and defuses the risk of disease-induced and relapse into poverty, Shi said.
"People's access to new and quality medicines should also be increased," said Shi. The NHSA will continue to optimize the spending of medical-insurance funds and dynamically adjust the catalog of medicines covered by medical insurance to incorporate more cost-effective items.
The NHSA will also further improve the mechanism for the trans-provincial on-the-spot settlement of medical bills via medical-insurance accounts and expand its scope of coverage along with better smart online services.
Chinese police have cracked a human-smuggling case and arrested 229 suspects after investigations lasting more than a year, the National Immigration Administration (NIA) said Wednesday.
In the case, several foreigners were found to have arranged for people from neighboring countries to sneak into China, said the NIA, adding that the police broke up 10 criminal gangs and seized 15 vehicles and funds worth over 350,000 yuan (54,000 U.S. dollars) involved in the case.
An official of the NIA vowed strengthened cooperation with procuratorates and courts to investigate the criminal liability of the suspects in accordance with the law.
Xi Jinping and other leaders of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the state attended a ceremony on Thursday morning in Tian'anmen Square in central Beijing, offering floral tribute to fallen national heroes.
The event was held to mark China's Martyrs' Day, a day ahead of the National Day.
The other leaders included Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan. They were joined by representatives from all walks of life at the ceremony.
At 10 a.m., all participants sang the national anthem, and thereafter paid a silent tribute to those who devoted their lives to the liberation of the Chinese people and the building of the People's Republic of China, which was founded in 1949.
Nine huge flower baskets were placed in front of the Monument to the People's Heroes. Xi and other leaders walked up to the foot of the monument, where he straightened the red ribbons on the baskets before leading other senior officials in a walk around the monument to pay their tributes.
The baskets, with ribbons reading "the heroes of the people shall live forever in our memory," were presented in the name of the CPC Central Committee; the National People's Congress Standing Committee; the State Council; the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference; the Central Military Commission; non-Communist parties, the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, and patriots without party affiliations; people's organizations and people from all walks of life; veterans, retired senior cadres and the relatives of martyrs; and Chinese Young Pioneers.
The year 2021 marks the centenary of the CPC. Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Xi Jinping at the core, the country has realized its first centenary goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and has brought absolute poverty to an end.
Today, the Chinese people of all ethnic groups, determined and courageous as ever, are forging ahead with the second centenary goal of fully building a modern socialist China.
On Wednesday, a foreign expert at Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding lauded the progress China has made in protecting wildlife and forging international relationships around those efforts.
"China has taken massive steps to conserve wildlife, and the creation of the giant panda national park is one of those steps," said James Edward Ayala, a U.S. research specialist at the base. "I think at the scale that China is working, it's shocking how quickly things can get done," he added.
In July this year, China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment announced that the status of wild giant pandas in the country had been downgraded from "endangered" to "vulnerable."
"That's directly because of the action the government is taking to create these nature reserves and national parks," Ayala told China.org.cn.
Having received a degree in animal behavior studies, Ayala has more than 20 years of experience working with wild animals. He has devoted much of his career to the research and conservation of giant pandas and has spent the past 11 years working for the base in southwest China's Chengdu city.
Speaking about his working and living experience in Chengdu, Ayala said that the panda base is like a family to him and all his colleagues are very supportive.
"This makes staying in China so much easier," he said.
Still, Ayala believes that the approaches China and Western countries take to wildlife conservation differ both academically and technically. According to him, China has done a great job of utilizing technology and there are a lot of papers addressing natural and physical sciences such as endocrinology, but not as many in the fields of psychology, animal cognition and animal behavior.
"That's also why I think it's important that we have these collaborations, so we can bring in talents like myself that focus on the behavior side," he said.
As the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15) is set to kick off in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan province, Ayala reaffirmed the significance of global cooperation in tackling environmental and biodiversity issues.
"I do think that regardless of politics, environmental conservation should be the imperative of all countries," Ayala said. "While there's so much instability in the world politically, hopefully, the environment can allow us to focus on getting together."
Ayala explained that the conservation of the giant panda has always been an international effort. "Panda conservation is just a small part of the environment conservation, but it just shows that it is possible to work as a group internationally," he added.
Speakers:
Xu Lin, deputy director of the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and minister of the State Council Information Office (SCIO)
Ning Jizhe, member of the Leading Party Members' Group and deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), and secretary of the Leading Party Members' Group and commissioner of the National Bureau of Statistics
Liu Huanxin, deputy secretary of the Leading Party Members' Group and vice minister of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs
Zhao Chenxin, member of the Leading Party Members' Group and secretary general of the NDRC
Chairperson:
Chen Wenjun, head of the Press Bureau of the SCIO and spokesperson of the SCIO
Date:
Sept. 28, 2021
Chen Wenjun:
Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. The State Council Information Office (SCIO) is holding a press conference today to issue and introduce a new white paper titled "China's Epic Journey from Poverty to Prosperity." Present at today's press conference are Mr. Xu Lin, deputy director of the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and minister of the SCIO; Mr. Ning Jizhe, member of the Leading Party Members' Group and deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), and secretary of the Leading Party Members' Group and commissioner of the National Bureau of Statistics; Mr. Liu Huanxin, deputy secretary of the Leading Party Members' Group and vice minister of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs; and Mr. Zhao Chenxin, member of the Leading Party Members' Group and secretary general of the NDRC.
Next, I will give the floor to Mr. Xu Lin.
Xu Lin:
Ladies and gentlemen, friends from the media, good morning. At the ceremony marking the centenary of the CPC on July 1, General Secretary Xi Jinping declared that China had realized the first centenary goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects through the continued efforts of the whole Party and the entire nation.
Today, the SCIO issued a white paper titled "China's Epic Journey from Poverty to Prosperity." The white paper reviews China's journey to moderate prosperity, elaborates on the achievement of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and offers bright prospects for the country's modernization. The important document records and reflects China's practice of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects.
At more than 32,000 Chinese characters, the white paper consists of preface, main body and conclusion. The main text is divided into five parts: A Critical Step Towards National Rejuvenation, Prosperity Through All-Round Development, Prosperity for All, Prosperity Through Hard Work, and The World Benefits from China's Prosperity. The document provides a systematic explanation of what moderate prosperity in all respects in China is and how it was realized.
First, the realization of moderate prosperity is a critical step toward national rejuvenation. "Xiaokang," meaning moderate prosperity, has been a consistent dream and aspiration of the Chinese nation for millennia. More than 2,000 years ago, the term appeared in the "Book of Songs" to mean modest comfort: "The people are hard-pressed, they need some modest comfort." Centuries later, the "Book of Rites" described the ideal state of society that "xiaokang" would bring about. From the outset, the CPC has made the wellbeing of the Chinese people and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation its abiding goals. The Party is committed to creating a happier and better life for the Chinese people. The white paper reviews how the Chinese people, led by the CPC, have persevered, progressing step by step from a subsistence standard of living to piecemeal prosperity, then to moderate prosperity. The document records that in the new era, General Secretary Xi Jinping has assumed leadership, made plans, and pushed forward the efforts to build a moderately prosperous society in all respects. He has rallied around him Party members and the Chinese people, and led them in eliminating absolute poverty, advancing reform, combating COVID-19, controlling pollution and defusing risks. Under his leadership, the Party and the country have achieved historic successes and transformations in the pursuit of their cause. The moderately prosperous society in all respects has come to fruition as scheduled, marking a critical step toward national rejuvenation. According to the white paper, the realization of moderate prosperity has boosted the Chinese people's pride and confidence in the nation, and inspired further endeavors on the quest for national rejuvenation.
Second, moderate prosperity in all respects has been achieved through all-round development. All-round development is essential to moderate prosperity. In pursuing moderate prosperity, China emphasizes balanced, coordinated and sustainable progress in the economic, political, cultural, social, and eco-environmental fields. It aims to meet people's growing needs in all areas and at all levels, and to promote their well-rounded development. Moderate prosperity makes China a strong and prosperous country striving for national rejuvenation and the people's wellbeing. With a large amount of facts and data, the white paper offers a comprehensive picture of moderate prosperity from various perspectives: sustained and healthy economic growth, greater people's democracy, a flourishing cultural sector, improved living standards, and historic progress in the eco-environment. The achievements include both material progress and advances in culture and ethics; both improvements in the lives of individuals and development of our nation and society; and both tangible and intangible outcomes. In short, moderate prosperity represents progress in every aspect and dimension.
Third, prosperity for all. Working to benefit the people is fundamental to a moderate prosperity society. While building itself into a moderately prosperous society, China has always put the people first so as to ensure that all people can share the fruits of development. It is a society where no individual, region or ethnic group is left behind, and a society where people from all ethnic groups can enjoy a happy and comfortable life in every corner of China's vast land. The white paper introduced China's success in the battle against poverty which has helped poor people rise out of poverty and achieve moderate prosperity along with the rest of the country, as well as China's integrated urban-rural development to ensure urban and rural areas complement each other and advance side by side, like two wheels of a cart. The white paper also introduced China's more coordinated development across regions. China has shaped a new framework of coordinated regional development, featuring reinforcing connectivity, clearly defined core functions for each area, and complementary advantages. According to the white paper, a moderately prosperous society in all respects embodies the organic unity of realizing the well-rounded human development and common development for all, and the major goal of socialism of achieving common prosperity,.
Fourth, prosperity through hard work. China is the world's largest developing country with more than 1.4 billion people. For China, a better life can only materialize through hard work rather than waiting and wanting. The CPC has united and led the Chinese people in rebuilding the country from scratch through self-reliance and hard work, achieving the moderate prosperity which has been an aspiration for thousands of years. Focusing on working for the people, and working scientifically, arduously and continuously, the white paper introduced the extraordinary and arduous journey of building a moderately prosperous society from the following four aspects, including always putting the people first, developing sound policies and strategies, development through reform and opening up and perseverance over generations. The white paper said that the moderately prosperous society in all respects has been achieved in China through much hard work by the Chinese people. It is the Chinese people who have created a better and moderately prosperous life, said the white paper. The CPC leadership has provided the fundamental guarantee for realizing moderate prosperity. Without the leadership of the CPC, there would be no moderate prosperity, according to the white paper.
Fifth, in achieving moderate prosperity for the Chinese people, China has contributed to its own development and delivered benefits to the rest of the world. China cannot develop in isolation from the rest of the world, nor can the world achieve prosperity without China. The growing prosperity of Chinese people and continuous development and progress of China has created positive momentum for world peace and common development. Achieving moderate prosperity in all respects has made China more prosperous, the people happier, and society more stable. This is how China is contributing to world peace and development in its own right. In achieving a moderately prosperous society, China has helped to dramatically reduce the world's poverty-stricken population, and offered enlightenment for the modernization of mankind, said the white paper. In the future, China will embrace the world in a more open and inclusive manner, have more positive interactions with the rest of the world, and contribute even more to building a community with a shared future for humankind and a better world, according to the white paper.
China's realization of moderate prosperity in all respects has achieved the phased goals of China's modernization drive and taken a key step forward in the national rejuvenation. At the same time, unbalanced and inadequate development still poses a stern challenge. China will acquire a better understanding of the new development stage, implement the new development philosophy, foster a new development paradigm, and propel its unique modernization forward to make substantial progress in well-rounded human development and common prosperity while realizing high-quality development.
With the firm leadership of the CPC, and the united efforts of all Chinese people both at home and abroad, China will build itself into a great modern socialist country, the Chinese people will live a happier and better life, and the Chinese nation will make greater contributions to the progress of human society, according to the white paper.
That's all for my introduction. Thank you.
Chen Wenjun:
Thank you, Mr. Xu Lin. The floor is now open for questions. Please identify your media outlet before asking questions.
Flash
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on Wednesday received a batch of Chinese Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines offered by the Chinese government at the N'djili Airport in the capital city Kinshasa.
In a hand-over ceremony at the airport in the presence of the Chinese Ambassador to the DRC Zhu Jing and several officials of the DRC, Health Minister Jean-Jacques Mbungani welcomed the initiative of the Chinese people as the donation will be used to vaccinate the Congolese people across the country.
"Receiving this donation is very important for our country because it will help us fight the COVID-19 effectively. We are happy that the Chinese government is coming to support our fight against the pandemic by increasing our batch of vaccines, "said the minister.
Mbungani took the opportunity to call on his people to get vaccinated to better fight against the virus, highlighting the reliability of the Sinovac vaccine produced in China.
According to the minister, the Chinese vaccine, which is recognized worldwide, will effectively help the Congolese to protect themselves against the disease that has killed more than 4 million people worldwide.
Chinese ambassador Zhu Jing said China will continue to offer support to the DRC until total eradication of the virus in the central African country.
"Since the beginning of the pandemic, China has been on the DRC's side in the joint fight against COVID-19. The virus knows no borders. It is our common enemy of humanity. We will continue to support the DRC until the very end," he said.
"The batch of Chinese COVID-19 vaccines demonstrates once again the solidarity of the Chinese people with the Congolese people. We hope these vaccines can help the DRC's government save more lives in the country. And I call on the Congolese people to get vaccinated, which is crucial for the fight against the virus," he said.
Since the beginning of the pandemic declared on March 10, 2020, the DRC has reported 56,862 confirmed cases, including 1,084 deaths.
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Flash
India's Defense Ministry on Wednesday approved procurement of new helicopters, guided munition and rocket ammunition worth 131.65 billion Indian Rupees (1.77 billion U.S. dollars) for the armed forces.
The ministry's Defense Acquisition Council (DAC) approved the procurement proposals for modernization and operational needs of the Indian armed forces at a meeting in New Delhi chaired by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh.
The approved procurement involves the buying of 25 ALH Mark III helicopters as well as indigenously designed terminally guided munition (TGM), according to a ministry statement.
Nearly 87 percent of the procurement worth 114.86 million Indian Rupees (1.55 billion U.S. dollars) will be from the domestic sources, the ministry said in the statement.
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Flash
Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed cooperation on international issues and bilateral ties with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Sochi on Wednesday.
Putin noted that Russian-Turkish cooperation on the international arena has been successful, further pointing to efforts aimed at coordinating positions on Syria and Libya.
He positively assessed the work of the Russian-Turkish center for monitoring the ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh, adding that it served to promote stability and reconciliation in the region.
The Russian leader also emphasized the successful work of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline that continues to operate amid a turbulent situation in the European gas market.
Both leaders said work on the construction of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant in the Turkish province of Mersin was being carried out according to plan.
Erdogan noted progressive development with regard to military, trade, economic and political ties between the two countries and said peace in Syria is largely dependent on cooperation between Moscow and Ankara. Enditem
Flash
China and Bangladesh have discussed on how to promote the healthy development of economic and trade cooperation between the two countries in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era.
The two sides had the discussions at the China-Bangladesh Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum 2021 and the inauguration of the Seventh Council of Chinese Enterprises Association in Bangladesh (CEAB) which were held virtually on Tuesday.
As a chief guest, Salman F Rahman, Private Sector Industry and Investment Adviser to Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, said in his speech that CEAB will play a very important and constructive role in making closer and stronger relationship for the two business communities of China and Bangladesh.
Rahman called on the Chinese businesses to attend the Bangladesh investment summit to be held in November.
Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming said that China attaches great importance to the economic and trade mechanism with Bangladesh, and Bangladesh's exports to China are growing in double digits.
"China is also negotiating with Bangladesh on the early signing of the G-to-G (government-to-government)/PPP (Public Private Partnership) MOU, and looks forward to the early signing of the agreement with the continued help of Mr. Salman F Rahman."
While already committed to peaking carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality before 2060, China will also firmly support the green and low-carbon development of energy in Bangladesh, and will not build new coal-fired power projects in Bangladesh, the Chinese ambassador said.
Executive Chairman of Bangladesh Investment Development Authority Sirajul Islam said they are keenly interested in having more Chinese investment.
"We would really like to work together (with Chinese investors)," he said, calling on Chinese investors to attend the upcoming Bangladesh Investment Summit.
Md Jashim Uddin, president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), said China is a great development partner of Bangladesh.
He said the Bangladeshi government has undertaken many mega development projects with the Chinese support and China's Belt and Road Initiative has brought excellent opportunities to Bangladesh.
President of Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) Rizwan Rahman said China is one of the COVID-19 resilient economies of the world.
Following China's foot step, he said, Bangladesh is also a COVID-19 resilient economy.
President of the Bangladesh-China Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCCI) Gazi Golam Murtoza said excellent bilateral relations between the two countries have helped boost trade, commerce and investment between the two sides.
He said BCCCI has long been pursuing for further cooperation among businesses of the two countries.
In his welcome speech, CEAB President Ke Changliang said the forum is aimed at building further relations among Bangladesh-China businesses for further trade, commerce and investment.
Flash
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Mexican counterpart, Marcelo Ebrard, agreed to promote bilateral ties in a phone conversation on Wednesday.
China attaches high importance to developing relations with Mexico and would like to work together with Mexico, taking the opportunity of next year's 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations, to strengthen planning and boost the China-Mexico comprehensive strategic partnership to a higher level, Wang said.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China and also the 200th anniversary of the victory of the Mexican War of Independence, so it is of great significance to both countries, Wang said.
As regional countries with significant influence, representative emerging market countries and important developing countries, China and Mexico both have time-honored civilizations and similar historical experiences, Wang said, adding that they also shoulder the important task of the times to achieve national rejuvenation and deliver happiness for their people, and a shared mission to uphold international fairness and justice.
In recent years, under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, the China-Mexico comprehensive strategic partnership has been gaining ground, and the two countries' political mutual trust keeps deepening, strategic coordination are increasingly closer, and trade and economic cooperation has shown strong resilience, Wang said.
The two countries have also united to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and cooperated in vaccines, injecting strong impetus to bilateral relations, Wang continued, stressing that the two sides have closely partnered with and support each other on the international and multilateral stages.
He also mentioned that China has officially filed an application to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), which demonstrates China's strong determination to further open up and represents China's crucial move to help boost globalization.
China is willing to make joint efforts with all parties to make the agreement more broadly represented and play a positive role in promoting trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, as well as following the trend of economic globalization, Wang said.
Noting that Mexico successfully hosted the 6th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) not long ago, Wang said it contributed to revitalizing CELAC and promoting regional integration, and expressed China's congratulations and appreciation to Mexico.
The Chinese side attaches high importance to developing relations with CELAC and will continue to support CELAC to improve solidarity and gear up development, he said.
China looks forward to close communication with Mexico and other Latin American countries to ensure the success of the Third Ministerial Meeting of the China-CELAC Forum this year, injecting new impetus into the in-depth development of China-Latin America relations.
For his part, Ebrard said the relations between Mexico and China have made great progress under the guidance of the two heads of state.
He thanked China for its strong support to Mexico in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, and agreed to strengthen cooperation in digital economy and other emerging industries between the two sides.
Mexico would like to make joint efforts with China, by taking the opportunity of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties, to push for greater development of bilateral ties, Ebrard said.
Mexico firmly sticks to the one-China policy, abides by the principle of non-interference in other countries' internal affairs, and supports China's legitimate claims on issues involving Taiwan, Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Tibet, he said.
The Mexican foreign minister commended and welcomed China's application to join the CPTPP, saying that Mexico will keep communication with China on the issue.
Mexico will work with China to ensure the success of the Third Ministerial Meeting of the China-CELAC Forum, he added.
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Flash
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday exchanged congratulatory messages with Brunei's Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah on the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
U.S. Supreme Court Takes Christian Flag Case
NEWS PROVIDED BY
Liberty Counsel
Sept. 30, 2021
WASHINGTON, Sept. 30, 2021 /Christian Newswire/ -- Today, the U.S. Supreme Court granted Liberty Counsel's cert petition and will hear the case regarding the censorship of the Christian flag in Boston. The High Court will likely hear oral argument early next year with a decision expected by June 2022.
Although the city of Boston created a public forum for private speakers to temporarily raise a flag on one of its poles and never censored any of the prior 284 applications, it censored the Camp Constitution's flag during its Constitution Day event because the application referred to it as a "Christian flag." Camp Constitution wanted to highlight the Christian Founders during the Constitution Day event. Without seeing the flag, Boston censored it solely because of the word "Christian" on the application. Boston took the position that it was permitted to censor the flag because it controlled the flag poles and it was government, not private speech. The lower court and the court of appeals ruled twice in favor of Boston. This case will resolve the issue of government versus private speech.
Liberty Counsel filed a lawsuit on behalf of Boston resident Hal Shurtleff and his Christian civic organization, Camp Constitution, arguing that the city of Boston violated the First Amendment by censoring a private flag in a public forum merely because the application form referred to the flag as a "Christian flag."
Boston censored the religious viewpoint of Camp Constitution's flag, which was to be raised for about an hour on September 17 in observance of Constitution Day, while supporters gathered around the flagpole. The flag was part of the ceremony to honor the Constitution and recognize the Christian Founders.
Never has Boston censored any flag until the Camp Constitution's flag, which is white with a blue square in the upper corner and a red cross. The flag contains no writing. Under oath, the city official testified the flag would have been approved if the application did not refer to it as a "Christian flag." The word "Christian" on the application alone triggered the censorship. The official said he had never heard of a "Christian flag" until Camp Constitution's application. Therefore, his testimony revealed that if Camp Constitution had not referred to the flag on the application with the word "Christian," it would not have been censored.
The city refers to its flagpole as a "public forum" and allows private organizations to temporarily raise their own flags on the flagpoles. The city of Boston's website even states the goals for flag raising events include, "We commemorate flags from many countries and communities at Boston City Hall Plaza. We want to create an environment in the city where everyone feels included."
The city has even attempted to argue its flagpoles are used for private flag raisings only "15% of the time." However, since the city has designated it as a "public forum," this argument is useless since the city's documented "public forums for all applicants" policy has resulted in a 100 percent approval rate, or 284 flag raisings by private organizations over the course of twelve years, except for the Christian flag.
Other flags raised on the city's flagpole include the Turkish flag (which depicts the Islamic star and crescent) and the Portuguese flag (which uses religious imagery). City officials have also never denied the "messages" communicated by the "Chinese Progressive Association," the rainbow flag of Boston Pride, and a "transgender" pink and blue flag. The flags of private community groups include Albania, Brazil, Ethiopia, Italy, Panama, Peru, Portugal, Puerto Rico, and Mexico, as well as of Communist China and Cuba. No flag was ever denied until the city denied the flag of Camp Constitution.
Shurtleff and Camp Constitution first asked the city in 2017 for a permit to raise the Christian flag on Boston City Hall flagpoles to commemorate Constitution Day (September 17) and the civic and cultural contributions of the Christian community to the city of Boston, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, religious tolerance, the Rule of Law and the U.S. Constitution.
The First Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the city of Boston finding that the flags were government speech. The Court wrongly accepted the city's argument that the Establishment Clause justified its censorship. However, (1) the application form designates the flag pole as a "public forum" open for private speech; (2) the city never censored a flag in the 12 years prior to Camp Constitution's application; (3) the city approved 39 flags (averaging over three per month) in the year prior to Camp Constitution's application; and (4) the flags of the foreign countries could not be government speech because under state law it is a crime to raise the flag of a foreign country on city property.
Liberty Counsel's Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said, "We look forward to the U.S. Supreme Court hearing Boston's unconstitutional discrimination against Camp Constitution's Christian viewpoint. The city cannot deny the Christian flag because it is 'Christian' and allow every other flag to fly on its flagpoles. There is a crucial difference between government endorsement of religion and private speech, which government is bound to respect. Censoring religious viewpoints in a public forum where secular viewpoints are permitted is unconstitutional and this case will set national precedent."
Liberty Counsel provides broadcast quality TV interviews via Hi-Def Skype and LTN at no cost.
SOURCE Liberty Counsel
CONTACT: Mat Staver, 407-875-1776, Liberty@LC.org
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Do you want to know a proven Biblical principle for dealing with Covid fears?
This article offers an approach to cure the fear of Covid. It offers a mindset ingrained deep within the Bible: the theme that God is in control and has a plan. This is called the providence of God.
Out of control
From our eyes life is full of uncertainty. This gives the perception of life being out of control. For most people today this equates to fear, and sometimes manifests in anger.
A lot of the reactions we see around Covid come from this position. Anger at governments, vaccine rollouts, vaccine validity, restrictions, and lockdowns. They all come from a feeling that people have no control. And this uncertainty produces anxiety.
Like death and taxes, challenges in life are inevitable. However, the best attitude to have is Zen Calvinism.
Zen Calvinism
Zen = heightened state of calm.
Calvinism = God is in control.
One of the best bits of advice on this topic is from Carl Trueman. Dr Trueman, a Pastor and theologian, has coined a phrase Zen Calvinismto describe his outlook: when he sees bad things happening, he remains calm because he knows God is in control.
So, when he reads of wars, he remembers Zen Calvinism. When he sees conflicts in his church or tensions in his community he looks to the concept of Zen Calvinism. When he wonders what hope there is in a world wrestling with the Covid situation, he thinks of Zen Calvinism.
What is Zen Calvinism?
In a nutshell it is pointing to the Biblical theme of when trouble strikes, trust in God's plan. When difficulties come, as they always will, stay calm like a Zen Master. And why such a state of calm? Because we know that God has the best answer because He is all wise, all loving and in complete control.
These themes are emphasized by church reformer John Calvin. The big technical word used is providence: God is all powerful, all wise and nothing is outside of His control. He will bring about all things for His glory. The result is that we can trust in Him completely. Calvin stressed this in his key teachings explaining we can have a deep peace grounded in Gods plan.
An application is that when we see a world in fear of a pandemic, its overflow of conspiracies, and stresses of life in lockdown, a Christian can have a deeper peace knowing God is in control. This is Zen Calvinism.
Proof
History shows this. The ultimate example is Jesus' death. His disciples fall apart as they see their Messiah die and their hopes of a new King had fallen away. Conspiracies abounded saying Jesus did not really die or that Jesus wasnt really the promised Messiah.
Yet in this toxic environment of fear and doubt God shows the need for Zen Calvinism. In God's plan, Jesus conquers death, as well as sin, and as a result Jesus reigns forever (see 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verses 56-57). This had been part of Gods plan since the beginning and despite apparent disasters and fear, God brings about this plan of salvation for the world. The disciples should have known this "Zen Calvinism."
Keep calm and carry on
Looking through this lens of history, our problems can be seen in a new light. We can stay calm and carry on when trouble strikes. Not because of a "Pollyanna" positive attitude but because we know that God is in control.
He is a God of love and has a plan reflecting this through every situation. He cares for each of us and brings about His glory in our lives. As a result we can find a peace in His providence. Or as Dr Trueman coins it, Zen Calvinism.
Apply this to your own situation. When you wonder what good can come from the turmoil in Afghanistan and worry about the rise of a new Islamic Caliphate or even harbor conspiracies of secret Western government deals pulling the strings, then remember Zen Calvinism.
Or when stress arises from Covid changing our lifestyle, then remember Zen Calvinism. Isnt this what Jesus explained in Matthew chapter 6 when he explained why we dont need to worry?
I have found this attitude a remarkable release from the burdens of worry, even though I don't understand what has happened or what can be done to fix it. Yet I can see from the Bible that God has a plan and He has proven again and again that He will bring about this plan.
This includes how He is working in your life. This knowledge brings a deep peace: both in your mind but also between yourself and God as you turn back to Him.
So, while debate will continue to rise about Covid, vaccines, living in lockdown and its off-shooting conspiracies, the Bibles message is clear: God is in control. God has a plan. And underlying our response and actions is Zen Calvinism.
Bonus Baptist Pastor, John Piper, has a free e book on the ways God is working through Covid.
On 11 July, entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson ascended to the heavens in the VSS Unity. Well, kind of. Laying aside how far Branson actually shot into space, debate ensued as to whether he qualified as an astronaut for having gone to space at all.
This is just my (uninformed) opinion, but it seems flying to space commercially no more makes you an astronaut than cruising on a ship makes you a sailor. There is an essence to what qualifies you in the journey undertaken that allows you to behold the title.
In the same way, walking into a garage no more makes you a car than going to church makes you a Christian. Yet, when we turn to something like theology, the lines seem more blurred, and we are either too quick to either embrace theology as a label or reject it wholeheartedly.
With theology comes labels and denominations and what results is a temptation to shy from anything bearing the appearance of theology. Instead, we choose to hold to simply being a Christian or having a relationship with Jesus.
In doing so, we are bound to forget not only that theology is inescapable, but also its value.
Theology matters. Period. Theology is the overarching discipline which has allowed the church to develop its understanding of Scripture, to form our famous creeds, confessions, and catechisms.
Theology is simply the study of the nature of God and religious belief. In and of itself, the term is not denominationally, culturally, or politically connected. And it is something we engage in every, single day.
It is easy to shun the term theology. Its loaded the word of ivory towers in seminaries. It is tempting to think theology is solely the art of those who have intentionally chosen to undertake study in the discipline.
Yet, the dictionary defines a theologian as a person who engages or is an expert in theology. Laying aside the loaded term expert, every Christian, on some level, engages in some form of theology. The very core of the Christian faith, the gospel, is theology. It is the very theology that defines the church.
It is also something Scripture implores us to use. In 1 Peter, chapter 3, verses 14-15a, Peter writes, but in your hearts honour Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defence to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you (ESV).
Here we return to the root of theology, without which we would not be able to fulfil the command in Peter. The temptation at times is to think of theology solely as a matter of the head with no heart. Yet, the preceding verse gives us the motivation by which we engage in such theology.
Verse 14 reads, But even if you should suffer for righteousness sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled (ESV).
The motivation of theology, of giving a reason for our hope, is not about lofty arguments or intellectualism, but about glorifying Christ and providing a witness in the face of suffering. Lest we may still be uncertain about how theology ought to be communicated, Peter goes on.
Verses 15b-16 read, yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behaviour in Christ may be put to shame (ESV).
Non-denominational?
What of denominations? Loaded with tension, a church history divided by seemingly trivial issues. It is no surprise churches and individuals choose to avoid denominational and church councils altogether.
Denominations are messy. A cursory reading of church history would begin to show the strife Christians have shown to each other over the millennia. Yet denominations can also at other times show the beauty of individuals and gatherings seeking to remain faithful to Scripture.
If only one example, consider the Reformation, an event that has shaped a significant portion of Western Christian though resulting in, yes, a plethora of denominations, but also a deeper thirst for the reading and sharing of Scripture.
Regardless, while denominations have theology, theology does not always mean denominations. The value of theology is found in Scripture, its how we make sense of passages and connect doctrine together.
Let us not shy from the term but seek to glorify God in the theological gems we may find within the words of Scripture.
Every day we exercise faith based on evidence. We sit on a chair without checking its structural integrity. We exercise faith in the person who made the chair and the evidence that other people have sat on it.
We cross intersections when the lights are green because we have faith that cars coming in the other direction will be facing a red light and they will stop. Our previous experiences provide evidence that this is the case.
We buy food from supermarkets because we have faith in our countrys food safety standards and past evidence that our food is safe.
Likewise, God doesnt expect people to exercise spiritual faith without evidence. I often find Christians wont consider the evidence that God has given us. Some view it as a lack of faith. But this isnt Gods view.
Check the evidence
Jesus told his followers, Dont believe me unless I carry out my Fathers work. But if I do his work, believe in the evidence of the miraculous works I have done, even if you dont believe me (John chapter 10 verses 3738 see also John chapter 14 verse 11).
Jesus encouraged his followers to have faith based on the evidence of his miraculous works.
Similarly, Luke assured Theophilus that he had carefully investigated the evidence so Theophilus could be certain of the truth.
Many people have set out to write accounts about the events that have been fulfilled among us. They used the eyewitness reports circulating among us from the early disciples. Having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I also have decided to write an accurate account for you, most honourable Theophilus, so you can be certain of the truth (Luke chapter 1 verses 14).
Jesus mentions evidence, Luke mentions the strength of eyewitness reports.
Even today in our courts of law we rely on eyewitnesses. The court system would be paralysed if it could only use scientific evidence. In a car accident where there is evidence of tyre marks and car parts strewn across the road, police will still call for eyewitnesses to determine the timing of events because the scientific evidence isnt enough.
Historical evidence
Christianity is the only religion based on historical events and relies heavily on eyewitness accounts. And not just one or two, but hundreds.
He [Jesus] was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve.After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died (1 Corinthians chapter 15 verses 4-6).
Paul wrote this to the Corinthians within living memory of the events taking place. Christianity would have been discredited if Pauls descriptions were fictitious.
There are also historical accounts that were written at the time by non-believers who mention Jesus life and death. The early church grew quickly because of the eyewitness reports that stated Jesus had risen from the dead.
Rahab
The best example we have in the Bible of someone acting on physical evidence and eyewitness accounts is Rahab. Shes an odd choice.
She wasnt an Israelite. She lived in a pagan city and worked as a prostitute. But Rahab knew two historical facts. The Israelites left Egypt when their God dried up the Red Sea and second, the Israelites defeated two Amorite kings and their people (Joshua chapter 2 verse 10).
This wasnt a lot of information to risk your life on, but Rahab knew there was something special about Gods people. So when two Jewish spies turned up on Rahabs doorstep, she asked them to protect her and her family when their army attacked Jericho because she believed the God of the Israelites would give their city and land to his people.
James tells us that her faith produced good works.
Rahab was shown to be right with God by her actions when she hid those messengers and sent them safely away by a different road (James chapter 2 verse 25).
The book of James is sometimes criticised for putting too much emphasis on doing good works, and not enough on having faith. But James knew that many who professed faith intellectually dont act according to their professed beliefs.
Act on your beliefs
If our neighbours rang us and told us they could see our house was on fire but we continued reading the paper or watching television, people would conclude that we didnt believe our neighbours because we didnt act on their words.
If faith doesnt move us to take action, then it isnt faith which is why Rahab is such a good example of faith. She acted on what she believed.
The illustration is told of five birds sitting on a telephone wire. Two of the birds decided to fly away. How many birds were left sitting on the wire?
There were still five. Two made the decision to leave but they didnt follow through and take action.
When God looked into Rahabs heart, he looked beyond outward appearances and saw a mustard seed of faith. He presented her with an opportunity and she acted on her faith which was built on the foundation of historical evidence.
May we too, act on what we believe.
Passenger traffic in the aircraft industry continues to register growth rates above historical averages, supported by the reduced price of travel and increasing middle-class population in developing markets. This rise is playing a crucial role in driving the growth of the global aircraft tube and duct assemblies market. The global aircraft tube and duct assemblies market is projected to expand at a CAGR of 4% during the forecast period of 2019-2029.
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Key Takeaways of Aircraft Tube and Duct Assemblies Market Study
Aerospace industry is increasing the usage of aluminum in aircraft tube and duct assemblies, as aluminum is a lightweight and high-strength material. In the global aircraft tube and duct assemblies market, aluminum holds approximately one-third market share.
Tier-I manufacturers operating in the global aircraft tube and duct assemblies market are Eaton, Exotic Metals Forming, Leggett & Platt, Incorporated, and PFW Aerospace GmbH. On the other hand, AMETEK. Inc., Smiths Group PLC, Sigma Precision Components Ltd., and some other players are estimated to stand in the tier-II bracket in the global aircraft tube and duct assemblies market.
Key players are focusing on the expansion of their footprints by establishing manufacturing units and distribution channels in various regions.
Global defense spending is at a high record. The biggest spenders on defense are the U.S., China, France, Saudi Arabia, and India. Implementation of advanced, combat, and stealth-based aircraft procurement programs has augmented military spending, worldwide. This growing trend is expected to upsurge the demand for aircraft tube and duct assemblies.
Development of lightweight materials and increasing sales of aircraft are anticipated to drive the growth of the market over the forecast period.
Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are projected to hold more than 90% share in the global market, as the replacement of tube and duct assemblies is found to be very limited.
Market Landscape Moving towards Consolidation
The aircraft tube and duct assemblies market is expected to be dominated by tier-I manufacturers, who hold more than 50% share of the global market. Prominent players involved in the global aircraft tube and duct assemblies market are shifting their focus on repair solutions rather than replacement products with full-service. This has resulted in providing approximately 50 percent or more cost reduction.
What Does the Future Hold?
The aircraft market in the Middle East has witnessed high growth and development over the past few years. For instance, wide body aircraft are anticipated to see more prominence in the Middle East. This growth is predominantly driven by the regions development as an aviation hub. This has consequently created immense opportunities for the sales growth of the aircraft tube and duct assemblies market in the region.
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Want to Know More?
Future Market Insights has published a market research report on the aircraft tube and duct assemblies market that contains global industry analysis of 20142018 and opportunity assessment for 20192029. The report provides insightful analysis of the aircraft tube and duct assemblies market through five different segments application, aircraft type, material, sales channel, and region. The aircraft tube and duct assemblies market report also provides supply and demand trends, and a comprehensive list of suppliers and distributors in the market, along with a detailed overview of the parent market.
Bharat Book Bureau Provides the Trending Market Research Report on Global Water Purifier Market Outlook, 2026 under Consumer Goods Market Research Reports Category. The report offers a collection of superior market research, market analysis, competitive intelligence and Market reports.
The Global Water Purifier Market Outlook, 2026 in a simpler term is defined as a device used to decontaminate the water from harmful substances, chemicals, pathogens, microorganisms, and other dissolved solids and to make it portable. A recent addition to a database of Bonafide Research- titled Global Water Purifier Market Outlook, 2026 provides an in-depth insight of the market size by value and volume, analyzes the trends on factors like by types (Counter Top, Under Sink, Faucet Mount), by technology (RO, UV, Gravity Based, and Others) by Sales Channel (Online and Offline) by Region and by country.
According to the recent reports of the United Nations and the World Health Organization, every 21 seconds, a child dies annually in developing countries due to waterborne diseases caused by contaminated water drinking. This is even worse in the developing economies due to scarcity of freshwater, rapid surge in population, and rise in pollution. The diminishing quality of water is a serious health hazard globally which has given a rise in the demand for water purifiers. This is to aid the market to reach a value of more than USD 65 Billion by the end of the year 2026, while in terms of volume it is expected to grow with an anticipated CAGR of less than 10%.
Earlier, water purification only included boiling it that too specifically during the rains, to prevent any contamination. With increasing R&D, new innovations have occurred in the water purifiers and along with newer pollutants in the water body, the market is now full of choices. Some of these pollutants comprise heavy metals like zinc, lead, nickel, copper, cobalt, magnesium, cadmium, chromium, or molybdenum can cause kidney stones or blood disorders, and simply boiling the water is not the most effective solution. The purchase decision of the water purifier depends on the metal contaminants in the water and the hardness level. Considering the fact RO water purifiers are safe, cost-effective, and easy to maintain, the segment held nearly half of the market share. Even though it is the most effective purifier, requires electricity and a lot of produces a lot of wastewater, making it a questionable choice in extreme rural regions. On the other hand, the UV water purifier scores point being able to work with low electricity consumption and low maintenance cost too. The UV water purifier segment is expected to grow with an anticipated growth of 11.47%, which is yet the lowest among the type of purifiers classified on technology.
While the rural population considers the water purifier as equipment to aid them with better quality drinking water, the urban population wants to ensure that it fits well within their kitchen decor and adds up elegance. This has given a hike in the under sink purifier segment, which in 2015 was at USD 15.29 Billion. By the end of the forecasted period, the faucet water purifier type is expected to hold a share of nearly 20% in the market for the same reason. On top of it, the faucet type purifier can be an advantage in extreme rural regions as there might be one or two common water taps among few houses, and the use of such purifiers would allow them to enjoy quick access to safe drinking water cost-effectively.
Based on sales channel, the market is segmented into online and offline markets, of which offline sales channel holds an unbeatable market share of nearly 90%. This was attributed to the higher affinity of consumers, as they are perceived to be safe and sometimes allow the consumers to able to taste the water before purchase. Moreover, retail stores have the added advantage of immediate gratification, which further boosts their popularity. However, with millennials as decision-makers, it is obvious for the online sales channel to grow, expected to be reflected as a growth rate of 17% through the forecasted period. The availability at less expensive cost is a factor that drives the non-portable water purifier market growth. The penetration is to increase in the coming years due to its capability to purify and store large amounts of water.
Regionally, Asia holds the lion's share of the market, as the region is home to almost 60% of the worlds population. The major countries like China, India, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Macau are a few of the emerging markets for water purifiers. However, Latin America, along with Middle East & Africa is expected to incline in the coming years, due to the increase in the penetration level of water purifiers, and deterioration in the quality of water. The North America and Europe markets are leading towards maturity, having witnessed increased penetration and superior quality of drinking water. China, the US, and India are the top 3 countries in the global water purifier market, accounting for more than USD16 Billion in the year 2020. The renowned water purifier market players have focused on launching well-equipped products with advanced water purification technologies in these markets.
Key players in the market are: 3M, A.O. Smith Corporation, Aquatech International LLC, Brita GmbH, BWT Holding Gmbh, Coway Company Limited, Culligan International Company, EcoWater System LLC, Eureka Forbes Limited, GE Appliances, Ion Exchange LLC, Kent RO System Ltd, Kinetico Inc., LG Electronics, Mitsubishi Rayon Cleansui Co. Ltd, Panasonic Corporation, Pentair PLC, Tata Chemicals Ltd., Unilever N.V., and Whirlpool
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San Francisco, 30 Sep 2021: The Report ATM Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Solution (Deployment, Managed Service), By Region (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Middle East & Africa), And Segment Forecasts, 2021 - 2028
The global ATM market size is expected to reach USD 29.89 billion by 2028 and is projected to register a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.9% from 2021 to 2028, according to a study conducted by Grand View Research, Inc. An Automated Teller Machine (ATM) is a specialized computer that acts as a digital banking outlet for customers to make basic banking transactions using debit and credit cards. An ATM typically comprises a keypad, dispenser, printer, card reader, and display screen to prompt the user through each step of the transaction. Some ATMs handle money and act solely as cash dispensers while some execute various tasks as fund transfer, check and cash deposit, and bill payment.
These machines also allow users to change card passwords and view their bank account balances. Increasing demand for automated systems in developing countries is expected to positively influence the global ATM installed base over the forecast period. However, the market is projected to lose momentum due to a significant increase in the adoption of mobile and internet banking applications.
The rising demand for automation in the banking sector in several developed and emerging countries is expected to fuel the demand for ATMs in the near future. Increased adoption of advanced technologies and digital infrastructure in the banking sector, coupled with the rising demand for quick cash withdrawal by the user, is a major factor expected to drive the market growth. The increasing deployment of ATMs in organizations and financial institutions in developing economies is also anticipated to boost the demand for ATMs over the forecast period.
Onsite ATMs are being deployed in the bank premises to help customers avoid long queues for cash deposits, withdrawals, and cash transfers. The evolving banking infrastructure and an increasing number of onsite ATMs to enhance customer satisfaction are also expected to provide growth opportunities to the growth of the market.
Asia Pacific accounted for the largest share of the market in 2020. The radical economic and industrial development witnessed in recent years has attracted several global banks to developing economies such as India, China, South Korea, and Taiwan. This has helped boost the regional market growth.
The market for ATM is expected to witness a boost after the COVID-19 pandemic is over. The introduction of smart ATMs in developing countries such as India, China, and Japan is expected to augment growth opportunities for the market. Furthermore, cash continues to be the first choice of customers to make payments owing to the convenience involved. The evolution of digital payment solutions such as bitcoin transactions and mobile banking will hamper the market growth in the long run.
Access Research Report of ATM Market @ https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/atm-market
ATM Market Report Highlights
In terms of solution, the deployment segment dominated the market in 2020. The segment accounted for over 50% of the overall industry in 2020
The thriving tourism industry plays a vital role in assisting the market growth. ATMs allow foreign tourists to easily exchange currency through the Dynamic Currency Conversion feature
In terms of region, the Asia Pacific market is expected to be a fast-mover, with the rapidly developing Chinese and Indian economies spearheading market growth
List of Key Players of the ATM Market
Diebold Nixdorf
Fujitsu Limited
G4S plc
GRG Banking
Hitachi-Omron Terminal Solutions, Corp. (Hitachi)
NCR Corporation
OKI Electric Industry Co., Ltd.
Guangzhou King Teller Technology Co. Ltd
Access Press Release of ATM Market @ https://www.grandviewresearch.com/press-release/global-atm-market
New Delhi: Finance ministers of the southern states find that the states have suffered considerable loss of autonomy in matters of taxation after the introduction of GST. The pandemic has brought to light that the GST compensation mechanism is not designed to address systemic risks, they felt.
"The direct taxation has been with the Centre and the states had some autonomy on the indirect tax front earlier. With GST, half of this autonomy has gone," said P.T.R. Palanivel Thiagarajan, finance minister of Tamil Nadu, addressing a Ficci's South India GST Conclave. "The ratio of direct and indirect taxes too has changed as the cess portion, which goes into the indivisible pool, has moved up. This has affected the state finances," he added at the virtual event.
According to Thiagarajan, India is the only country where so much power on taxation rests with the Centre. In countries like the US and China, both direct and indirect taxes are divided at the state, district and county-levels.
Finance minister of Kerala K. N. Balagopal too found that the GST has hurt the finances of his state. 'Kerala had an income growth of 14 to 16 per cent prior to GST and the first two years of GST implementation saw a stagnation of income growth and this was followed by a negative growth due to the pandemic," he said.
Taking up the case of petroleum products, Balagopal said the state government collects Rs 17 on a litre of diesel while the Centre takes away Rs 31 and a good portion of the Centre's incomes comes through cesses.
Thiagarajan was also against the practice of taking "hundreds of decisions on thousands of products" during the GST Council meeting, which does not provide much time for the state governments to put forward their views. He wanted the tax structure to be more simplified with fewer slabs.
He also said the fundamental design of compensation was not capable of adapting to the changes in the economy and systemic risks as has been evident by the problems faced during the pandemic. "The GST system is shaky. It is voluntarily sticking together rather than being integrated systematically,' he opined.
He also advocated the use of data and technology in the decision-making process.
Karnataka industries minister Murugesh Nirani said the GST collections in the past few months have been improving as the economy is coming out of the pandemic. GST has helped interstate movement of goods. There are issues in the system, but they can be fixed, he said.
During the pandemic, children had easy access to phones and money, which helped them procure the banned substances easily. (Photo: AP)
HYDERABAD: Early teens in the city have become addicted to marijuana, especially since the pandemic broke out.
Earlier, those in the 18-40 years age-group were among most addicted to drugs. However, things have changed drastically and today even 12 to 13-year-olds are getting addicted to marijuana and all available narcotics. It has been to such extremely alarming lengths that many of them have been admitted to rehabilitation centres, according to data collected from several psychiatrists and psychologists working in various rehab hospitals.
During the pandemic, children had easy access to phones and money, which helped them procure the banned substances easily. Not only are narcotics delivered in boxes at the doorstep, but they are also easily available at several pan shops. In fact, there is a WhatsApp group that regularly buys and supplies drugs, said Dr Virinchi Sharma, consultant psychiatrist at a rehab hospital in the city.
He added that smoking marijuana kills ones motivation levels and takes the individual away from reality.
"The chemicals affect the brain when a person is intoxicated with drugs. When we guide the youngsters to meditate and do things that make them happy while avoiding drugs, they argue that it is herbal and legal in foreign countries and should be in India too."
There have been many cases of drug addiction during lockdown as the youngsters could not lie to their parents due to severe addiction. Those who did not have an easy access to money ended up selling valuable things from their house or started stealing, said sources working in various rehab hospitals.
Rachel Nandi, clinical psychologist said that she has dealt with drug addiction cases and observed that boys were more in number.
"Youngsters are cunning and they purchase more than the prescribed quantity of medicine from different medical stores and take a high dosage for that trippy feeling. Those who are suffering from insomnia, anxiety and such issues are prescribed certain medicines that help them calm down and sleep. But the addicts take thrice the dose of prescribed medication without being caught by the police, she said.
Dr Virinchi added there are now multiple narcotics that are very challenging for the doctors to treat. "Earlier we had to majorly deal with addiction cases that were related to alcohol and nicotine, now with various narcotics, our job has become challenging especially with those who try to escape rehabilitation," he said.
Doctors follow several treatments to treat drug addicts. Dr Virinchi said that there are two major ways of treating such cases: Detoxification, where the patient is given similar chemicals which are safe for the body for a week or 14 days; and de-addiction where the psychological condition is known where we get to know the real illness if any and accordingly proceed with the treatments.
Those who need counselling therapy because of depression are guided by certain treatments and others with other psychological issues are guided by suitable therapy treatments. These treatments cost around Rs 45,000 to Rs 70,000 in hospitals.
Rachel Nandi said that she takes up a group counselling session where she guides around 20 people together and educates them regarding side-effects of drugs and their criminal consequences, including life imprisonment.
Visakhapatnam: A central team visited Vizianagaram on Wednesday to identify suitable land for the Central Tribal University (CTU). The team led by New Delhi-based University Grants Commission secretary Prof. Rajnish Jain identified 611 acres of land between Gajapathinagaram and Salur along the Raipur highway road.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, the CTU vice-chancellor Prof. TV Kattimani said that the team identified 611 acres of land in two blocks and met collector Suryakumari to block this land for the CTU with prior all clearances and non-objections from the state government.
The team also suggested the state revenue department check the land is viable for the construction of buildings, water facilities apart from road and rail connectivity. The team also requested the state government to officially sanction the land at the earliest, so that they can start the works like construction of the buildings in a phased manner.
We are presently running the CTU at a rented building allocated at the Andhra University PG Centre here. Once the CTU is ready with its own buildings and infrastructure, we will be shifted from here. Last year nearly 180 students were admitted to the CTU, Kattimani said.
A Nazi V-2 Superweapon that terrorized London during World War II's final days under a field in Kent was discovered lying on the groud. In the last days of the last great war, the Germans use these rocket that rained terror in Britain but some remnants of the past were found now.
The so-called Vengeance weapons which were made to exact retribution on the people of Great Britain, has been on the ground for 77 years already.
Finding any of these remnants is important, and they serve as a reminder of the terror it brought on people.
V-2 Terror Weapon found by accident
One of these early rockets was discovered by archeologists in a field located at Platt, Kent. What is so interesting is that it has been in the field for 77-years after World War 2, noted the Express UK.
The site is under the leadership of Brothers Colin and Sean Welch, who are the main organizers of the project.
A group from the Research Resource Archaeology started an excavation that ended with a hole about 14-feet deep and 38-feet wide. Soon after what seemed to be the wreckage of Hitler's infamous vengeance weapon, it was seen covered in soil after almost a hundred years.
Parts of the Rocket that still exist is the combustion chamber which is the part that stored the liquid oxygen with alcohol fuel. Before the Kent find, members were sent to five sites with Nazi V-2 Superweapon remnants. But this site was considered to be unique.
Read Also: Hitler's Weird Stone Henge: Does It Hide Secret Tunnels to Experiment Aircraft Before Modern Prototypes?
Colin said that the rockets would begin to descend in angle when starting to dive, having about 70 degrees of trajectory, noted Kent Online.
He added that most of the remains of the rocket were mostly seen at the farthest from the impact point. However, digging at that place did not give them valuable discoveries.
One reason there was no wreckage at the usual place is that a ragstone bed was able to keep it close to the impact point.
Once the rockets were flying up into the air, rocket fuel would drive the V-2 to the ground as fast as 3,300 miles per hour which was immensely fast.
When it impacts the ground, traveling at high velocity would not be noticed if it hit anyone, remarked Sean.
Steel rain from the Nazis
It is said that Hitler ordered the crushing of Britain with untold numbers of the German vengeance weapons in the last great war. The explosions cost the lives of 9000 people in their height, citing the BBC.
Researchers found that the V-2 wreckage came from Holland and took a few minutes to hit England on Valentine's Day of 1944.
The process of restoring the remnant will undergo a process that will take about 18 months. Investigators are looking for secret serial numbers which were stamped in after building and assembly.
All the codes found on the components could be traced to a specific factor that made them. Investigators have to trace V-2 components to Czechoslovakia and one factory in Austria.
Production of these terror weapons was costly to the civilian food supply and caused food shortages as well. Soon Germany would lose despite the Nazi V-2 Superweapon. These terror weapons killed 18,000 casualties.
Related Article: Uranium Cubes That Are Suspected Component of Hitler's 1945 Nuclear Bomb Now Under Study
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After getting grilled by members of the Lower House, the US Secretary of Defense stated that the Pentagon was unaware of the developments that led to Kabul's fall. To many, this claim by Lloyd Austin, 68, the present Sec Def is not so reliable and gives an idea that something is amiss in the Biden Administration.
After the US left the country in such disarray, questions have arisen on how can the president make the exit of the US messy.
The search for answers starts with those who were responsible for how to do the pullout by the books, without mistakes. However, there were apparent lapses.
What happened in Afghanistan? Who needs to resign?
Austin was asked about the Afghan debacle last Tuesday and other pertinent questions about the problematic pullout. Members of the lower house made inquiries with the secretary of defense as the first hearing to investigate how the Jihadis overran the country, reported the Express UK.
A former four-star general, he said as his assessment that the Trained Afghan army and partners weren't there when the Taliban rolled in. Essentially saying a third-world guerilla force was able to over the US military with so little effort. The Pentagon never saw it coming.
He remarks that to say anything else will be very dishonest.
Furthermore, like Joe Biden, he laid alleged blame on the Afghanistan troop of the government, saying the Afghan army and its senior officers were corrupt and had less effective leadership as well, noted UK News Chant.
Secretary of Defense, Austin mentioned that Pentagon was unaware of the developments that President Ghani had rotated his commanders which led to an unsavory condition that made things worse.
Read also: Disenchanted Taliban Defectors Switch to ISIS-K After Reforms by their Leaders in Kabul
He claimed that a snowball effect came from the deals of the Taliban, made with local leaders after the Doha agreement.
Everything went south in Kabul, with a messy withdrawal after a suicide bomber detonated the explosive jacket. It kills 13 young service members that led to scouring the Biden White House in the US and abroad, New Indian Express.
The rating of Joe Biden was very low because of the missteps. In one of the recent Rasmussen polls, the drop in approval is very shocking -17 percent is one of the lowest ever for him.
In the polls to see who is preferred, it is now that Donald Trump who has trounced the ex-VP of Obama.
During the 2020 elections, Joe Biden allegedly got 306 votes in the electoral college, to Trump's 232 which is contested until now.
Rough waters ahead, to each his own
According to the statements of General Mark Milley and Frank McKenzie that would be a source of trouble for Joe Biden.
Both generals say that after the debacle in Kabul, they suggest to the president that keeping a 2500-man force would be the best option, not total pullout.
Last August, Biden said that his military advisers had not said anything to keep troops in the country which is threatening to be a major problem for him.
Milley, the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was reported to have said Kabul might fall in 2020. According to him, he said that a year ago and that was allegedly consistent till 2021.
The same for the secretary of defense, Austin, but he still says that the Pentagon was unaware of the developments after he was supposed to his access to updates from Afghanistan.
Related article: Ex-Trump Security Adviser Says Taliban Could Get Nukes if Pakistan Falls to Them that Could Endanger the West
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Kim Jong Un successfully launches a hypersonic missile becoming one of the countries possessing this technology which is a hyper-fast arms. It is significant as it gives Joe Biden something to ponder on, and for Seoul to be more apprehensive.
Super-fast missiles can reach Mach 5+ and won't give defenses time to react, plus radar-guided anti-missile defense is ill-equipped to handle it.
North Korea is seen as very unpredictable plus it is not hampered by international conventions as well. Super-fast missiles might use a nuclear warhead because Pyongyang can do anything.
Kim Jong Un Pleased With the Launch
Kim Jong Un, North Korean supreme leader applauded the successful launch of the country's first hypersonic missile, reported the Express UK.
The media out, VOA News says it signals NoKor as one of the few with this capability.
South Korean military sources say the missile fired into the sea from off country's eastern coast.
It comes as Pyongyang tested a barrage of rockets in previous weeks, in defiance of UN Security Council laws forbidding North Korea from testing and launching such weaponry.
Unlike most ballistic missiles that escape the atmosphere before returning to their target at such a steep angle, cruise missiles don't really exit the atmosphere. The big difference is the speed it travels is Mach 5+, which is about 6,200km per hour.
At this speed, missile defense system will be hard up to stop it. Defenses are still under development like lasers.
Read also: Kim Jong-un Not Happy About Britain's HMS Queen Elizabeth Permanently Stationed in Asia Pacific, Says UK Should Focus on Brexit
Other countries with such tech
Besides North Korea, it is China and Russia that have developed such a terrifying and formidable weapon system.
Hypersonic weapons technology is only new to the NoKor military, which has alerted Washington and South Korea when the launch occurred. The reason for the test is to check out navigational control and stability.
The Nokor leader has a missile in his arsenal that can reach US targets like bases in the Pacific Ocean. The Hwasong-15 ICBM has the range to hit mainland USA, which is not a comforting thought at all, cited the BBC.
Leonid Petrov, a senior lecturer, International College of Management, Sydney and North Korea expert told Al-Jazeera, that it is a formidable weapon, and North Korea has just done a successful first test.
But some sectors are doubting if Pyongyang can push the technology and capability of super-fast missiles technology to new heights.
Other details
Leif-Eric Easley from the Ewha Woman's University in Seoul, remarked that these fast missiles are hard to lock onto once they more. Traveling at extreme speeds and differing its trajectories will make the very slippery to lock on to.
Since it might be just from propaganda, then Pyongyang might be with a prototype that will need more fine-tuning and it is not yet in a working mode.
North Korean engineers and scientists can make a primitive hypersonic vehicle to be fitted with a nuke warhead. NoKor would be very dangerous, especially if it needs to hit close by like Seoul.
According to the KMJ's sister Kim Yo-Jong, Pyongyang might want to have a meeting with Joe Biden. Using the missiles as a hedge to bring the US to the table once and for all, as Kim Jong Un successfully launches a hypersonic missile.
Related article: Vladimir Putin Commands Russia's Invincible Hypersonic Nuclear Missile on Indefinite Standby
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President Joe Biden "would happily sign" a bill canceling $10,000 in student debt, according to White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, who also indicated that the absence of student debt relief comes from congressional differences.
Biden is Waiting on Congress to Act
In a recently published article in Newsweek, top Democrats have claimed that Biden can cancel the students' debt via executive action, despite the White House saying the president is waiting for Congress to act. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer repeated his demand for Biden to cancel all students' college debts of $50,000 last week.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that Biden would happily sign a measure to forgive $10,000 in student debt if Congress passed it and sent it to the president. It has not occurred at this moment as the lawmakers are still figuring out the legal basis of Biden's authority to cancel students' debt.
Read Also: Student Loan Crisis: What Will Happen If Biden Doesn't Cancel Debt?
Schumer said Biden Could Release an Executive Order But Pelosi Disagree
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said President Biden could give millions upon millions of student loan debtors a fresh lease on life with a stroke of his pen, without the need for legislative action or approval. Schumer was referring to an executive order.
If this happens, it will allow these Americans to finally purchase that home, pay for their children's education, and get started on establishing a small company or entering the field of their choice. It has the potential to spark a wave of economic activity that is now lacking in our nation, according to a report published in the Associated Press.
Meanwhile, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has adopted a position similar to that of the White House, claiming that the president lacks the power to cancel student debts on his own without the authorization of Congress or without it discussed on the floor.
In fact, Biden requested that the Departments of Justice and Education examine whether he would have the authority to cancel student loan debt via executive action more than seven months ago, but the departments have yet to disclose their conclusions.
Calls To Cancel Student Loans Continue
While almost $10 billion in student loan debt has been forgiven since Biden entered office, many progressive legislators have called for more. The billions forgiven were described by Schumer as "a start in the right direction," but he added that "in the big scheme of things, it falls very, very short of what we need to see," according to a published article in Yahoo News.
Moreover, borrowers should see their amounts lowered or erased immediately if Biden takes executive action to cancel the debts, but judicial action may create delays. The House Democrats have pushed to add a tuition-free community college proposal as a component in the Build Back Better Act, but their razor-thin majority may prevent the idea from making it into the final $3.5 trillion bill.
Furthermore, even as it continues to call on Congress to enact legislation to assist borrowers and their families, the Biden administration is considering if it may take measures to offer student debt relief via executive action.
Related Article: Department of Education Cancels Student Loans After Biden Comes Into the Office
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The White House Select Committee responsible for investigating the events of the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill riot have issued 11 more subpoenas on Wednesday, which targeted former United States President Donald Trump's allies who were allegedly involved in the incident.
The individuals were believed to have had a hand in organizing the "Stop the Steal" rally that ultimately resulted in the large mob that gathered in front of the Capitol. The committee's subpoenas suggested the collective group was going deeper in their investigation of the Jan. 6 events.
Committee's New Subpoenas
On that day, thousands of pro-Trump supporters demanded Congress and then-Vice President Mike Pence to overturn Joe Biden's 2020 presidential election win. Women for America First, a pro-Trump group, was responsible for organizing the rally on the Ellipse.
The Republican businessman made a speech before the riot, where he shared his frustrations with Pence for failing to support his plans to undermine the elections. During the event, the audience heard Trump's lawyer, Rudolph W. Giuliani, called for "trial by combat" against Democratic politicians to win the election for Trump, the New York Times reported.
The subpoenas that the committee sent were addressed to included Amy Kremer, the chairwoman of Women for America First, Caroline Wren, a Trump fund-raiser, Cindy Chafian, another organizer, Hannah Salem Stone, logistics personnel for the rally, and Justin Caporale, one of Melania Trump's former top aides.
Read Also: Cyber Ninjas CEO Denies Requests To Decertify the 2020 Election Result Showing that Joe Biden Beat Donald Trump
In the letters, Representative Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat who was the chairman of the committee, said that recipients assisted in the organization of the rally. He also said that they supported the former president's allegations of election fraud.
The subpoenas were sent to acquire a range of records that include materials involved in the rally's planning, funding, and participation. The letters also claimed that recipients collectively communicated with Trump, White House officials, and several others about the demonstrations, The Hill reported.
Donald Trump's Response
In response, former President Trump plans to file a lawsuit against the White House to keep the Select House Committee from accessing records from his presidential administration. The Republican businessman shared his plans to fight back against the committee's actions to seize records amid the Jan. 6 Capitol riot investigation.
Trump said he would continue to fight the subpoenas on executive privilege and other grounds because it was good for the United States. He also argued that subpoenas should be sent to Antifa and BLM because of the alleged death and destruction they have caused in the country.
During his presidency, the Republicans also set high demands for several top-ranking White House officials, including Mark Meadows, Dan Scavino, Steve Bannon, and Kash Patel. Trump expects his former allies to not cooperate amid the committee's subpoenas and investigation of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
In his statement, Trump said that he would protect executive privilege and not for his own sake but for the sake of the patriots that worked with him. He added that he would continue to defend the integrity of the United States, Salon reported.
Related Article: Arkansas Governor Allows State's Public Health Emergency For COVID-19 to End; Clarifies That the State Still Feels the Effects of Pandemic
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On Wednesday, President Biden and his aides made a last-ditch effort in Congress to save Biden's economic agenda, attempting to forge even the beginnings of a compromise between moderates and progressives on a pair of bills that would spend trillions on rebuilding infrastructure, expand access to education, combat climate change, and more.
Biden postponed a planned trip to Chicago to promote Covid-19 vaccines to continue meeting with lawmakers during a key week in the House of Representatives.
Kyrsten Sinema, a moderate from Arizona, was scheduled to visit the White House on Wednesday morning, according to a source familiar with the meeting.
Democrats grumble with Bidens economic agenda
Sinema was a co-sponsor of a bipartisan bill, negotiated by Biden, that would invest more than $1 trillion over the next few years on physical infrastructures such as water pipelines, roads, bridges, electric car charging stations, and broadband internet.
The Senate passed the measure this summer. The House is expected to vote on it this week, NY Times reported. Progressive Democrats, on the other hand, have threatened to reject it unless it is accompanied by a more comprehensive plan that includes most of Biden's domestic agenda.
This includes universal prekindergarten and free community college, as well as a slew of initiatives to decrease greenhouse gas emissions and tax benefits for employees and their families aimed at combating poverty and increasing labor force participation.
While the president has cleared his calendar this week in the hopes of brokering a compromise, several Democrats have grumbled that he has not engaged in negotiations to their satisfaction.
Last week, he brought groups of progressives and moderates to the White House, but he met individually rather than holding a group negotiation session.
With the fiscal year's end approaching on Thursday, House Democrats narrowly passed a stand-alone bill to suspend the debt ceiling on a party-line vote, preventing a government shutdown but keeping the prospect of the US defaulting on its obligations next month open.
Per Washington Times, Biden canceled a scheduled COVID-related trip to Chicago on Wednesday, indicating that the president was trying to recover his agenda. Instead, Biden met with more holdout Democrats at the White House, hoping to strike a new compromise between squabbling moderates and leftists.
Read Also: Donald Trump's Mysterious Hospital Visit in 2019 Was To Get Colonoscopy, New Book Reveals
How does reconciliation law affect tax hikes?
Given the debt that Congress has accumulated in previous years, it's worth emphasizing that this "reconciliation" law is meant to be deficit- and debt-free, as per NBC News. In other words, the tax hikes are sufficient to pay the costs of its programs and targeted tax cuts while without increasing the national debt.
Senate and House moderates want the budget deficit to be drastically reduced, and Democratic leaders have admitted that they don't anticipate it to reach $3.5 trillion. The other major bill, which calls for $550 billion in spending over five years and adds about $250 billion to the debt, was negotiated by a bipartisan group of senators with the White House.
It provides funding for subways, water systems, green-energy initiatives, roads, bridges, rail, and broadband accessibility.
On August 10, the Senate passed it with 69 votes; the House is presently debating it and will vote on it on Thursday. If the House passes the infrastructure package, it will be sent to the White House for signing.
The majority of Democrats want both the reconciliation and infrastructure bills to pass. However, there is significant disagreement between progressives and moderates over the bill's size, scope, and other details.
If moderates in the House and Senate don't agree to assist pass reconciliation, progressives have vowed to destroy the infrastructure plan. Due to this stalemate, it's unclear if the House will enact the infrastructure package this week - or at all. It's also unclear whether, when, or in what form a reconciliation measure would be enacted.
Related Article: David McRae Joins Other State Leaders in Accusing Joe Biden's American Families Plan as Largest Data Mining Exercise
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Petrol station employees are facing "unacceptable" levels of abuse, according to industry leaders, as the UK continues to suffer the weight of the continuing fuel crisis, which has left ambulances stuck and is expected to endure another month.
The Petrol Retailers Association (PRA) said its latest poll of its members revealed that just over one-quarter of forecourts were dry, down from more than a third on Tuesday. Troops carrying tankers are likely to emerge on the highways in the next couple of days to help stabilize the situation.
Despite appeals for calm, fresh huge brawls over petrol have erupted across the United Kingdom. Accusations of queue jumping or taking too much petrol erupted in a brawl in Epping, Essex, yesterday, with one guy screaming "You didn't need it" before launching a series of punches and kicks, Daily Mail reported.
Two men spotted filling bucket with unleaded amid fuel crisis
In the midst of a fuel crisis and a scarcity of jerry cans, video emerged of two men filling a bucket lined with a black bin liner with unleaded - an extremely risky illegal move. The fuel would almost certainly dissolve the bag, and the bucket would very certainly melt.
An ambulance was even left stuck for four hours after breaking down, with recovery vehicles unable to reach it due to a lack of fuel, leaving a vulnerable patient unable to go to a North Wales hospital for an appointment.
The fuel crisis is also threatening to spill over into education, with several institutions on the verge of being unable to transport, feed, or educate their students. Online classes may have to be reinstated, according to school administrators.
School buses were canceled, blood supplies were halted, nurses slept on wards, and up to a third of London's black taxis were now parked with empty tanks as drivers lined through the night outside gas stations for the sixth day in a row.
Read Also: Taliban Executes Child on Suspicion of Father Being Member of Afghan Resistance Force
UK struck worst with fuel shortage, jerry cans scarcity
Following a weekend of panic purchasing, the capital is thought to be one of the worst-affected locations, with more cars filling up per station - after hundreds of forecourts were converted into stores or housing complexes in recent years.
The AA's president, Edmund King, told Sky News that while the organization has experienced "minimal difficulties" in Scotland and Northern Ireland, London and the South East have been struck worst. " We've got instances of drivers dribbling in 1.72 ($2.31) worth of petrol and 2.05 ($2.76) worth of diesel, which is counter-productive since they would have spent those sums looking for fuel," he said.
According to The Daily Telegraph, gasoline is now being redirected from huge enterprises to garage forecourts, with executives at the UK's key fuel terminals being told to prioritize motorists above larger corporations.
Motorist groups applauded the strategy, which comes despite worries that the situation is still not under control. "I believe drivers would have an excellent idea," said AA fuel spokesperson Luke Bosdet.
And, as a result of labor and shipping issues, customers can now expect a "nightmare" Christmas with higher-priced presents and limited stock on shelves, with many families unable to acquire turkey in time for December 25, according to experts.
Related Article: UK Experiences Severe Gas Shortage, Forcing Prime Minister Boris Johnson To Address The Issue
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The most influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been named to the country's highest governing body.
Kim Jong Un's Sister Promoted to a Position on the State Affairs Commission
In a recently published article in MSN News, in the midst of a slew of reforms authorized by the Supreme People's Assembly, the rubber-stamp parliament, Kim Yo Jong, a major advisor to her brother, was elevated to a seat on the State Affairs Commission.
Nine members of the commission were fired, including Pak Pong Ju, one of the panel's vice presidents, and diplomat Choe Son Hui, a rare senior woman in the North's hierarchy who played a significant role in talks with the United States.
On Thursday, the official Rodong Sinmun newspaper published photographs of the eight new nominees, with Kim Yo Jong standing out for her youth and as the only woman among them, according to a recently published news article in France24.
Read Also: Pentagon Expresses Concern Over North Korea's Reported Nuclear Reprocessing
Kim Yo Jong Replaced Her Aunt, Kim Jong Un's Closest Aide
According to North Korea research organization 38 North, Kim Yo Jong, who succeeded her aunt Kim Kyong Hui, a strong supporter of her father, was already a prominent figure as vice-director of the isolated regime's Propaganda and Agitation Department (PAD).
There is little solid information on the secluded nation's main actors. Kim Yo Jong, 30, on the other hand, is said to be one of Kim Jong Un's closest adviser and confidant: the two share a mother and allegedly lived together when attending a boarding school in Berne, Switzerland.
Her precise political position, as well as the prospect that she could one day replace her brother, a transfer that would give the socially conservative North its first female leader, has long been a source of discussion, according to a report published in TIME.
Kim Yo Jong as a Strong Leader
In comments broadcast by state media, Kim Yo Jong has made vehement denunciations of Washington and Seoul, especially ahead of the North blowing up a liaison office on their side of the border that the South had constructed and paid for.
Her status as a deputy department director of the governing Workers' Party's Central Committee provided such statements some uncertainty, and she explicitly stated that she was speaking in a personal capacity in several instances. Her formal status has grown and decreased throughout time, but her current SAC position is by far her most senior, according to a published report in BBC News.
Moreover, she was a significant figure during her father's burial in 2011, and she attended the 7th Party Congress (WPK), the first major gathering of the party, political, and military leaders convened under Kim Jong Un after a 36-year gap. In January 2017, the United States sanctioned seven North Korean officials for ongoing and severe human rights violations and censorship operations.
Kim Jong Un's position has been solidified by Kim Yo Jong's ascension, which has concentrated authority within his inner circle and close family members. North Korean observers saw her elevation to the top position of the PAD in 2015 as an attempt to cement the young leader's authority, according to South Korean publication Daily NK at the time.
Related Article: North Korea's Kim Jong Un's Comment, an Interesting Signal for Dialogue on Denuclearization
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Lying where it last rested, the remains of riverboat Abner O'Neal were seen after being shipwrecked 130 years ago. Though not much is left of the old steamer, the drought exposed its outline with a two-foot drop in river water level.
More than a hundred years ago, the Abner O'Neal shipwrecked in 1892 had the bottom part of what's left of its hull exposed by drought. It was left at the North of Bismarck, in North Dakota, where she ended up and never moved from.
Abner O'Neal's final journey
Based on the account more than a century old, the ship was plying its route carrying 9,000 bushels of wheat in the late 1800s from Washburn to Mandan, noted KYFR-TV.
A report by Fox 4 mentioned that at least one-third of the land area is under drought in Missouri. The lowering of the river's water level would affect crops but expose the wreck remains.
For more than one hundred years, the wreck was not fully visible, but lowered waters allow history enthusiasts to see the 1800's era riverboat remains.
A shipwreck in North Dakota?!?
Its true! The Abner ONeal sunk in 1892, and the boat has been here ever since.
Now low water levels on the Missouri are making it more visible than ever.
The story tonight on @KFYRTV pic.twitter.com/7GBYG3r0sZ Jody Kerzman (@Jody_Kerzman) September 27, 2021
Until the waters rise again, those wanting to see the Abner O'Neal outline in the shallow river will still be visible. According to kayaker Nyk Edinger, having the chance to see riverboat Abner O'Neal wreck above water would be amazing to see, reported the Daily Mail.
Read Also: Seven Viking Tombs from the 10th Century With Remains of Eight People Discovered by Swedish Archaeologists
He added when the actual thing was seen, the outline of the hull was still intact after a long time submerged in the river. It continues to amaze onlookers and visitors to see it still exists now.
Anyone looking for the riverboat wreck should head to 25-miles north of Bismarck, in North Dakota. Once the waters rise, the river will hide it again.
History of the riverboat Abner O' Neal
The Abner O'Neal was fabricated in 1884 at Freedom, Pennsylvania, related to the State Historical Society of North Dakota.
This vessel was given its designation from one popular shipping personality in the 1870s, Capt. Abner O'Neal of the Steubenville/Wheeling steamboat industry. Operating for several years quite successfully as a passenger ship and doubled as a cargo carrier that moved throughout the region.
Soon after, the current owners of the paddle steamer sold it to a company called Missouri River Transportation Company in the 1890s. Before she was sold, it seemed to be smooth steaming, but after 1891, the ship's fortunes changed.
One year after it was used by its new owners, in November 1891, when the ship was hemmed in by the early winter ice freeze in Painted Woods. It was stranded by the ice for four months, lasting till 1892.
After getting freed from getting iced for several months, then on July 7, a disaster struck. While plying the river, the boat hit a submerged snag or rock that punctured its hull and caused the ship to sink.
Soon it was unable to keep afloat and sank with the cargo on board. Its final site is where the riverboat Abner O'Neal shipwreck is seen today. In the last 130 years, she lay there only to be seen seasonally till the river iced up in the winter.
Related Article: Japanese Islands Inhabited by Ancient Kofun People Changing Its History As Researchers Discovers Third Culture
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A British police officer was found to be responsible for the murder of a female victim after the prosecutor told a London jury on Wednesday that he kidnapped and raped her under the guise of a fake arrest amid the coronavirus lockdown restrictions.
Legal experts said the suspect made a fraudulent, premeditated arrest to kidnap the female victim identified as Sarah Everard. Prosecutor Tim Little noted that the victim was walking home after visiting a friend, which was a non-compliance issue with the region's lockdown regulations. He added that the suspect, Wayne Couzens, was off-duty at the time and proceeded to handcuff the woman.
Fake Arrest
Previously, Couzens pleaded guilty to kidnapping, raping, and murdering Everard, who went missing on March 3. Authorities later found her burned body in the woods outside London a week after she was last seen.
Little said that Couzens' actions showed he was looking for, or hunting, for a young female who was alone so he could kidnap and rape her. He later saw Everard and proceeded to carry out his heinous crime, Yahoo News reported.
Officials said that after Couzens arrested Everard, he forced her into a rental car as the prosecutor noted that the suspect had his own car and did not want to use it to commit a crime. The suspect later transferred Everard's dead body into green bags he specifically bought for his plan.
Read Also: Corey Lewandowski, Former Trump Aide, Accused of Unwanted Sexual Advances and Stalked Female Victim
During a hearing in court, it was said that Couzens had an attraction to "brutal sexual pornography." However, the suspect's representative said it was only related to a single incident. The suspect joined the Civil Nuclear Constabulary in 2011 before being transferred to the Met in 2018. He also worked for the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command two years later as an authorized firearms officer.
In 2020, he carried out office-based work after not being able to carry a gun due to a damaged finger he got after a drilling incident in July of that year. But last December, he was deemed fit for full duties and returned to fieldwork, Dailymail reported.
Horrific Crime
A few days after Couzens' crime, he took his wife and two children on a trip to the same area where he disposed of Everard's body. He was also believed to have told his family that he was working on March 3, the day that he kidnapped the victim.
During a hearing on Wednesday, the victim's family spoke out emotionally and condemned Couzens for his actions against their family member. They demanded that the suspect, who had his eyes closed and head bowed during the hearing, look them in the eyes while they read their statements.
Susan Everard, the victim's mother, said her daughter spent her last moments on Earth with the worst scum of humanity. She said that Couzens killed the victim to satisfy his own selfish, perverted desires.
Authorities are expected to hand out Couzens' sentence on Thursday, which is believed to be a mandatory life sentence. However, the prosecution is seeking a whole life order, a term only granted in exceptional cases that has no possibility of parole, CNN reported.
Related Article: Taliban Executes Child on Suspicion of Father Being Member of Afghan Resistance Force
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According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, domestic terror threats are much more often than foreign terror threats in the United States.
Domestic Terrorism Larger than International Terror Threats
In a recently published article in Newsweek, according to Timothy Langan, assistant director of the bureau's Counterterrorism Division, the United States is facing over 2,700 domestic terrorism threats. When questioned by Representative Nancy Mace for statistics on the FBI's workload, Langan claimed there are less than 1,000 foreign terror threats.
Langan also provided data on terrorism-related fatalities in the United States between 2015 and 2020. In that five-year period, there were 80 fatalities connected to foreign terrorism, compared to 83 deaths linked to domestic terrorism.
Officials from the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security joined Langan on Capitol Hill to answer questions from legislators on the Biden administration's counterterrorism policy, according to a published article Associated Press.
The FBI's first goal is to prevent terrorist attacks. He also said that lone actors or tiny cells radicalized online who want to strike soft targets with readily available weaponry represent the "biggest terrorist danger." He also said that lone actors or small groups radicalized online who want to strike "soft targets with readily available weaponry" represent the "biggest terrorist danger."
Read Also: FBI Releases Newly Declassified Documents of the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks; Relatives of the Victims Believe Saudi Government is Involved in the Assault
More Americans are Concerned About Threats from Groups Based in the U.S.
In a published article in the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Langan's testimony comes after FBI Director Christopher Wray told Congress earlier this month that the number of domestic terrorism cases had "exploded" during the last year and a half.
According to a recent Associated Press survey, Americans are more worried about dangers from domestic extremist organizations than those from foreign nations. Sixty-five percent of people in the United States said they were "very" or "very" worried about domestic extremist organizations, compared to 50 percent who said the same about overseas extremist groups.
Biden Directed His National Security Team To Conduct a 100-Day Review
President Joe Biden has ordered his national security staff to undertake a 100-day assessment of the federal government's efforts to combat the increase in domestic terrorism threats. The National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism was published in June as a result of the evaluation. To combat domestic terrorist threats, the proposal wants $100 million to hire critical personnel in the Justice and Homeland Security departments.
The plan asks for better information sharing among law enforcement agencies, the prevention of people being radicalized, and the elimination of the underlying causes of domestic terrorism. It will also need measures by various agencies, including the Department of Defense, to guarantee that domestic terrorists do not join the military or become law enforcement officers. Employee screening will be improved by the federal government in order to detect domestic terrorists who "may pose insider risks."
The National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism, according to John Cohen, Homeland Security's counterterrorism coordinator, offers for the first time a comprehensive, whole-government strategy to fighting the danger.
Related Article: Biden Refuses Military Advice As His Decisions Have Endangered the West from Terrorism
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The Northrop/McDonnell Douglas YF-23 was a competitor in the Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) competition that would see the development of a 5th generation fighter, radically different from other planes made for the US Air Force (USAF). Despite choosing the F-22 Raptor, it was not forgotten for what it offered as an advanced fighter.
Way back in 1991, the USAF had two front runners in search for the next acquisition that will be used to blunt the USSR during the cold war. There were two prototypes built for the ATF.
In the end, it was the Raptor that got the military's contract, but the plane which lost was not totally consigned to obscurity.
Air superiority to a tee!
It is a fact that the YF-23 did not get the contract, but the designers knew their stealth inspire design was better than its competitor, reported the Nationalist Interest.
According to the USAF, they decided on the Lockheed design on the basis of the development program with lesser upkeep of its Raptor.
During the ATF competition, Northrop was not on good terms with the Pentagon and the US Congress due to extra expenses with the B-2 Spirit project cited Air Force Technology, also other projects that were affected as well.
Then Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), said that McDonnell had problems. He added that Northrop was not too transparent in dealing with USAF, which did not sit well. One of the factors that may have shut down the Northrop/McDonnell Douglas YF-23 as the final choice is the politics in the background.
Read also: F-35 Lightning II Stealth Fighter Up Against Conventional Jets in Air Combat Drills
What if it turned out to be different?
The competitor of the YF-22 had high hopes, but it lost so the Raptor is the reality. But, the YF-23 has made a mark despite losing in the ATF competition.
One of the defining features of the YF-23 is the power plant,that is a General Electric jet engine. Its performance was a notch over the engine of the second prototype that was powered by a Pratt & Whitney YF119.
Characteristics of the X-plane is the inclusion of supercruise, low radar visibility, but lacked agility when flying at subsonic speeds.
A comparison of the YF-22 and YF-23 has a similar Angle of Attack which is sixty degrees, with no application of thrust vectoring. The V-tail design for the rudders was part of the unstable airframe.
One insider in the ATF competition said that the Raptor was more agile at lower airspeeds. Later, dynamic low speed, and high AOA maneuvering was studied.
At one point, the Lockheed team got ahead by doing action during demos that its competitor ignored. It made the military take notice. If the Northrop team decided on the same demo, it would be a different ending.
Why the YF-23 could be the better choice.
History chose the YF-22 as the winner, but some arguments say the F-23 would have some advantages. The Raptor can fly, but its competitor was a radically different airframe altogether that would give adversaries a run for their money.
The Northrop/McDonnell Douglas YF-23 had better range when in supersonic, with the YF120 engine, cited GE. Its stealth would be better and maneuverable like the Raptor as well.
It's enough to say the F-23 were similar, F-22 inherited its opponent's radar. Many still think the wrong plane was chosen in the ATF.
Related article: Stealth Jets' Improved Coating Is Better at Deflecting Radar, Also Lasts Longer
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Following a number of recent missile launches, North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un has stated his readiness to reestablish contacts with South Korea as soon as possible.
Kim Jong Un Ordered To Restore Stalled Communication With South Korea
In a recently published article in Newsweek, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said on Thursday that in early October, he instructed authorities to repair blocked communication lines with South Korea to promote peace while dismissing recent U.S. proposals for talks as more clever methods for the U.S. to hide its animosity toward the North.
Kim's remarks, which were reported by state media, seem to be an attempt to create a gap between Seoul and Washington. He wants South Korea to assist him in obtaining relief from crushing US-led economic sanctions and other concessions. Pyongyang has proposed conditional talks with Seoul recently while also conducting its first missile tests in six months and ramping up its criticism of the U.S.
Kim Jong Un expressed his desire to reestablish inter-Korean communication liaison lines, which had been cut off due to worsening relations, as part of efforts to realize the expectation and desire of the entire nation, which wants the current tense inter-Korean relations to be rehabilitated as soon as possible and lasting peace to be established on the Korean peninsula, according to a report published in the Firstpost.
Read Also: North and South Korea Begin Addressing Relationship by Setting Up Communication Channels
Kim's Statement Over South Korea
Kim said that relations with Seoul remain tense and uncomfortable, accusing South Korean officials of disregarding and neglecting a deteriorating dynamic between the two Koreas and preferring the United States and seeking more sophisticated weapons.
Kim added, "Now the inter-Korean relations are at the crossroads of serious choice whether to remove the present frozen relations and take the road of reconciliation and cooperation or to keep suffering the pain of division in the vicious cycle of confrontation," according to a published article in Market Watch.
The monarch urged South Korean authorities to change their attitude toward North Korea by seeking peace rather than militarily containing the nuclear-armed state. He also said that whether inter-Korean relations be repaired and developed to a new level or remain in the condition of degradation that they are today is determined by the attitude of the South Korean government.
South Korean President Repeatedly Called for Better Relations
In a published article in France24, President Moon Jae-in of South Korea has frequently advocated for improved ties with North Korea, and he used his U.N. General Assembly address last week to push for an ultimate declaration to end the technical state of war that has existed between the two countries since their 1950s battle.
Meanwhile, according to Kim Yo Jong, deputy department head of the governing Korean Workers' Party Central Committee, and Kim Jong Un's sister, Moon's suggestion is an intriguing and excellent concept. However, in terms similar to those of her brother and other top North Korean leaders, she said that mutual respect must be preserved and that biased viewpoints, persistent hostile policies, and unfair double standards must be eliminated before such a step can be contemplated.
Related Article: South Korea Pushes To End Korean War To Restore Peace, North Korea Dismisses the Call
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A Chinese defector to the West has revealed the Beijing has been violating the rights of many. They use these prisoners in inhuman bio-weaponizing experiments that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) researches.
These human guinea pigs were involved in Nazi-style experiments that included weaponization of anything that could be deployed to sicken or kill the enemy. It is a method similar to the creation of COVID-19, which has infected the whole globe since December 2019.
Defector claims China conducts lab studies covertly
Wei Jingsheng, a Human rights activist who spoke to author Sharri Markson, 37, in her book,' 'What happened in Wuhan.' According to Markson, the book centers on her investigative work examining the twists and turns of the coronavirus pandemic, reported the Express UK.
One of the book's goals said the Australian journalist is to prove a link to the ruling party with the Chinese military.
In the Sun UK, Wei made a big claim that China has been conducting covert lab studies on humans and has gotten worse over the years. But now he's worried it might have gotten worse and dangerous.
Markson has said the unethical and repugnant studies ordered communist dissidents as helpless test subjects like the Nazis did in the last world war. Wei, the Chinese defector, may point to definite proof of inhuman bio-weaponizing experiments done by the CCP.
Read Also: Wuhan Lab Leak Controversy Continues As Chinese Media Quotes Fake Swiss Biologist to Allegedly Cover Up Claims
One of these goose-steppers is Josef Mengele, also known as the Angel of Death. He regularly made experiments on Jews, doing odd experiments and fatally injuring many prisoners. Others tortured in the death camp labs were Soviet troops, disabled, and even children, which were almost unthinkable, but it did happen.
Western media still has to prove Chinese defector's claims
Wei claims that experiments in China were done by the Academy of Military Sciences (AMS), which is the medical section of the People Liberation Army. It is prohibited to research nuclear war and especially biowarfare intentionally. The defector thinks the AMS is active in this research, which is not a far cry from the suspected origin of SARS-CoV-2.
A report states that an exercise platoon of soldiers was given the best food and examined for human body experiments.
Exclusive: The WHOs first Covid inquiry included a Chinese official involved in the cover-up of the outbreak, a scientist who conducted secret military projects, a bat researcher working with the Wuhan Institute of Virology and 7 others tied to the PLA.https://t.co/YCW5KbaA8i Sharri Markson (@SharriMarkson) September 27, 2021
It was mentioned that soldiers are used as test subjects in field experiments to look into medical research studies. It is not so unusual for the PLA to do such activities.
Western media has not proven the horror of the leaders of China doing the same thing as the Nazis did in the death camps.
The systematic oppression of the Uyghur Muslims in the Xinjiang province has made international headlines which Beijing's central vehemently denies, citing the BBC.
Claims that this Chinese minority is now being treated inhumanely and subjected to activities that violate their human rights. The Chinese Communist Party called it untrue and defaming against them.
Markson, a Sydney-based journalist, has gotten one-on-one interviews from experts on the coronavirus outbreak and how they think the outbreak's center has always been Wuhan.
There are too many loose ends to the Wuhan mystery, but the Chinese defector Wei is an excellent start to prove China may have done inhuman bio-weaponizing experiments.
Related Article: COVID-19 Patient Zero Infected by a Bat in Wuhan Lab; WHO Probe Team Reveals
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Authorities reported that at least 100 people were killed while 80 others were injured after a prison massacre flared on Tuesday in Ecuador, with officials finding more dead bodies in the aftermath of the chaos.
On Wednesday, Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso announced the horrific incident that resulted in a death toll that continues to increase. Officials said that the massacre was a result of bloody clashes on Tuesday at the Litoral Penitentiary, which is found outside the coastal city of Guayaquil.
Horrific Prison Chaos
On Wednesday, Lasso held a televised speech where he indicated that the prison was not yet entirely secured. He also urged the families and relatives of inmates housed within the establishment to stay clear of the area.
During his address, Lasso said that the meeting of officials was organized to discuss what plans they need to come up with moving forward. He expressed his hopes that in the next few hours after his speech, they would see some of their plans come to fruition. He added that reports of more bodies found within the area were expected to follow, CNN reported.
It was also reported that at least five of the fatalities from the ensuing chaos were beheaded, marking the worst penitentiary massacre in the history of Ecuador. Lasso was forced to declare a state of emergency after the initial reports of violence, which prompted the deployment of police and soldiers to quell the unrest.
Read Also: Joe Biden Faces Congress Showdown as Democrats Struggle To Advance Agenda Amid Tense Negotiations
Authorities believed that the chaos within the prison was caused by gangs connected to international drug cartels fighting for control of the lockup. When the president of the region said there was no guarantee of the security of the prison, he called the situation "bad and sad."
"It is regrettable that the prisons are being turned into territories for power disputes by criminal gangs," Lasso said. He noted that he planned to move forward with "absolute firmness" to take back control of the Litoral prison and prevent future violence from spreading to other penitentiaries, The Washington Post reported.
Ongoing Crisis
The situation was followed by chaos in another Ecuadorian prison that killed at least 24 people and injured 48 others. The recent incident occurred at the Penitenciaria del Litoral in Guayas province. The facility has experienced several bloody fights between gangs in the last few months.
In a statement, state prison agency SNAI said that an alert was called in the Center for the Deprivation of Liberty Guayas N1 due to gunshots and explosions in multiple areas. They reported the number of casualties and injuries.
Authorities were able to later take back control of the facility in the afternoon after personnel was evacuated and police officers were deployed into the prison while military officers guarded the exterior. Ecuador's prison system experienced riots in February and July, which affected about 39,000 inmates. During the February incident, at least 79 people were reported to have lost their lives while at least 22 were reported to have died during the July chaos.
Previously, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) condemned the violence and Human Rights Watch called on the country's government to investigate the incidents, Reuters reported.
Related Article: Former Executive Producer of 'Cuomo Prime Time' Requested Transfer Due to Alleged Inappropriate Advances by CNN Host
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Fox News host Sean Hannity recently condemned Joe Biden's Afghanistan withdrawal strategy.
On Wednesday, Hannity called the POTUS a liar for saying that there's no other choice but to pull out and leave the troops behind.
"As you can see, Joe Biden was lying. He is not an honest person. When the going gets tough, Joe Biden lies and takes zero responsibility. The buck does not stop with him. He is a sleazy, disreputable 1970s politician from Delaware, who is not qualified to be president of the United States," he said via Fox News.
Hannity also slammed the Biden administration for sweeping the Afghanistan debacle under the rug, which the host believes they are good at. He also went on to criticize the POTUS's military advisors, who are seemingly covering up.
According to Hannity, it seems that Biden never lost sleep over the innocent people that he left behind. The president hasn't also talked about the Americans that are still in Afghanistan in the last 30 days.
Joe Biden shuns questions about Afghanistan
Hannity isn't the only one with this kind of observation regarding Biden's handling of Afghanistan and the American troops that are still in the country.
Last month, he refused to respond to a question about Afghanistan while at the Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters in Washington, according to Washington Times.
The president initially opened the floor for questions, but Biden walked away when one reporter asked about Afghanistan. This encounter reportedly came three days after ISIS-K terrorists attacked the airport in Kabul, killing 13 US service members and approximately 170 Afghans.
Biden was also nowhere in sight when during the Aug. 15 collapse of Kabul. And he reportedly watched the harrowing events unfold while at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland. However, it is essential to note that Biden addressed the nation after the Afghanistan incident took place.
Is Joe Biden's lack of response the right thing to do?
Despite all the criticisms he has received, some people have also come to Biden's defense.
Slate noted that Biden's stand about sending American troops to Afghanistan has always been the same. In fact, during Barack Obama's presidency, the generals were pushing for a major escalation of the war in Afghanistan that they requested for 40,000 more troops to be sent to the country.
Biden, a vice president at the time, was the only person who tried to convince Obama not to follow the orders. He told the ex-POTUS that sending 10,000 troops sounds sensible.
In his memoir, "A Promised Land," Obama revealed how Biden urged him not to be boxed by the generals. Biden believes that if Obama sends 40,000 troops to Afghanistan, the generals would ask him to send another 40,000 after a year and a half.
Obama later acknowledged that Biden was right. So, this might also be the reason why Biden refused to follow Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley's request.
Milley reportedly urged Biden to send 2,500 troops to Afghanistan even though he knew that 30,000 others might be needed if the Taliban resumed fighting. However, the POTUS denied his request.
Related Article: Joe Biden Faces Congress Showdown As Democrats Struggle To Advance Agenda Amid Tense Negotiations
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La Palma residents are still experiencing the effects of the recent volcano eruption in the area.
According to reports, the Cumbre Vieja volcano has started spewing toxic gas after the lava reached the sea.
Now, residents of Spain's Canary Islands and those on the western coast of La Palma are being asked to seal their doors and window to prevent the toxic gas from entering.
La Palma authorities predicted that molten lava would reach the Atlantic
Before the lava reached the sea, authorities already established an exclusion zone to protect people from explosions and toxic gases. Residents are also being asked to cover their mouths and noses with wet cloth.
The Cumbre Vieja volcano has been secreting lava for 10 days before it poured down a cliff and into the sea in Playa Nueva area. And the lava is currently moving east.
Tazacorte Mayor Juan Miguel Rodriguez Acosta confirmed that residents within a 2-km radius have been evacuated and a wider area is currently in lockdown.
The Canary Islands emergency services asked the residents on the island to stay put.
"The lava's contact with the sea can generate gases harmful for (your) health. If you are in the confined zone of Tazacorte, the safest place is inside your home," they said via CNN.
Read Also: La Palma Volcanic Eruption Update: Officials Worried Molten Hot Lava Could Bring Acid Rain To Canary Islands
Cumbre Vieja volcano erupted without warning
The Cumbre Vieja volcano first erupted on Sept. 19, which surprised residents and authorities because it didn't show any signs of movement. Prior to this, the volcano last erupted over four decades ago, according to NPR.
Following this month's eruption, 5,000 residents were asked to evacuate their houses due to the streams of molten lava that went downhill toward the neighborhood. Persons with disabilities were also evacuated from their homes.
At the time of writing, the lava swallowed 20 houses in El Paso. But this number has since increased to 600. Banana plantations in La Palma have also been engulfed by the lava.
Three days after the eruption, La Palma officials expressed concerns over the possibility of the hot lava brining acid rain to Canary Islands.
At the time, 7,000 residents have already been evacuated from the homes. And more than 400 tourists were evacuated to the island of Tenerife.
Over 180 buildings were also destroyed by the volcanic eruption after it opened four new fissures along the mountainside.
Canary Islands regional government is helping affected families
Angel Victor Torres, president of the Canary Islands regional government, said that they are working to ensure that all residents that lost their dwellings will be given shelter.
"We hope that the channel to the sea that has opened stops the lava flow, which widened to reach 600 meters at one point, from continuing to grow, because that has caused tremendous damage," Torres told Cope radio via ABC News.
Authorities are also planning to purchase over 100 unoccupied homes to help those in need.
As of writing, all flights to La Palma airport have been canceled due to a high ash cloud that reached up to seven kilometers.
Related Article: La Palma Residents Urged To Evacuate Following Massive Volcano Eruption; No Injuries Recorded
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China is currently struggling to combat a growing shortage of energy, which has affected as many as 20 provinces in the last month that many believe to be much more devastating to the global economy than the UK's gas shortage.
The reasons for the growing scarcity of energy in the Asian nation come from a crackdown on greenhouse emissions, the increasing price of coal, and increased demand for energy. It is considered to be China's biggest energy crisis in history.
Growing Energy Shortage
The majority of the energy shortage was concentrated on China's industrial hubs, which have taken the brunt of the crisis. Guangdong province officials have urged businesses in the region to limit their power usage to help the growing crisis in the country.
Many homes, businesses, and factories have been affected by sudden power cuts and energy rationing. The list of affected establishments includes manufacturers supplying tech giants Apple and Tesla, which have branches in the Asian nation.
An expert in the oil and gas industries, Ron Bousso, said that the energy shortage in China threatens to affect the global economy for the worse. Economists have also shared their forecasts of the situation and how it would affect China. They said that the nation's economic growth this year could drop from 8.2% to 7.8%, Express reported.
On Monday, three northeastern provinces were hit with an "unexpected and unprecedented" power cut brought about by the crisis. Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning provinces experienced major disruptions to the "daily lives of people and business operations" due to the sudden power cuts.
Read Also: Joe Biden Faces Congress Showdown as Democrats Struggle To Advance Agenda Amid Tense Negotiations
China's State Grid Corporation on Monday said that it would continue to fight the growing crisis and provide enough energy to its customers. In June, the country experienced a similar power crisis but the recent situation is considered to be much worse because of a perfect storm.
Industries in China are facing growing pressure as the price of energy continues to rise with Beijing facing calls to tackle carbon emissions. The region is considered to be the biggest contributor of carbon emissions in the world, which has forced officials to pledge to control the situation before 2030, CNN reported.
Reasons for the Lack of Supply
While some believe that the coronavirus pandemic was the major contributor to the current energy crisis in China, reality is not so simple. Some of the reasons include consumer and factory demand for energy, things that predate the COVID-19 pandemic that has ravaged the globe.
Despite many nations promising to transition to green energy and many investors moving over to renewable energy sources in the last five or 10 years, the majority of the world still relies on fossil fuels, including oil, coal, and gas. This, coupled with the lack of investment in fossil fuels, contributed to the growing energy crisis.
"Gas, coal, oil, metals, mining - you pick - the old economy is significantly underinvested. We call it the revenge of the old economy. Poor returns saw capital redirected away from the old economy to the new economy," said Jeff Currie, the global head of commodities research at Goldman Sachs Group, Aljazeera reported.
Related Article: Arkansas Governor Allows State's Public Health Emergency For COVID-19 to End; Clarifies That the State Still Feels the Effects of Pandemic
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Bill Cosby recently weighed on R. Kelly's guilty verdict and said that the musician can follow in his footsteps and overturn the charges filed against him.
Cosby shared his thoughts on Kelly's conviction via his spokesperson, Andrew Wyatt. The latter said that Cosby thinks Kelly was screwed during his monthlong trial for sex trafficking and racketeering.
"The deck was stacked against Robert. His constitutional rights were grossly abused. I don't know anywhere but in this country in the United States that a documentary can bring criminal charges against someone," Wyatt told New York Post on behalf of Cosby.
Cosby's person is referring to the 2019 documentary "Surviving R. Kelly" that saw his accusers detailing the abuse that they suffered in the hands of the artist.
Wyatt is also putting the blame on Kelly's attorneys because they didn't humanize their client in front of the jury. He added that Kelly's attorneys didn't have the resources and the means so they should've asked for better representation for the musician.
During another interview, Wyatt said that Cosby thought Kelly was railroaded because the prosecutors used the same tactic that they used on him.
Read Also: Bill Cosby's Accuser Stunned By His Release From Prison, Claiming He Is Still Dangerous
Will R. Kelly experience the same fate as Bill Cosby?
Despite Kelly's guilty verdict, Cosby is confident that the musician can eventually overturn the ruling just like what happened to him.
However, Huffington Post pointed out that Cosby wasn't released following claims of sexual misconduct because he's not guilty. Rather, he was released earlier this year due to a technicality.
R. Kelly's ex-wife Andrea Kelly speaks up
Kelly was found guilty of one count of racketeering and eight counts of violating the Mann Act, an anti-sex trafficking law. He is sentenced to 10 years to life behind bars.
Following his guilty verdict, Kelly's ex-wife wife, Andrea Kelly admitted that she has mixed feelings emotions about her husband's conviction.
"I sit in a very difficult place because unlike the rest of his victims, I also share children with him. I was married to him, so I wear two hats. I wear the hat of a survivor and an advocate, but I also wear the hat of a mother and an ex-wife... I feel that my heart is in two places," she told "Good Morning America."
Andrea also explained that her biggest concern is the welfare of her three children with Kelly. After all, they cannot just walk away from their bloodline.
Even though Andrew has the ability to distance and separate herself from it, her husband's blood runs through their children. So, she's in a very difficult position right now.
R. Kelly physically abused his ex-wife
Kelly and Andrea were married for 13 years before their divorce was finalized in 2009.
Prior to Kelly's conviction, Andrea revealed that she also suffered in the hands of her ex-husband. There was a time when the musician slammed his forearm into her neck which prevented her from breathing.
Andrea also said that when she told people about the abuse she suffered in the hands of her ex-husband, most of them victim-shamed her.
As of late, it's unclear if Andrea and her children have spoken to Kelly since Monday's guilty verdict.
Related Article: R. Kelly Convicted Of Sexual Trafficking Of Several Women Since 1990s, Sentenced To Life In Prison
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Washington State is still uncertain about the future of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially now that they are entering the fall season.
According to reports, there is significant progress in Washington since the case and hospitalization rates dropped exponentially.
However, the state still has fears because the active COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations across Washington remain too high.
Since it's already the fall season, residents will spend most of their time indoors, and doing so can increase their susceptibility to contracting the deadly virus.
Many Washington state residents haven't received their COVID-19 vaccinations either, and they are still being urged to do so.
Washington state COVID-19 cases and hospitalization rates not low enough
Washington State Secretary of Health Dr. Umair Shah acknowledged the declining numbers of active COVID-19 cases. He said that the current data is incredibly heartwarming, and he hopes that the patients and hospitalization rates will continue to decline in the coming months.
However, even with this decline, the numbers are still too high to sustain Washington's current system in place.
Read Also: Joe Biden's COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate Heads For Trouble In Court; Top Immunologist Regrets Voting Him For President
Lady Fehrenbach, Deputy Secretary for COVID-19 response at the Washington State Department of Health, also chimed in. She said that hospital admissions in Washington are still significantly higher than the admissions at the peak of the third wave. There are also new admissions due to COVID-19, so hospital occupancy is also high.
In order to keep up with the demand, hospitals in Washington are forced to delay non-urgent surgeries of their other patients to accommodate those with COVID-19 first.
Dr. Daniel Getz, Chief Medical Officer for Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Holy Family Hospital, urges non-vaccinated qualified individuals to get the jab.
"Going into fall we have a lot of uncertainty. We are planning for the worst and hoping for the best," Fehrenbach said via Komo News.
Washington state vaccination rates increased between August and September
According to the Seattle Times, the vaccination rates in Washington saw a 25 percent increase in the last month.
As of writing, over 4.9 million residents of Washington already received at least their first dose of vaccine, which is more than 76 percent of the state's eligible population. On average, about 15,000 people have been vaccinated in Washington every day over the past week.
Michele Roberts, acting Assistant Secretary of the State Department of Health, said that the state has started to close the gap.
Schools statewide are also under close watch for COVID-19 outbreaks, especially since youth aged 12 to 17 have lower vaccination rates. About 46 percent of children ages 12 to 15 in Washington are fully vaccinated, and those aged 16 to 17 are about 53 percent fully vaccinated.
On the other hand, adults aged 35 to 49 are 69 percent fully vaccinated, and those aged 65 and older are about 82 percent fully vaccinated.
Washington state workers at risk of losing their jobs
Despite these figures, hundreds of Washington state workers are still at risk of losing their jobs even though they are fully vaccinated.
State agencies previously granted nearly 800 accommodations to state workers after their religious or medical exemptions were approved. But they could still lose their jobs because agencies cannot accommodate workers with non-public positions, according to King 5.
Related Article: More Than 100 Fully Vaccinated People In Washington Test Positive For COVID-19
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NASA refused to rename its $10 billion technological marvel, the James Webb Telescope, amid ongoing controversy.
Decades ago, former NASA administrator James Webb went along with government discrimination against gay and lesbian employees.
Earlier this year, 1,200 astronomers and astronomy enthusiasts signed a petition urging NASA to rename the telescope. The petition came in the heels of previous reports that unconventional people were persecuted while working under Webb's leadership.
Following an investigation conducted by the space agency, NASA decided to keep the telescope's name still. However, they didn't divulge how they conducted the review, and they didn't also reveal the identity of the person who evaluated the findings.
"We have found no evidence at this time that warrants changing the name of the James Webb Space Telescope," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson told NPR.
Senior science communications officer Karen Fox also wrote an email to the publication saying that they already did what they could at this point. And they have also exhausted all their research efforts.
Read Also: Meteor Blows Up in a Fireball, But Witnesses Think It Was Something Else
Astronomers are awaiting the launch of the James Webb Telescope
Despite the ongoing controversy and backlash, thousands of people are still looking forward to the upcoming launch of the James Webb Telescope. The launch is scheduled for Dec. 18.
The James Webb Telescope will be shot off millions of kilometers away from Earth to get a glimpse of the universe during its launch. The telescope is also being dubbed as the successor of the Hubble Space Telescope.
According to India Times, astronomers and astronomy enthusiasts are hoping to study the very first stars and galaxies in the universe using the James Webb Telescope.
Since the new telescope has a golden mirror, astronomers hope to catch a glimpse of the universe as no other telescope has ever done before.
Even though the Hubble Space Telescope also had a built-in mirror, the golden mirror for the James Webb Telescope is 100 times more powerful. It also has a diameter of 21.3 feet, which means it can capture six times more light than its predecessor.
The James Webb Telescope will also be taking photos using infrared imaging. This means that the telescope has the capacity to capture extremely old galaxies that are currently located farther from Earth.
The telescope will also be placed inside a rocket that will then be deployed far away from Earth in space. Once deployed, the telescope will be millions of kilometers away from Earth. The Hubble, on the other hand, was only 547 kilometers away from Earth.
NASA dubs the James Webb Telescope as the most powerful and complex
NASA described the James Webb Telescope as the largest, most powerful, and complex space telescope to have ever been built and launched into space.
"It will fundamentally alter our understanding of the universe," NASA said on their website.
Photos of the stunning James Webb Telescope can also be viewed on NASA's website, together with all the other facts, updates, and news about their latest venture.
Related Article: NASA To Thwart Potential Asteroid Impact on Earth Using DART System To Prevent Global Catastrophe
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Henley Audio announces distribution deal with Cabasse
Henley Audio has announced a distribution partnership with Cabasse, one of France's oldest loudspeaker manufacturers. With immediate effect, Henley Audio has taken charge of brand sales, marketing, service, and pre-/post-sales support for Cabasse in the UK and the Republic of Ireland.
Laurence Armstrong, managing director of Henley Audio, said: "We're truly excited to be working with Cabasse. The systems their teams have produced over 70+ years in the industry offer a truly exceptional user experience housed in products that deliver acoustically and aesthetically. We are big lovers of the striking and unique stylings of Cabasse loudspeakers, so being able to offer beautifully engineered products that deliver on that front while still being sonic and acoustic powerhouses, was something we had to jump at."
Coinciding with the Henley Audio partnership, Cabasse has unveiled the limited-edition Pearl Pelegrina, which lands in the UK next month. Taking design inspiration from the Cabasse La Sphere, the new 22,599 Pelegrina marks the company's 70th anniversary, delivering a stereo digital music system to meet demands of audiophiles and style-conscious alike.
Joining the Pelegrina as a 2021 addition to the PEARL Collection is the Pearl Sub, an active sub equipped with room correction technology and high-resolution streaming. Primed to perfectly integrate with the French maker's line, the PEARL SUB is designed to partner Cabasse's Baltic 5, Lifestyle iO3, or Riga 2.
K Car CEO Jung In-kook poses at the company headquarters in Seoul in this file photo. Courtesy of IR Kudos
By Park Jae-hyuk
Hahn & Company's hoped-for earnings from the forthcoming initial public offering (IPO) of K Car has decreased, as the used-car dealership owned by the private equity firm (PEF) cut its offering price, after facing a skeptical outlook.
The possibility of a lower-than-expected profit from the IPO, set for Oct. 13 on the KOSPI, can be viewed as another unfavorable factor for the PEF, which is grappling with slower-than-expected progress in its sale of Hanon Systems and its intensifying legal battle with Namyang Dairy Products Chairman Hong Won-sik.
According to K Car's recent regulatory filing, its offering price was fixed at 25,000 won ($21), 27 percent lower than the bottom end of its desired price range that had been set between 34,300 won and 43,200 won.
The amount of the largest shareholder's stocks to be sold to the public immediately after the IPO also decreased by 20 percent to 12.26 million shares from 15.62 million.
As a result, the market cap of K Car was set at 1.2 trillion won, instead of the previous estimation of 2 trillion won. Hahn & Company has also been unable to sell as many K Car shares as it wanted initially, until a year after its listing.
"Due to consecutive large-scale domestic IPOs, fewer individuals are participating in such deals, and medium-sized asset management companies here are facing a shortage of funds," said a representative from NH Investment & Securities, the lead underwriter for the K Car IPO. "Considering the market condition, we decided to put up a market-friendly price."
This was the first time for a company worth over 1 trillion won to lower its offering price due to a negative demand forecast.
In contrast to foreign institutional investors offering higher prices, locals remained conservative, citing recent failures in terms of managing mega-size IPO deals, including the listing of Lotte Rental last month, to attract investors on the domestic stock market.
Even after the demand forecasting, securities analysts expressed a rosy outlook for K Car.
"K Car is expected to post 1.8 trillion won in sales this year and 75 billion won in operating profit," Yuanta Securities analyst Ahn Joo-won said in a report released Tuesday. "I'm optimistic about its valuation, given that the amount of shares to be sold immediately after its IPO accounts for only 28 percent of the outstanding shares and the company is expected to continue its growth without seasonality."
Hahn & Company's forthcoming sale of its 12.26 million shares will enable it to earn at least 306.5 billion won, which is larger than the 205 billion won it had paid in 2018 to buy K Car from SK. Its remaining stake will be worth 866 billion won at the IPO price.
However, it is still unclear whether the PEF could achieve its ambitious initial goal of earning up to 670 billion won through the IPO, because the sluggish demand forecasting among institutional investors will have a negative impact on retail investors' subscriptions, which will take place this Thursday and Friday.
Moreover, individuals have remained reluctant about investing in PEF-owned companies to avoid their money being used to profit the PEFs.
Seen is Hanon Systems' factory in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. Courtesy of Hanon Systems
Hahn & Company has been recognized for signing dozens of buyout deals without suffering any losses from its portfolio companies.
The procedure for selling its controlling stake in Hanon Systems worth over 8 trillion won, however, is taking longer than expected, due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has made it difficult for potential buyers in other countries to conduct due diligence of the auto parts manufacturer's assets.
Securities analysts initially expected the main bid to take place in September, but a source familiar with this issue said the deal will be finalized next year, following the main bid later this year.
Although the sale procedure gained momentum after Carlyle, Bain Capital, Germany's Mahle, France's Valeo and Japan's Nidec were shortlisted as qualified buyers, the record-high valuation is still mentioned as a variable.
Namyang Dairy Products Chairman Hong Won-sik wipes away tears, during a press conference held May 4 at the company's headquarters in Seoul to make a public apology. Korea Times photo by Ko Young-kwon
The growth in the number of new workers hired by businesses in August fell to a five-month low last month, as the COVID-19 pandemic continued to weigh down on the economy, the government said Thursday.
The total number of employees as of the end of last month stood at 18.85 million, up 224,000, or 1.2 percent, from a year ago, according to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, however, the rise was the smallest since March when the number increased by 193,000.
The ministry said that the number of people working at restaurants and hotels dropped by 35,000, while those in the travel and facility maintenance business also decreased by 12,000.
Workers in the government and public administration also fell by 85,000, recording a sharper drop that was seen as being due to the large increase in public hiring in August last year.
The number of employees in manufacturing, however, rose by 22,000, a fourth-consecutive monthly gain since May. Public health and welfare workers also increased by 112,000, and employees in the technology and telecommunications sectors also saw increases of 59,000 and 56,000, respectively. (Yonhap)
By Jun Ji-hye
The Philippine Department of Tourism Korea (PDOT Korea) has launched an online training program called the "Philippine Specialist Program" (PSP) designed to provide travel agents in Korea with systematic and professional knowledge about the Southeast Asian country.
PDOT Korea said the program, which was launched Monday, offers vivid and useful information that reflects changing consumer trends amid the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that the program is aimed at preparing for the end of the COVID-19 pandemic when international tourism is expected to resume.
The course consists of online modules containing a total of 43 themes introducing various tourism resources, including history, local festivals, gastronomy, attractions, activities and useful travel tips. Each module includes video materials in addition to text information to boost understanding.
Participants can take the online courses by registering on the official website.
After completing 43 modules followed by special quiz sessions, the participants will be awarded certificates certifying them as specialists on the Philippines.
"These online learning courses are planned to support Korean travel agents who are willing to provide accurate and up-to-date information about the Philippines to customers, develop new tour products and finally sell the tour products once the overseas travel restrictions are relaxed," said Maria Apo, the tourism director of PDOT Korea.
The training also provides a variety of special benefits that enable participants to organize and sell tour products by displaying the phrase "PDOT-Certified Philippine Specialist" on their websites, promotional channels and email signatures.
The participants will be given priority status in invitations to various events organized by PDOT Korea. In addition, the PDOT Korea will select some of the participants and place them on its official website with relevant links in a bid to help them maximize their sales of tour products.
An official poster for the 10th Seoul International Writers' Festival / Courtesy of SIWF
By Park Han-sol
The 10th Seoul International Writers' Festival, a global platform for fruitful literary exchanges between Korean and international authors and readers since its inception in 2006, will be held in a hybrid online-offline format starting next week.
Under the theme of "Awakening," 33 writers from 16 countries will participate in the event from Oct. 8 to 24 to discuss the role and future of literature after COVID-19 comes to an end, a period that will inevitably be marked by sweeping cultural changes worldwide.
The 17-day festival jointly hosted by the Literature Translation Institute of Korea (LTI Korea), the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture, the Seoul Design Foundation and Incheon International Airport Corporation will hold lectures, writers' talks, film screenings, recitals and multilingual reading sessions of Korean literature.
Discussions are expected to cover a wide range of humanities-based topics such as the environment, gender and genre, and youth fiction.
A scene from "Free Falling," a cinematic adaptation of Hwang Jung-eun's short story of the same title / Courtesy of SIWF
The festival will open next Friday with the voices of celebrated novelist Han Kang, a recipient of the prestigious 2016 Man Booker International Prize for "The Vegetarian," and Mariana Enriquez, an Argentinian author and journalist known for her works of Latin American Gothic realism.
Notable sessions include a one-on-one writers' talk between author-chemist Kwak Jae-sik and multiple Hugo Award-winning American writer Ken Liu, in which the two will share their views on artificial intelligence, the Metaverse and the idea of utopia through their works of science fiction.
Another session between author Kim Soom and French writer and film director Vanessa Springora will investigate literature's role in dealing with historical trauma.
Other participants include English writer Max Porter, Yun Ko-eun, whose "The Disaster Tourist" has recently made headlines as the recipient of the 2021 Dagger Award, and the rising author Lee Mi-ye who wrote the best-selling book "Dollar Good Dream Department Store."
In celebration of the 10th edition of the festival, four short films that have been adapted from domestic literary works will be screened both online and at Dongdaemun Design Plaza, Oct. 9 and 10, accompanied by Q&A sessions with the authors and directors. The original works in question are "Tomorrow's Lovers" by Jung Young-su, "Free Falling" by Hwang Jung-eun, "Big Brother" by Kim Kyung-uk and "Worms" by Kim Ae-ran.
gettyimagesbank
The number of babies born in South Korea dropped to a record low in July, data showed Wednesday, in the latest sign that underscores the country's gloomy demographic situation with the chronically low birth rate.
A total of 22,352 babies were born in July, down 2.8 percent from the previous year, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea.
In the first seven months of this year, the number of newborns reached an all-time low of 159,269, down 3.4 percent from the previous year.
South Korea is struggling with a sustained fall in childbirths, as many young people give up getting married or having babies amid a prolonged economic slowdown.
The country's total fertility rate the average number of children a woman bears in her lifetime hit a record low of 0.84 last year. It marked the third straight year the rate was below 1 percent.
In this 2019 February file photo, a man paints a pole next to pictures of Vietnam, U.S. and North Korean national flags in Hanoi ahead of the second U.S.-North Korean summit. AFP-Yonhap
The United States has no hostile policy and is ready to meet with North Korea without preconditions, a State Department spokesman said Wednesday, after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said the U.S. offer to engage with the North is a disguise for its hostility.
"The United States harbors no hostile intent toward the DPRK. Our policy calls for a calibrated, practical approach that is open to and will explore diplomacy with the DPRK to make tangible progress that increases the security of the United States, our allies, and our deployed forces," a State Department spokesperson told Yonhap News Agency in an email.
DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the North's official name.
"We are prepared to meet with the DPRK without preconditions. We hope the DPRK will respond positively to our outreach," the spokesperson added.
In this image captured from Youtube, Sydney Seiler, national intelligence officer for North Korea at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, speaks in a webinar hosted by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) think tank, Sept. 29.
The top U.S. intelligence officer on North Korea on Wednesday argued the North does not seek a permanently improved relationship with South Korea, arguing the North's long-term objective remains decoupling the U.S.-South Korea alliance and possibly invade South Korea.
"I'm always interested to see an introduction of a new piece of intelligence or information that would overturn my assessment but you just have to conclude strategically North Korea does not seek sustained improved relations with South Korea," said Sydney Seiler, national intelligence officer for North Korea at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
"In fact, you can make more arguments because of influence, cultural influence, political influence and the price that would have to be paid. There's no real sustained North-South daytime without the nuclear issue being addressed that just the cost of sustained engagement with the South is greater than it's worth for the North," he added in a webinar hosted by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank.
His remark comes after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister, Kim Yo-jong, said the two Koreas may discuss ways to improve inter-Korean relations and even hold an inter-Korean summit if Seoul dropped its hostility against her country.
North Korean ambassador to the U.N., Kim Song, on the other hand, called for a permanent end to the joint military exercises of South Korean forces and U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) troops, calling them a sheer example of what he called the countries' hostility against the North.
Seiler said the North has always tried to and continues to seek to drive a wedge between the two allies.
"I think North Korea is well aware of the strength of the alliance and this is a value of, first of all, 28,500 (U.S. Forces Korea) troops on the ground with dependence. So the commitment of the United States to the defense of Republic of Korea is well understood by North Korea," he said.
"That's why the North Koreans hate our exercises. Not because they feel our exercises are a threat, but (because) they are a regular reminder our training and our exercises that we have an alliance that is committed to deny North Korea from seeking to do what it attempted to do on June 25, 1950 and what it has attempted to generate year after year," he added, referring to the start date of the 1950-53 Korean War.
The U.S. official reiterated the allies must not ease their joint deterrence or their emphasis on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula as the North Korean leader may come to believe that "first, he can gain acceptance as a nuclear weapons state" and "second, split the U.S.-ROK alliance achieve decoupling."
Seiler also insisted the countries should not pay too much attention to North Korean provocations such as missile launches, noting they only indicate the North's continued to efforts to improve its weapons systems.
North Korea on Wednesday (Seoul time) said it test fired a new hypersonic missile the previous day.
"All too often, however, people are overly focused on when's the next launch or when's the next talks. We know talks will come. We know launches will come ... The longer term strategic implications of a non-denuclearizing North Korea is where everybody's eyes and minds and heads should be focused right now," he said.
To prevent North Korea from achieving its "longer term strategic objectives," Seiler said they countries must seek to establish an international consensus that the North will never be accepted as a nuclear weapons state.
"Maintaining that international consensus on the unacceptability will send a strong message to Pyongyang that their strategy is not working," he said.
"The opposite is frankly potentially dangerous because it could encourage Kim Jong-un beyond the mere possession of nuclear weapons but using those to achieve longer term strategic objectives we all know," added Seiler. (Yonhap)
Students get tested for the coronavirus at a high school in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap
By Bahk Eun-ji
Concerns are growing among parents as children aged 12 to 17 will be allowed to get COVID-19 vaccines starting next month.
Their main concerns are related to possible side effects, but they are also worried about the social disadvantages caused by not being vaccinated.
According to a detailed plan for vaccination of this age group released Tuesday by the Korea Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, vaccination will not be compulsory for children, and will be carried out based only on the consent of a parent or a legal guardian.
However, the public health authorities believe that the benefits of vaccinating children do not outweigh the risks of infection overwhelmingly, unlike with other age groups.
The probability of developing a serious case of COVID-19 is significantly lower for children than for other age groups. As well, the parents cited fears of their children developing heart problems after vaccination, citing a report published by the Journal of Korean Medical Science earlier this year which recommended "Close monitoring for the occurrence of myocarditis/pericarditis after the introduction of the COVID-19 vaccine to adolescents."
Kim So-young, the mother of a middle school student in Seoul's Gwangjin District, said that she spent almost a month considering the pros and cons of whether her son should get vaccinated.
The number of infections in her neighborhood has been increasing since the beginning of the fall semester, but Kim said that she still does not feel at ease about the vaccine's possible side effects.
"I haven't decided yet whether to get the vaccine for my son, but I feel like we are stuck in limbo, because if my son doesn't get the vaccine, he could get infected with the coronavirus or be bullied," Kim said.
Jung Da-woon, another mother of a middle school student in southern Seoul's Seocho District, said she that decided not to vaccinate her 14-year-old son, but is concerned that he might be bullied by his peers.
"My son wants to receive the vaccine once he becomes eligible, saying that unvaccinated students can be blamed for spreading the virus if infections occur in schools, and that may lead to bullying," Jung said.
So far, 11,191 patients in Korea aged 12 to 17 have been confirmed to have been infected with COVID-19, accounting for 397.1 per 100,000 people, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The rate of COVID-19 infection per 100,000 people in all age groups is 458.9, with a rate of 612.7 in the 18-29 age group. These rates are much lower that the infection rates of children and adolescents.
In addition, three of the total confirmed COVID-19 patients aged 12 to 17 in Korea have developed serious cases, amounting to an overall rate of 0.03 percent getting seriously ill from COVID-19. This rate is lower compared to the 2.47 percent of all patients here who become seriously ill, and the 0.19 percent aged 18 to 29. There have been no deaths in the 12-17 age group here yet.
As for the vaccine side effects, 15 cases of myocarditis and pericarditis were confirmed among high school seniors in Korea, but all of the patients recovered.
"For healthy children and adolescents without underlying diseases, considering the overall risks and benefits of getting vaccinated, including the adverse reactions and long-term safety concerns, the benefits are higher than the risks. However, the benefits are not overwhelmingly high," Choi Eun-hwa, head of the Korea Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, said in a briefing on Monday.
"That's why the committee and the government recommend that children get vaccinated, but they are not in a position to recommend children get vaccinated unconditionally," she said.
"There are parents and children themselves who really want the children to get vaccinated, so the government is giving them the opportunity to choose."
Baek-ho, a Welsh Corgi that became a YouTube sensation / Courtesy of Kang Seung-yeon
By Lee Hae-rin
Corgi YouTube star Baek-ho's human owner Kang Seung-yeon, 32, is a regular donor to charities supporting abandoned animals. Kang creates and uploads videos of her daily life with Baek-ho on her YouTube and social media channels and donates all of the related income to animal welfare causes.
Over 128,000 animal lovers have subscribed to Baek-ho's YouTube channel, "Baek-ho Next Door," while over 640,000 people follow him on Twitter and Instagram combined. Baek-ho was on the cover of the April edition of Big Issue Korea, and before the pandemic used to have a regular "fan walk" with 300 to 400 subscribers.
Baek-ho, a Welsh Corgi YouTube star, appears on the cover of the April edition of Big Issue Korea. / Courtesy of Kang Seung-yeon
"It started out as something very personal in 2015 an online diary to look back when Baek-ho passes and a backup folder of his photos and videos in case I lose my phone," Kang told The Korea Times. "I didn't know back then that Baek-ho would be so famous."
Kang is not sure why the channel became such a success, but says she always tries to portray Baek-ho's life with honesty.
Kang Seung-yeon and Baek-ho take a walk together in this photo taken in 2020. / Courtesy of Kang Seung-yeon
South Korea's chief nuclear envoy, Noh Kyu-duk, right, and his U.S. counterpart, Sung Kim, pose before their talks in Jakarta, Sept. 30. Yonhap
The top nuclear envoys of South Korea and the United States held talks in Jakarta on Thursday to discuss joint efforts to resume dialogue with North Korea, after its leader Kim Jong-un voiced a willingness to restore inter-Korean communication lines following tensions over recent missile tests.
The talks between Seoul's chief nuclear envoy, Noh Kyu-duk, and his U.S. counterpart, Sung Kim, came as Seoul and Washington are strategizing on humanitarian aid, confidence-building measures and other steps to encourage Pyongyang's return to dialogue.
Striking a conciliatory note, the North Korean leader told Wednesday's parliamentary session that he is willing to reactivate the cross-border communication lines in early October though he discounted the U.S. overtures for dialogue as a cover for hostility toward the North, according to the Korean Central News Agency.
Noh and Kim were expected to exchange their assessments of the leader's speech, the North's intentions behind its recent saber-rattling, including Tuesday's test-firing of a newly developed hypersonic missile, as well as inducements for dialogue.
The two sides were also likely to discuss President Moon Jae-in's recent proposal for the declaration of a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War, which Noh has said was the "most effective" among confidence-building measures with the North.
On the humanitarian front, Seoul and Washington have been discussing various measures for vulnerable people in the impoverished country, such as cooperation in public health, antivirus quarantine, sanitation and clean water.
Ahead of this week's talks, both Noh and Kim have stressed their governments' steady commitment to diplomacy with the North, with the former calling the current juncture a crucial point for the resumption of peace efforts, and the latter saying the North's missile activities have not changed the U.S.' determination for dialogue.
Thursday's meeting followed their last in-person talks in Tokyo a little over a fortnight ago. Noh and Kim also met in Seoul and Washington last month in an indication of stepped-up diplomacy to reengage with the North. (Yonhap)
Former Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida attends a press conference at the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, Wednesday, after being elected the LDP president. He will become next prime minister of the country. EPA-Yonhap
Tokyo may wait for Korea's next administration to be launched
By Kang Seung-woo
The leadership change in Japan with a new prime minister to be appointed next week is unlikely to reverse the current downward spiral of bilateral ties with Korea anytime soon, according to diplomatic observers, Thursday.
On Wednesday, Japan's former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida won the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) leadership election and is set to be become the next prime minister, Oct. 4. Kishida is known here for his role in the now-scrapped "comfort women" deal in 2015 to resolve the thorny historical issue of sexual slavery.
In response to Kishida's election, Cheong Wa Dae issued a statement, hoping for cooperation with the new Japanese Cabinet for the development of forward-looking relations between the two countries, which have reached their lowest point in years over historical and territorial issues. Outgoing Prime Minster Yoshihide Suga never held a summit with President Moon Jae-in after taking office a year ago.
"While a new leadership is always an opportunity for change, I think that Kishida's victory to lead the LDP will not have much impact on Korea-Japan relations in the near term," U.S. Naval War College Professor Terence Roehrig said.
Roehrig also noted that the new premier faces a heap of domestic issues to focus on, including upcoming parliamentary elections, ahead of addressing the feud with Korea.
Japan is scheduled to hold a general election in November and the election of the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of parliament, next summer.
Robert Manning, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, said the tensions in Korea-Japan relations were historical and structural in nature and that the distrust was very difficult to reverse.
"Unfortunately, I think that the dangerous downward spiral in Korea-Japan relations has its own momentum," he said.
"The recent decision to seize and sell Mitsubishi assets by the Moon administration, for example, would have a very negative reaction in Japan regardless of who might be prime minister, as it goes against Japanese views on previous Korea-Japan agreements."
Earlier this week, the Daejeon District Court ordered the sale of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' assets here to compensate victims of forced wartime labor.
"I think in light of the current situation, any Korea-Japan rapprochement will be difficult and a long-term issue, though cooperation in the face of mutual threats from North Korea should continue," Manning added.
Roehrig said if Kishida survives the November election, his Cabinet will await the outcome of Korea's presidential election in March 2022, rather than reaching out to the Moon administration, which has been making last-ditch efforts to normalize its relations with Japan before his term ends in May 2022.
"Kishida will assess the new Korean administration's position on improving ties. There may be an opportunity for progress then, but the obstacles remain huge," he said.
Amid growing China's assertiveness in Indo-Pacific, the United States is seeking to rally its regional allies to counter Beijing and as part of its efforts, Washington is trying to enhance trilateral cooperation with Seoul and Tokyo.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga leaves after a news conference at his office in Tokyo in this Sept. 9 photo. The outgoing prime minister has never held a summit with President Moon Jae-in since taking office about a year ago. AP-Yonhap
By Hwang Dong-hee
GCS (Goodwill Cooperation Service) International signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Korea Saemaul Undong Center and the GCS International Korea Chapter to cooperate in creating a "community for living well together" and in promoting world peace, Tuesday, Sept. 28.
Under the three-party agreement, the organizations will jointly engage in educational, cultural, and voluntary works and sporting events domestically and globally.
In addition, they agreed to carry out activities for the Korea Saemaul Undong Center's goals of promoting a "life movement," "peace movement," "community movement" and a "global village Saemaul Undong," in accordance with the Center's founding spirit, represented by the motto of "diligence, self-help and cooperation," as well as the basic GCS movement principles of "goodwill, cooperation and service."
The three parties will actively utilize their respective networks and resources in conducting volunteer projects home and abroad, and dedicate part of the proceeds from the activities to helping refugees and children in developing countries.
"I am so pleased to sign this agreement with the Korea Saemaul Undong Center. I hope that this agreement will bring great and tangible achievements in the near future," GCS International President Choue Chung-won said during the ceremony.
"It is especially meaningful because this year marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of my late father, who established the GCS movement," he added.
Yum Hong-chul, who heads the Korea Saemaul Undong Center, said, "The GCS movement and the Saemaul Undong have much in common in their respective spirits. I look forward to a great synergy effect from this agreement."
Floor leaders of the two major parties, Rep. Yun Ho-jung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, left, and Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon of the main opposition People Power Party, right, fist-bump each other during a meeting presided over by National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug in his office at the Assembly, Wednesday, to discuss the contentious "fake news" bill. They decided to form a special committee for further discussion on the matter through Dec. 31. Yonhap
By Jung Da-min
The so-called "fake news" bill, which the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has been pushing, will not be put to a vote in the National Assembly by the end of the year, as the ruling and opposition blocs agreed to delay it for further review amid criticism from here and abroad that it risks undermining press freedom, with even President Moon Jae-in expressing concerns.
Considering the political parties will be going all out for the March 9 presidential election next year, the National Assembly vote can be delayed further, and may even be thrown out entirely if a candidate of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), which opposes the bill, wins the election.
The DPK and the PPP agreed Wednesday to form a special committee to further discuss details of the revision bill to the Act on Press Arbitration as well as other media-related laws through Dec. 31. Accordingly, the introduction of the bill at the National Assembly for a plenary vote will not take place before that time.
"Members of the media, civic organizations and expert groups have repeatedly requested that overall discussions of other media-related laws should also accompany those on the Press Arbitration Act," DPK floor leader Rep. Yun Ho-jung said after his meeting with PPP floor leader Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon and National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug, during which they agreed to create the special committee.
Kim said: "We made the decision after much deliberation in order to respect the basic principle that the ruling and opposition parties run the National Assembly through dialogue and consensus as much as possible."
The bill would impose punitive damages against media outlets or reporters allegedly producing "fake news," with the amount of possible compensation being up to fivefold the financial damage suffered by the victims of the alleged disinformation. This faced criticism from media groups both here and abroad over the possibility it could be used to suppress press freedom with ambiguous standards on fake news, and be abused to silence media reports critical of political and economic power.
In early September, the DPK and the PPP formed an eight-member consultative body to discuss the matter but failed to reach an agreement even after 11 meetings. The DPK planned to introduce the bill to the National Assembly for a plenary vote Monday, but reached an agreement with the PPP for further review, apparently giving in to international pressure.
Even President Moon called for a "thorough review" of the bill. He told reporters, Sept. 22, "As the media, civic groups and international groups have raised issues with the bill, I think these should be discussed thoroughly."
If the two parties fail to reach an agreement by Dec. 31, the DPK could push ahead with a plenary vote on the bill, but might not as it will be focusing on the presidential election. Political watchers say the DPK attempting to railroad the bill may have a negative impact on the party, as seen with its previous railroading of contentious bills earlier this year, which pushed the party's approval rating down.
If the PPP wins the presidential election, the bill may be scrapped entirely, because even if the DPK approves it by taking advantage of its majority position at the Assembly, the president has the right to veto it.
Conservative main opposition People Power Party (PPP) leader Lee Jun-seok, second from right, speaks during a party meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, Thursday. The PPP is calling for an investigation by a special counsel into corruption allegations involving Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung, the front-runner among the liberal ruling Democratic Party of Korea's presidential contenders, surrounding a land development project in Seongnam when Lee Jae-myung was mayor of the city. Joint Press Corps
This photo carried on North Korea's Korean Central News Agency shows what North Korea claims to be a new hypersonic missile launched from Toyang-ri, Ryongrim County, Jagang Province, North Korea, Tuesday. AP-Yonhap
Cheong Wa Dae remains neutral on Tuesday's missile launch
By Nam Hyun-woo
North Korea claimed Wednesday that the missile it launched a day earlier was a new, self-developed hypersonic one, in what is believed to be a move to test Seoul's reaction and gain leverage prior to a possible inter-Korean summit and denuclearization talks with U.S.
Its state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that Pyongyang's Academy of Defense Science had test-fired the hypersonic missile, dubbed Hwasong-8, from Jagang Province.
"In the first test-launch, national defense scientists confirmed the navigational control and stability of the missile in the active section and also its technical specifications including the guiding maneuverability and the gliding flight characteristics of the detached hypersonic gliding warhead," the KCNA said.
The report added that the academy "also ascertained the stability of the engine as well as of the missile fuel ampoule that has been introduced for the first time." However, the KCNA did not state whether it was a ballistic missile nor any other details. Reportedly, the South Korean military assumes that it flew less than 200 kilometers.
The report came after private experts' analysis that the North might have tested a hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) launched from a ballistic missile.
"North Korea claims it developed a hypersonic missile, but it appears to be an HGV launched from a ballistic missile, not a hypersonic cruise missile (HCM)," said Kim Dong-yup, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies. "Given the North dropped a hint that it will develop hypersonic glide technology in January, it seems that the warhead can fly at hypersonic speed. Also, North Korea said the missile was named the Hwasong-8, and the Hwasong series has historically been ballistic missiles powered by a liquid-fuel engine."
In recent years, military powerhouses such as the U.S., China and Russia, have been developing hypersonic missiles, which are capable of traveling at more than five times the speed of sound, thus making them difficult to intercept.
There are two primary categories of hypersonic missiles HGVs and HCMs. While HGVs are launched from a ballistic missile before gliding to their target, HCMs are powered by high-speed ram-jets to a pre-programmed target, according to a U.S. Congressional Research Service report.
Since hypersonic missiles do not follow a ballistic trajectory and can maneuver towards their target, they are regarded as having a combination of the advantages of ballistic missile which can carry heavier warheads and cruise missiles which are difficult to detect and intercept. According to the report, Russia has already deployed the Avangard, a hypersonic glide vehicle launched from an intercontinental ballistic missile, while the U.S. earlier this week successfully tested a hypersonic cruise missile.
"An HGV poses a greater threat than an HCM, because the trajectory of the gliding vehicle becomes almost impossible to predict after it is launched from its ballistic missile," said Shin In-kyun, a defense analyst and an affiliated professor at Kyonggi University Graduate School of North Korean Studies.
Along with the missile itself, experts said North Korea's mentioning of "ampoule" (KCNA terminology) is also noteworthy. This "ampoule" appears to be referring to a sealed liquid fuel tank. A liquid-fueled missile has a reduced preparation time prior to launch, and can under appropriate circumstances be kept in an advance state of readiness.
Shin said North Korea's alleged hypersonic missile technology appears to be at in its early stages because the Hwasong-8 flew less than 200 kilometers at a speed of less than Mach 2.5, but he expects the North will continue efforts to upgrade its technology to a level where actual deployment is possible.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said Wednesday: "We believe the missile which North Korea claimed was hypersonic appears to be at an early level of development, and it will be a long time before it is deployed," adding, "it can be detected and intercepted with the current military assets of South Korea and the U.S."
The North's announcement is interpreted as a test to see whether South Korea and the U.S. will recognize its missile programs as its "right to test weapons," which is one of the demands that North Korea has been making recently as a precondition to engage in talks for an official end to the Korean War declaration and denuclearization.
While showing a positive response to President Moon's proposal to declare a formal end to the war, Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korea leader Kim Jong-un, demanded Seoul and Washington withdraw their "double dealing standards."
The rhetoric is assumed to be targeting South Korea's test of a locally developed submarine-launched ballistic missile, Sept. 15. When North Korea launched a ballistic missile from a train the same day, Seoul defined this move as a "provocation."
Since then, Moon hasn't used the term provocation, specifically to describe Tuesday's launch, which is interpreted as a tactic to maintain his "peace momentum."
Cheong Wa Dae kept a neutral stance over the missile launch, Wednesday. Park Soo-hyun, senior presidential secretary for public communication, said in a radio interview, "We cannot prejudge anything for now," and, "we should focus on finding out North Korea's intention precisely through a thorough analysis."
North Korea's latest missile launches will not affect the U.S.' determination to seek diplomacy with the North for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the U.S. nuclear envoy for Pyongyang said Wednesday.
Sung Kim, U.S. special representative for North Korea, made the remark at a press event in Jakarta, a day after the North test-fired a hypersonic missile into the East Sea. The firing came after the regime's test-firings of two short-range missiles on Sept. 15 and a new type of cruise missile days earlier.
While describing the missile launches as a "threat" and "a violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions," under which the North is banned from testing or using nuclear and ballistic technologies, Kim said that does not "deter" the U.S. from continuing to pursue a "diplomatic path."
"We're strongly committed to finding a diplomatic path to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," he said at the event with foreign journalists. "That has not changed at all. These missile activities do not change our determination."
"We're waiting to hear back from Pyongyang. We have proposed dialogues on a wide range of topics ... we hope to hear back soon," Kim added.
The missile launches came amid Seoul's efforts to explore ways with Washington to resume the stalled dialogue with Pyongyang. Since last week, Pyongyang has expressed a willingness to improve inter-Korean relations and even discuss a summit with Seoul, but on the condition that the South drops its double standard and hostile attitudes against the regime.
Kim is set to hold talks with his South Korean counterpart, Noh Kyu-duk, to discuss North Korean issues in Jakarta on Thursday. (Yonhap)
South Korea's chief nuclear envoy Noh Kyu-duk speaks to the press at Incheon International Airport before leaving for Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday. Yonhap
South Korea's chief nuclear negotiator, Noh Kyu-duk, held video talks with his Chinese counterpart Wednesday and discussed North Korea's latest missile launch and recent statements, the foreign ministry said.
Noh's talks with Liu Xiaoming, Beijing's special representative on Korean Peninsula affairs, came a day after the North test-fired a hypersonic missile into the East Sea.
The firing came only days after Pyongyang expressed a willingness to improve inter-Korean relations and even discuss a summit with Seoul, on the condition the South drops its double-standard and hostile attitudes against the regime.
During the talks, Noh "asked for China's constructive role in efforts to bring Pyongyang back to dialogue, as he underscored the need for the stable management of the peninsula situation and a swift resumption of the talks," the ministry said in a release.
Liu reaffirmed Beijing's willingness to cooperate to advance the peace process for the Korean Peninsula, according to the ministry.
The two also agreed to meet in person at an early date to continue the discussions.
On Tuesday, Noh also spoke by phone with his U.S. counterpart, Sung Kim, and discussed the North's missile launch. Noh departed for Indonesia later in the day for talks with Kim, slated for Thursday.
"We will put our heads together for in-depth discussions on how to break through the current situation based on the evaluations we have shared on the series of the statements by North Korea and its missile launch," Noh told reporters at the airport before leaving for Jakarta, where Kim doubles as the U.S. ambassador to the country.
Noh also noted that he will discuss with Kim the end-of-war declaration, proposed by President Moon Jae-in at last week's U.N. General Assembly, as a way to bring North Korea back to the negotiating table.
"I believe it's the most effective among the confidence-building measures, as we have discussed with the U.S. various measures, such as the humanitarian cooperation, and so I plan to discuss that as well," Noh added. (Yonhap)
By Lee Min-young
ESG, or the environmental, social, and governance principles of a company, is one of the main topics being discussed these days in the business world.
Europe and the U.S. have been leading the adoption of ESG standards, while businesses in Asia have recently started to jump on the bandwagon.
To understand this topic in more depth, The Korea Times invited Jeon YouMe, the managing director of PERSOLKELLY Korea and the group leader for PERSOLKELLY Consulting in the APAC region, for a discussion on how Korean companies are responding to the rapidly evolving business environment in which ESG management practices are becoming the central issue for companies to tackle in order to survive both for the firms themselves and for humankind's future generations.
Jeon has more than 20 years of experience in consulting for multinational corporations in Korea and Singapore to help them build corporate strategies for market entry, HR solutions, and corporate restructuring.
We also invited Elvin Tan, who will join us online from Singapore. He is the Regional Director of PERSOLKELLY and the Head of Operations in the APAC region.
With our two panelists having worked in the HR solutions industry for many years, they will give us more focused insights on what roles HR plays in helping companies succeed, as well as how companies can incorporate HR strategies that pursue ESG principles and standards.
Video by Yun Da-been
The average Korean generates a little over 1 kilogram of solid waste each day.
Multiply that by Korea's entire population, and that equates to nearly 56,000 tons of waste being disposed of in just a single day. Now the question is where does it all go?
"The country's overflowing landfills and worsening pollution levels, in general, have made it unsustainable to freely dispose of our waste as was done in the past," Phae Chae-gun, professor of Environmental Engineering at Seoul National University of Science and Technology (SeoulTech) said.
"But that means we have to build new incinerators, right? The problem is that nobody wants one in their neighborhood. You have opposition from both the residents and the regional governments. Not in my backyard, as they say. Given these negative perceptions that are entrenched in our society, it is difficult to get anything going when it comes to building new incinerators."
Amid public concerns over our conventional means of handling waste, all-new waste management solutions are now coming under the spotlight. Here at the Union Tower and Union Park in the city of Hanam, a new waste management facility has been constructed recently along with a number of amenities for nearby residents.
By David A. Tizzard
This week we've seen North Korea launch missiles from a train and, not to be outdone, South Korea launch missiles from a submarine with the President looking on all authoritatively. Those vertical peninsula pushes have since been surpassed by an announcement from Biden, Boris and "that fella down under" that there will be an axis of Anglo-Saxonism with its own missiles combining and being pointed towards Beijing. Taiwan seems to be getting involved too. Nothing to worry about though, of course. Just weapons of destruction being paraded in front of us. It's for our own safety. Our guns are defensive; theirs are a threat. And the missiles will be only used on the "other" people, and they don't count.
Are Kim Jong-un and Pyongyang really an existential threat today though? Norm Macdonald got it right when he said no one really wakes up in the middle of the night clutching their blanket in a cold sweat worrying about North Korea. Perhaps John Bolton does, but the less said about him the better.
And despite all of this, the digital emotion machine has been pushed forward by op-eds, memes and the blue-ticked crew sharing the exact same pictures and data demanding our attention. Sadly, we don't have nearly as many questioning whether we should be worried by these developments. Nor are people addressing the psychological effects of looking at these murder weapons all day. And while all this fills the news and headspaces, World Suicide Prevention Day sneaks past us almost apologetically: "Sorry for interrupting your missile talk. People are dying here but we promise not to make too much fuss," it says.
A septuplet of Korean lads dancing to an Ed Sheeran song is front page news. Lisa getting 90 million views in a few days gets an "URGENT" headline on news outlets' Twitter. The government declaring a new K brand for its "world-beating response to the COVID pandemic" dominates television while the next story reminds us that we should definitely NOT travel during Chuseok. But that South Korea has the highest suicide rate among all members of the OECD in 2021, with its heartbreaking figures of 24.7 deaths per 100,000 being more than double the OECD average, is generally known but not spoken about. When interviewed recently for a government-funded documentary, I was politely asked not to mention the country's devastating statistics or address that particular issue. "Only beautiful, please."
In the domestic news, suicide is referred to euphemistically as an "extreme choice." This linguistic trick is an example of how the country won't really face up to the severity and reality of what's going on. For many, the concept is still taboo. Occasionally celebrities commit suicide and everyone grieves for a few days and says how awesome they were before moving on to the next story.
When discussing all of this with
, free from government restraints, some of the public responses to our conversation were incredibly sad. One citizen took the time to tell us, "As someone who went through severe depression before, I don't think it's a good idea to share what you're suffering from with others. Especially in Korea. It's most likely to affect your life in a negative way and that's because of the old public perception. People will judge you and treat you differently."
Suffer in silence. Get through it. Other people won't understand so don't burden them. There's real stuff happening that's more important: you saw the missiles, right?
I'm not sure it's acceptable anymore for the military and governments to keep instilling fear in us and creating division. Not at the expense of citizens' lives. And this leads me to wonder what would happen if a politician ran on a platform that focused on the mental health and well-being of the people? What if someone stood up, renounced missiles, and instead championed happiness and mental health awareness? Would they be called crazy?
In a weird and twisted way, yes. Probably.
Dr. David A. Tizzard (datizzard@swu.ac.kr) has a Ph.D. in Korean Studies. He is a social/cultural commentator and musician who has lived in Korea for nearly two decades. The views expressed in the article are the author's own and do not reflect the editorial direction of The Korea Times.
By Scott Shepherd
Since our wedding, my wife and I have been thinking about getting a cat by which I mean that I've been trying to convince my wife to let us get one. And last week, after over two years of careful consideration (pleading), we (my wife) finally decided that we were ready.
So off to the animal rescue center we trundled.
Weirdly, not long afterward indeed, while I was still trying to get my thoughts together for this piece The Korea Times
about what appears to be a kind of utopian animal rescue shelter, called the Bom Center in Paju. I suppose there's something in the air these days in Korea.
We live nowhere near Paju, so we happily settled on our local animal rescue center. The process was pretty straightforward. The person at the desk I suppose a veterinarian nurse led us through the hospital to the animal viewing room, and presented in turn each of the kittens up for adoption. We chose the youngest, signed some forms, paid for a few (pricey) medical procedures, and we were off. On the way home, we agreed on the name, "Podo," the Korean word for grape. Now we have a pet cat.
However, our experience was nothing like what I imagine the good residents of Paju go through when they visit their local pet rescue center.
The place where we got Podo consisted of two rooms: one customer-facing room and one back room. The former was a little shabby, but otherwise looked much like an ordinary shop in Korea, with a cashiers' desk at one end and along the walls, an assortment of pet toys, toothbrushes and this being Korea pet clothes for sale.
At the rear of the first room is a door that leads to the back room, where the cats are kept and where, presumably, the vets perform their work. As soon as our veterinarian guide opened that door, we were hit by the overwhelming odor of cat feces and urine. Inside there were two cages on the left, each with a dung-filled litter tray and about four or five kittens apiece. It was dark and dank.
Now I'm hardly the poster child for the WWF. I'm a proud omnivore and human supremacist. I believe animals are inferior to humans and should be treated as such; I love eating meat and I hate the personification of beasts. If we place too high a value on what some call an animal's rights, my personal view is that we risk devaluing the precious value of humanity. I positively loathe the sight of people carrying around little runt-like dogs dressed up in frilly pink costumes; a trip to the trendier areas of Seoul is therefore something of a risk for me.
Yet, despite these personal beliefs, I couldn't help but feel that the treatment of the cats in that shelter seems wrong. It was poorly ventilated, with no stimuli, no space, no light just a stinking, overcrowded den. Contrary to all my own expectations, I actually felt guilty about the cats we were leaving behind.
The lucky ones will be rescued and taken to what will hopefully be a much more pleasant environment. That's certainly the case for the newly-christened Podo. It is unfortunate that Podo's peers may spend the rest of their short days in that dingy room.
It would be better to let the cats roam free, surely.
True, Korea is a land of stark contrasts between seasons, and it takes one tough cookie of a feline to cope with the scorching summers and freezing winters. Even aside from the weather, a feral or wild feline has a veritable smorgasbord of ways to shuffle off its mortal coil. There are all kinds of dangers, both natural and man-made.
But the word, "rescue," has lost all meaning if we're just taking them from one perilous situation and putting them in another. All we've done is to change the rules. In that dark cage, the poor things owe their existence on whether a human happens to choose them before the vet decides that they need to free up the space. If it's too ugly or old or the wrong breed, the moggy will eventually be put down killed by someone from the very institution that touts itself as a rescue center. At least in the wild, a cat's chances have to do with its own actions.
Of course, the country faces other more pressing issues than the welfare of abandoned cats, and I usually try to highlight them in my columns. It is my opinion that is quite right to put people before pets. Maybe I'm making much ado about nothing. It's only been a few days since we got little Podo, and it already seems well-adjusted with no evident trauma from its months confined in that cage. Podo escaped. Maybe the system is working well, and those animals that do end up being put down are just the natural and necessary by-products of an otherwise functioning balance between the humans and animals of this land. Maybe, but probably not.
We can treat animals better than this. While the zoological nirvana in Paju might be too expensive to be scaled up nationally, it is certainly a start. It's time that humans treat abandoned and stray pets better. Indeed, the very capacity to do so is one of the things that shows we are, in fact, humans. Let's start acting like it.
Dr. Scott Shepherd is a British-American academic. He has taught in universities in the U.K. and Korea, and is currently assistant professor of English at Chongshin University in Seoul. The views expressed in the article are the author's own and do not reflect the editorial direction of The Korea Times.
By Park Jung-won
During a tour of Afghanistan in January 2002, Joe Biden, then a United States senator and the chair of the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee, visited a group of Afghan children studying in a classroom. As he was leaving, a girl bravely pleaded with him for America not to abandon Afghanistan. She told him that she aspired to become a doctor in the future, just like her mother. Biden reassured her that the U.S. would stay. This episode features in Biden's memoir, "Promises to Keep," published in 2007.
In 2021, however, President Joe Biden withdrew all U.S. troops from Afghanistan, leaving millions of Afghans to the fate of life under a resurgent Taliban regime. During his speech broadcast nationally on Aug. 31, Biden justified his decision by stressing that this "forever war" must be ended, and that the U.S. should focus on vital national security interests with an eye to the future.
A genuine apology for the disastrous failure of the evacuation operations in Kabul was, however, nowhere to be found. He may have tried to spin the optics, but he could not spin away the hard truth of the events in Kabul, which were broadcast live around the world and caused significant damage to America's reputation.
Politics is the art of the possible under given circumstances. To paraphrase what German sociologist Max Weber stated in his lectures in 1919, it is in the realm of politics that the seemingly impossible becomes possible. Former President Donald Trump may have initiated the decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, yet the Biden administration, having agreed with it, should have engineered the best available outcome by using America's remaining leverage. That is what politics, and diplomacy, are all about.
This is not to say that the process of rebuilding Afghanistan was ever going to be an easy task for the U.S. In today's world, over which the past crimes of forms of imperialisms cast a pall of shame, there are clear limits to foreign intervention, emanating from the principle of respect for state sovereignty. Even hegemons such as the U.S. find it difficult to intervene in failed states, however noble their missions. If a local government is plagued by corruption, influencing it from the outside becomes even more complicated.
Herein lies the paradox of the principle of "respect for state sovereignty" in international relations. When investigations into a massive corruption and embezzlement scandal at Afghanistan's largest bank pointed all the way up to the family of former President Hamid Karzai, the Afghan regime resisted U.S. pressure by stirring up national emotions.
Even so, such structural contradictions and chronic corruption issues in Afghan society do not relieve the U.S. government of accountability. "The Afghanistan Papers," a page-turner written by Washington Post reporter Craig Whitlock, attests to this truth in a vivid way. It is a book based on off-the-record interviews of more than 400 generals, ambassadors, diplomats and other insiders who played direct roles in the Afghan war.
They testified to successive U.S. administrations' problematic, inefficient and even irresponsible running of the country's longest war, all the while lying to the American people about what was actually happening on the ground. The Obama administration even fired General David McKiernan, who had made an objective assessment of the situation and raised a red flag directly to his superiors.
Biden has declared that America will no longer "remake other countries." But if liberal democracy is only to be shared among close American allies that have already developed it, or if it is only to be promoted here and there based on the expediency of political calculations, can it still be described as a universal value?
Is this declaration not a terrifying denial of America's identity, as symbolized by Thomas Jefferson's idea of an "Empire of Liberty"? Where is the so-called notion of "value-oriented diplomacy?" Biden blamed Afghan leaders for their defeat by the Taliban, which is mostly true. But were the two decades of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan spent entirely for the sake of unrequited benevolence?
Here one is reminded of Prof. Hahm Pyong-choon's resentful critique made in Foreign Affairs in 1964. In it, Hahm, who eventually became South Korea's ambassador to the U.S., scolded an American military official who had complained that pitiful South Koreans only perceived aid coming from the U.S. with a "mendicant mentality." Hahm argued that the U.S., while providing economic and military aid to South Korea, was not merely engaging in philanthropy.
The South Korean regime's continued existence served U.S. security interests in the western Pacific region as it confronted threats from communist China and North Korea. The cases of Cold War-era South Korea and present-day Afghanistan are different in many ways, but weren't the reasons the U.S. entered Afghanistan and stayed for nearly 20 years directly related to its interests in the region, not simply an act of unilateral almsgiving?
What the U.S. urgently needs to do now is to set aside its pride, calmly reflect on its mistakes, and above all, avoid repeating them. Freedom and liberal democracy are precious values whose seeds, once planted, tend to develop their own vitality over time. Not a small number of Afghan people have experienced these values, albeit in a rudimentary form, over two decades, without the Taliban. America should not betray them.
Park Jung-won (
) has a Ph.D. in law from the London School of Economics (LSE) and is a professor of international law at Dankook University.
US-China economic conflict works as a boon
SK Innovation and Ford agreed recently to invest 10.2 trillion won ($8.6 billion) to build three electric vehicle (EV) battery plants in the United States by 2025. The Korean battery maker will invest 5.1 trillion won through its joint venture company, BluOvalSK, to construct a battery complex in Tennessee and two factories in Kentucky. Separately, SK Innovation will also spend 2.8 trillion won on the U.S. auto giant's pickup truck plant. It is the single largest investment by the refinery-and-battery company and also the biggest one in Ford's 118-year history.
The company's bold move comes after it ended a protracted legal battle with its domestic rival, LG Energy Solution, over alleged infringements of trade secrets. At a time when they had to compete fiercely with their Chinese and Japanese competitors to expand market share and secure superior technology, Korea's two largest battery makers fought each other for nearly two years.
SK Innovation's latest decision also followed a similar agreement between LG Energy Solution and General Motors, laying a firm foundation for the Korean battery industry in America. In April, LG decided to invest 2.7 trillion won to build its second joint venture EV battery factory in Tennessee. In addition, Samsung SDI has also announced a plan to advance into the U.S. market, which is expected to grow by more than 40 percent on average annually.
Not every outlook is bright, however. If the Korean makers fail to secure raw materials, for which they heavily depend on imports, or develop next-generation batteries, their status could collapse at any moment. They also need to check U.S. startups jumping into the fray one after another over the medium to long term. Experts point out, with reason, that they need to increase their batteries charging capacity and range while lowering prices.
The nation's three major battery makers are likely to compete fiercely with their Japanese rivals in the U.S. market for the time being. Competition has dominated the global semiconductor market. The same will likely be true in the EV battery market. We hope that the three Korean battery players will grow into companies that dominate the future through competition and cooperation.
Kishida urged to focus on normalizing ties with Seoul
Fumio Kishida, Japan's former foreign minister, won the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) leadership contest Wednesday, and will likely become the country's 100th prime minister succeeding the unpopular Yoshihide Suga. Kishida defeated former Defense Minister Taro Kono by 257 votes to 170 in a run-off.
Kishida will surely be chosen as prime minister during a parliamentary session Monday, riding on the LDP's majority status in the lower house. With the envisaged power shift in Japan, expectations are growing that the new leader will manage to find a breakthrough in the frozen relations between Seoul and Tokyo. Suga, who is leaving after serving only one year, has been negative regarding dialogue with South Korea, refusing to have any summits with President Moon Jae-in.
The relations between Seoul and Tokyo are at their lowest ebb since 1965 when they normalized ties. The relationship has continued to deteriorate over Japan's wartime sex slavery and compensation for wartime forced labor. The bilateral conflict has worsened further since Japan imposed curbs on exporting some essential items to Korean companies in retaliation to Korean courts' rulings on the wartime matters.
Kishida will face multiple challenges in finding solutions to the knotty problems. He was foreign minister in 2015 when he signed an agreement with his then Korean counterpart Yun Byung-se for the settlement of the sex slavery issue. He has maintained that "Japan carried out what it should do regarding the issue and the ball is now in Seoul's court." He has also said the future for the two countries will not be open unless Seoul abides by international law.
Worse still, the Daejeon District Court recently ordered Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy to sell assets to compensate South Koreans forced to work for it during World War II. All these and others indicate ominous prospects for bilateral relations. Yet, there are some signs that will likely help improve things.
For starters, President Moon has been seeking to improve bilateral ties through a summit, but to no avail. Regarding the issue of wartime forced labor, he opposed the idea of having the Japanese firm sell assets, saying "it would not be desirable for bilateral ties," during a New Year press conference in January.
Kishida has also at times been citing the need for dialogue with Seoul. As a consensus builder within the LDP, we hope he will take a moderate posture in dealing with Korea's issues without resorting to an excessive conservative approach. In yet another positive sign, a recent poll showed an increasing number of Koreans have been starting to have a more favorable view on Japan.
It is time for South Korea and Japan to solidify their cooperation to cope with growing security and economic challenges in the region as seen in the muscle flexing by China, in particular. Both sides should roll up their sleeves to mend ties and move forward toward mutually beneficial relations.
By Casey Lartigue Jr.
I can thank critics for some of my greatest personal and professional breakthroughs. I will never forget the newspaper columnist who accused me in a multi-part editorial of writing commentaries to become an "African-American hired gun" for think tanks.
I had never considered working for a think tank. After he told me which think tanks he suspected I was angling for, I applied to all of them plus a few more. After I got hired by a think tank sharing my interest in increasing educational freedom, I thanked the columnist for the inspiration.
Some honest critics can change and even become advocates. A few years ago, one of our volunteers admitted he had gone "undercover" in our organization to uncover dirt on me. What he found was a transparent organization truly respecting the autonomy of North Korean refugees. He turned into a fan who even began donating to our organization.
I don't take criticisms personally, I know there are many disgruntled, depressed, and angry people in this world who probably hate seeing me have so much fun with my work. For some others, it is just business, they may have careers or research grants based on critiquing, analyzing or researching others.
I have learned many critics only lift a finger to point at others, not to do work themselves. As Frederick Douglass said: "They compliment me in assuming that I should perform greater deeds than themselves."
Like the fable of the blind men and the elephant, some critics only see part of what is going on. When an insider becomes a critic, I assign that person the task of fixing the alleged problem. I will never forget the volunteer who wrote me an incredibly angry email with one of the most dramatic subject lines I had ever received.
I invited him for a meeting to review his criticisms. After he gained a better understanding of what we were trying to do, he pledged to get more deeply involved. Then later, when he was in a leadership position, he was complaining no longer about me, but about others around us who were not more engaged.
Because of the critics, I developed Lartigue's Law: "Take most criticism as a compliment, and act on it when it makes sense." As the old saying goes: "Dogs don't chase parked cars." Several years ago, I heard some critics were accusing me of training (even brainwashing) North Korean refugees to give speeches attacking North Korea. Perhaps the critics were showing what they would do (brainwashing) if North Korean refugees wanted to work with them.
The critics didn't stop at the usual nonsense, they were connecting me to the US CIA, South Korean intelligence, and various international conspiracies. Really? Such high-level and well-funded forces would be interested in my work funded mainly through grassroots support? I saw one propaganda video by loyal citizens of North Korea that made me look so powerful, I am surprised that North Korea didn't collapse when I stepped on the peninsula for the first time.
Instead of debating critics, I started a project giving North Korean refugees opportunities to speak out.
It is a compliment to me that anyone would believe that North Korean refugees who ran away from a totalitarian country with security officials trying to hunt them down and holding their families hostage would somehow become my puppets because I arranged for volunteers to help them with English and public speaking. And it is an insult to North Korean refugees who apparently, according to critics, can't recognize my incredible brainwashing skills.
Some beautiful things have happened in empowering North Korean refugees. One North Korean refugee said our English speech contest gave her a chance to "heal my heart." Another North Korean refugee said in a speech: "Casey isn't a doctor, but he healed my heart."
North Korean refugee author Yeonmi Park, in calling me an angel, said that my organization was "a turning point out of the darkness." Emerging YouTuber Cherie Yang, who also says I am her angel, recently said she was able to find her identity after engaging in public speaking with us. Eunhee Park and Chanyang Ju never fail to call me "Pretty Flower Man" when they talk about me and the impact I have had on their lives. And many other North Korean refugees have said they gained self-confidence after studying with us.
Could critics have imagined their angry attacks could inspire such a lovely project? Those critics were connecting dots to international conspiracies, but educating and empowering North Korean refugees gave them opportunities to develop their identities and to heal their hearts.
It may not heal the hearts of critics, but, yes, I do reflect on their comments and act on them when it makes sense. They may not want credit because they could be accused by new critics of inspiring me to greater deeds.
Casey Lartigue Jr. is co-author along with Songmi Han of the forthcoming book "Greenlight to Freedom" and co-founder along with Eunkoo Lee of Freedom Speakers International (FSI).
Sontag Hotel in Seoul, circa 1910. Robert Neff Collection
By Robert Neff
In March 1912, Sontag Hotel was the place to be in Seoul. Some described it as a place of political intrigue backrooms haunted with shady characters plotting anarchy and unrest. Others, like Roy Chapman Andrews, saw it as a place to begin a great adventure. It was filled with gold miners from the Western-owned concessions in the northern part of the peninsula. In fact, according to Andrews, "Seoul resembled nothing so much as an American mining town amid oriental surroundings."
Andrews was seeking adventure and had selected to stay at Sontag Hotel while he organized an expedition party to explore the Baekdu Mountain the tallest mountain on the Korean peninsula and one often associated with mysticism and adventure.
Andrews observed that "one did very much as one pleased [in Korea,] for the Japanese had taken over the country so recently that there were very few restrictions." Despite this claim, he still sought and obtained permission from the Japanese authorities. The Japanese government even provided him with a Japanese translator.
Unfortunately, he did not put down his first impressions of his translator, but one can imagine Andrews viewed him with some skepticism when he appeared at the hotel wearing a frock coat and a silk hat.
Andrews and his party in a Korean village in 1912. Robert Neff Collection
Andrews and his party (the translator and a Korean cook) soon found themselves on the northeastern coast of Korea near the Manchurian border. It was here that he had his next adventure.
The Korean villages in the region were being terrorized by the "Great Invisible," a name they bestowed upon a huge and deadly tiger. The Korean tigers were ferocious, almost mystical creatures, that laired in the mountains and forests, and occasionally hunted men, even to the gates of Seoul. The "Great Invisible" was no exception. "Already it had killed a half a dozen children and hardly a day passed that some tearful peasant did not report a new loss to the gendarmes." The people pleaded with Andrews to kill the tiger.
One of the Korean legendary tiger-hunters (famed for their bravery and shooting skills) was assigned to assist the foreigner. This tiger-hunter was an elderly man, but an excellent hunter with nerves of steel, who had in the past, killed two tigers by crawling into their lairs and shooting them with an old muzzle-loading rifle.
The "Great Invisible," circa the 1910s. Courtesy of Diane Nars Collection
For nearly two weeks, the hunters played cat and mouse with the tiger. The tiger would strike in a village and the hunters would try to guess where it would strike next and wait for it. Finally they cornered the tiger in one of its lairs, and after waiting nearly a day for it to come out, the old tiger-hunter goaded Andrews into crawling into the lair. Fortunately for the tiger (or perhaps Andrews), it heard the hunters' approach and escaped out a rear exit.
The American was secretly relieved (although a little disappointed), but pretended to be angry that fate had deprived him of his tiger. They continued to hunt for the tiger for an additional week, but the "Great Invisible" eluded them, and worn out, they abandoned their hunt. They did, however, succeed in ridding the villagers of another threat: a huge wild boar that Andrews shot twice before it finally died only five feet away from Andrews' feet.
Westerners often heard tales of tiger attacks, usually from third or fourth parties, and some actually managed to kill a tiger themselves. Andrews summed up tiger hunting as, "one has to out-guess the beast or have luck very much on one's side." He may not have been lucky enough to get a tiger, but he did have the misfortune of viewing the remains of an unfortunate girl who had fallen victim to the "Great Invisible." It was a horrible sight and one that probably stuck with him for many years.
Stopping for a meal while hunting in 1912. Robert Neff Collection
After the failed tiger hunt, he tried to hire Korean porters to accompany him to the wilderness region of Baekdu Mountain, but no one would accompany him out of fear. It was only through the efforts of the Japanese gendarmes who forced four men and their ponies to accompany him that Andrews was able to set out. Andrews, a remarkable and well-educated man, seems to have been fairly ignorant of Korea. He believed that he was the first to explore the region around Korea's highest mountain, but, in fact, several Westerners had already explored the region in the late 19th century, and had written about it.
The trip was anything but uneventful. There were no trails, and the ground was badly overgrown in some places, while in others it was swampy, making walking torturous and dangerous. For several days it drizzled, and the deeper they went into the forest, the fewer animals there were, and the quieter, more desolate the region became. The Korean porters soon became completely disheartened and threatened to abandon Andrews in the middle of the night, taking the ponies and supplies with them. Andrews and the translator were forced to take turns at watch at night to ensure that the porters did not abandon them, and Andrews warned the porters that if they tried anything, he would shoot them without mercy.
One of the deer killed by Andrews in 1912. Robert Neff Collection
Finally they made it to the base of the mountain, but because of the deep snow drifts, they did not ascend the mountain. After spending several days in the vicinity of the mountain, Andrews and his party made their way towards the Yalu River. Here they discovered that the region was abundant with wildlife, and they spent several days hunting and relaxing. It was also here that he encountered a band of Manchurian bandits. These bandits, armed with flintlock rifles, preyed upon the Chinese and Korean merchants in the region, generally taxing them, but on occasion robbing and killing them. Andrews was able to make his way through the area by befriending these bandits (he fed them dinner), and they provided him with information to avoid the other bands of bandits.
When Andrews and his party finally arrived at a Korean settlement, they were treated as heroes. His porters bragged about his compass and how it had brought them through the dangers of the wilderness, and past the Manchurian bandits. It was here that he parted with his porters, after they built him a timber raft. By this raft, he sailed to the mouth of the Yalu River and made his way from there to Seoul, where he arrived at Sontag Hotel wearing ragged Korean clothing.
He wasn't surprised to discover that he had been reported dead. It would not be the first time that he was thought to have died while on one of his adventures, and later led him to say: "I have 'died' so frequently since, that I am quite accustomed to it; it seems to be the best little thing I do."
Junks floating on the Yalu River in 1912. Robert Neff Collection
A Westerner and his Korean ponies in the late 19th century / Robert Neff Collection
By Robert Neff
Horace N. Allen, an American missionary, arrived in Jemulpo on Sept. 20, 1884, at age 26, aboard the English steamship Nanzing. He had come to Korea leaving his wife and infant son in Shanghai in search of opportunity and adventure as a doctor.
Allen's initial descriptions of Korea were far from flattering and it would be easy to blame this negativity on his journey from Shanghai to Korea, which had been a rough one. While in the Korea Strait, the Nanzing encountered a powerful typhoon causing him to become violently seasick his ship survived relatively undamaged but other ships were not so lucky.
In his diary, he wrote:
"Arrived in [Jemulpo]. This is a motley place of slab shanties, mud huts, sheds and bush earth. The Japanese here also are in the ascendancy and (have) the choicest place. They also have a fine Consulate. Mr. C.H. Cooper has just built a nice little white building to be used as the American Consulate. The Chinese are wisely building a fine house of brick which they burned themselves on the ground. The British bought an old Saloon, the Royal Oak in Nagasaki and brought it over to be erected as a consulate. It came in the Nanzing with us and cost $400.00 freight. As there is no means of landing we go ashore in small boats and make our way from them to the shore on the rocks."
The description of the Royal Oak is interesting. Except for Allen's account, there is no other source suggesting a saloon was dismantled and brought to Korea. Cooper's house was pre-manufactured in Japan and brought over.
A small ferry boat in the late 19th century / Robert Neff Collection
Allen meticulously noted the names of the handful of Westerners in the port except those of the women, who are known through other sources to include Vladimir S. Bekofsky's Russian wife and Woo Li-tang's Spanish wife (a young vibrant ballet dancer named Amalia C. Amador). Along with a lot of other things, Allen was not fond of mixed marriages.
Allen spent Sunday (Sept. 21) aboard the ship and left for Seoul early on Monday morning accompanied by Chu, his Chinese teacher. In his diary he noted that they left Jemulpo at 8 a.m. on ponies and that his pony was "especially vicious" and nearly killed him.
It wasn't until nearly two decades later that he explained just how violent his pony was:
"As I approached the horse he attacked me viciously, first with his heels and then with his forefeet. The grooms tried to restrain him, and frantically motioned to me to keep away. They then covered his head with one of their long robes, and I took a running jump and landed in the saddle. I had brought with me a foreign saddle, otherwise I might have been compelled to ride on a pack frame and would probably have been thrown, for the beast plunged and tried to buck, but his education had fortunately been neglected, and the nearest he could approach to this accomplishment was to run hard for a while and then come to a sudden stop with his forefeet planted rigidly. Once he jumped upon another horse and knocked off the rider, but I could not stop to apologize"
The road just outside of Seoul in the winter of 1883/84 / Robert Neff Collection
At a small inn halfway to Seoul, he dismounted and talked with a Western gold prospector who claimed Korea was filled with gold. After eating lunch it was time to remount something Allen was not looking forward to. The horse was once again blindfolded and Allen remounted with a running jump:
"I remained on his back, even while being ferried in a small boat over the river. Had he capsized the boat or jumped overboard, as I have expected him to do, I think I should have clung to him, his back was a vantage post not to be lightly relinquished."
They arrived in Seoul just before the city gates were closed. For the next two weeks, he stayed at a "new [Korean] hotel, the house that was fitted up to receive the men of the U.S. Flagship Trenton, that brought home the [Korean] Embassy." The hotel was not ready for customers and Allen was forced to fend for himself. That night, having no provisions, he "gladly accepted a bottle of beer and some hard biscuit" from an Englishman who was staying there the night before heading into the interior.
A shop in Seoul in the winter of 1883/84 / Robert Neff Collection
Over the next couple of weeks, Allen secured his position as the physician for Korean Customs and the American legation. He also purchased a house and arranged for his goods to be brought to Seoul (this required him to ride a pony to Jemulpo and back in the rain). He also met Walter Townsend, an American businessman, who would become one of his closest friends despite the fact he had a Japanese mistress.
Allen was now ready to retrieve his wife and son, so, knowing his steamship was due to depart Jemulpo for Shanghai on Oct. 11, he rode to the port a day or two early. With time on his hands, he turned his attention to his neglected diary and instead of describing the port and its events, he bemoaned the worthlessness of his Chinese teacher the same person who was taking care of his goods and preparing his house while he was away in Shanghai.
A young man and his pony in the late 19th century / Courtesy of Diane Nars Collection
By Kim Bo-eun
Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Z Fold 3, left, and Galaxy Z Flip 3 / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics
More than a month has passed since Samsung released the latest editions of its foldable phones, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 and the Galaxy Z Fold 3, but customers are still waiting to receive the models. Apple's latest iPhone 13 faces the same situation.
The lack of inventory for the new models is primarily due to explosive demand, but has also been exacerbated by the ongoing global chip shortage. The shortage has been caused by soaring demand for semiconductors, as the reliance on digital devices has grown during the extended COVID-19 pandemic.
Amid these circumstances, Samsung has apparently been experiencing difficulty in securing a sufficient supply of application processors (APs) for its foldable handsets from U.S.-based mobile chipset titan Qualcomm.
"The delays in deliveries for the latest foldable phones mostly stem from greater-than-expected demand. The chip shortage issue is not only a problem for us, but it is an industry-wide phenomenon," a Samsung representative said Thursday.
But an industry source said that smartphone vendors will be going all out to secure the "controlling and brain-like chips" that are in high demand.
Apple CEO Tim Cook unveils the iPhone 13 at a virtual event held at the company's headquarters in Cupertino, California, Sept. 14 (PST). Courtesy of Apple
The facade of the Korea Pavilion at Dubai Exhibition Centre, home of the Expo 2020 Dubai, is illuminated with the colors of the Korean flag. The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) will manage the pavilion during the expo, which is scheduled to run from Oct. 1 to March 31, 2022. Courtesy of KOTRA
The Korea Pavilion is the fifth-largest among 191 participating countries' exhibition venues
By Yi Whan-woo
DUBAI - Korea will showcase its most up-to-date digital technology, used for mobile devices, virtual reality (VR), artificial reality (AR), large, three-dimensional displays, smart cities, automated driving and other Fourth Industrial Revolution sectors at the Expo 2020 Dubai, which is scheduled to kick off on Oct. 1.
Demonstrating the global interest in Korean culture, which has been developed and promoted abroad over the last decade, Korea will capitalize on such technology to offer visitors glimpses into its traditional and pop culture. The expo, which is the first to be held in either the Middle East and Africa, will run for the next six months.
With a total of 191 countries set to join the expo, which has been delayed for a year due to the pandemic, Korea has good reason to promote its achievements, as it seeks to host the 2030 expo in its port city of Busan.
"We hope to have visitors paying a lot of attention to the Korea Pavilion," an official from the state-run Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) said earlier this week during a press meeting at the Dubai Exhibition Centre, the home of the expo.
The meeting was attended by Korean Ambassador to the UAE Kwon Yong-woo and Yang Ki-mo, who heads the KOTRA offices in the Middle East region.
Korean Ambassador to the UAE Kwon Yong-woo, right, takes a look around the Korea Pavilion with KOTRA staff and other guests during a press meeting, Sept. 27. Courtesy of KOTRA
Operated under the wing of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, KOTRA is responsible for the management of the Korea Pavilion, a 4,651-square-meter-sized exhibition space to be run under the title, "Smart Korea, Moving the World to You."
The title was chosen in accordance with the theme of "mobility," one of the sub-topics under the Expo 2020 Dubai's grand theme of "Connecting Minds, Creating the Future."
The Korea Pavilion is the fifth-largest among the exhibition spaces of the participating nations.
With more than 25 million visitors expected to be present throughout the expo, the pavilion was designed to optimize a wide range of hand-on experiences related to Korea through architecture, performances, exhibitions and concerts, among others,
It was designed by Mooyuki Architects, a three-member team named after Moon Hoon, Yun Seong-bong and Kim Dong-gyu, and built by Ssangyong Engine and Construction.
The exterior of the Korea Pavilion at night / Courtesy of KOTRA
The Interior of the Korea Pavilion / Courtesy of KOTRA
The pavilion is notable for its 1,597 spinning cubes that cover the facade, symbolically demonstrating Korea's dynamism and mobility under the banner, "Mobile MASSITY," a blended word intended to mean "mobile, mass and city" all at once.
The pavilion also has a ramp running along the inside and outside, connecting the pavilion's multiple floors.
The exhibition hall is the starting point of the "The Journey of Wonder," a set of experiences using mobile, sensory and virtual technologies developed in Korea.
Visitors will receive a mobile device at the reception area and start their journey with a virtual twin generated on the device using face recognition technology.
Following the ramp to the third floor, visitors will see on a screen a split-flap display showing an arrivals and departures timetable, as in pre-digital era train stations or airports.
A mobile AR experience is created on the external ramps, with a display of a virtual city based on smart infrastructure technology.
A large, three-dimensional display inside the Korea Pavilion / Courtesy of KOTRA
HLB Chairman Jin Yang-gon / Courtesy of HLB
This article is the fifth in a series highlighting the growing importance of the biotech industry after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, shedding light on the nation's biotech companies. ED.
By Baek Byung-yeul
With Korean biotech companies receiving the global spotlight, the domestic biopharmaceutical company, HLB, is making its name known worldwide as an emerging business active in research, development and manufacturing.
HLB is widely known for its anticancer treatment, Rivoceranib, developed by its U.S. subsidiary, Elevar Therapeutics. The firm also has been seeking growth through merger and acquisition activities in an effort to become an industry leader.
"HLB is actively engaging in takeovers with an open attitude. We are looking for a way to grow together by joining up with companies that align with us or have a vision," a company representative said.
As part of these efforts, HLB acquired domestic biopharmaceutical company Mediforum Pharmaceutical now called, "HLB Pharmaceutical" last year to strengthen the production, marketing and sales of its upcoming drug pipeline.
In September, HLB announced that it would become a new owner of the local biotech company, GtreeBNT, acquiring 40 billion won ($34.1 million) worth of third-party rights offerings and 50 billion won in convertible bonds.
GtreeBNT is a local distributor of novel drugs and COVID-19 vaccines such as AstraZeneca, Janssen and Pfizer. Also, GtreeBNT's U.S. subsidiary is developing RGN-259, a novel treatment for dry eye. Phase 3 clinical trials have been completed on the drug and its efficacy will be evaluated further at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's pre-biologics license application (pre-BLA) meetings.
ABL Bio leading Korea's new drug development Samsung Biologics aims for win-win growth with local bio industry Seegene spearheading Korea's biotech drive LG Chem expands presence in China, Japan with bio products HLB said that the acquisition of GtreeBNT is being led by its affiliate, NextScience, and that the acquisition will help the biopharmaceutical group with the marketing and sales activities of COVID-19 vaccines and other drugs.
Among the company's novel drug pipeline, Rivoceranib is definitely raising market expectations. In September, during this year's European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress, one of the leading medical conferences related to medical oncology, HLB's Chinese partner, Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine, presented the effectiveness of Rivoceranib in the results of 13 studies.
Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine holds the marketing rights to Rivoceranib in China. During the conference, held from Sept. 16 to 21, the company announced that clinical results showed Rivoceranib's efficacy in treating both liver and cervical cancer.
HLB's Chinese partner has been selling Rivoceranib for gastric cancer treatment in China since 2014. In January, the company expanded the applications of the drug as a secondary treatment for liver cancer.
Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine conducted a Phase 2 trial on 26 patients with advanced liver cancer, using hepatic artery infusion chemotherapy combined with Rivoceranib. The clinical results showed that two patients experienced complete remission, meaning the disappearance of all signs of cancer, in response to the treatment. The confirmed objective response rate (ORR) was 61.5 percent, while the disease control rate (DC) was 92.31 percent.
Another study was conducted on 22 patients with cervical cancer, using a combined treatment of Rivoceranib, Camrelizumab and nab-Paclitaxel. It showed promising results, as the clinical results confirmed five cases of complete remission, with an ORR rate of 71 percent.
HLB said that the test results confirmed the high efficacy of Rivoceranib, as well as a wide range of applications in combination with immunotoxin and cytotoxic anticancer drugs.
The company is also advancing into the COVID-19 vaccine business, as it acquired the global sales rights for the Nanocovax COVID-19 vaccine, developed by Vietnamese biotech company Nanogen in August.
HLB said that the Nanocovax vaccine is a recombinant protein subunit vaccine that succeeded in increasing the antibodies of volunteers in its Phase 2 clinical trials more than 60 times within 35 days after the first injection.
To expand its presence in the anticancer treatment market, HLB is also developing novel drugs for various uses, such as targeted anticancer drugs, as well as cancer immunotherapy, cell therapy, sepsis, vaccines and brain tumor treatments, through collaboration with subsidiaries and affiliates.
Hyundai E&C' Hillstate Gapyeong 'The New Class' / Courtesy of Hyundai E&C
By Kim Hyun-bin
Hyundai Engineering & Construction has opened a showhome for its Hillstate Gapyeong 'The New Class' apartment complex and started sales of the apartments. This is the first Hillstate-brand complex in Gapyeong County and is in high demand.
The apartment complex consists of seven 23-story apartment buildings with apartments offering floor areas of 59 square meters to 84 square meters, capable of accommodating 451 households. There are 131 59-square-meter A, 14 59-square-meter B, 66 84-square-meter B and 88 84-square-meter C mid-size to small apartment lots for sale.
According to real estate research firm Doctor Apartment's 2020 apartment brand power survey released last November, Hillstate was the most lucrative apartment brand for the second consecutive year. The survey looked into the accumulated responses for brand recognition, value, preference and will to purchase, and Hillstate received the highest comprehensive score.
Hillstate Gapyeong 'The New Class' is also just six minutes' drive from Gapyeong Station on the Gyeongchun Line offering ITX-CheongChun high-speed service. By ITX, Cheongnyangni Station in Seoul is 40 minutes away, and Yongsan Station is an hour-long trip.
The 2nd Gyeongchun Highway will also benefit incoming residents. According to the Wonju Regional Office of Construction Management, the highway could connect Chuncheon and the metropolitan region in 30 minutes enhancing transportation means to Seoul and the capital region.
The complex is also near Gapyeong Bus Terminal as well as the Seorak IC on the Seoul-Yangyang Expressway, enabling easy travel to other parts of the country.
The diverse facilities and infrastructure around The Hillstate Gapyeong The New Class complex include a traditional market, Gapyeong County Office, banks, gymnasium and medical facilities as well as cultural facilities such as a culture and arts center and a music hall.
There are also elementary to high schools, state-run and private nurseries and a library nearby.
The apartments are equipment with the latest technologies including the Hi-oT smartphone key system.
Hi-oT enables control through a smartphone app not only for Internet of Things (loT) but also lighting, gas valve and ventilation. From a smartphone, one can control the front door entrance and summon the elevator.
Several community facilities are scheduled to be built, including a fitness center, library and study hall.
Due to COVID-19 and prevention measures, prior reservation is required to visit the showhome. Those interested should register on the Hillstate Gapyeong 'The New Class' official homepage.
U.S. President Joe Biden holds up a silicon wafer in a virtual meeting with chip industry executives at the White House on April 12, local time. Yonhap
By Kim Bo-eun
The government is facing growing calls to stand up to the U.S.'s "undue" demand for Korean semiconductor manufacturers to reveal key business information, so as to protect local companies involved in the sector.
Industry sources and experts claim that giving up such data could undermine local players' bargaining power and end up hurting their competitiveness in the global market.
The calls come after the U.S. Commerce Department's moves to possibly use the Defense Production Act (DPA) as a means to deal with the yearslong shortage of automotive chips in the United States.
If Washington actually initiates a DPA protocol, then all semiconductor firms which have operations in the U.S. are mandated to submit specific information regarding their supply chains.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said the DPA could be invoked to compel semiconductor companies to provide information if this wasn't done voluntarily, implying the chip firms are in fact being coerced.
The demand is widely seen as an excessive form of intervention in the market, which should be left to deal with shortages according to principles, something the U.S. has so far championed.
For major semiconductor companies such as Samsung, opening up confidential information would expose it to vulnerabilities.
Samsung is the world's top memory chipmaker and only trails Taiwan's TSMC in the booming foundry (contract-based chip manufacturing) market. The U.S. commerce department is seeking to secure information from not only the chipmakers that attended several recent White House meetings, but all players in the industry, which would force Korea's SK hynix, the world's second-largest memory chip manufacturer, to share such data as well.
The recent White House meeting the third was presided over by Raimondo and participated in by representatives from Intel, Samsung, TSMC and GM. The meeting was intended on coming up with measures to alleviate the auto chip shortage U.S. carmakers are suffering from. But the specific data requested from chipmakers is regarded as highly sensitive information that companies do not voluntarily disclose.
Experts and analysts say the demand from the White House is seen in a larger context as a means to quantify the global supply chain for semiconductors, and allow the U.S. to regain its lead in the sector, which it has lost to major players in Asia, such as Korea and Taiwan over the past decades.
Washington has also sought to bring production facilities of major companies, not only in the semiconductor industry but also in the electric vehicle battery sector, to the U.S. as a way of securing a stable supply of these items, which it now considers as a national security concern.
"The government should not stay idle, given the chip sector is a matter of competitiveness on a national level," one source said.
Another industry source also highlighted that because of the confidential nature of supply chain-related information, revealing this will affect a company's negotiating power.
"This has provided relevant business sectors a lot to think about," another industry source said. "Giving up such information can undermine bargaining power, as it could be exposed to clients, competitors and partners." Given the uncertainties of how the U.S. government will proceed with the "voluntary" request, Cheong Wa Dae may need to speak out if necessary.
On a related note, one section of a survey of companies on the U.S. Federal Register, the daily journal of the American government, asks: "For the semiconductor products that your organization sells, identify those with the largest order backlog. Then for the total and for each product, identify the product attributes, sales in the past month, and location of fabrication and package/assembly."
Another part requires a list of "each product's top three current customers and the estimated percentage of that product's sales accounted for by each customer."
Indonesian Ambassador to Korea Umar Hadi, second from right, poses with Kim Chang-beom, second from left, former Korean Ambassador to Indonesia and Hyundai Motor's advisor; Hyundai Motor Vice President Kim Kyoung-soo, left, and Vice Ambassador Zelda Wulan Kartika during Hyundai's electric car delivery ceremony at the embassy's headquarters in Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of Hyundai Motor
By Baek Byung-yeul
The Embassy of Indonesia in Korea purchased Hyundai Motor's electric vehicle (EV), the IONIQ 5, as part of the Southeast Asian nation's effort to boost EV-related businesses as its next economic growth engine, Hyundai Motor said Thursday.
The Korean automotive giant said that it held a ceremony at the Indonesian embassy in Seoul, Wednesday, to deliver the EV to Indonesian Ambassador to Korea Umar Hadi.
Indonesia has recently been pushing forward with the development of EV-related industries, as well as expanding the availability of EVs there. In line with these initiatives, the Embassy of Indonesia in Korea has decided to replace its official vehicles with Hyundai's EV.
The purchase is also part of the embassy's "Green Transformation" goal, which it set earlier this year to help make a more sustainable society. Among Indonesian embassies across the world, the Korean office is the first one to use an EV as its official car.
Hyundai's IONIQ 5 is based on the carmaker's Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) developed for EVs. With a distinctive exterior design and spacious interior, the IONIQ 5 has improved the utilization of space for driver and passengers and can travel up to 429 kilometers on a single charge.
Kim Chang-beom, the former Korean Ambassador to Indonesia and Hyundai Motor's advisor, said, "I am happy that the IONIQ 5 will be able to contribute to the Indonesian Embassy's goal of building a sustainable society."
"We hope that the IONIQ 5 and other EVs will be used in more places, including foreign embassies," he added.
"The green transition is an important goal of the Indonesian Embassy in Korea," Ambassador Hadi said. "I am happy to be with Hyundai Motor in making new changes for climate change issues."
Indonesian President Joko Widodo, left, gives a congratulatory speech at the joint Hyundai Motor GroupLG Energy Solution battery plant groundbreaking ceremony held in Karawang New Industry City, Wednesday. Upper right, Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun, bottom right LGES CEO Kim Jong-hyun. Courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group
From left, European Chamber of Commerce in Korea (ECCK) Chairperson Dirk Lukat, Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of Korea Maria Castillo-Fernandez and ECCK President Christoph Heider, pose at the ECCK's headquarters in Seoul before a virtual press conference on the business lobby's release of the ECCK White Paper for 2021. Courtesy of ECCK
By Kim Bo-eun
The European business lobby called for mutual recognition of vaccination certificates by the governments of Korea and the European Union, in order to facilitate business travel.
The European Chamber of Commerce in Korea (ECCK)'s requests Wednesday were made marking the release of the chamber's annual white paper, containing recommendations from European companies for improving Korea's business environment. The latest white paper contains 114 key issues across 16 sectors, including the automotive, alcoholic beverages, chemical, healthcare and energy industries.
ECCK Chairperson and Schenker Korea CEO Dirk Lukat referred to erratic changes of regulations here without Korean government offices seeking the necessary input from the stakeholders affected.
"The assurance of a consistent and foreseeable business environment will likely open up new opportunities for multinational companies including the members of the ECCK," he said. "At the same time, companies are encouraged to increase their investments in Korea which will contribute to the country's economy as well as the creation of more jobs in Korea."
European Union Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Maria Castillo-Fernandez called for a level playing field for foreign investors.
"The white paper is about easing business obstacles that we are encountering or removing them and finding solutions for European companies in Korea," she said. "Foreign investment companies account for 20 percent of Korea's exports and they contribute to jobs, wealth and the Korean economy. Therefore, we need to compete with Korean companies in Korea on equal footing."
ECCK President Christoph Heider said, "We wish to see that vaccination certificates issued overseas are accepted by the Korean administration, and vice versa, to allow all inbound travelers to benefit from what is offered to fully vaccinated people."
During the online event, automobile manufacturers called for significant changes in the conditions for electric vehicle subsidy provisions to be made with sufficient lead time, and for the administrative recognition process for eco-friendly vehicles to be simplified.
Beverage makers called on the government to allow the sale of alcoholic beverages on e-commerce platforms, citing that Korea is one of two countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development that does not allow alcohol to be sold online.
Food product manufacturers took issue with heavier punishments for companies based abroad compared to local firms, even for the same violations, such as for problems with labelling on a product.
Established in 2012, the ECCK is an organization consisting of 370 European firms that do business in Korea.
Seegene CEO Chun Jong-yoon / Courtesy of Seegene
This is the second in a series of articles to highlight the growing importance of the biotech industry after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and shed light on the nation's biotech companies. ED.
By Baek Byung-yeul
At a time when the government is striving to foster biotech as one of the nation's key industries, the local molecular diagnosis company Seegene is spearheading the initiative.
Last year, Seegene made its name known around the world by quickly developing its COVID-19 test kits following the outbreak of the coronavirus.
Although the virus was not yet spreading rapidly in Korea, the company presumed that it would in the near future as the number of virus victims was increasing greatly in China, so it rolled out its test kits just two weeks after it began developing them.
Seegene's test kits are still used widely around the world as the risks of COVID-19 variants are still weighing on the world. Thanks to the effectiveness of its products, the company posted 1.1252 trillion won ($957 million) in sales in 2020, surpassing the 1 trillion won sales milestone for the first time in its history.
To expand its presence further in the global medical diagnostics market, the company developed new COVID-19 diagnosis equipment. It is more affordable and smaller in size thus enabling more hospitals to acquire and make use of its molecular diagnosis equipment.
On Monday, Seegene announced at an annual event of the American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC) that it has developed a fully automated polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing system called AIOS.
The AACC, which held its Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo in Atlanta, is an international scientific society focusing on clinical laboratory science and its applications to healthcare, featuring about 700 in vitro diagnostic companies from around the world.
HLB transforming into prominent biopharma company ABL Bio leading Korea's new drug development Samsung Biologics aims for win-win growth with local bio industry LG Chem expands presence in China, Japan with bio products During the expo, Seegene showcased its AIOS system, which provides high-throughput real-time PCR workflow, starting from nucleic acid extraction to interpretation of test results. The company said it is the industry's first fully automated syndromic real-time PCR testing system designed with a modular concept.
"Going forward, the key in fighting COVID-19 is to overcome the limitations of molecular diagnosis only being carried out in large hospitals manually by experts," Seegene CEO Chun Jong-yoon said.
He said its AIOS could be an answer to that problem, as small local hospitals can also conduct PCR tests using the new equipment.
"A noteworthy feature of AIOS is that its PCR testing system is composed of independent and detachable modules together," the company said. "Unlike other single-body systems, AIOS is designed with an extraction liquid handler and PCR instrument integrated with a robotic arm module developed in-house. Hospitals and laboratories can either purchase the full package of the AIOS system or integrate their existing instruments on site if they already have Seegene's liquid handler or real-time PCR instrument."
Another feature of the AIOS is that it uses a syndromic-based inspection automation system, referring to a type of test that scans pathogens and detects the cause of a disease. Compared to other makers' diagnosis equipment, the company elaborated its AIOS is much more efficient in terms of time and cost.
The company added AIOS can be applied with various reagents to diagnose various respiratory diseases and human papillomavirus (HPV) expanding its range of efficacy.
"The product is smaller and lighter than existing equipment and does not require much space, so it can be introduced not only in large hospitals but also in small and medium-sized hospitals. So far, small and medium-sized hospitals have not fully recognized the need for molecular diagnosis, but the demand is expected to increase as its effectiveness has become widely known due to COVID-19," the company official said.
Citing Korea's example, small and medium-sized hospitals, which account for most of the diagnosis market, have not been using molecular diagnosis. So the company said it expects the AIOS will bring it new opportunities to meet with more customers.
"AIOS represents Seegene's decades-long commitment to developing cutting-edge technologies in the molecular diagnostics field," the Seegene CEO said. "I believe AIOS will contribute to public health by making MDx more accessible in everyday life."
Thanks to its effective and agile response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Seegene was ranked 20th on the list of the 50 most innovative companies this year by the U.S.-based business magazine Fast Company. This is the first time a local molecular diagnosis company made it onto the list, alongside global leading biopharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer and Moderna.
Seegene CEO Chun said in a recent interview with a local newspaper that the company's receiving of this honor was made possible by its unflinching concentration on real-time PCR testing for over 20 years.
The company logo is seen on the headquarters of China Evergrande Group in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China, Sept. 26. Reuters-Yonhap
Scrambling to avoid defaulting on its debts, cash-strapped China Evergrande Group said on Wednesday it plans to sell a 9.99 billion yuan ($1.5 billion) stake in Shengjing Bank to a state-owned asset management company.
Shengjing Bank, one of the main lenders to Evergrande, had demanded that all net proceeds from the disposal be used to settle the financial liabilities of the property developer due to the lender, Evergrande said in an exchange filing.
That requirement suggests that Evergrande, which missed a bond interest payment last week, will be unable to use the funds for other purposes such as another interest payment to offshore bondholders of $47.5 million due on Wednesday.
The payment deadline is being closely watched by investors as the developer's next big test in public markets. Shares of Evergrande rose as much as 15 percent on Wednesday.
Evergrande has rapidly become China's biggest corporate headache as it teeters between a messy meltdown with far-reaching impacts, a managed collapse or the less likely prospect of a bailout by Beijing.
The 1.75 billion shares, representing 19.93 percent of the issued share capital of the bank, will be sold for 5.70 yuan apiece to Shenyang Shengjing Finance Investment Group, a state-owned enterprise involved in capital and asset management, Evergrande said in its filing.
Shenyang Shengjing's stake in the bank will be increased to 20.79 percent after the deal to become the bank's largest shareholder. Evergrande's stake in the bank would be reduced to 14.75 percent from 34.5 percent.
"The company's liquidity issue has adversely affected Shengjing Bank in a material way," Evergrande Chairman Hui Ka Yan said in the statement.
"The introduction of the purchaser, being a state-owned enterprise, will help stabilise the operations of Shengjing Bank and at the same time, help increase and maintain the value of the 14.75 percent interest in Shengjing Bank retained by the company."
As of the first half last year, the bank had 7 billion yuan in loans to Evergrande, accounting for 1.19 percent of the lender's loan book, according to a report by brokerage CCB International last week, citing news reports.
The financial health of Shengjing Bank has come under the spotlight since May, after financial news outlet Caixin reported that China's top banking watchdog was investigating connected transactions worth more than 100 billion yuan ($15.45 billion) between Evergrande and the bank.
On July 5, Evergrande said in a statement its financial business with Shengjing complied with legal requirements.
Days after that announcement, China's northern city of Shenyang, where Shengjing is based, encouraged local state-owned companies to increase stakes in the bank.
The Shenyang government said it valued reforms at Shengjing Bank and would strengthen the Communist Party leadership in the bank to help it develop into "a good bank," according to a statement in July.
Beijing is prodding government-owned firms and state-backed property developers to purchase some of embattled China Evergrande Group's assets, people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Tuesday.
Shengjing reported a net profit of 1.03 billion yuan in the first half of 2021, down 63.6 percent from a year earlier, citing the impact of COVID-19, a decline in net interest income and increased provisions for impairment losses of assets due to "increased uncertainty of business operations".
The bank's non-performing loan ratio stood at 3.04 percent by the end-June, higher than the industry-wide average of nearly 2 percent. (Reuters)
Palestinian militants and relatives carry the body of member of the military wing of the Islamic Jihad group Alaa Zayoud, 22, reportedly killed in clashes with Israeli forces earlier, during his funeral at his village of Silat al-Harithiyah, east of Jenin in the occupied West Bank, on September 30. AFP-Yonhap
Three Palestinians were killed Thursday by Israeli fire, including a woman who tried to stab officers in Jerusalem, a militant shot during West Bank clashes and a Gazan who approached the border fence.
The violence comes days after an Israeli raid on militants in the occupied West Bank left five Palestinians dead.
At dawn in Jerusalem, the sound of gunshots rang through the Old City, with the body of a woman lying on a stone street that leads to the Al-Aqsa mosque, an AFP journalist said. She was later draped in a survival blanket.
Police said she had attempted to stab officers after being stopped for a check because her conduct aroused suspicion.
"During the questioning, the terrorist pulled out a knife and tried to stab the officers. They immediately responded with gunfire and neutralised her," a statement said, noting medics later pronounced her dead.
The woman was identified by Palestinian officials as Israa Khozaimieh, 30, from Qabatiya in the northern West Bank.
The attempted attack did not result in any Israeli casualties.
Israeli security forces are stationed at each entrance to the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, Islam's third holiest site, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism.
The compound lies in east Jerusalem, which Israel occupied in 1967 and later annexed in a move never recognised by the international community.
In a separate incident in Burqin, in the northern West Bank near Jenin, Israeli troops and border police conducted an overnight operation "to arrest suspects and locate weapons," a police statement said.
"During the operation, an armed terrorist fired at the forces who were operating in the village during a riot," police said.
"Border police forces responded with gunfire toward the terrorist and neutralised him," police said, with a spokesman confirming his death to AFP.
Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad said the man killed was Alaa Zayoud, 22, a member of its military wing. No Israeli forces were wounded in the incident in the West Bank, a Palestinian territory under Israeli military occupation since 1967.
On Sunday, five Palestinians were killed after an Israeli raid in the West Bank sparked gun battles with Hamas militants, two of them in Burqin, officials said.
One of those killed in Burqin on Sunday was an Islamic Jihad member, and the movement said on Thursday that Zayoud had "joined" him.
Hamas, the militant rulers of the Gaza Strip, issued a statement in support of the "martyrdom" of Zayoud, saying "armed resistance and comprehensive confrontation" with Israel were the way to expel "settlers" from "our occupied land".
In a third and unrelated incident in Gaza, Israeli troops "spotted three suspects approaching the security fence," an army statement said.
"One of the suspects was seen carrying a suspicious backpack and digging in the ground. (Israeli) troops at the scene fired towards the suspect," the army said, adding that it was reviewing the incident and was "aware of reports that a Palestinian was killed."
Gaza's health ministry said the man was killed and identified him as Mohammad Abu Ammar, 40. (AFP)
Military delegates arrive for the closing session of China's National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, in this May 28, 2020, file photo. Defense officials from China and the U.S. have held two days of talks in a small sign of progress amid a continuous sharp downturn in relations. AP-Yonhap
Defense officials from China and the U.S. have held two days of talks in a small sign of progress amid a continuing sharp downturn in relations.
The secure video conference held Tuesday and Wednesday was led by Maj. Gen. Huang Xueping, deputy direct of the People's Liberation Army's Office for International Military Cooperation, and U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for China Michael Chase.
Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Wu Qian on Thursday said the sides "exchanged in-depth views on relations between the two countries and the two militaries and issues of common concern.''
However, he blamed "continuous provocation and containment'' of China by the U.S. for the "considerable difficulties and challenges'' between the two militaries.
"China's sovereignty, dignity and core interests brook no violations," Wu said at a monthly briefing. "Regarding the relationship between the two armed forces, we welcome communication, welcome cooperation, face differences and oppose coercion."
In a statement issued in Washington, Department of Defense spokesperson Lt. Col. Martin Meiners said the meeting was "an important component of the Biden-Harris administration's ongoing effort to responsibly manage the competition between the U.S. and the PRC by maintaining open lines of communication with the PRC."
During the talks, he said the two sides held "a frank, in-depth, and open discussion on a range of issues.''
"Both sides reaffirmed consensus to keep communication channels open. The U.S. side also made clear our commitment to uphold shared principles with our allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region," he said.
Relations between China and the U.S. are facing the worst strain in decades over trade, technology, human rights and Chinese military activities in the South China Sea, where Beijing has built airstrips and other infrastructure atop man-made islands.
Military-to-military ties have been characterized by deep mistrust, with the U.S. accusing China of a lack of transparency as it massively upgrades the capabilities of the PLA, the military wing of the ruling Communist Party.
China has been angered by the Navy sending ships to sail close to islands it controls in what Washington calls freedom of navigation operations, along with U.S. support for Taiwan.
President Joe Biden has maintained a tough line on China, but has sought better communication with Beijing. The talks between Huang and Chase are believed to mark the first direct high-level contact between defense officials under the Biden administration.
The talks also follow revelations that the top U.S. military officer, Army Gen. Mark Milley, made a pair of calls to his Chinese counterpart on Oct. 30 and Jan. 8 to reassure him during the waning days of the Trump administration.
Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Tuesday he was responding to a "significant degree of intelligence'' that China was worried about a U.S. attack. He said that such military-to-military communications are critical to prevent war between great powers that possess nuclear weapons.
China has not commented on the calls.
Wu also reiterated China's opposition to a three-way strategic defense alliance announced by Australia, the U.K. and the U.S. that includes building nuclear-propelled submarines for Australia. Beijing views the arrangement as firmly directed at containing its development.
"China urges the three countries to abandon their Cold War mentality and zero-sum game thinking, revoke the mistaken decision to develop nuclear submarine cooperation," Wu said. (AP)
Ecuador's penitentiary system said on Wednesday that the death toll from a prison riot that took place on Tuesday had risen to at least 100 and that authorities were still working to determine the full toll.
The South American nation on Tuesday night reported clashes at the Penitenciaria del Litoral in Guayas province, which has been the scene of bloody fights between gangs for control of the prison in recent months.
"As of now we can confirm that there are more than 100 prisoners dead and 52 injured during the incidents that took place on Tuesday, Sept 28," Ecuador's SNAI prison service wrote on Twitter, adding that police and prosecutors were still investigating.
Hours earlier, SNAI director Bolivar Garzon had told reporters that at least 30 prisoners had died and that authorities were still working to remove 10 bodies.
Dozens of people arrived at the jail to seek information about relatives and demand accountability from officials responsible for the inmates' safety. The government bolstered military presence outside the facility.
Riots broke out in February and July in the country's prison system, which houses some 39,000 inmates. At least 79 people died in the February violence, and in July at least 22 lives were lost.
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has previously condemned the violence, and Human Rights Watch urged Ecuador's government to fully investigate the prison violence and bring those responsible to justice.
President Guillermo Lasso in August said the government would provide more funding for the overcrowded prison system to build new wards and install new equipment to improve security. (Reuters)
Silhouettes of laptop and mobile device users are seen next to a screen projection of the YouTube logo in this picture illustration. YouTube announced a sweeping crackdown of vaccine misinformation that booted popular anti-vaccine influencers from its site and deleted false claims that have been made about a range of immunizations. Reuters-Yonhap
YouTube announced a sweeping crackdown of vaccine misinformation Wednesday that booted popular anti-vaccine influencers from its site and deleted false claims that have been made about a range of immunizations.
The video-sharing platform said it will no longer allow users to baselessly speculate that approved vaccines, like the ones given to prevent the flu or measles, are dangerous or cause diseases.
YouTube's latest attempt to stem a tide of vaccine misinformation comes as countries around the globe struggle to convince a somewhat vaccine hesitant public to accept the free immunizations that scientists say will end the COVID-19 pandemic that began 20 months ago. The tech platform, which is owned by Google, already tried to ban COVID-19 vaccine misinformation last year, at the height of the pandemic.
''We've steadily seen false claims about the coronavirus vaccines spill over into misinformation about vaccines in general, and we're now at a point where it's more important than ever to expand the work we started with COVID-19 to other vaccines,'' YouTube said in a blog post.
Up until Wednesday, anti-vaccine influencers, who have thousands of subscribers, had used YouTube to stoke fears around vaccines that health experts point out have been safely administered for decades. The YouTube channel of an organization run by environmental activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was one of several popular anti-vaccine accounts that was gone by Wednesday morning.
In an emailed statement to The Associated Press, Kennedy criticized the ban: ''There is no instance in history when censorship and secrecy have advanced either democracy or public health.''
YouTube declined to provide details on how many accounts were removed in the crackdown.
Under its new policy, YouTube says it will remove misinformation about any vaccine that has been approved by health authorities, such as the World Health Organization, and is currently being administered. False claims that those vaccines are dangerous or cause health issues, like cancer, infertility or autism theories that scientists have discredited for decades but have endured on the internet should also be removed.
''The concept that vaccines harm instead of help is at the foundation of a lot of misinformation,'' said Jeanine Guidry, a media and public health professor at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine.
She added that, if enforced properly, the new rules could stop bad information from influencing a new parent who is using the internet to research whether or not to vaccinate their child, for example.
In this Aug. 24 file photo, anti-vaccine mandate protesters demonstrate, outside of the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, to support the Vaccine Choice and Anti-Discrimination Act, a bill that would prohibit mandatory vaccinations, and vaccination status disclosures. AFP-Yonhap
Climate activists Martina Comparelli, Vanessa Nakate and Greta Thunberg meet with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi ahead of the pre-COP26 ministerial meeting, in Milan, Italy, in this screen grab taken from video, Sept. 30. Reuters-Yonhap
Youth climate activists including Greta Thunberg met Italy's Prime Minister and current president of the G20 Mario Draghi on Thursday in a final push to get world leaders to match rhetoric with action before the U.N. COP26 climate summit.
Thousands of young activists converged this week for a Youth4Climate event in Milan, where Draghi and his UK counterpart Boris Johnson also spoke on Thursday along with COP26 president Alok Sharma and U.N. chief Antonio Guterres.
Thunberg, 18, who on Tuesday lambasted world leaders for "30 years of blah, blah, blah" in battling climate change, and two other fellow youth delegates met privately with Draghi before he addressed the plenary on Thursday.
"You are right to demand accountability and change ... your mobilisation has been powerful and rest assured: we are listening," Draghi said in his opening remarks.
His speech was interrupted by activists chanting "People united will never be defeated", who were then escorted from the room. Outside the venue, activists trying to block the road briefly scuffled with Italian riot police.
Italy is co-hosting the COP26 along with the UK from Oct. 31 to Nov. 12 in Glasgow. The conference aims to secure more ambitious climate action from the nearly 200 countries that signed the 2015 Paris Agreement and agreed to try to limit human-caused global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Draghi wants the earlier G20 summit in October to make a commitment about the need to keep the 1.5 degrees limit within reach and develop long-term strategies in line with that goal.
"My sense is that leaders are all absolutely convinced of the need to act and act fast," he added.
The activists' proposals include demands for a transparent climate finance system, sustainable and responsible tourism as well as a call for the total phasing out of the fossil fuel industry by 2030.
Those proposals will be vetted by climate and energy ministers at the pre-COP26 gathering in the next few days ahead of the Glasgow conference.
The young climate champions are demanding policymakers match rhetoric with action and stump up the billions of dollars needed to wean the world off fossil fuels to cleaner energy during a year that has seen record-breaking heatwaves, floods and fires.
Draghi urged all wealthy nations who pledged a decade ago to mobilize $100 billion a year to help vulnerable countries adapt and transition to cleaner energy to fulfill that promise, adding the aid should come in grants, not loans, to avoid hiking debt.
While new energy and funding pledges from the U.S. and China have left negotiators more upbeat, many G20 countries, including major polluters like China and India, are yet to deliver updates of their short-term climate action plans.
Sharma said not all countries had come forward with sufficient money and emission commitments. "We need them to do so, including the biggest emitters," he said. (Reuters)
Sr. Art Editor Santa Clara Valley (Cupertino) , California , United States Marketing Summary Posted: Sep 16, 2021 Role Number: 200286826 Marcom is Apple's Global Marketing Communications group. We oversee all of Apple's advertising and marketing to ensure the flawless development and execution of world-class communications. Apple's Worldwide Marcom team is looking for an experienced creative who has the ability to build strong photography and content narratives. The ideal candidate reports directly to the Group Creative Director of Photography and has experience as a creative lead on photo shoots as well as creating and designing detailed creative briefs. This candidate is a conceptual thinker and has a passion for photography with a strong background in design. The ability to consistently create high-quality outcomes in a timely manner while balancing multiple deliverables is a must. Key Qualifications Partner with Planners, Producers, PM's and Creatives to develop compelling WW content briefs that align with yearly product and campaign roadmaps and overall communications strategies.
Expert ability to direct the development of well-conceived, innovative photography that implements the content strategy and brief.
Participates in creative reviews to ensure photography is on brief and the narrative is integrated across all marketing materials including, but not limited to social, OOH, keynotes, campaign films, product films, launch campaigns and TV.
Ability to communicate effectively with creative partners, business affairs and other members of the brand team.
Excellent ability to direct photo shoots in order to create compelling photography for launch, campaign and sustain.
Will work closely with our GEO teams aligning WW with GEO content. Description A minimum of 7-10 years relevant experience. Experience in editorial, advertising, marketing, brand management, photography design and/or new media communication. Tried expertise in developing creative content solutions in a variety of campaigns, across a broad range of areas including, Advertising, Interactive, Retail and Channel, Keynote and Packaging. In depth knowledge of all steps required in the creative development process, including, providing clear communication and creative direction and giving timely and effective feedback to improve creative solutions. Experience working with Producers and Business Affairs is a plus. Education & Experience Bachelor's degree preferred.
Location: Mayfield Heights - Ohio
Job Description Rockwell Automation is looking for an innovative engineer to join our global Software and Control organization. You will be part of a new product development team, with a focus on building automated test scripts which validate our products within CI/CD pipelines and other automation environments. You will also contribute to the overall product test architecture and improve current test frameworks and tools. An ideal candidate will exhibit the ability to flex between product software development and test activities. Given tightly coupled hardware and software in our products, previous embedded software experience is a plus. Essential Functions Develop and test safety and security-critical embedded software for new Programmable Logic Controllers
Build and maintain automated tests and test frameworks in support of new and existing product features
Work in a variety of hardware and software environments, ranging from commercial off-the-shelf to custom System on Chip architectures, and from general purpose to embedded real-time operating systems
Use modern continuous integration and development tools, and promote continuous improvement of tools and practices across the global development organization
Demonstrate a strong understanding of object-oriented programming concepts, C++ and Python are preferred
Operate across the entire software development life cycle: requirements management, design, implementation, test, release, and maintenance
Work on an Agile development team within a larger Scaled Agile Framework organization, participating in short term (sprint), medium term (program increment) and long term (product roadmap) planning Basic Qualifications Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering or similar discipline
Legal authorization to work in the US is required. We will not sponsor individuals for employment visas, now or in the future, for this job opening Preferred Qualifications Experience developing software and automated tests and tools in object-oriented languages such as C++ or Python
Ability to understand and apply knowledge of object-oriented analysis, design, and programming techniques
Experience with automation frameworks and tools development
Experience in requirements decomposition and test traceability
Experience in using open source tools like Git and Jenkins
Knowledge of unit testing using tools like CppUnit, unittest, etc.
Experience with continuous integration environments, automated test, and acceptance testing
Experience working in an Agile development setting and Agile project tools
Experience working with industrial protocols, especially Common Industrial Protocol (CIP)
Experience developing software and test to safety and security standards such as IEC 61508 or IEC 62443
Advanced courses or degree in engineering, computer science or controls This position is part of a job family. Experience will be the determining factor. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer including disability and veterans. If you are an individual with a disability and you need assistance or a reasonable accommodation during the application process, please contact our services team at +1 (see application details).
Description
System ID 730491
Category Administrative
Relocation Type No
Employment Status Full-Time
Unit Description
Are you a capable Administrative Assistant looking for a full time role that will provide great self-satisfaction through the opportunity to impact the business each hour of your day? Then check this out! Sodexo CTM team in Whittier, CA has an exciting Administrative Assistant II position available within a hospital setting. Ideal candidate will have great track record in and ideally in a similar environment. Must be well organized, self-motivated, and a great communicator, team player with MS Office skills. Proficiency, follow through and decision-making competencies are necessary as well great written and verbal communication. Ability to balance day to day work with special project completion. Is this opportunity right for you? Working in Clinical Technology Management (CTM) for Sodexo, you will partner with our team as well as Health-care clients to manage their clinical technology needs. Together, we provide leadership and expertise for their business, patients, residents and the staff who care for them. At Sodexo, we improve the Quality of Life of all those we serve. Our CTM positions offer you the opportunity to expand your skills and grow your career. Will assist with running reports, meeting minutes, monitoring PO's, and Project Support. Position will also assist with Acct Payable, Acct Receivable, payroll, invoices, date entry and system implementation. May also assist with certain HR duties such as interviewing, onboarding and scheduling. Collect and record work schedules, time keeping, and related records. Compile and maintain personnel records. The successful candidate will: have experience with SharePoint, Excel, Word and PowerPoint;
demonstrate strong attention to detail;
work as a team player and can work independently; and/or
demonstrate the initiative to seek solutions, resolve issues and have a hunger to grow and develop in this role
Have excellent writing skills Is this opportunity right for you? We are looking for candidates who are: fluent in Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint) and SharePoint;
detailed oriented, flexible, and have ability to manage multiple priorities;
have excellent organization, communication and project management skills Apply Now! We strive to make working for Sodexo a genuinely great experience with benefits to promote your professional, personal and financial well-being, and to improve your Quality of Life now and into the future. Our experiences with our over 50 million customers each and every day enable us to develop Quality of Life services that reinforce the well-being of individuals, improving their effectiveness and helping companies and organizations to improve performance ... every day. How far will your ambition, talent and dedication take you? Sodexo fosters a culture committed to the growth of individuals through continuous learning, mentoring and other career growth opportunities, along with the performance of organizations. We believe it is important for our work to be meaningful to all who contribute to it, and we remain faithful to our mission, our core values and the ethical principles that have guided us since 1966. We support these values and help them thrive in each employee.
Position Summary
Performs a wide range of administrative and general support duties. Frequently communicates with senior-level internal and external contacts and is regularly exposed to confidential data. Works within established procedures with a moderate degree of supervision. Understands how the assigned duties relate to others in the team and how the team integrates with other teams. This position resides in-unit or above-unit.
Qualifications & Requirements
Basic Education Requirement - High School Diploma, GED or equivalent
Sodexo is an EEO/AA/Minority/Female/Disability/Veteran employer.
Requirements
See Job Description
Community Relationship Representative Newberg, Oregon Pamplin Media Group The Newberg Graphic a member of the Pamplin Media Group seeks an outside sales representative (although we like to think of it as community relationship development) thats self-motivated and creative. Youll need to be tech savvy and have a desire to succeed by partnering with area businesses, non-profits, governments, and organizations. You will serve them through our full line of communications product offerings of print, digital and specialty publications. This person will join our advertising sales team and work with the publisher, ad assistants, digital and creative teams with the goal to serve our communities and advertisers. A locally owned media company, PMG is committed to our readers, our advertisers, and non-profits. Candidates must be comfortable building client relationships, presenting in-person and written proposals, offering creative ideas and input for advertising campaign development. You will have an established territory in Newberg, Dundee, McMinnville, and although previous sales experience, particularly media, is preferred its not necessary. We will give you the training, tools & resources to do your job well. Even though there are times when you will need to be in front of customers, at community business events and in the office, this isnt a standard 8-5 office gig where youre sitting at your desk all day, we currently offer hybrid and remote work flexibility. We offer a base salary plus commission, a variety of great benefits including medical and dental, 401K and expense reimbursement. This is an opportunity where you can control your own future and success, help businesses, and impact your community while enjoying what you do.
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The municipal elections in Austrias second-biggest city, Graz, were a political earthquake. The victory of the Communist Party of Austria (KPO) shows a categorical rejection of the hated bourgeois establishment that has managed the city for years, and opens up a perspective of a broad offense against social welfare cuts and an end to Grazs tenure as a private investors paradise.
Not a stone was left standing of the previous administration after the municipal elections in the capital city of the Styria-province on 26 September. The conservative party (OVP) faced a bruising defeat, with only 25.91 percent of votes (down 11.88 percent compared to 2017). Long-time mayor Siegfried Nagl announced his resignation on election night and handed his office over to his vice-chairman Kurt Hohensinner.
The coalitions junior partner, the right-wing Freedom Party (FPO), also lost a significant amount of ground, with 10.61 percent of the votes (down 5.25 percent). The citizens of Graz dealt the bourgeois city government a well-deserved bloody nose for its policies in favour of the banks and big business.
With increasing desperation, the former mayor Nagl tried to prevent his electoral defeat in the last stages of his campaign with crude anti-communist propaganda. He warned of state bankruptcy, mass unemployment and a people fobbed off with alms and no perspective in case of a KPO-led city government. This is a continuation of a year-long struggle to sabotage the growing influence and support for the KPO in Graz.
But in fact, this result was already achieved by 18 years of his own government. Public debts have exploded to 1.26bn, thousands of Grazians are without jobs, and those depending on social-card services were faced with cuts to energy subsidies and Christmas bonuses.
The FPO-coalition partner in the meantime gambled on racist diversionary tactics. The party issued campaign posters carrying the slogan: Guaranteed: Graz is not your home!, featuring a photograph of refugees. But the working class of Graz did not fall for this disgusting ruse.
Communist victory
The clear electoral winner in these elections was the KPO. The party came in first with 28.84 percent of the votes (an increase of 8.5 percent compared to 2017) its best-ever result. The party has gained ground in the last period by consistently opposing social cuts in parliament and provisional government, in addition to providing direct support to the workers and poor at a local level.
The KPO won 3,000 votes respectively from the Social Democrats (SPO) and the Greens; and 2,000 votes each from the conservative OVP and the right-wing FPO, as well as winning 4,000 from previous abstainers. This goes to show that a wide swathe of the population are fed up with all the parties of the status quo, and are looking for an alternative.
Communist Party of Austria wins the municipal election Graz, with 28.8% of the votes.
Candidate Elke Kahr will become the first female KPO mayor of a state capital in Austria. pic.twitter.com/3cJ9UcAxAI Organize, Educate, Agitate! (@catchwreck3) September 26, 2021
The results for the SPO Graz and the regional elections in Upper Austria, which were held on the same day, clearly show what happens when the working class and youth arent offered such a political alternative.
The vote share for SPO Graz is stagnating around its historical lowest point: 9.53 percent, down 0.52 percent compared to 2017. In Upper Austria, meanwhile, the SPO is also stagnating, while a new party of reactionary vaccination-sceptics has entered the provincial parliament, with 6.3 percent. The SPO lacks credibility, its electoral base in the working class is dwindling and it even has trouble mobilising support among large industrial workplaces.
How did we get here?
From the beginning, the workers movement in Austria has been dominated by the Social Democracy. Unlike in other countries, the Communist Party didnt develop significantly, with exception of a short intermezzo when they led the resistance during the fascist period, and the decade after.
In the past, the Social Democracy always understood the need to incorporate strong left-wing tendencies within the party, in order to prevent the rise of any forces to their left, and maintain the class struggle within relatively safe channels.
After the fall of the Soviet Union, the crisis of Stalinism was reflected in the KPO. The KP faction in the province of Styria essentially adopted a left-reformist approach, focusing on social policies at a local and even individual level. However, unlike the party in the rest of Austria, the faction did not focus all its energies on left electoral alliances but kept its identity as an independent party. It defended the word communism in the party name, and its leading representatives still identify as Marxists (despite stressing that they want to interpret this un-ideologically).
In the 1990s, community politics with an emphasis on housing finally brought electoral success to the KPO in Graz. This was assisted by the increasingly right-wing policy of the SPO, which had also held the office of mayor in Graz since the mid-1980s. The Communist Party installed a hotline to assist tenants, and consistently voted against social cuts. Additionally, officials of the KPO Styria dont take more than a workers wage, donating everything above 2,000 to social projects for citizens. All of this has won the party credibility with the masses of Graz.
However, the KPO is not without its limitations. Its focus on community politics and its parliamentary outlook, lacking a perspective of united class struggle, have always been its Achilles heel. For example, the communist trade union faction did not put forward any plan of action when the biggest car factory in Graz, Magna, announced mass sackings in 2019. Instead, their demand was to work out an alternative to the dependency on the crisis-ridden car industry together with the management. This, despite the fact that they earned 18.5 percent of the votes and five mandates in said factorys shop steward elections.
In its approach towards migration, the party also leaves a lot to be desired. Officially, it promotes a Stalinist social-patriot orientation, which defends a progressive Austrian nation. Despite the scandalously racist policy of the Austrian national government towards migrants fleeing the recent take-over of the Taliban in Afghanistan, the KPO remained silent in midst of its electoral campaign.
In the past, the KPO has been notably absent on questions concerning the constant campaign of racism conducted by the ruling conservative party. In 2015, when there was a huge pro-refugee movement in Austria, a leading comrade of the Styrian Party, Werner Murgg, called nation states without strict border regimes eunuch states.
Despite all these limitations, the decline of the Social Democracy and its complete lack of credibility have laid the basis for the rise of the KPO. In fact, this process started back in the 1980s, during the steel crisis, when some militant shop stewards in the steelworks went from the socialists (whose leaders defended a class-collaborationist line) over to the KP-union faction.
Since 2011, the SPO formed a so-called reform partnership with the conservative OVP in the region of Styria and actively carried out the destruction of rural infrastructure, closure of hospitals and targeted cuts to the most vulnerable layers of society etc. Not to mention the federal party, which has not once consistently defended a working-class standpoint in any conflict or dispute.
The KPO has thus become a visible and viable alternative to the SP in Graz and the region. Since 2003, the KPO has come second or third place in municipal elections, while the SP has continuously lost votes since 1988 (when it still had a vote-share of 42.5 percent). The Marxists of Der Funke openly called a KPO vote in Graz, and in provincial elections, since 2015. Our article just before this election bore the headline: Graz 2021: Black-blue out; Red-Red in! (Black-blue referring to OVP-FPO).
Underlying processes
This electoral result cannot be solely explained from the point of view of specific regional developments. The victory of the KPO resonated beyond the traditional left, and even garnered attention internationally. Even people who never thought of having anything to do with communism in their lives find this political sea change interesting and timely; most workers and youth view it positively.
The victory of the KPO resonated beyond the traditional left, and even garnered attention internationally / Image: fair use
This is unmistakable evidence of the fact that what is happening in Graz is part of a larger tidal shift in society. The crisis and resulting insecurity of capitalism is leading many to question the well-known truths of the past, and making them increasingly open to new ideas and alternatives.
Our political enemies view this election with horror. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, only a few days after saying he felt the gratitude of the masses to the conservatives (!), finds the communist victory alarming. Political commentators such as the public broadcasting stations senior editor Hans Burger sees it as a fertile ground for left-wing protest movements.
Now, rumours have emerged that the federal government is putting pressure on the Greens to prevent KP-leader Elke Kahr from taking office as mayor. This pressure shows how afraid the bourgeoisie are of the emergence of an alternative to their established rule.
Even if they fail to prevent a communist-led city government, the hostile approach of the bourgeois establishment will shape the coming political struggle between a KP-led administration. The federal and regional governments fund the municipalities, and might use their control of the purse strings to pressure the KPO.
Community and communism
In their first statements after the elections, the KP-leadership and its main candidate Elke Kahr stress that they want to continue to be useful, to be there for everyone and to work together with all parties, in short: a continuation of their community-oriented approach. This is, for now, a very popular stance. As yet, they have made no statements as to which reforms they will take up.
Housing is still the main social issue in Graz. The costs of rent are exploding, with an increase of 20 percent in the last year alone (the price now stands at 9.59/m). At the same time, the number of vacant investment property apartments has increased, because real estate speculators have had free reign to buy up living space, aided and encouraged by the black-blue government. Additionally, usage of public spaces, public transport (which is extremely expensive and inefficient in Graz), air pollution and cuts to public services are all major issues in the city.
A KP-led government must ensure that class-based demands for a decent existence and workplace conditions have a prominent point of support in the city hall. Also, the above-mentioned car factory Magna, which currently employs 13,000 workers, is constantly under pressure from the capitalist world market, and exploits its workers mercilessly. The communist trade union faction, together with a communist-led city hall, have a major opportunity to advance the cause of the working class in upcoming social conflicts.
However, confronted with questions about the KPOs party programme, which includes the expropriation of big business and industry, the leadership of the Graz party has offered reassurances to the establishment that this will not be a feature of their policy, and that these parts of their programme are not a monstrance that we flaunt.
In the context of growing social and political polarisation, a mechanical division between the long-term goal of a socialist programme and the concrete task of improving the living standards of the masses could weaken a communist-led administration.
There is also certain flippancy evident in the attitude of party leaders towards revolutionary politics. For instance, what does leading candidate, Elke Kahr, have to say about Lenin? According to her, Lenin is the name of our cat in our partys office. I like him. And rather than replying robustly to the anti-communist propaganda that communism has brought millions of deaths, Elke Kahr simply replied that this is not a topic that interests normal people.
This is the first time in living memory that communism has featured so prominently in public debate. It would have been much more impactful, and bolstered activists and supporters far more, had Kahr said something along the lines of: yes, the Communist Party does indeed stand for the expropriation of big capital and wants to win a majority in society to carry out this demand for the benefit of the workers and their families as well as nature.
Such an approach would electrify the political situation in Austria. The political vacuum left by the Social Democracy is growing and demands to be filled. The Styrian KPO has won political attention and now has the authority to put together a nationwide communist candidacy.
Without anticipating any developments, we can say that with the current situation in the Social Democracy, and especially the continuous surrender and errors of its left, have created space for a serious, national, working-class candidate to the partys left. This would awaken the working-class movement by openly challenging the dominance of the right-wing and bourgeois leaders of the big workers organisations.
The growing unrest and anger in society will find further expression. Events, events and furthermore events will shape and reshape the consciousness of the masses, test ideas and leaders; and create and destroy organisations. In this process, the working class will develop a leadership that is willing and capable to finish the job. For sure, the victory of the KP in Graz is one such element in this process.
May the bourgeois tremble, the period of calm and social peace is coming to an end.
Since 16 September, more than 2,500 factory workers at the electric appliance company Universal have been engaging in a heroic strike at the industrial zone in 6th of October City, near Cairo. Please read this appeal, and share our solidarity motion (below).
Workers initiated the strike after a series of attacks on working conditions by the bosses. Wages have not been paid for three months and hazard pay has been completely withdrawn. The latter is especially important, since the factory has experienced an increased number of injuries, from the amputation of fingers and hands to workers having heart attacks. Conditions have worsened so badly that 15 have died in the last three months, including two who took their own lives.
These attacks come at a time when the masses in Egypt are already feeling the effect of the governments brutal austerity measures. Living conditions for workers and the poor have fallen significantly in the recent period, as a result of the structural adjustment policies imposed by the International Monetary Fund, with the support of the Egyptian ruling class and the military dictatorship that protects it.
The military itself has played a particularly pernicious role in protecting the capitalists during the strike. Three leading factory workers, as well as one of their sons, were arrested in their homes for allegedly inciting the strike and disrupting work. Workers are now threatening a sit-in, amid rising tensions with the police and escalating repression.
These events have further discredited the dictator Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi, who claims to represent the Egyptian masses and stand above the class struggle. Ultimately, the military dictatorship will only defend the interests of Egyptian capitalists, and exists only to suppress the working class.
Despite constant repression by the military dictatorship, the Egyptian working class has proven itself willing to fight to defend living standards and working conditions. Egyptian workers have a long tradition of fighting back against the bosses and will continue to struggle in defence of their rights. We, the Marxists, offer our full support to the workers of Universal, and to others engaged in the struggle to preserve their livelihoods in the face of brutal attacks by the capitalists and the military dictatorship.
Such economic struggles provide very important experiences and lessons for the working class, experiences which will prove crucial in the future revolutionary struggles in Egypt.
We call for the demands of the workers to be met. If the employers claim they are insolvent, workers must demand they open the books and reveal the companys financial secrets. If the company is bankrupt, it should be confiscated and placed under the control of the workers, who are the most capable of managing it.
Currently, the army is isolating the factory, cutting off the workers from the outside world. We must be their voice in this period, defending and spreading their message as far as possible. We call on the working class in the region and worldwide to help support their comrades in Egypt. We call for the widest campaign of international solidarity with the workers of the Universal company, in the face of the campaign of repression and restrictions imposed on them by the state, and we call for the widest campaign to demand the release of detained workers and the cessation of security prosecutions.
For the release of detainees!
For the widest campaign of solidarity with factory workers at Universal!
No to the withholding of wages!
For workers control of all factories threatened with bankruptcy!
Long live the Egyptian working class!
Down with the capitalists governments!
Down with the military dictatorship!
There is no solution but the victory of the socialist revolution led by a workers' government!
What you can do to support the struggle:
Sign the below model resolution and send it as a direct message to the company on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UniversalHomeAppliances. Please also send a copy of the message to marxy@marxy.com and contact@marxist.com Pass the resolution in your trade union or party branch and send it to the same addresses. Do not forget to send the message to marxy@marxy.com and contact@marxist.com as that will allow us to raise public pressure on the company.
Model resolution
The workers of the Universal electronics factory in Cairos 6th of October City have been on strike since 16 September. Having endured three months of withheld wages and dangerous working conditions, they have bravely decided to strike for their basic rights. After 15 of their co-workers died in the past three months from harmful working conditions and many more suffered severe injuries, they are struggling not only for a fair wage, but to protect their lives and the lives of their fellow workers. In such dangerous working conditions it is all the more disgraceful that the company has withdrawn all hazard pay for the past period.
While they are fighting this life-or-death struggle, they have been continually targeted by the repressive attacks of the police and the army. Three leading strikers and one of their sons have been abducted and are being detained for the crime of fighting for their rights. Currently, the workers have been isolated by the army, with no way to get their message out to the world. In these brutal conditions, international solidarity is the most important tool they have.
We call on Universal to immediately meet the demands of the striking workers. All withheld wages must be paid, hazard pay must be reinstated, working conditions in the factory must be improved and made safe. We also demand an end to the victimisation of strikers. Those currently detained must be immediately released. These are political prisoners, who have committed no crimes whatsoever.
Solidarity!
Calls to action sounded loud and clear from leading voices from across the region as Africa Climate Week 2021 kicked off. The event, hosted by the government of Uganda, is expected to drive urgent critical discussion ahead of the COP26 climate conference.
The African Development Bank is hosting thematic sessions and side events alongside partner organizations, including the African Union Commission, UN Economic Commission for Africa, UN Development Program, UN Environment Program, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, and World Bank Group. The three-day virtual event runs 26-29 September 2021.
Sam Cheptoris, Minister of Water and Environment of Uganda, said: We have seen recently that the world is not on course to limit warming to as close to 1.5 degrees Celsius as possible, as laid out in the Paris Agreement. This increases risk of severe impacts at a moment in which we are looking to grow quickly. For Africa, this is a generational crisis and one we will have to adapt to. In the face of the climate crisis, Africa must come together and chart a course to low-emission growth that is good for all Africans and the world.
Al Hamndou Dorsouma, Officer-in-charge for Climate Change and Green Growth at the African Development Bank, said the Bank stood ready to deploy its resources to save people and planet and generate wealth for our continent. The Africa Climate Week presents us an opportunity to dialogue with partners to generate a pipeline of transformative projects and programs that will deliver Africas post Covid-19 recovery in line with Africas Agenda 2063, the Sustainable Development Goals and Paris Agreement goals, Dorsouma said.
At a side event on mobilizing gender-responsive climate finance hosted by the UN Development Program and the UK government, which currently holds the COP26 presidency, Davinah Milenge, principal coordinator of the African Development Banks Africa Nationally Determined Contributions Hub, shared best practices on crowding in gender-responsive adaptation finance. As an example, she cited the Banks Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) Ghana project, which offers innovative financial products and services to assist womens adoption of climate-smart agricultural technologies and practices.
A panel discussion organized by the African Development Bank and the UN Population Fund, focused on enhancing gender-sensitive and health adaptation responses in Africa. The discussion stressed the need for more data on gender-sensitive indicators to improve climate adaptation responses. Gareth Phillips, the African Development Banks manager for climate and environment finance, called for more resources to be made available to communities to support a bottom-up approach on gender and health inclusion in adaptation measures.
Panellists noted that only four African Nationally Determined Contributions integrate health considerations. Current efforts to adapt to climate change are simply not sufficient. Moreover, solutions are not always designed to prevent disproportionate impacts on women and girls, as well as other vulnerable or marginalized populations, said Dr. Bannet Ndyanabangi, UN Population Funds interim regional director for East and Southern Africa.
Mobilizing climate finance was a key agenda topic. At a side event hosted by Hivos, panelists discussed access to finance, outlining the barriers local private actors face in accessing finance. Dr. Olufunso Somorin, the Banks regional principal officer for East Africa, said the African Development Bank works with financial intermediaries across the continent to offer concessional loans to local companies interested in climate action. Access to finance, including the $100 billion annual pledge made by developed countries at COP15, will be central to the agenda of the upcoming COP26 conference to be held in Glasgow from 31 October to 12 November.
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Air Mauritius has exited voluntary administration and is increasing flight capacity to cater for travellers from all over the world who are planning to visit the Indian Ocean paradise island for work and pleasure.
The government of the Republic of Mauritius is injecting Rs12 billion (US$280million) into Air Mauritius via a loan to provide long term stability for the company as international air travel and tourism rebuilds following the Covid-19 pandemic. Air Mauritius is a strategic national asset central to the governments tourism and investment strategy and provides Mauritius with its own passenger and cargo connectivity to meet market demands. The new loan arrangement was overwhelmingly supported by Air Mauritius creditors.
Ken Arian, CEO of Airports Holdings Limited, the parent company of Air Mauritius said:
This new financial arrangement provides Air Mauritius with the stability to rebuild and play a central role in the governments economic development and tourism plans. It is a vote of confidence in our staff and provides them and our tourism industry with reassurance for the future. Air Mauritius is an iconic global brand and will continue to provide short and long-haul passenger and cargo connectivity to some of our most important global markets.
Passenger and cargo flights will operate between Mauritius and Paris, London, Johannesburg, Mumbai, Antananarivo and Reunion with connecting services available globally. Additional capacity and international routes will be added to meet demand. Air Mauritius expects Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and Perth to be introduced at a later date. Domestic services to and from Rodrigues will resume in November 2021.
As part of the new structure, the network fleet has been consolidated from 15 aircraft to 9 aircraft 4 x A350-900 and 2 x A330-900neo wide-bodied fleet. The remaining 3 aircraft are ATR72-500 to service domestic and regional routes. Air Mauritius now has one of the youngest widebody fleets in the world.
Mauritius is reopening its borders to fully vaccinated passengers from October 1 and, as a result, demand for flights is soaring. Confidence is high that the nations vaccination drive with 83 percent of adults now double-jabbed will allow visitors to feel safe and secure. Non-vaccinated travelers can visit subject to a 14-day quarantine period.
Air Mauritius, which continued to fly throughout voluntary administration and the Covid-19 pandemic, is looking to the future with confidence, and we are delighted to welcome even more passengers back on board.
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International
Rohingya refugee leader shot dead in Bdesh camp
Mohib Ullah, a Rohingya Muslim leader from the Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights.
Dhaka, Sep 30 (AP) | Publish Date: 9/30/2021 12:33:57 PM IST
An international representative of ethnic Rohingya refugees was shot to death in a camp in Bangladesh by unknown gunmen late Wednesday, police said.
Mohibullah, who is in his 40s, was a teacher who emerged as a key refugee leader and a spokesman representing the Muslim ethnic group in international meetings. He visited the White House in 2019 for a meeting on religious freedom with then-President Donald Trump and spoke about the suffering and persecution faced by Rohingya in Myanmar. That same year, he was bitterly criticized by Bangladeshi media after he led a massive rally of 200,000 refugees to mark the second anniversary of the crackdown by Myanmars military that caused about 700,000 Rohingya, including Mohibullah, to flee to neighboring Bangladesh.
The unidentified attackers shot Mohibullah at the Kutupalong refugee camp at Ukhiya in Coxs Bazar district, said Naimul Haque, an commander of the Armed Police Battalion in Coxs Bazar. He was rushed to a hospital where he was declared dead.
No groups claimed responsibility and it was not clear immediately who was behind the attack. Human Rights Watch called Mohibullah a vital voice for the Rohingya community.
He always defended the rights of the Rohingya to safe and dignified returns and to have a say in the decisions concerning their lives and future. His killing is a stark demonstration of the risks faced by those in the camps who speak up for freedom and against violence, Meenakshi Ganguly, the rights groups South Asia director, said in a statement.
Mohibullahs death undermines not only the struggle of Rohingya refugees for greater rights and protection in the refugee camps, but also their efforts to safely return to their homes in Myanmar. Bangladesh authorities should urgently investigate Mohibullahs killing along with other attacks on Rohingya activists in the camps, she said.
Amnesty International urged Bangladeshi authorities and the U.N. Refugee Agency to work together to ensure the protection of people in the camps, including refugees, activists and humanitarian workers from both the Rohingya and local community, many of whom have shared concerns about their safety.
His killing sends a chilling affect across the entire community, said Saad Hammadi, Amnesty Internationals South Asia Campaigner.
Overall, Bangladesh has been sheltering more than 1.1 million Rohingya refugees from Myanmar after previous waves of persecution.
Baysider National Guard recruiter updates Rotarians
Staff Sgt. Joshua Stone (Right) was introduced as Guest Speaker by Rotarian and US Army Veteran George Feeney at Rotary's weekly morning meeting last Thursday, held in the Alton Senior Center. Stone talked about the many changes and opportunities available as a soldier in the New Hampshire National Guard. (Courtesy Photo) (click for larger version) ALTON Staff Sgt. Joshua Stone, a New Hampshire National Guard recruiter and retention spokesperson, addressed Alton Rotarians at their weekly Thursday AM meeting about the many changes and opportunities now available in the New Hampshire Guard.
"Our state of New Hampshire has the smallest number of soldiers per capita, smaller than any other state in the country, but that doesn't change, in any way, how we as an active unit are trained and qualified to help and secure areas in our state, country or the world, when disasters, natural or man-made, may occur. We are prepared to serve whenever and wherever needed," he stated.
Stone often speaks with students at a number of area high schools, including Prospect Mountain High, Alton, about them enlisting in the New Hampshire State Guard.
"I see students, both boys and girls, who are enthusiastic and ready to serve. They want to give back, and are seriously thinking about their futures, including some wanting to join the military," he added.
When you join the New Hampshire National Guard, it'll require 10-15 weeks of basic training at one of many Army training camps in the country, then, attending monthly weekend training at home, and two weeks a year at a military camp away from home.
"The chances you'll be called to duty during your enlistment in the NH Guard, is very likely. You may need to serve to help save and improve lives anywhere needed, it's very exciting and rewarding to be involved in such causes," he ended.
Stone has served our country for a number of years both within the USA and countries like Japan, Iraq and in Europe. The Alton Rotary club meets every Thursday for breakfast at the Senior Center, Alton.
For information on joining Rotary, contact Rotarian Duane Hammond at 569-3745. ALTON Staff Sgt. Joshua Stone, a New Hampshire National Guard recruiter and retention spokesperson, addressed Alton Rotarians at their weekly Thursday AM meeting about the many changes and opportunities now available in the New Hampshire Guard."Our state of New Hampshire has the smallest number of soldiers per capita, smaller than any other state in the country, but that doesn't change, in any way, how we as an active unit are trained and qualified to help and secure areas in our state, country or the world, when disasters, natural or man-made, may occur. We are prepared to serve whenever and wherever needed," he stated.Stone often speaks with students at a number of area high schools, including Prospect Mountain High, Alton, about them enlisting in the New Hampshire State Guard."I see students, both boys and girls, who are enthusiastic and ready to serve. They want to give back, and are seriously thinking about their futures, including some wanting to join the military," he added.When you join the New Hampshire National Guard, it'll require 10-15 weeks of basic training at one of many Army training camps in the country, then, attending monthly weekend training at home, and two weeks a year at a military camp away from home."The chances you'll be called to duty during your enlistment in the NH Guard, is very likely. You may need to serve to help save and improve lives anywhere needed, it's very exciting and rewarding to be involved in such causes," he ended.Stone has served our country for a number of years both within the USA and countries like Japan, Iraq and in Europe. The Alton Rotary club meets every Thursday for breakfast at the Senior Center, Alton.For information on joining Rotary, contact Rotarian Duane Hammond at 569-3745.
Baysider Alton Rotary on board to supply socks to shelters and organizations Offense stalls as Prospect boys fall to Laconia Thanks for visiting SalmonPress.com
Berlin Reporter City Council recognizes Aug. 7 as Purple Heart Day
by Tara Giles
Sports reporter - Coos County Democrat and Berlin Reporter Sports reporter - Coos County Democrat and Berlin Reporter write the author BERLIN Last week's Berlin City Council meeting began with a Public Hearing regarding Main Street and abutting lots. Resident Robert Theberge relayed that this sale is a positive for the downtown area in Berlin. Theberge then suggested that during remote meetings votes should be done by roll call.
Mayor Paul Grenier responded, saying, "When the majority of the elected body is present in-person for the meeting, this is not required."
Theberge said, "I also think that when amending an ordinance, the original should be included with strikeouts to show the changes requested. If there is ever any appeal or concern about non-public items, there is an Omnibus bureau that you can request a public hearing with. I also have concerns about the proposed ordinance concerning Conflict of Interest. It's vague and would prevent me from running for Council if my brother was also serving."
Grenier explained that the proposed ordinance would not prohibit both brothers serving on the Council, as they would be elected by the voters, it would just prohibit appointing family members to available positions.
For the traffic report, Councilor Rozek relayed that the blind driveway sign requested by Julia Brennan and John Tate was refereed to City Manager James Wheeler.
In other traffic news, Rozek said, "The request for a left-hand turn arrow signal at the Cleveland Bridge was referred for review by a lighting system professional to adapt or adjust the lights, as there is sometimes not enough time to make a left-hand turn when traffic is heavy."
Brought up for discussion was a cross that was removed from Mt. Jasper, loose dogs and graffiti in the mine that needs to be removed.
The Council passed a Resolution authorizing the City Attorney and City Manager to negotiate a purchase and sales agreement with David Scalley for 121 Main St. for the sum of $1. The Resolution reads as follows:
WHEREAS, there is currently no tax base derived from any of the parcels at this time; and
WHEREAS, the properties are located in the middle of downtown and have been vacant for many years and DAVID SCALLEY has been a responsible developer in many communities; and
WHEREAS, DAVID SCALLEY has agreed to substantially improve the property at 121 Main Street and the adjacent three vacant parcels by renovating the building and adjacent properties to meet all City Codes and ordinances; and
WHEREAS, the City Attorney and City Manager are authorized to negotiate and the City Manager is authorized to enter into a purchase and sale agreement on behalf of the City of Berlin for 121 Main Street, Map 119 Lot 51 along with three adjacent parcels fronting along Pleasant Street identified as Tax Map 119, Lots 33, 34, and 35 as well as to do all things necessary to close this transaction and tender the appropriate Quitclaim Deed to 121 Main Street, Map 119 Lot 51 along with three adjacent parcels fronting along Pleasant Street identified as Tax Map 119, Lots 33, 34, and 35; and
WHEREAS, the proposal tendered by DAVID SCALLEY (indicating he is willing to purchase all four parcels, "as is, where is" and to tender a complete release, indemnity and hold harmless agreement in favor of the City on any and all environmental issues concerning these properties as well as on the state of the building) was found to meet the City's goals to improve the downtown and put properties back on the tax rolls.
A Resolution regarding the Purple Heart Community Proclamation was unanimously approved.
It reads, "Whereas, the people of the City of Berlin have great admiration and the utmost gratitude for all of the citizens of our community who have selflessly served in the Armed Forces, which has been vital in maintaining the freedom and the way of life enjoyed by our citizens; and, Whereas, citizens of our community have been wounded in action or killed in action while serving in the Armed Forces, and have been posthumously awarded the Purple Heart for their ultimate sacrifices; and, Whereas, the Purple Heart is the oldest American military decoration, and was created as 'The Badge of Military Merit' made of purple cloth in the shape of heart with the word 'Merit' sewn upon it, on August 7, 1782 in Newburgh, New York, by General George Washington; and, Whereas, the heritage it represents is sacred to those who know the price paid to wear the Purple Heart; and, Whereas, August 7th is nationally recognized as Purple Heart Day." BERLIN Last week's Berlin City Council meeting began with a Public Hearing regarding Main Street and abutting lots. Resident Robert Theberge relayed that this sale is a positive for the downtown area in Berlin. Theberge then suggested that during remote meetings votes should be done by roll call.Mayor Paul Grenier responded, saying, "When the majority of the elected body is present in-person for the meeting, this is not required."Theberge said, "I also think that when amending an ordinance, the original should be included with strikeouts to show the changes requested. If there is ever any appeal or concern about non-public items, there is an Omnibus bureau that you can request a public hearing with. I also have concerns about the proposed ordinance concerning Conflict of Interest. It's vague and would prevent me from running for Council if my brother was also serving."Grenier explained that the proposed ordinance would not prohibit both brothers serving on the Council, as they would be elected by the voters, it would just prohibit appointing family members to available positions.For the traffic report, Councilor Rozek relayed that the blind driveway sign requested by Julia Brennan and John Tate was refereed to City Manager James Wheeler.In other traffic news, Rozek said, "The request for a left-hand turn arrow signal at the Cleveland Bridge was referred for review by a lighting system professional to adapt or adjust the lights, as there is sometimes not enough time to make a left-hand turn when traffic is heavy."Brought up for discussion was a cross that was removed from Mt. Jasper, loose dogs and graffiti in the mine that needs to be removed.The Council passed a Resolution authorizing the City Attorney and City Manager to negotiate a purchase and sales agreement with David Scalley for 121 Main St. for the sum of $1. The Resolution reads as follows:WHEREAS, there is currently no tax base derived from any of the parcels at this time; andWHEREAS, the properties are located in the middle of downtown and have been vacant for many years and DAVID SCALLEY has been a responsible developer in many communities; andWHEREAS, DAVID SCALLEY has agreed to substantially improve the property at 121 Main Street and the adjacent three vacant parcels by renovating the building and adjacent properties to meet all City Codes and ordinances; andWHEREAS, the City Attorney and City Manager are authorized to negotiate and the City Manager is authorized to enter into a purchase and sale agreement on behalf of the City of Berlin for 121 Main Street, Map 119 Lot 51 along with three adjacent parcels fronting along Pleasant Street identified as Tax Map 119, Lots 33, 34, and 35 as well as to do all things necessary to close this transaction and tender the appropriate Quitclaim Deed to 121 Main Street, Map 119 Lot 51 along with three adjacent parcels fronting along Pleasant Street identified as Tax Map 119, Lots 33, 34, and 35; andWHEREAS, the proposal tendered by DAVID SCALLEY (indicating he is willing to purchase all four parcels, "as is, where is" and to tender a complete release, indemnity and hold harmless agreement in favor of the City on any and all environmental issues concerning these properties as well as on the state of the building) was found to meet the City's goals to improve the downtown and put properties back on the tax rolls.A Resolution regarding the Purple Heart Community Proclamation was unanimously approved.It reads, "Whereas, the people of the City of Berlin have great admiration and the utmost gratitude for all of the citizens of our community who have selflessly served in the Armed Forces, which has been vital in maintaining the freedom and the way of life enjoyed by our citizens; and, Whereas, citizens of our community have been wounded in action or killed in action while serving in the Armed Forces, and have been posthumously awarded the Purple Heart for their ultimate sacrifices; and, Whereas, the Purple Heart is the oldest American military decoration, and was created as 'The Badge of Military Merit' made of purple cloth in the shape of heart with the word 'Merit' sewn upon it, on August 7, 1782 in Newburgh, New York, by General George Washington; and, Whereas, the heritage it represents is sacred to those who know the price paid to wear the Purple Heart; and, Whereas, August 7th is nationally recognized as Purple Heart Day."
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Gilford Steamer GPD talks about its work during community event
by Erin Plummer
Members of the community had the opportunity to learn more about the Gilford Police Department during the Gilford Police Department Appreciation, Awareness, and Participation Night.
On Thursday night, personnel with the Gilford Police Department talked about the work they do in front of live and virtual audiences. The presentation was also recorded by DP Productions and can be found on their website at https://www.dppgnetwork.com/watch-dppg
The event was put together by resident Tony Limanni, who also orchestrated an effort to distribute "Thank a Gilford Police Officer" lawn signs.
Limanni said he has extensive experience with police officers. His nephew is a state trooper on the Seacoast. He also helped design a testing system for police from around the state.
Additionally, he remembered being in a car accident on Route 11A, and how the Gilford Police helped him. There was also a time when he was driving home with his family from a church trip to Vermont and got caught in a heavy snowstorm on I-89. A state trooper ended up blocking his vehicle from a hazardous situation.
Limanni said he wanted this to educate people on what the police really do and not get caught up in the vitriol being targeted at officers now.
Limanni paid tribute to Larry Litchfield, the owner of Sawyer's Dairy Bar who donated $200 toward materials for the signs and contributed to the appreciation event. Litchfield passed away earlier this year.
"He really wanted to be here," Limanni said. "He wanted to be a part of this and he contributed wonderfully to the program for tonight and for the signs and I'm just sorry he couldn't be here. He helped make this possible and I really appreciate his enthusiasm."
Police Chief Anthony Bean Burpee and Deputy Chief Kris Kelley talked about the department's mission statement and the facts behind their work.
Bean Burpee said the actual work of police officers is different from what people might see in movies or on TV. He said incidents that might be seen in some parts of the country don't tend to happen in New Hampshire.
Bean Burpee said there are around 7,000 different law enforcement agencies across the country with over 774,000 officers. On average, there are 12.5 million arrests in the US every year, though he said statistics show that .005 of those arrests result in a fatal encounter.
Bean Burpee and Kelley said when more negative incidents about police are more frequently featured on the news, that is the predominant message that gets out while positive stories usually get lost in the news cycle.
"I'm not suggesting that there isn't room to improve in law enforcement as there is in any profession, but sometimes that message gets a little skewed sometimes when it's out there," Kelley said.
The Gilford Police try to engage with the public with numerous community policing opportunities.
"No single factor has been more crucial to reducing crime levels than the partnership between law enforcement and the communities that they serve, so community policing has been around a long time," Bean Burpee said.
Police will engage in "walk and talks" where they will walk around the community, come into businesses, and introduce themselves to people. These engagements could result in people feeling more comfortable about talking with the police about a crime or giving information.
The department holds a number of community events throughout the year including National Night Out, a meeting at McDonald's along with the Laconia Police Department, and others. That appreciation event was one of them.
"When we hold these events around town it is an opportunity for people to show up and, as we always say, behind these uniforms and these guns and badge and everything else we're human, we're just like everybody else," Bean Burpee said.
Bean Burpee said in the seven years he's been in Gilford the community has shown great support of its police department.
Bean Burpee and Kelley talked about the department's mission statement and how they rigorously review officer candidates, engage with the public, work with new technology, and other principles. They will also aim to provide healthy outlets for officers to deal with stress and talk about what's going on with them.
Several members of the department spoke about their divisions and what they do, including department prosecutor Sgt. Eric Bredbury, Det. Sgt. Chris Jacques from the Investigative Services Bureau, Patrol Sgt. Adam VanSteensburg, School Resources Officer Alyssa Raxter, K9 Officer and SWAT team member Curtis Mailloux, Communications Specialist Charlene Crowell, and volunteer Charlotte Landow from the Volunteers in Police Services (VIPS) program. Members of the community had the opportunity to learn more about the Gilford Police Department during the Gilford Police Department Appreciation, Awareness, and Participation Night.On Thursday night, personnel with the Gilford Police Department talked about the work they do in front of live and virtual audiences. The presentation was also recorded by DP Productions and can be found on their website at https://www.dppgnetwork.com/watch-dppgThe event was put together by resident Tony Limanni, who also orchestrated an effort to distribute "Thank a Gilford Police Officer" lawn signs.Limanni said he has extensive experience with police officers. His nephew is a state trooper on the Seacoast. He also helped design a testing system for police from around the state.Additionally, he remembered being in a car accident on Route 11A, and how the Gilford Police helped him. There was also a time when he was driving home with his family from a church trip to Vermont and got caught in a heavy snowstorm on I-89. A state trooper ended up blocking his vehicle from a hazardous situation.Limanni said he wanted this to educate people on what the police really do and not get caught up in the vitriol being targeted at officers now.Limanni paid tribute to Larry Litchfield, the owner of Sawyer's Dairy Bar who donated $200 toward materials for the signs and contributed to the appreciation event. Litchfield passed away earlier this year."He really wanted to be here," Limanni said. "He wanted to be a part of this and he contributed wonderfully to the program for tonight and for the signs and I'm just sorry he couldn't be here. He helped make this possible and I really appreciate his enthusiasm."Police Chief Anthony Bean Burpee and Deputy Chief Kris Kelley talked about the department's mission statement and the facts behind their work.Bean Burpee said the actual work of police officers is different from what people might see in movies or on TV. He said incidents that might be seen in some parts of the country don't tend to happen in New Hampshire.Bean Burpee said there are around 7,000 different law enforcement agencies across the country with over 774,000 officers. On average, there are 12.5 million arrests in the US every year, though he said statistics show that .005 of those arrests result in a fatal encounter.Bean Burpee and Kelley said when more negative incidents about police are more frequently featured on the news, that is the predominant message that gets out while positive stories usually get lost in the news cycle."I'm not suggesting that there isn't room to improve in law enforcement as there is in any profession, but sometimes that message gets a little skewed sometimes when it's out there," Kelley said.The Gilford Police try to engage with the public with numerous community policing opportunities."No single factor has been more crucial to reducing crime levels than the partnership between law enforcement and the communities that they serve, so community policing has been around a long time," Bean Burpee said.Police will engage in "walk and talks" where they will walk around the community, come into businesses, and introduce themselves to people. These engagements could result in people feeling more comfortable about talking with the police about a crime or giving information.The department holds a number of community events throughout the year including National Night Out, a meeting at McDonald's along with the Laconia Police Department, and others. That appreciation event was one of them."When we hold these events around town it is an opportunity for people to show up and, as we always say, behind these uniforms and these guns and badge and everything else we're human, we're just like everybody else," Bean Burpee said.Bean Burpee said in the seven years he's been in Gilford the community has shown great support of its police department.Bean Burpee and Kelley talked about the department's mission statement and how they rigorously review officer candidates, engage with the public, work with new technology, and other principles. They will also aim to provide healthy outlets for officers to deal with stress and talk about what's going on with them.Several members of the department spoke about their divisions and what they do, including department prosecutor Sgt. Eric Bredbury, Det. Sgt. Chris Jacques from the Investigative Services Bureau, Patrol Sgt. Adam VanSteensburg, School Resources Officer Alyssa Raxter, K9 Officer and SWAT team member Curtis Mailloux, Communications Specialist Charlene Crowell, and volunteer Charlotte Landow from the Volunteers in Police Services (VIPS) program.
Gilford Steamer Volleyball Golden Eagles power past Plymouth Urinetown coming to the GHS stage Thanks for visiting SalmonPress.com
Winnisquam Echo No tricks, just treats at the Belmont Library in October
BELMONT The Belmont Library is now the proud steward of two Little Free Libraries. Little Free Library is a nonprofit organization that promotes neighborhood book exchanges, usually in the form of a public bookcase. More than 90,000 public book exchanges are registered with the organization and branded as Little Free Libraries. Take a book, leave a book: one Library is located on the Village Rail Trail and the other at the entrance to the Town Forest walking trails on Wildlife Boulevard.
The Little Free Libraries were made available through IMLS funds administered through the NH state library. The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation's libraries and museums. We advance, support, and empower America's museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development. Our vision is a nation where museums and libraries work together to transform the lives of individuals and communities. To learn more, visit
The Halloween Storywalk is going up on the Village Rail Trail on Monday, Oct. 18, and will be available through Monday, Nov. 1. This story is The Scariest Book Ever by Bob Shea. StoryWalk is an innovative and delightful way for children and adults! to enjoy reading and the outdoors at the same time. Laminated pages from a children's book are attached to wooden stakes, which are installed along an outdoor path. The StoryWalk Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, Vt. and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. StoryWalk is a registered service mark owned by Ms. Ferguson.
Choose from two take n' make projects in October. A generous library supporter has donated a limited number of 6inch tall wooden decorative pumpkins just waiting to be personalized. You can also celebrate autumn with a four-foot yarn pumpkin garland. Stop by the library or call for curbside pick up to make these fun projects your own. One of each kind per family please.
The October non-fiction book group is centered on "The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey" by Candice Millard covering president Theodore Roosevelt's scientific expedition down the River of Doubt (later renamed the Roosevelt River), in Brazil. The discussion is set for Thursday, Oct. 7 at 1 p.m.
Our Friday Fiction book group meets in person outside if the weather cooperates on Friday, Oct. 15 at 10:30 a.m. to discuss "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad. "Heart of Darkness" is the story of an English seaman, Charles Marlow, who is hired by a Belgian company to captain a river steamer in the recently established Congo Free State. Almost as soon as he arrives in the Congo, Marlow begins to hear rumors about another company employee, Kurtz, who is stationed deep in the interior of the country, hundreds of miles up the Congo River. Contact the library for meeting information.
The Library will be closed Friday, Oct. 8 through Monday, Oct. 11.
The Belmont Public Library is open six days a week and any time at BELMONT The Belmont Library is now the proud steward of two Little Free Libraries. Little Free Library is a nonprofit organization that promotes neighborhood book exchanges, usually in the form of a public bookcase. More than 90,000 public book exchanges are registered with the organization and branded as Little Free Libraries. Take a book, leave a book: one Library is located on the Village Rail Trail and the other at the entrance to the Town Forest walking trails on Wildlife Boulevard.The Little Free Libraries were made available through IMLS funds administered through the NH state library. The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation's libraries and museums. We advance, support, and empower America's museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development. Our vision is a nation where museums and libraries work together to transform the lives of individuals and communities. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.The Halloween Storywalk is going up on the Village Rail Trail on Monday, Oct. 18, and will be available through Monday, Nov. 1. This story is The Scariest Book Ever by Bob Shea. StoryWalk is an innovative and delightful way for children and adults! to enjoy reading and the outdoors at the same time. Laminated pages from a children's book are attached to wooden stakes, which are installed along an outdoor path. The StoryWalk Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, Vt. and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. StoryWalk is a registered service mark owned by Ms. Ferguson.Choose from two take n' make projects in October. A generous library supporter has donated a limited number of 6inch tall wooden decorative pumpkins just waiting to be personalized. You can also celebrate autumn with a four-foot yarn pumpkin garland. Stop by the library or call for curbside pick up to make these fun projects your own. One of each kind per family please.The October non-fiction book group is centered on "The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey" by Candice Millard covering president Theodore Roosevelt's scientific expedition down the River of Doubt (later renamed the Roosevelt River), in Brazil. The discussion is set for Thursday, Oct. 7 at 1 p.m.Our Friday Fiction book group meets in person outside if the weather cooperates on Friday, Oct. 15 at 10:30 a.m. to discuss "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad. "Heart of Darkness" is the story of an English seaman, Charles Marlow, who is hired by a Belgian company to captain a river steamer in the recently established Congo Free State. Almost as soon as he arrives in the Congo, Marlow begins to hear rumors about another company employee, Kurtz, who is stationed deep in the interior of the country, hundreds of miles up the Congo River. Contact the library for meeting information.The Library will be closed Friday, Oct. 8 through Monday, Oct. 11.The Belmont Public Library is open six days a week and any time at www.belmontpubliclibrary.org , serving the community with books, digital resources, and cultural programming. In 2018, the library celebrated 90 years in the same building and 125 as Belmont's community library.
Winnisquam Echo Reinartz steps down after 22 years as Tilton's Town Clerk Raiders host Jeri Blair Invitational Thanks for visiting SalmonPress.com
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-29 23:53:24|Editor: huaxia
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Video: Vaccine nationalism amid the COVID-19 crisis has been disappointing, Aaditya Mattoo, World Bank chief economist for East Asia and Pacific Region, tells Xinhua, urging policymakers to boost trade openness to rein in the virus and support recovery. (Xinhua)
Global cooperation is not only needed on vaccination, on trade, but also on macro economic policy, Mattoo said, as coordinated stimulus is mutually reinforcing and will be more powerful, says Aaditya Mattoo.
by Xiong Maoling, Tan Yixiao
WASHINGTON, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Vaccine nationalism amid the COVID-19 crisis has been disappointing, said Aaditya Mattoo, World Bank chief economist for East Asia and Pacific Region, urging policymakers to boost trade openness to rein in the virus and support recovery.
"I am a trade economist and all my life, I believed that production should happen where it is most efficient and then be distributed to where there is greatest need," Mattoo told Xinhua in a remote video interview Monday.
"But this crisis has disappointed me because instead of countries pursuing a globally optimal cooperative strategy, there has been what we call vaccine nationalism," Mattoo said.
According to the World Bank's East Asia and Pacific Fall 2021 Economic Update, vaccination in the region faces three major constraints, as availability held back vaccination rates in larger countries like Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam, smaller, poorer countries are constrained by limited distribution infrastructure, and there is also vaccine hesitancy.
Faced with vaccine nationalism, Mattoo said "perhaps not nationally, but at least regionally," it is necessary to have reliable supplies, so countries are "not hostage to a situation where other countries do not share vaccines."
In addition, the trade economist called for allowing easier access and facilitating transfer of vaccine technology, where the whole world can work together to expand production now.
"You see the perverse result of a strategy that just focuses domestically, because if you do not suppress infection outside your country, you will remain vulnerable to the emergence of new variants," he said.
"We might be condemned to a perpetual race between vaccines and variants, and we need to win that race globally, not nationally," he added.
The World Bank estimates that most countries in the East Asia and the Pacific region can vaccinate more than 60 percent of their populations by the first half of 2022, which would significantly reduce mortality, allowing a resumption of economic activity.
A medical worker inoculates a man with a dose of COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination center in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sept. 24, 2021. (Xinhua/Zulkarnain)
Apart from vaccination, Mattoo said there needs to be a complimentary strategy, which consists of precautionary behaviors, such as wearing masks, social distancing, as well as sustained testing, tracing and isolation, calling it the "second arrow in our quiver" to deal with this disease.
The latest report noted that the East Asia and Pacific region's recovery has been undermined by the spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant, and growth forecasts have been downgraded for most countries in the region.
While China's economy is projected to expand by 8.5 percent, up 0.4 percentage point from April projection, the rest of the region is forecast to grow at 2.5 percent, 1.9 percentage points less than forecast in April, the report showed.
Noting that there is variation across countries, Mattoo said some countries like China have been relatively successful in at least keeping this virus at bay, but other countries which had done well previously, especially like Vietnam and Malaysia, are now struggling to contain it and are suffering a "significant" contraction in economic activity.
Others like the Philippines and Indonesia, he continued, had always struggled and their struggles have been "worse," so they are also seeing a contraction in economic activity and forecasts for them are less promising than before.
Mattoo laid out three major reasons for China's strong recovery: China's efficiency in containing the disease; China's robust exports, supported by sustained recovery abroad; the government's capacity to provide support.
The economist, however, noted that there are also challenges China needs to address, as the disease is not conquered, global demand has peaked, geopolitical tensions can affect trade, and macro-prudential policies need to avoid instability.
He also noted that a country like China can "take initiatives as it's already doing to revive multilateral cooperation."
Global cooperation is not only needed on vaccination, on trade, but also on macro economic policy, Mattoo said, as coordinated stimulus is mutually reinforcing and will be more powerful.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte (C) stands with Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian (1st L) and other officials upon the arrival of government-purchased Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines in Manila, the Philippines, on March 29, 2021. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)
"The one risk is that when one country provides stimulus, others are sometimes tempted to hold back and that can then also create trade tensions, where you feel they are not doing their share," he said.
"So both from a purely economic point of view, but also from a political stability point of view, coordinated policies are desirable," he added.
The World Bank economist noted that trade has remained resilient for countries in the region despite the pandemic, but there are export restrictions and supply chain disruptions.
"The best response to protectionism abroad is more trade openness at home, and more trade facilitation" within the region, Mattoo said. "We showed that actually would lead to even faster growth in the region, than retaliating through protection."
The trade economist noted that trade has been the engine of growth for all the countries, "any successful country," not just in the region.
"So at this stage, even if some countries are beginning to doubt the benefits of globalization and retreating from it, I do not think the region should," he said.
Beyond containing COVID-19, the World Bank also called on policymakers to adopt a comprehensive strategy to boost inclusive growth, including increasing public investment in hard and soft infrastructure, like clean energy, transport, health systems and schools, improving social protection systems, and supporting broader technology diffusion.
"So I would say contain the disease, ensure stable macro policy for recovery, and then work hard on structural reforms for long-term growth," Mattoo said.
"A crisis is an opportunity (that) changes the political economy and the time to take advantage of it is now," he added.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-30 03:22:13|Editor: huaxia
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The Minister of Basic Education of Botswana Fidelis Molao (L) poses for a photo with Vice President of Huawei Southern Africa Li Fei during a signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding in Gaborone, Botswana, on Sept. 29, 2021. Huawei Technologies Botswana signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Botswana Sectors of Educators Trade Union (BOSETU) on Wednesday to facilitate and contribute to the digitalization of Botswana's education. Huawei Technologies Botswana donated 236,110 pula (about 20,872 U.S. dollars), 10 Huawei laptops, and two smartboards. The collaboration also includes the training of teachers in information technology. (Photo by Tshekiso Tebalo/Xinhua)
GABORONE, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Huawei Technologies Botswana signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Botswana Sectors of Educators Trade Union (BOSETU) on Wednesday to facilitate and contribute to the digitalization of Botswana's education.
Huawei Technologies Botswana donated 236,110 pula (about 20,872 U.S. dollars), 10 Huawei laptops, and two smartboards.
The collaboration also includes the training of teachers in information technology.
Speaking during the signing ceremony of the MoU in Gaborone, Li Fei, Vice President of Huawei Southern Africa, said that education is one of their current priorities, and they want to assist in creating both a knowledge-based economy and the fourth Industrial Revolution.
The donation of information and communications technology (ICT) equipment would help them improve their digital operations, said Li.
The Minister of Basic Education, Fidelis Molao, who received the donations, expressed gratitude, saying that the pandemic has forced organizations to operate virtually and online and the ICT devices will assist in this regard. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-30 15:55:43|Editor: huaxia
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BEIJING, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday exchanged congratulatory messages with Brunei's Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah on the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
In his message, Xi said that in the past 30 years since China and Brunei established diplomatic ties, bilateral relations have maintained sound and fast development.
With continuously deepened mutual political trust and cooperation in various fields as well as close communication and coordination on regional and international affairs, the two countries have set a good example of relations between countries of different sizes based on equality and mutual benefit for common development, he added.
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the two countries have always supported and helped each other in times of difficulties, writing a new chapter of friendship, Xi said, adding that he attaches great importance to the development of China-Brunei relations.
Xi stressed that he is willing to work with his Majesty Sultan Hassanal, taking the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties as an opportunity, to enhance strategic communication and deepen cooperation on fighting COVID-19 as well as joint construction of the Belt and Road, so as to promote the continuous new development of China-Brunei strategic cooperative partnership and bring benefits to the two countries and their people.
Hassanal said in his message that China is an important cooperative partner of Brunei and bilateral cooperation has achieved positive progress.
He said Brunei thanked the Chinese side for its support and assistance to Brunei in response to the COVID-19 epidemic, and expressed readiness to deepen the strategic cooperative partnership with China so as to create more benefits to the two countries and their people. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-30 16:23:54|Editor: huaxia
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People lay flowers during a commemorative event held on the occasion of China's Martyrs' Day at a monument in Nanchang, capital of east China's Jiangxi Province, Sept. 30, 2021. (Xinhua/Zhou Mi)
BEIJING, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Commemoration ceremonies were held across China on Thursday to honor fallen national heroes on Martyrs' Day.
At 9:30 a.m., a crowd of around 1,000 people sang the national anthem in front of the Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in Beijing.
Thereafter they paid a silent tribute to those who devoted their lives to the liberation of the Chinese people and the construction of the People's Republic of China, which was founded in 1949.
"As a veteran, I can better understand the dauntless spirit and loyal revolutionary belief of the martyrs. They sacrificed their lives for the happy life that we enjoy today," said Wang Wei, an official with Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications who attended the event.
"On this occasion, we can recall the spiritual heritage and historical feats left by those fallen heroes," said Dong Lixin, deputy curator of the museum, who also called on the Chinese people to make joint efforts to build a great cause that can stand the test of time.
China's top legislature approved designating Sept. 30 as Martyrs' Day in 2014 to commemorate those who sacrificed their lives in the pursuit of national independence and prosperity.
Besides Beijing, a series of memorial activities were held in other parts of China such as Liaoning, Jiangxi and Shandong provinces to mark the country's eighth Martyrs' Day, a day ahead of the National Day.
At the Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs' cemetery in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, veterans, family members of deceased heroes and representatives of all walks of life stood in front of a martyrs' monument on Thursday morning.
At around 10 a.m., the national anthem was played and people paid silent tribute to the fallen heroes. Ten honor guards placed five flower baskets at the foot of the monument. Veterans and school students straightened the red ribbons on the baskets.
Seventy-one years ago, the CPV crossed the Yalu River and fought alongside the army of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, eventually winning the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea in 1953.
More than 197,000 CPV soldiers sacrificed their lives in the war. The names of the martyrs can be seen on a memorial wall at the cemetery.
"I will never forget my brothers in arms who fought side by side with me decades ago. The spirit of martyrs is immortal," said Li Weibo, an 89-year-old CPV veteran who participated in the activity on Thursday.
"The establishment of Martyrs' Day is a solemn commemoration of the fallen national heroes in the name of the country. They will be engraved upon Chinese people's hearts forever," said Wang Chunjie, who has worked for the CPV martyrs' cemetery in Shenyang for 17 years. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-30 23:57:41|Editor: huaxia
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-- Anger and disappointment over the United States from a number of other countries, even its allies, have been widely observed at the two ongoing major UN conferences -- the 48th session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva and the 76th session of the UNGA in New York.
-- In a pre-recorded message to the 76th session of the UNGA, Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry said that he and many others were shocked by the U.S. treatment of Haitian asylum-seekers at the border between Mexico and the United States, referring to a recent video showing U.S. border patrol agents chasing Haitian migrants on horseback.
-- Recently, even some U.S. allies voiced complaints against the superpower. Referring to the nuclear submarine deal among the United States, Britain and Australia, French Foreign Minister Le Drian warned of a "crisis of trust" between allies.
by Xinhua writer Nie Xiaoyang
GENEVA, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- "While evacuating from Afghanistan, the United States still killed civilians including children. Amazing that the U.S. has the cheek to talk about human rights," said a Geneva-based diplomat who wanted to remain anonymous.
In New York, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, who was there for the week of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), told reporters that he did not intend to meet U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, accusing Washington of betrayal.
Anger and disappointment over the United States from a number of other countries, even its allies, have been widely observed at the two ongoing major UN conferences -- the 48th session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva and the 76th session of the UNGA in New York.
In the eyes of many representatives, the United States is no longer a "decent power," but a disgraceful one, as it violates human rights, breaches international norms, and betrays allies' trust.
Photo taken on Sept. 18, 2021 shows a site of U.S. drone strike in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan. The U.S. military admitted on Sept. 17 that a U.S. drone strike in late August in Kabul killed as many as ten civilians, including seven children. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)
SHAMEFUL HUMAN RIGHTS RECORDS
The four-week UN human rights session is being held at a time when Afghanistan is experiencing dramatic changes after the United States pulled out.
On Sept. 14, the second day of the UNHRC session, a joint statement by China and a group of like-minded countries pointed out that the U.S.-led military intervention in Afghanistan is the root cause of the humanitarian disaster in the war-torn country.
Afghan people displaced from their homes take shelter at a public park in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 11, 2021. (Photo by Sayed Mominzadah/Xinhua)
By April 2020, at least 47,000 Afghan civilians had been killed in the two-decade-long war and more than 10 million Afghan people were displaced, said the joint statement.
Another joint statement issued on the same day voiced concerns about the general human rights deterioration in the United States.
It accused Washington of disregarding the right to life and right to health of its people, saying that the country possesses the most advanced medical equipment and technologies, but has seen the largest COVID-19 caseload and the highest death toll worldwide.
A refrigerated trailer serving as a temporary morgue is seen amid the COVID-19 outbreak in New York, the United States, on Jan. 18, 2021. (Photo by Michael Nagle/Xinhua)
Systemic racism and racial discrimination have long existed in the United States as well. Africans and people of African descent, Asians and people of Asian descent, Muslims and other minority groups continue to suffer discrimination and harm, said the second statement.
As one of the world's richest countries, the United States is "the only developed country where millions of people are still starving, and nearly one seventh of its population is struggling with poverty," it added.
Jiang Duan, minister of the Chinese Mission to the UN office in Geneva, told the Council on Sept. 17 that nearly 100,000 people are trafficked to the United States from abroad for forced labor every year, and at least 500,000 people are subjected to contemporary forms of slavery in the country.
"A large number of children are trapped working in the agricultural sector, and many of them started to work from the age of eight," the diplomat noted. Meanwhile, "roughly 240,000 to 325,000 women and children in the United States are victims of sexual slavery."
Indeed, the United States' self-imposed image of "human rights champion" is deteriorating.
People take part in a "Black Lives Matter" protest commemorating Juneteenth in the Brooklyn borough of New York, the United States, June 19, 2020. (Photo by Michael Nagle/Xinhua)
LOW POLITICAL TRICKS
In the latest joint statement submitted by the Organization for Defending Victims of Violence and a number of other NGOs, concerns about the unilateral coercive measures (UCMs), frequently taken by the United States, were presented at the UNHRC session.
"Sanctions can create severe suffering for individuals who have neither perpetrated crimes nor otherwise bear any responsibility. When sanctions target an entire country, it is the most vulnerable people in that country who are likely to be harmed the worst," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said at a panel discussing the issue of UCMs.
Alena Douhan, UN Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of UCMs on the enjoyment of human rights, told the Council that the overwhelming majority of unilateral measures applied today were illegal under international law.
Speaking virtually during the session, a diplomat from Venezuela criticized the United States for continuing to promote its failed policy of seeking changes in sovereign governments, at the expense of the peoples.
During the ongoing session, China, as a victim of the United States' lies and rumors, also stood out.
The United States, trying to reap benefits from spreading disinformation about China, has crossed the rudimentary moral line in bashing others, the Chinese Mission at Geneva said in a statement.
To serve its own political interests, Washington has been using the human rights issue as a political tool and trying to create division and turbulence around the world, the statement said, noting that it is an old U.S. trick all too familiar to others.
In the statement, China urged the United States to act as a "decent power" and invest its resources in improving the welfare and human rights of its own people, rather than violating the human rights of people in other countries and playing low political tricks.
INTERNATIONAL OUTRAGE
During the two UN meetings, a number of countries have spoken out against what the United States has done and has been doing to the rest of the world.
In his speech to the high-level general debate at the UNGA on Sept. 23, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel underlined the importance of multilateralism and condemned U.S. foreign policy.
People participate in a rally against U.S. embargo in Havana, Cuba, Aug. 5, 2021. (Photo by Joaquin Hernandez/Xinhua)
He said via a pre-recorded video that the United States is promoting a "dangerous international schism ... through the pernicious use and abuse of economic coercive measures."
The Cuban president also criticized Washington for pressuring countries to speak and act against those it has identified as adversaries, overthrowing legitimate governments, and breaking trade agreements, saying that the U.S. behavior "is associated with ideological and cultural intolerance."
In his speech at the UNGA on Sept. 21, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi called for an end to U.S. sanctions upon his country, saying that those sanctions are a new method of war with other nations in the world, and a crime against humanity, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a pre-recorded message to the 76th session of the UNGA, Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry said that he and many others were shocked by the U.S. treatment of Haitian asylum-seekers at the border between Mexico and the United States, referring to a recent video showing U.S. border patrol agents chasing Haitian migrants on horseback.
Photo taken on Sept. 19, 2021 shows migrants attempting to cross the river Rio Bravo on the border between Mexico and the United States. (Str/Xinhua)
Similarly, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi stressed that the summary and mass expulsions of individuals at the U.S. border are "inconsistent with international norms and may constitute refoulement."
Recently, even some U.S. allies voiced complaints against the superpower. Referring to the nuclear submarine deal among the United States, Britain and Australia, French Foreign Minister Le Drian warned of a "crisis of trust" between allies.
"It's about talking to one another, not hiding from one another, in particular on matters of importance. Why was all that missing, why was all that hidden?" he asked. Enditem
(Xinhua reporter Wang Jiangang at the UN headquarters in New York also contributed to the story; Video reporters: Wu Danni, Yang Yiran, Yu Fuqing, Mahmoud Fouly, Ahmed, Shi Zhongyu, Nemanja Cabric, Li Binian; Video editors: Zheng Xin, Zhang Yuhong)
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-30 19:07:57|Editor: huaxia
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LUSAKA, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- The current low levels of uptake of the COVID-19 vaccines should enable African countries to strengthen ties with China in the fight against the pandemic, an expert in international relations has said.
Aaron Siwale, a lecturer and researcher in the Department of Political and Administrative Studies in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Zambia (UNZA), said China's willingness to offer more COVID-19 vaccines to the African continent should be embraced.
"The politics and challenges of COVID-19 have been very challenging especially in developing countries that do not have the capacity to manufacture vaccines. This is where we need to strengthen our cooperation with China because China has the experience in fighting the pandemic and has the vaccine," he said in an interview Wednesday. He suggested African countries should not hesitate to get the vaccines China has made available, adding that the current levels of vaccine uptake on the continent was worrying.
While commending China for what it has done so far in terms of providing medical supplies to the African continent in fighting the pandemic, Siwale said African countries must harness the goodwill shown by China.
The World Health Organisation said less than 4 percent of Africa's population has been vaccinated, with African countries so far receiving 177 million doses. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-30 23:36:04|Editor: huaxia
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BRAZZAVILLE, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Fifteen African countries, nearly a third of the continent's nations, have fully vaccinated 10 percent of their people against COVID-19, a goal set by the World Health Assembly in May, said the World Health Organization (WHO) in a statement Thursday.
Seychelles and Mauritius have fully vaccinated over 60 percent of their populations, Morocco 48 percent and Tunisia, Comoros and Cape Verde over 20 percent, said the WHO regional office for Africa based in Brazzaville, capital of the Republic of the Congo.
In May, the World Health Assembly, the WHO's decision-making body, has set the global goal of fully vaccinating 10 percent of every country's population by September 30. Almost 90 percent of high income-countries have met this target.
Nine African countries, including South Africa, Morocco and Tunisia, had reached the 10 percent goal at the beginning of September and another six managed to sprint ahead to reach the target this month due to rising vaccine deliveries.
23 million COVID-19 vaccines have arrived in Africa in September, a 10-fold increase from June. Yet just 60 million Africans have been fully vaccinated so far and 2 percent of the more than 6 billion vaccines given globally have been administered on the continent, warned the WHO.
"There is still a long way to go to reach the WHO target of fully vaccinating 40 percent of the population by the end of the year. Shipments are increasing but opaque delivery plans are still the number one nuisance that hold Africa back," said Dr. Richard Mihigo, Immunization and Vaccines Development Program Coordinator for the WHO regional office for Africa.
In the week to September 26, almost 1,800 deaths were reported across 34 African countries in the same period. The Delta variant has been found in 39 African countries, while the Alpha variant has been detected in 45 countries and the Beta in 40.
"Despite the declining case numbers we must all remain vigilant and continue to adhere to the proven public health and safety measures that we know save lives, such as wearing a mask, washing our hands regularly and physical distancing, especially while vaccination rates remain low," said Mihigo. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-10-01 00:37:01|Editor: huaxia
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ABUJA, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- A total of 391 gunmen were killed by Nigerian troops during various operations to flush out criminal gangs in the country's restive northwest and north-central regions this month, said a military spokesman on Thursday.
At a press conference in Abuja, Bernard Onyeuko, the spokesman for the Defence Headquarters, said the offensive operations targeted "enclaves of criminal gangs" in those regions between Sept. 2 and Sept. 30.
Onyeuko said the majority of the gunmen, who are known as bandits in Nigeria, were killed in the northwest region which has witnessed several school kidnappings in the past months.
He said out of the 391 gunmen killed in the operations, 240 were killed in the northwest region, with assistance from the Nigerian Air Force which carried out air bombardment in the targeted areas.
Onyeuko said a total of 47 bandits, suspected informants, and suspected bandits' collaborators were arrested within the period.
According to the spokesman, the recent operations had drastically degraded the operational capabilities of the bandits and denied their freedom of action while frustrating the movement of arms, ammunition, and other illegal items in the country's northwest and north-central regions. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-10-01 00:41:05|Editor: huaxia
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ABUJA, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- A total of 85 Boko Haram militants were killed in anti-terror operations by the Nigerian troops in the country's northeast region in one month, a military spokesman said on Thursday.
At a press conference in Abuja, Bernard Onyeuko, the spokesman for the Defence Headquarters, said a total of 2,783 Boko Haram militants and their family members also surrendered to troops following intense fire from artillery and air bombardment between September 2 and September 30 in the northeastern state of Borno.
Some 43 suspected terrorists, their collaborators, and suspected logistics suppliers were arrested during the period, Onyeuko said, adding various arms and ammunition belonging to the Boko Haram group were also impounded.
According to the military spokesman, the Nigerian troops had sustained the operational tempo in land and air offensives against terrorists and other criminal elements in the theater of operation, with several encounters with terrorists at different locations in September.
Boko Haram has been trying to establish an Islamist state in northeastern Nigeria since 2009. The terror group has also extended its attacks to other countries in the Lake Chad Basin. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-30 22:01:20|Editor: huaxia
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TASHKENT, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Uzbekistan's government and Hungary's OTP Bank have signed a memorandum on a planned acquisition of Uzbekistan's Ipoteka Bank, the country's fifth largest lender, the Uzbek Ministry for Economic Development and Poverty Reduction said Thursday.
The document was signed during a two-day international economic forum held in Tashkent with the support of the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.
The parties plan to complete the final deal of the acquisition by the end of the year in line with Uzbekistan's state program to reform its banking system with an aim of carrying out a phased privatization of large state-owned banks by strategic investors.
Uzbekistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Jamshid Kuchkarov told forum participants that the Uzbek government is planning to sell 75-percent shares of Ipoteka Bank.
"This is good for privatization, because we don't need 10 state-owned banks. Therefore, we plan to use the experience of the privatization of Ipoteka Bank in the privatization of Uzpromstroybank," he said.
OTP Bank has been in negotiation with the Uzbek government on its participation in the privatization of Uzbek banks since the end of 2020.
In May 2020, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev issued a decree, announcing that Uzbekistan planned to reform its banking system and sell off state shares in six Uzbek banks.
The state shares in Ipoteka Bank, Uzpromstroybank, Asaka Bank, Alokabank, Qishloq Qurilish Bank and Turonbank will be privatized within five years, according to the decree. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-10-01 00:13:58|Editor: huaxia
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ZAGREB, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Croatian Minister for the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure Oleg Butkovic said on Thursday that the government does not expect a significant change in the agreed cost of the Peljesac Bridge and access roads.
Earlier on Thursday, the Croatian newspaper The Morning Paper had reported that the Chinese company CRBC, which is building the Peljesac Bridge, will ask the Croatian government for an additional 450 million kuna (70 million U.S. dollars)due to an increase in costs.
"I saw that article in the Morning Paper this morning, but no official information came to the ministry or to Croatian Roads," Butkovic said.
"There has been market disruption, but as far as the Peljesac Bridge itself is concerned, what I know is the bridge was contracted long before that cost increase, so we do not expect any large amounts at this time either on the bridge or on the access roads," he added.
The government said that the contracting authority and contractor will analyze the situation when the increase occurs. In line with public procurement, it will then be decided whether some items will cost more. However, the increase would not be more than ten percent, the minister said.
Meanwhile, Croatian Roads said Thursday that it had not received a request concerning the cost increase of the Peljesac Bridge.
"We would clearly indicate that Croatian Roads, as the investor of the works, did not receive a written request, nor an oral one, for an increase in costs of HRK 450 million from the company CRBC," Croatian Roads said in a statement. Enditem
Joe Makumbe (43), a self-styled prophet has left Soti Source Resettlement villagers in Gutu North angry after he allegedly eloped with a girl (name supplied) who was doing Form 2 at Tongogara High School.
Soti Source High School head, Judith Shamhu confirmed the case and said that the girl is no longer coming to school.
Sources told The Mirror that Makumbe, a polygamous prophet from Johanne Masowe (Venguo Tsvuku) who comes from the Matizha area under Chief Serima in Masvingo was camped with the girls family for two months as he prayed for the family and did his work in the area.
At the beginning of this month, Makumbe returned to his home but he went away with the girl. He allegedly came back on September 21, 2021 and paid US$20 tsvakirai kuno, the first amount paid in the process of lobola and the girls family accepted it.
It is unlawful under the Zimbabwe Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, to marry a girl who is under the age of 18 and it is also unlawful for parents to participate in such a marriage.
Acting Masvingo Police Spokesperson, Lloyd Masundire said the Police is not aware of the case.
Efforts to get a comment from the girls mother (name supplied) were futile.
However, girls uncle confirmed the case stating that the marriage rites were yet to be performed.
As a family we were equally moved after it came to our notice that the child had eloped with the prophet. We were never informed on anything, said the uncle.
Gutu Ward three councillor Francis Mago could not be reached for a comment.
Plan International an organisation that concerns itself with issues of the girl child said early or forced marriage or unions are a violation of childrens human rights as it rob millions of girls under 18 around the world of their childhood.
Shamhu said the School is going to investigate the matter and file a report establish with the District Schools Inspector.
The girl is no longer attending School. I have heard that she has been married off to a man with several wives. As a school we are supposed to establish what really transpired so as to come up with an informed decision, said Shamhu.
There was an outcry in the country last month an underage girl is said to have died while giving birth at a church shrine in Manicaland with many people calling for investigations of most of the indigenous churches. Those girls are normally forced into early marriages.
According to UNICEF 12 million girls globally are forced into marriages before the age of 18 every year and nearly 650 million women alive today were married before their 18th birthday.
Daughters are frequently seen as burdens or commodities because of pervasive gender inequality,
In places where the grooms family pays a bride price, parents in difficult economic circumstances may marry off their daughters as a source of income, says the United Nations Population Fund. Masvingo Mirror
New York, US (PANA) - The United Nations celebrated World Maritime Day on Thursday, highlighting the role of the men and women who work at sea
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The United Nations Security Council on Thursday unanimously approved a resolution extending the mandate of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) until January 30, 2022, ending disagreements between the major powers on the tasks of the UN mission
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Former Punjab Chief Minister (file photo) A day after meeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah, former Punjab Chief Minister on Thursday called on National Security Advisor Ajit Doval amid talks of switching to BJP. Just after meeting between Amarinder Singh and Doval ended, Amit Shah met Doval, sources said. Amarinder Singh had met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday evening. The meeting lasted for around an hour at Shah's official residence. However, Amarinder after meeting Shah, had said that they discussed farmers issues. He said he urged Amit Shah to resolve the crisis soon. On Wednesday, Amarinder Singh tweeted after the meeting with Shah: "Met Union Home Minister @AmitShah in Delhi. Discussed the prolonged farmers' agitation against #FarmLaws & urged him to resolve the crisis urgently with repeal of the laws & guarantee MSP, besides supporting Punjab in crop diversification."
Delhi Police have arrested four miscreants after a brief exchange of fire at Jharoda Kalan of the city's Dwarka area, official sources said on Thursday.
Sources said that the miscreants were nabbed by a team of Special Staff of Dwarka District.
"The miscreants fired upon a police party and there was a brief exchange of fire after which all four of them surrendered before the police," they said adding none was injured or hit by a bullet in the process.
According to sources, these four miscreants' names had come up during the investigation of a murder of a car rider in Baba Haridas Nagar two days ago.
It was learnt that the police had prior information about their presence in that area. Sources said that following this information, a police team was constituted which was sent to conduct a raid.
As the miscreants saw the police personnel they started firing at them. "There was an exchange of 8-10 rounds of fire between the police and the criminals. Fearing being killed in the police encounter, the miscreants surrendered before the police," said a source.
He said that senior officials have also visited the spot to assess the situation. Further details are awaited.
Delhi Police have arrested four miscreants after a brief exchange of fire at Jharoda Kalan of the city's Dwarka area, official sources said on Thursday.
Sources said that the miscreants were nabbed by a team of Special Staff of Dwarka District.
"The miscreants fired upon a police party and there was a brief exchange of fire after which all four of them surrendered before the police," they said adding none was injured or hit by a bullet in the process.
According to sources, these four miscreants' names had come up during the investigation of a murder of a car rider in Baba Haridas Nagar two days ago.
It was learnt that the police had prior information about their presence in that area. Sources said that following this information, a police team was constituted which was sent to conduct a raid.
As the miscreants saw the police personnel they started firing at them. "There was an exchange of 8-10 rounds of fire between the police and the criminals. Fearing being killed in the police encounter, the miscreants surrendered before the police," said a source.
He said that senior officials have also visited the spot to assess the situation. Further details are awaited.
Los Angeles, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 09/30/2021 -- The non-reactive nature of Neon gas has increased its usage it a wide variety of non-reactive, imaging, and lightening applications. To study its widening applications and rising market share QY Research published a report titled, "Global Neon Gas Market Research Report 2020". The global Neon Gas market is valued at US$39 mn in 2020 and is expected to reach US$49 mn by the end of 2026, rising at a CAGR of 3.2% during 2021-2026.
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Non-reactive Nature to Increase Application of Neon Gas in Several Industries
Neon gas has gained popularity owing to its non-reactive nature, rarity, triple point temperature, and emission of bright colour. These factors have contributed to its growing applications in semiconductor industry, LCD, imaging & lighting and many others. Its major application in excimer laser gas mixtures to be utilized for anneal low temperature polysilicon (LTPS) backplanes for advanced flat panel displays in the display manufacturing market is largely accelerating its growth.
Also, liquefies neon is utilized as a refrigerating capacity enhancer in cryogenic refrigeration application. Additionally, it is more commonly used in signs and advertisements as it produces bright reddish-orange light. In aerospace and healthcare industries it is used for ultra-sensitive infrared imagining and detection equipment and lung diffusion instrument respectively, will further drive the global market.
Refrigerator Segment to Register Significant Growth in Global Market
Neon gas is available in both liquid and gaseous states, commercially liquefied neon is now being used as cryogenic refrigerant in applications that do not require lower temperature range. Aforementioned refrigeration application is expected to amplify the global market.
North America to Observe Unprecedented Demand for Neon Gas
North America will observe unprecedented demand for neon gas due to rising exploration activities by space agencies that require neon. Furthermore, development in the field of healthcare will further boost the growth of the regional market globally.
Manufacturers to Focus on Entering New Market to Expand Global Footprints
Air Liquide recently announces its acquisition of a key Malaysian industrial gas player, Southern Industrial Gases Sdn Bhd. This acquisition will doubles the company's packaging and filling capacity to deliver significant synergies by enlarging our footprint, expanding the company's geographic reach in Malaysia.
The major players in the market include Air Liquide, Linde Group, Parxair, Messer Group, Iceblick, Air Products, Air Water, Core Gas, Wuhan Steel Group, INGAS, Airgas, Matheson Tri-gas, Baosteel, etc.
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Northbrook, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 09/30/2021 -- According to a research report "Missile Seekers Market by Technology (Active Radar, Semi-active Radar, Passive Radar, Infrared, Laser, Multi-mode), Missile Type (Interceptor, Ballistic, Cruise, Conventional), Launch Mode, and Region (North America, Europe, APAC, & RoW) - Forecast to 2026", published by MarketsandMarkets, the Missile Seekers Market size is projected to grow from USD 5.3 billion in 2021 to USD 6.8 billion by 2026, at a CAGR of 5.2% from 2021 to 2026. The market is driven by various factors, such as geopolitical instabilities, changing nature of warfare, increasing defense expenditure of emerging economies and technological advancements in missile seekers.
Ask for PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=78626710
The missile seekers market includes major players BAE Systems (UK), Boeing (US), Leonardo S.p.A. (Italy), Raytheon Technologies (US), Safran Group (France), Thales (France), and Northrop Grumman Corporation (US). These players have spread their business across various countries includes North America, Europe, Middle East, Asia Pacific, and Rest of the World. COVID-19 has impacted their businesses as well. Industry experts believe that COVID-19 has slightly affected missile seekers production and services globally in 2020.
Changing nature of warfare will drive the demand for missile seekers
The major factor driving the missile seekers market is the changing nature of warfare. The advancements in technology have led to the development of new and advanced defense systems, including air defense systems and guided missiles for hitting moving targets. The changing nature of warfare across the globe has led to the acquisition of advanced missile firing and defending capabilities by militaries of various countries. These militaries are increasingly engaged in low-intensity battles.
One example of the changing nature of warfare was the Indian military's reply to the Pulwama attack, where the Indian Air Force fighter planes destroyed a terrorist camp in Balakot (Pakistan) using guided missiles.
Advanced missile defense capabilities help countries in defending themselves against rocket and missile attacks. For instance, Israel's Iron Dome air defense system prevented more than 2,500 missile and mortar attacks with a success rate greater than 90%. The missile seeker in such a system plays the most important role of making sure the missiles fired by the defense system hit the targets accurately. This fueled the development of more advanced air defense systems, which use ground-to-air missiles with guided seekers, with a success rate greater than 90%.
Thus, the changing nature of warfare has resulted in the increased demand for highly advanced seekers for missiles from militaries across the globe.
The multi-mode technology is projected to witness a higher CAGR during the forecast period
Based on technology, the multi-mode technology are projected to grow at the highest CAGR rate for the missile seekers market during the forecast period. Multi-mode guidance systems make use of two or more missile seeker technologies to improve accuracy. Terrestrial Guidance (TERCOM) is one such hybrid system that uses radar, global positioning system (GPS), and digitized scene mapping area correlator (DSMAC) together. Multi-mode missile seeker is used for guidance of cruise missiles like AGM-86B (US), C-602 (China), Hyunmoo-III (South Korea), etc.
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The interceptor missiles is projected to witness the highest CAGR during the forecast period
Based on the missile type, the interceptor missiles is projected to grow at the highest CAGR for the missile seekers market during the forecast period. Interceptor missiles are anti-ballistic missiles used to counter ballistic missiles like intercontinental and intermediate-range ballistic missiles launched from any enemy country and to counter aircraft and other missiles. S400, Arrow 2, Arrow 3, THAAD, Patriot missile defense system, and Barak 8 are interceptor missiles used to defend against any kind of airborne threats, such as helicopters, aircraft, UAVs, anti-ship missiles, and ballistic missiles. The increasing procurement of interceptor missiles by countries such as India, South Korea, and Israel due to rising geopolitical instabilities is driving the growth of the interceptor missile segment. For instance, in 2018, the Indian government signed a contract worth USD 5.43 billion with the Russian government to procure five regiments of the S-400 missiles.
Air-to-air launch mode projected to witness highest CAGR during the forecast period
The air-to-air segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR rate for the missile seekers market during the forecast period. Air-to-air missiles are launched from aircraft, helicopters, or unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) to destroy enemy aircraft. The warhead types of air-to-air missiles are fragmentation warheads or continuous rod warheads. These missiles detect their targets using radars or infrared guidance systems and can fly at a very high speed. These missiles are long and have narrow cross-sections to reduce drag.
The North American market is projected to contribute the largest share from 2021 to 2026
North America is projected to be the largest regional share of the global missile seekers market during the forecast period. Major companies, such as Raytheon Technologies, Northrop Grumman Corporation, and SemiConductor Devices, and small-scale private companies, such as Excelitas Technologies Corp, Marotta Controls, and KODA Technologies Inc., are based in the US. These players continuously invest in the R&D of new & improved missile seeker designs.
The missile seekers market in North America is driven by the increasing need for advanced defense systems from the US military. Missile seekers are the systems used in missiles to guide them on the right trajectory to accurately hit the desired targets. Recent technological developments in defense systems, including guided missiles, have led to the increased demand for more efficient missile seekers.
Canada has shown no interest in developing its own missile systems; the country relies on the US for its defense systems, including missile systems.
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Precision Guided Munition Market by Product (Tactical Missiles, Guided Rockets, Guided Ammunition, and Loitering Munition), Technology (Infrared, Semi-active Lasers, Radar Homing, GPS, INS, Anti-radiation), Type, Speed, Region - Global Forecast to 2025
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Scientists have described a new species of the crayfish genus Cherax from the Murray-Darling Basin in eastern Australia.
Cherax is the most widespread genus of fully aquatic crayfish in the southern hemisphere.
Commonly known as yabbies, members of the genus belong to the crustacean family Parastacidae.
They inhabit lakes, rivers, and streams across most of Australia and New Guinea.
The new species is known from the mid-Murray River area of the Australian states of New South Wales and Victoria.
Scientifically named the swamp yabby (Cherax latimanus), it is only the third species of Cherax found naturally occurring in the Murray-Darling Basin.
Wed heard rumours from landholders and river-users that there was a different and larger yabby living in the Barmah Forest little did we know it would take so long to track it down, said co-author Dr. Tarmo Raadik from the Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research and Museums Victoria.
The swamp yabby looks similar to the well-known and widespread common yabby (Cherax destructor), but is much larger and has uniquely shaped broad claws.
The species is not found in permanent aquatic habitats such as streams or billabongs, spending the majority of its time in extensive, terrestrial, burrow networks containing some water, in ephemerally wet habitats such as drainage lines, roadside drains, depressions, swamps and cleared areas of pasture in lowland to foothill areas.
It is occasionally found in stream habitats but only during large flood events when burrow systems are inundated.
The exciting discovery of the swamp yabby is a significant biodiversity achievement, which adds to the wealth of important information used to manage and protect Victorias waterways and its aquatic creatures that call them home, said James Todd from the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, a state government department of Victoria.
Its the first time in 80 years that a new yabby species in the Murray-Darling Basin system has been formally described, making the swamp yabby only the third species known to naturally occur in the Basin.
Its found in deep clay soil burrows in northern Victorias Goulburn, Broken and Ovens River catchments, and as far north as Deniliquin in New South Wales.
The discovery is described in a paper in the journal Zootaxa.
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R.B. McCormack & T.A. Raadik. 2021. Cherax latimanus sp. nov., a new burrow-dwelling freshwater crayfish (Decapoda, Parastacidae) from the mid-Murray River catchment, Australia. Zootaxa 5026 (3): 344-374; doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.5026.3.2
Massive floods from overflowing crater lakes were responsible for eroding at least 24% of the volume of incised valleys on early Mars, according to new research led by University of Texas at Austin planetary scientists.
If we think about how sediment was being moved across the landscape on ancient Mars, lake breach floods were a really important process globally, said Dr. Tim Goudge, a researcher at the University of Texas at Austin and CIFAR.
And this is a bit of a surprising result because theyve been thought of as one-off anomalies for so long.
Crater lakes were common on Mars billions of years ago when the planet had liquid water on its surface. Some craters could hold a small seas worth of water.
But when the water became too much to hold, it would breach the edge of the crater, causing catastrophic flooding that carved river valleys in its wake.
In 2019, Dr. Goudge and colleagues determined that these events happened rapidly.
Remote sensing images taken by satellites orbiting Mars have allowed scientists to study the remains of breached Martian crater lakes, he said.
However, the crater lakes and their river valleys have mostly been studied on an individual basis. This is the first study to investigate how the 262 breached lakes across the Red Planet shaped its surface as a whole.
The authors classified the Martian river valleys into two categories: (i) valleys that got their start at a craters edge, which indicates they formed during a lake breach flood; and (ii) valleys that formed elsewhere on the landscape, which suggests a more gradual formation over time.
From there, they compared the depth, length and volume of the different valley types and found that river valleys formed by crater lake breaches punch far above their weight, eroding away nearly a quarter of the planets river valley volume despite making up only 3% of total valley length.
This discrepancy is accounted for by the fact that outlet canyons are significantly deeper than other valleys, said Dr. Alexander Morgan, a researcher at the Planetary Science Institute.
At 170.5 m (559 feet), the median depth of a breach river valley is more than twice that of other river valleys created more gradually over time, which have a median depth of about 77.5 m (254 feet).
In addition, although the chasms appeared in a geologic instant, they may have had a lasting effect on the surrounding landscape.
The study suggests that the breaches scoured canyons so deep they may have influenced the formation of other nearby river valleys.
This is a potential alternative explanation for unique Martian river valley topography that is usually attributed to climate, the scientists said.
Their results are published in the journal Nature.
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T.A. Goudge et al. 2021. The importance of lake breach floods for valley incision on early Mars. Nature 597, 645-649; doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03860-1
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The Ministerial Regulation to scale back the hours of nightlife, which was signed by the Ministries of TEATT and VSA, will be extended.
Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor, Mr. Omar Ottley stated that the announcement of an October 1st reopening was an optimistic one, as he hoped that St. Maarten would have been able to contain the deadly COVID-19 Delta variant.
To date we are still over 100 cases and sadly we have lost 6 persons within the last week due to COVID
19.
The Minister went on to state that he has been in contact with representatives of the nightlife industry and they are working diligently to have their screening process implemented. The Minister made reference to the Memorandum of Intent he signed with the night life establishments, in which they indicated that they will soon be able to verify a persons vaccination status via QR Code (Digital COVID Certificate) or a 48 hour negative COVID 19 test. In this regard, the Minister held meetings with the laboratories on the Dutch side of the island, which agreed to offer more affordable prices for testing of party goers that display their QR APP upon arrival (DCC or Kband).
The Ministers objective is to open back up night life in a safe and sound manner to protect the people of this country, but now is not the appropriate time. The main goal is to avoid another business hour scale back especially leading into the highly anticipated busy season 2021 - 2022. The Minister hopes that the screening process can be in place as soon as possible so that the 11pm business closure Ministerial Regulation can be reversed.
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On Monday September 27, 2021, Minister of Justice Anna E. Richardson, accompanied by the Minister Plenipotentiary Rene Violenus visited Minister of Justice and Security in the Netherlands Mr. Ferdinand Grapperhaus.
In closing of her meetings with her Dutch counterparts, Minister Richardson paid a visit to Minister Grapperhaus. There she reflected on the positive experience that she had during the work visit and the possibilities for further cooperation that the Minister saw, and which she felt needed to be explored. In addition to expanding cooperation beyond the Sint Maarten police force, further topics of discussions were the treaty concerning mutual legal assistance and extradition between the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates, Sint Maarten inmates housed in the Netherlands, a new Chief Public Prosecutor for Sint Maarten and the Judicial Four Party Consultation (JVO) scheduled for January 2022.
I recognize the positive effects that the assistance of the Dutch National Police has had on KPSM as an organization and appreciate the continuation of the relationship. It is with this model in mind and the willingness expressed to help improve our detention situation by prison officials of the facilities that I visited here, that I seek ways in which this can be put into practice stated Minister Richardson. As an example, Minister Richardson mentioned Sint Maarten prison guards receiving professional guidance from Dutch colleagues with many years of experience in the Dutch prison system. Minister Grapperhaus was pleased to learn that Minister Richardsons visit went well and indicated that he was open to discuss with his fellow Dutch Ministers what possibilities there may be.
In discussing the treaties with the United Arab Emirates for the Kingdom, Minister Grapperhaus emphasized the importance of the treaties and the benefits they will have for all the countries in the Kingdom. As such, he asked Minister Richardson to seriously consider having the application of the treaties extended to Sint Maarten. Minister Richardson informed Minister Grapperhaus that Sint Maarten supports all steps to further strengthen the judicial order and that upon her return to Sint Maarten she would discuss the treaties with her fellow colleagues and other stakeholders.
Due to Minister Richardsons very full program, safety measures and corona measures in the Dutch prisons, visiting times being tightly regulated and the fact that Sint Maarten inmates are not all concentrated at one location in the Netherlands, a visit to a Sint Maarten inmate in the Netherlands for Minister Richardson could not be arranged during the work visit. The costs associated with housing Sint Maarten inmates in the Netherlands were also discussed by Minister Richardson and Minister Grapperhaus and it was decided that this would be looked into.
The current Chief Public Prosecutor of Sint Maarten tenure will end at the end of 2021. While in the Netherlands, Minister Richardson had the opportunity to have a virtual introductory meeting with the proposed candidate for new Chief Public Prosecutor for Sint Maarten and informed Minister Grapperhaus of her impressions of the candidate. Also, discussed was the advice being prepared by a JVO workgroup on the Function Book of the Attorney Generals office which was intended to be presented at the next Judicial Four party Consultation in January 2022 and the possibility of receiving the advice before the next consultation.
As a special gesture to emphasize the good relationship between Minister Grapperhaus and Minister Richardson, the special relationship between the two countries in the Kingdom, gifts were exchanged that were honorably received by both Ministers.
Hanif, who is the only member of Afghanistans new cabinet who is from the countrys Tajik ethnic minority, comes from the northeastern Afghan province of Badakhshan.
by Vijay Prashad
On September 25, 2021, Afghanistans Economy Minister Qari Din Mohammad Hanif said that his government does not want help and cooperation from the world like the previous government. The old system was supported by the international community for 20 years but still failed. It is fair to say that Hanif has no experience in running a complex economy, since he has spent most of his career doing political and diplomatic work for the Taliban (both in Afghanistan and in Qatar). However, during the first Taliban government from 1996 to 2001, Hanif was the planning minister and in that position, dealt with economic affairs.
Hanif is right to point out that the governments of Presidents Hamid Karzai (2001-2014) and Ashraf Ghani (2014-2021), despite receiving billions of dollars in economic aid, failed to address the basic needs of the Afghan population. At the end of their ruleand 20 years of U.S. occupationone in three people are facing hunger, 72 percent of the population lingers below the poverty line and 65 percent of the people have no access to electricity. No amount of bluster from the Western capitals can obscure the plain fact that support from the international community resulted in virtually no economic and social development in the country.
Poor North
Hanif, who is the only member of Afghanistans new cabinet who is from the countrys Tajik ethnic minority, comes from the northeastern Afghan province of Badakhshan. The northeastern provinces in Afghanistan are Tajik-dominated areas, and Badakhshan was the base from which the Northern Alliance swiftly moved under U.S. air cover to launch an attack against the Taliban in 2001. In early August 2021, the Taliban swept through these districts. Why would we defend a government in Kabul that did nothing for us? said a former official in Karzais government who lives in Badakhshan capital, Fayzabad.
Between 2009 and 2011, 80 percent of USAID funds that came into Afghanistan went to areas of the south and east, which had been the natural base of the Taliban. Even this money, a U.S. Senate report noted, went toward short-term stabilization programs instead of longer-term development projects. In 2014, Haji Abdul Wadood, then governor of the Argo district in Badakhshan, told Reuters, Nobody has given money to spend on developmental projects. We do not have resources to spend in our district, our province is a remote one and attracts less attention.
Hanifs home province of Badakhshanand its neighboring areassuffer from great poverty, the rates upwards of 60 percent. When he talks about failure, Hanif has his home province in mind.
For thousands of years, the province of Badakhshan has been home to mines for gemstones such as lapis lazuli. In 2010, a U.S. military report estimated that there was at least $1 trillion worth of precious metals in Afghanistan; later that year, Afghanistans then Minister of Mines Wahidullah Shahrani told BBC radio that the actual figure could be three times as much. The impoverished north might not be so poor after all.
Thieves in the North
With opium production contributing a large chunk of Afghanistans gross domestic product, it is often a focus of global media coverage on the countrys economy and has partly financed the terrible wars that have wracked the country for the past several years. The gems of Badakhshan, meanwhile, provided the financing for Ahmad Shah Massouds Jamiat-e Islami faction in the 1980s; after 1992, when Massoud became the defense minister in Kabul, he made an alliance with a Polish companyIntercommerceto sell the gems for an estimated $200 million per year. When the Taliban ejected Massoud from power, he returned to the Panjshir Valley and used the Badakhshan, Takhar, and Panjshir gems to finance his anti-Taliban resistance.
When the Northern Alliancewhich included Massouds factioncame to power under U.S. bombardment in 2001, these mines became the property of the Northern Alliance commanders. Men such as Haji Abdul Malek, Zekria Sawda and Zulmai Mujadidiall Northern Alliance politicianscontrolled the mines. Mujadidis brother Asadullah Mujadidi was the militia commander of the Mining Protection Force, which protected the mines for these new elites.
In 2012, Afghanistans then Mining Minister Wahidullah Shahrani revealed the extent of corruption in the deals, which he had made clear to the U.S. Embassy in 2009. Shahranis attempt at transparency, however, was understood inside Afghanistan as a mechanism to delegitimize Afghan mining concerns and push through a new law that would allow international mining companies more freedom of access to the countrys resources. Various international entitiesincluding Centar (United Kingdom) and the Polish billionaire Jan Kulczykattempted to access the gold, copper and gemstone mines of the province; Centar formed an alliance with the Afghanistan Gold and Minerals Company, headed by former Urban Development Minister Sadat Naderi. The consortiums mining equipment has now been seized by the Taliban. Earlier this year, Shahrani was sentenced to 13 months jail time by the Afghan Supreme Court for misuse of authority.
What Will the Taliban Do?
Hanif has an impossible agenda. The IMF has suspended funds for Afghanistan, and the U.S. government continues to block access to the nearly $10 billion of Afghan external reserves held in the United States. Some humanitarian aid has now entered the country, but it will not be sufficient. The Talibans harsh social policyparticularly against womenwill discourage many aid groups from returning to the country.
Officials at the Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB), the countrys central bank, tell me that the options before the government are minimal. Institutional control over the mining wealth has not been established. What deals were cut profited a few individuals and not the country as a whole, said one official. One major deal to develop the Mes Aynak copper mine made with the Metallurgical Corporation of China and with Jiangxi Copper has been sitting idle since 2008.
At the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting in mid-September, Tajikistans President Emomali Rahmon spoke about the need to prevent terrorist groups from moving across the Afghan borders to disrupt Central Asia and western China. Rahmon positioned himself as a defender of the Tajik peoples, although poverty of the Tajik communities on both sides of the border should be as much a focus of attention as upholding the rights of the Tajiks as a minority in Afghanistan.
There is no public indication from the SCO that it would prevent not only cross-border terrorism, but also cross-border smuggling. The largest quantities of heroin and opium from northern Afghanistan go to Tajikistan; untold sums of money are made in the illegal movement of minerals, gemstones, and metals out of Afghanistan. Hanif has not raised this point directly, but officials at DAB say that unless Afghanistan better commandeers its own resources, something it has failed to do over the past two decades, the country will not be able to improve the living conditions of its people.
This article was produced by Globetrotter.
Vijay Prashad is an Indian historian, editor and journalist. He is a writing fellow and chief correspondent at Globetrotter. He is the director of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research. He is a senior non-resident fellow at Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China. He has written more than 20 books, including The Darker Nations and The Poorer Nations. His latest book is Washington Bullets, with an introduction by Evo Morales Ayma.
PM Imran Khan also criticized Western powers especially US, who are the so called champions of Human rights, for not questioning India due to their own vested interests.
by Tanvir Ur Rehman
India and Pakistan have clashed at UN with PM Imran Khan slamming India for a "reign of terror" on Muslims. While addressing the 76th session of the UNGA, PM Imran unearthed PM Modi's plan to "purge India of Muslims". He exposed the worst and most pervasive form of Islamophobia that rules India now. The hate-filled Hindutva ideology, propagated by the fascist RSS-BJP regime, has unleashed a reign of fear and violence against India's 200 million-strong Muslim community.
PM Imran Khan also criticized Western powers especially US, who are the so called champions of Human rights, for not questioning India due to their own vested interests. He stated that commercial interests of US and other Western nations is allowing India to "get away with human rights abuses with complete impunity."
Responding to PM Khans fact based speech, Indias First Secretary at the General Assembly Sneha Dubey, while exercising the right to respond, leveled unfounded accusations against Pakistan of sheltering terrorists, a narrative that is very attractive in the West.
At the very forum, where Kashmir is well documented as disputed land she falsely claimed that J&K and Ladakh were, are and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India. However, exercising the right of reply in response to Indian representative's allegations, Pakistani representative Saima Saleem said IIOJK is "neither a so-called integral part of India nor is it India's internal matter". Pakistani representative also said that India remnants in occupation of a globally recognized disputed terrain, whose final disposition needs to be decided in accordance with the democratic principles of a plebiscite under UN Security Council resolutions.
Pakistani representative at UNGA session impressively highlighted recently released comprehensive and well-researched dossier on Kashmir, containing the entire range of gross, systematic, and widespread violations of human rights being perpetrated by Indian security forces in IIOJK. She also urged comity of nations to take cognizance of the persuasive evidence and hold India accountable for all such heinous crimes.
Regrettably, this is not the first time India has misused platforms provided by the UN to propagate false and malicious propaganda against Pakistan, seeking in vain to divert the world`s attention from the sad state of own country where RSS extremists enjoy free pass while the lives of minorities, especially Muslims, are turned upside down.
It is an old Indian mantra that to divert attention from the ever-increasing international condemnation of Indias widespread and escalating human rights abuses in IIOJK, New Delhi continues to level unfounded allegations and rely on outright lies and muddying. Indias irrational obsession with Pakistan is neither new nor astonishing. It has polluted its ruling elite and governance structures. EU Disinfo Lab had vividly exposed how India has arrayed such tools of deflection, disinformation and deception against Pakistan, including at the United Nations.
Major human rights organisation, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, have time and again expressed similar serious concerns about Indias human rights violations, against minorities in India including in IIOJK. In fact, a witch hunt has been launched against those in India who dare to report such crimes. Only last year, Amnesty International ceased work in India citing constant harassment at the hands of Modi government.
India is not only resorting to state terrorism to suppress the people of IIOJK, but is also funding and supporting terrorist organizations like the TTP which are involved in numerous cross-border terrorist attacks against Pakistan. Indian NSA Ajit Doval, has publicly admitted supporting and financing of sabotage activities against Pakistan. Arrested Indian spy, Kulbhushan Jadhav, had also confessed to organizing such terrorism in Pakistan.
In todays extremely bigoted India, the 200 million-strong Muslim minority faces numerous lynching by cow vigilantes; massacres by RSS goons, with official support; prejudiced citizenship laws to marginalize Muslims; and a rigorous campaign to destroy mosques and the rich Muslim heritage of India.
It is time for India to realize that it has miserably failed to suppress the Kashmiris living under its occupation from demanding their inalienable right to self-determination. If India has nothing to hide, it must accept a UN Commission of Inquiry and agree to implement UN resolutions demanding a plebiscite to empower the people of IIOJK to exercise their right to self-determination.
Incumbent Imran Khans government, along with state pillars, are rightly exposing India on all available international forums. Efforts of engaging sane voices all over the world, like done in recent session of UK parliament, where Kashmir issue was raised in true letter and spirit, is need of the hour. I request media also to play its part sensibly to expose internal Indian fissures like Farmers movement, Assam riots, Plight of Minorities especially Muslims, Caste system in India and Dalits issue and last but not least Kashmir issue to open the eyes of world leaders and force them to resolve the issue as per UN resolutions. It is our national as well as moral duty to expose the real evil face of extremist / Nazi Modi to let the world know, who they are dealing with.
Writer is a PhD scholar, based in Islamabad.
Afghanistan accounts for 80 percent of global illicit opium production, a pattern that began, ironically enough, in the 1980s, when the CIA waged a secret war against the Soviet occupation of the country and enlisted both Islamic radicals and those involved in the opium trade in this battle.
by Phillip Smith
One of the first announcements the Taliban made after seizing power in Afghanistan in August was that they were going to ban the production and sale of drugs. But, as with other promises of change made by the Taliban, from womens rights to press freedoms, there are plenty of reasons to be skeptical about its claim to ban drugs.
At its first press conference in Kabul on August 17, after entering the city just two days earlier and solidifying their control over the country, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid vowed that their new government would not let Afghanistan become a full-fledged narco-state. We are assuring our countrymen and women and the international community that we will not have any narcotics produced, Mujahid said. From now on, nobodys going to get involved (in the heroin trade), nobody can be involved in drug smuggling.
But, as with the Talibans other plans for the country, there is reason to be skeptical about this claim; the notion of a ban on opium production runs afoul of economic and political realities on the ground. The challenge is that the opium crop is a key component of the Afghan economy, accounting for somewhere between 7 percent and 11 percent of the countrys gross domestic product, and bringing in as much as $2 billion in 2019, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. The gross income generated from opiates was also worth between 24 and 44 percent of the value of the licit agricultural sector of the country in 2018-2019. And now, opium looms ever larger because the major pillar of the Afghan economy was foreign financial assistanceaccounting for 40 percent of GDPwhich has now vanished, as the West tries to figure out how to deal with the Taliban, which led a deadly insurgency against the U.S.-backed government before seizing power.
Opium is also a job creator in a country where opportunities are scarce. The opium harvest provided the equivalent of up to 119,000 full-time jobs in 2019. The broader opium economy also supports thousands involved in the domestic trade (opium traders, heroin producers, domestic dealers), those working as service providers in the trade (packers, transporters), and individuals who are internationally connected and are working in the international opium trade. The opium economy is especially strong in areas that have key Taliban support, such as Helmand province in the south of Afghanistan.
Afghanistan accounts for 80 percent of global illicit opium production, a pattern that began, ironically enough, in the 1980s, when the CIA waged a secret war against the Soviet occupation of the country and enlisted both Islamic radicals and those involved in the opium trade in this battle. Opium is an ideal crop in a war-torn country since it requires little capital investment, is fast growing and is easily transported and traded, the State Department reported in 1986.
As historian Alfred W. McCoy, author of the groundbreaking book The Politics of Heroin: CIA Complicity in the Global Drug Trade, noted in 2018:
As relentless warfare between CIA and Soviet surrogates took its toll, Afghan farmers began to turn to opium in desperation, since it produced high profits that could cover rising food prices. At the same time, the State Department reported that resistance elements took up opium production and trafficking to provide staples for [the] population under their control and to fund weapons purchases.
As the mujahideen guerrillas gained ground against the Soviet occupation and began to create liberated zones inside Afghanistan in the early 1980s, the resistance helped fund its operations by collecting taxes from peasants who grew the lucrative opium poppies, particularly in the fertile Helmand valley. Caravans carrying CIA arms into that region for the resistance often returned to Pakistan loaded down with opiumsometimes, reported the New York Times, with the assent of Pakistani or American intelligence officers who supported the resistance.
And nearly four decades later, Afghanistan remains the worlds number one supplier of opium and its derivative, heroin, with the latter going into the veins of habitues from Lahore to London. And now, as the West withdraws both troops and many billions of dollars of foreign economic aid to Afghanistan, and with the key role opium plays in the countrys economy, the Taliban is going to ban it?
It would be a risky move for the Taliban, said Vanda Felbab-Brown, a senior fellow for foreign policy at the Brookings Institution who has written extensively on drugs and nonstate actors, not only in Afghanistan, but also in Africa, Latin America and South Asia.
The Taliban can risk a ban, but it would be politically costly in ways that are more complex than [they were] in 2000 [when they also banned opium], and it could lead to tremendous destabilization, she told Drug Reporter in a phone interview. This is a country where 90 percent of the population lives in poverty. Its also a situation where many mid-level Taliban commanders are dependent on opium for their income and livelihoods for their fighters. To impose a ban would require the Taliban to maintain a high level of aggression, which would create political fissures and fractures and would play into the hands of other actors. One reason local warlords didnt fight the Taliban this summer was that the Taliban was promising them access to the local economy, and in many places, that means opium.
Even in the best of circumstances, replacing a lucrative illicit economy with legal alternatives is a long-term project, and the present circumstances in Afghanistan are not the best, to say the least.
The Afghan economy is more or less tanking, Felbab-Brown said. A massive influx of foreign aid has been an inescapable component of the economic life of the country, and now, the Taliban does not have any way of dealing with stopping opium by delivering alternative livelihoods. Even if they had a well-designed program, you are looking at decades to suppress [the opium trade], she said.
Still, the Taliban has done it before.
When it comes to banning opium, we are looking at a possible replay of the 1990s, said Felbab-Brown. What the Taliban want is international recognition. In the 1990s, they kept promising they would ban poppies in return for international recognition, but then said they could not do it because they could not starve their people, until in 2000, [when] they did it. Will they risk that again? My expectation is that we are going to see the same bargaining with the international community, but as I said, if the Taliban does try to do a ban, they will struggle to enforce it.
The Taliban also face a possible loss of the opioid market share if they enact a ban and then change their mind because of adverse circumstances, Felbab-Brown said.
The difference now is the synthetic opioids, she said, alluding to the production of fentanyl and its derivatives coming from Chinese and Indian chemical factories. If the Taliban move to ban [opium] and then decide it is too difficult to sustain [this move] politically or financially, it might not find it easy to just return to the same markets; the European markets, for instance, could be snatched away by synthetic opioids.
As for how the much-vaunted international community should approach Afghan opium production, thats a complicated question.
There is no unity in the international community on how to deal with Afghanistan, Felbab-Brown said. The Chinese and Iranians are warming up to the Taliban, and the Russians will be urging the Taliban to go for a ban. I suspect the [talk about the ban] is mainly to satisfy the Russians. But we should not be pushing the ban; that would be catastrophic in terms of humanitarian consequences.
Efforts by both the Afghan government and the West to suppress the opium trade proved futile throughout the Western occupation, and now the likelihood of any sort of robust international campaign to suppress Afghan poppies appears next to nil. Outside of legalization of the trade, which does not appear even remotely likely, the only alternative for suppressing opium production is to cajole farmers to grow other crops in a bid to wean them off the poppy, but even those sorts of programs are now in question.
Should the international community be working with the Taliban to try to implement alternative livelihoods? asked Felbab-Brown. Its a difficult question and cant be considered in isolation. It will be part of the bargaining over a whole set of policies, including womens rights and human rights.
Uncertainty abounds over what the Talibans opium policy will actually look like. In the meantime, the farmers are planting the seeds for next years crop right now.
This article was produced by Drug Reporter, a project of the Independent Media Institute.
Phillip Smith is a writing fellow and the editor and chief correspondent of Drug Reporter, a project of the Independent Media Institute. He has been a drug policy journalist for more than two decades. He is the longtime writer and editor of the Drug War Chronicle, the online publication of the nonprofit Stop the Drug War, and was the editor of AlterNets coverage of drug policy from 2015 to 2018. He was awarded the Drug Policy Alliances Edwin M. Brecher Award for Excellence in Media in 2013.
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/usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951
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French special event
Members of the '44th Signal Regiment' (F5KBB) located in eastern France at Mutzig will celebrate their 50th anniversary of its creation in October.
On this occasion, the radio club will activate the special callsign TM44RT between October 3-5th.
A special QSL card has been created for the event.
The radio club will broadcast on CW and SSB on various HF bands.
QSL via F5KBB
OPDX
Los Angeles hams upgrade emergency communications capabilities
To provide effective emergency communications, amateur radio operators need to find and eliminate sources of radio frequency interference (RFI) that could hinder their operations. Unfortunately, RFI is a widespread problem in Southern California that affects not only amateur radio operators, but also businesses, governments, and the military and RFI complaints can go unresolved for years.
To track down these sources of interference, ARESLAX, an arm of the ARRL Los Angeles Section, has a corps of technical volunteers. Without the proper equipment, however, the task is time-consuming and sometimes fruitless. To make the volunteers' job easier, ARESLAX recently purchased a Fluke ii910 Acoustic Imager with a $23,600 grant from Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC).
The Fluke ii910 acoustic imager uses ultrasonic techniques to pinpoint the source of the interference and produce photographic evidence, which is invaluable when submitting a repair request to a utility company.
The capabilities of the ii910 Acoustic Imager are particularly helpful in the RF-dense environment of Southern California, which has many potential noise sources.
ARESLAX' goal is to eliminate all RFI sources in Los Angeles County. This would pave the way for better communications in emergency situations, and in the end, save lives.
About ARESLAX
ARESLAX is a nonprofit corporation that supports the work of the Los Angeles County Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES). Los Angeles County ARES provides backup communication for most of the receiving hospitals in the county and for the County Department of Health Services' Medical Alert Center. To accomplish this mission, Los Angeles County ARES trains amateur radio operators in emergency communications and provides assistance in setting up and troubleshooting amateur radio stations, with the objective of increasing the pool of operators ready to respond when emergency communications are needed.
Learn more about Los Angeles County ARES at http://www.areslax.org.
About ARDC
Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) is a California-based foundation with roots in amateur radio and the technology of internet communication. The organization got its start by managing the AMPRnet address space, which is designated to licensed amateur radio operators worldwide. Additionally, ARDC makes grants to projects and organizations that follow amateur radio's practice and tradition of technical experimentation in both amateur radio and digital communication science. Such experimentation has led to broad advances, such as the mobile phone and wireless internet technology. ARDC envisions a world where all such technology is available through open source hardware and software.
Learn more about ARDC at https://www.ampr.org.
For more information, contact:
Diana Feinberg, AI6DF, ARRL LAX Section Manager
310.544.2917, dfeinberg@att.net
Dan Romanchik, KB6NU, ARDC Content Manager
734.930.6564, dan@ardc.net
Any answer must begin with Frances role in the EU and include the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
by James W. Carden
Just what shape Germanys governing coalition will take is still unclear in the aftermath of the September 26 election, which saw the Social Democrats (SPD), led by finance minister Olaf Scholz, come away with just over a quarter of the vote, at 25.7 percent. The balance of power in Germany is now held by the Greens and the Free Democrats, which, taken together, received more votes than the victorious SPD or the Christian Democratic Union, the party of outgoing Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel.
The one thing that is certain is that after 16 years in power, Merkel will soon exit the scene. So the question that now arises is: What shape will post-Merkel Europe take?
Any answer must begin with an eye on the Elysee Palace, as French President Emmanuel Macron is set to become the senior most partner in the Franco-German partnership that has steered the EU since its founding in 1993.
There may be major changes afoot should Macron, motivated by the insult handed to him by the United States, the UK and Australia with AUKUSa new trilateral security alliancepursue his oft-stated desire for European strategic autonomy. As former State Department official Max Bergmann recently observed, AUKUS served to empower stakeholders in Paris who advocate for a much cooler relationship with Washington andtapping into the Gaullist foreign policy traditionwish to be allied with the United States, but not necessarily aligned on key issues related to Russia and China.
France takes over the six-month rotating presidency of the EU on January 1, 2022, but support already seems to be growing for closer military integration within the EU. On September 2, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell noted, it is clear that the need for more European defense has never been as evident as todayafter the events in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, proposals have been put forward for the creation of a 5,000-soldier rapid reaction force.
American officials have long sought to put the brakes on any move toward an autonomous European defense capability. And Macron has a history criticizing the Atlantic alliance and what he has incisively referred to as the imported neoconservatism of his immediate predecessors, Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande. Macron once famously observed that NATO was experiencing brain death and appointed former French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine to fill Frances seat on a NATO commission set up in 2020 to consider the alliances future. Vedrine has described the American desire to enlarge NATO to Ukraine as unfortunate.
Should Macron succeed in setting up an independent European defense force, this would lessen NATOs importance on the continent and give the United States an opportunity to reassess its commitments in the EU, particularly if U.S. President Joe Biden continues to pursue a policy of political isolation and military containment against China.
Greater EU autonomy would be a good thing for the United States and the world. It might even serve as an obstacle to the new cold war that the Anglo-American national security establishment seems intent on waging against Russia. And so it should be welcomed. After all, former U.S. President Dwight Ike Eisenhower, among other architects of the postwar world, never wanted the U.S. to permanently subsidize the European defense umbrella. Furthermore, there is little enthusiasm among the European public for a new cold war by the United States against both Russia and China, as a recent survey by the European Council on Foreign Relations confirms.
Should Marcon emerge victorious in the French presidential election in the spring of 2022, it would not be unreasonable to expect that he may double down on his Gaullist opposition to Atlanticism. In the surprising event he loses to Marine Le Pen, one should expect an even more radical break with the Anglo-sphere.
As things stand now, it looks as though post-Merkel Europe may finally see the Europeans stand on their own.
Ike would approve.
This article was produced by Globetrotter in partnership with the American Committee for U.S.-Russia Accord.
James W. Carden is a writing fellow at Globetrotter and a former adviser to the U.S. State Department. Previously, he was a contributing writer on foreign affairs at the Nation, and his work has also appeared in the Quincy Institutes Responsible Statecraft, the American Conservative, Asia Times, and more.
Malaga will receive the largest disembarkation of cruise passengers since the start of the coronavirus pandemic this Thursday, 30 September, and it confirms the gradual recovery of the sector.
Four ships will dock in the port and some 4,500 tourists will be able to enjoy the attractions of the city freely and without bubble groups.
It will be the first time since the worldwide health crisis began that so many cruise ships will be docked on the capital of the Costa del Sol at the same, although the four will only be seen together for around half an hour, between six and six thirty in the afternoon, according to information from the port authorities.
Two of the cruise ships, this Thursday morning, in the Port of Malaga. / MIGUE FERNANDEZ
For two of the ships it will be the first time they will have docked in the port. The P&O ship Iona, which is making its first international trip, arrived with 3,400 passengers at seven in the morning at the north berth. It is considered the third-largest cruise ship in the world, with a capacity for 5,200 passengers, although it will stop in Malaga with limited capacity due to the pandemic. It is a 344-metre-long, 54-metre-wide ship, with 17 decks, which set off on this cruise from Southampton.
Intimate
The World Navigator, of the Mystic Cruises shipping company, that will be carrying 144 passengers, will also dock today. The company, owned by the Portuguese businessman Mario Ferreira, is positioned in the smaller and more intimate ship sector, which allows a more personalised service on board. It will leave Malaga at the stroke of midnight.
Also at seven in the morning, the smallest of the cruise ships that will arrive today, the Clio, from the Grand Circle Cruise company, will dock at the Palmeral terminal. It will do so with just 42 travellers, given that its maximum capacity is 95 and it comes with a reduced capacity. On board are tourists with high purchasing power who enjoy a boat in the shape of a megayacht. The Clio is one hundred metres long and has 45 cabins, all exterior.
At eight o'clock in the morning a regular visitor will arrive at the South berth, the Mein Schiff 3, with 986 passengers onboard.
No bubble groups
Malagas Port authorities have explained that since last week, the shipping companies have made the excursion model more flexible, so it is no longer necessary to carry them out in bubble groups. The arrival of passengers, all vaccinated, the implementation of health protocols on board ships and the decrease in the incidence of Covid, have allowed us to take this step towards normality.
The 33-year-old man who died on Tuesday afternoon (28 September) after his car slammed into one of the Las Pedrizas toll booths on the AP-46 motorway in Malaga, was a serving Guardia Civil officer.
The young man was travelling from Melilla, where he was born, to his base in Guadalajara a journey he did regularly in his red Mercedes.
Family, friends and colleagues have described the 33-year-old as a "very responsible" young man, and no one can offer an explanation for what happened.
Borja did not like to go fast. When he was a passenger with me in the car, if he saw that I was a bit over the speed limit, he would quickly tell me to slow down, says one of the deceased's childhood friends. "He was very sensible, he didn't do crazy things," he points out, while adding that the young man didn't like to party either.
The accident happened at around 5.15pm on Tuesday when the vehicle entered the toll payment area at kilometre 6 of the AP-46, heading towards Antequera, at a high speed.
Despite the fact the toll booths are protected by large concrete blocks, an employee working inside one of them was injured by the impact.
Emergency services arrived on the scene to find that there were two people trapped, one inside the cabin and the other in the vehicle.
Specialists from the Malaga fire brigade had to release the two people. While the young man lost his life, the 20-year-old woman, from Casabermeja, was transferred to the Regional Hospital in Malaga city.
Guardia Civil traffic officers are investigating the circumstances of the incidents.
Six litres of milk, a kilo of chicken, some fresh fish, yoghurts, soft drinks, toilet paper, shower gel, laundry detergent, fruit and vegetables, among other products, are included in the weekly shopping basket of the average family in Spain.
But depending on the supermarket chain and the city or town where the purchase is made the price difference can be up to 30 per cent between the cheapest and most expensive.
That is according to the annual study of supermarkets carried out by the Organisation of Consumers and Users throughout Spain. For the reports preparation, OCU representatives visited 1,103 establishments in 65 cities and towns (in addition to trawling internet sites) and analysed 160,976 prices in a shopping cart with 238 products from various categories.
The average saving that could be achieved nationally this year reached 1,073 euros, 10.5 per cent more compared to 2020.
Cheapest in Spain
The Alcampo de Murcia hypermarket is the cheapest supermarket in Spain while on the flip side of the coin is the Sanchez Romero supermarket, in La Moraleja (Madrid).
The city where there is a greater opportunity to save up to 3,532 euros is Madrid, thanks to the greater diversity of commercial offerings that large cities have.
On the contrary, the town where it is only possible to save 325 euros for a whole year by shopping at the cheapest establishment is Puertollano.
Andalucia
In Andalucia, that saving is 928 euros, a figure well below the average for Spain and where Cadiz is the city where it is more difficult to save with only a 574 euro difference between the most expensive establishment and the cheapest one. Seville, on the other hand, with 1,468 euros, is where there is more room for easing the pressure on the pocket.
Malaga and Marbella are the two Andalusian locations where it can cost the most to do the shopping. However, they are also the two (after Seville) where the consumer has the best chance of making savings, with 1,099 euros in Malaga and 1,130 in Marbella.
In Andalucia, the Coviran store on Calle Fray Marcos de Niza street in Seville city is the most expensive place, followed by the Supercor establishments in Malaga and Marbella.
Cheapest chains
By chains, the two most competitive in the country can be found in Andalucia. For another year it is Dani and then Mas Ahorro, followed nationally by Family Cash and Tifer, as the most affordable. At the other end of the scale the Sorli Discau and Supermercado Plaza chains come out as the most expensive.
The OCU study emphasises the disparity in the cost of the shopping basket that exists between cities and regions. The Valencian region together with that of Murcia are the two where the pocket is least hit when filling the shopping trolley. In contrast, the Balearic Islands are the most expensive, followed by the Canary Islands, the Basque Country and Catalonia. Andalucia is among the cheapest regions, standing out especially in fresh products, where it obtain the best ranking of them all.
By cities, Jerez de la Frontera is the cheapest in Andalucia with an index of 100. It is followed very closely by Almeria, with an index of 101. Next are Huelva and Granada with 102. Cadiz, Cordoba and Seville have an index of 103. Jaen follows with 104, and finally Malaga city and the town of Marbella top the table for the most expensive to do the weekly shop.
In Malaga city, the list of the cheapest supermarkets to shop is led by Cash Fresh (Avenida Jorge Luis Borges, 11), followed by Supeco (Calle Heroe de Sostoa, 188) and Mercadona (Ortega y Gasset s/n).
In Marbella, the ranking of the cheapest establishments to shop is led by Alcampo (Carretera de Ojen, s/n), Mercadona (El Califa, 1), and Dia%Maxi.
Among the most expensive supermarkets in Malaga capital are Coviran 10 (Orson Welles, 26), Coviran Luque (Lope de Rueda, 136) and Supercor (Avda. De las Caballerizas, s/n).
In Marbella, the establishments where it costs more to do the shopping are: Maskom (Gomez de la Serna, 2); El Corte Ingles (Carretera de Cadiz, km 174.5) and Supercor (Camilo Jose Cela, s/n).
Elder
Siahyonkron J. K. Nyanseor, Sr.
The Union of Liberian Association in the Americas (ULAA), Inc. 47th National General Assembly held in Columbus, Ohio, brought close to one thousand delegates from all over the United States. Despite the COVID-19 Crisis, delegates came in drove by car and air determined to participate in the 47th National General Assembly. In my close to fifty years of attending ULAAs Convention, this years attendance was the largest. However, there was something about this Convention that did not look right. I thought it had to do with the new voting system that was being used for the elections; only to find out that there was a serious division in the Community of the host chapter that had not been resolved.
Convention of this size is bound to have some glitches; this one was no exception, it had its share. Many Convention attendees, including this writer, were not aware that the host chapter had a problem that had not been resolved.
Unfortunately, the issue had to do with the supporters in both camps: Carter/Wilson-Kears Team vs. Shiwoh/Minervas Team. This problem affected the smooth operation of the Convention. The Fofana Administration did a great job in planning the 47th National General Assembly. If the conflict in the host chapter had been resolved, this Convention wouldve been ULAAs best National General Assembly. There were close to one thousand participants that came from all over the United States. It was like a big family reunion gathering; kudos to the planners and the Communication Team for a job done well.
Alleged Sabotage Noticed by Some Delegates
By emphasizing first conducting the elections led some delegates to believe that there was sabotage by individuals in the Host Chapter that led to many irregularities, such as:
1. For the Convention to not follow the programs as planned;
2. For the Convention to not call to order;
3. For the first time in the history of ULAA, the National General Assembly did not conduct the business of the organization;
4. No Resolution was taken and Adopted;
5. Many of the delegates did not arrive at the Convention on time;
6. There were several changes made to the site where certain programs were to be held, and
7. The site of the 2022 - 48th National General Assembly was selected.
However, adjustments were made to continue the Convention. But the behaviors exhibited by many delegates created too much commotion that led other delegates to believe that those delegates that were causing the commotions, came only to cast their ballots for the candidates of their choice. The commotions exhibited resemble Monrovia's Red Light Market disorder.
Many life changes can cause discomfort. I believe this was the problem. Some of the delegates were not used to, or comfortable with the change (the new voting process). It is part of human nature not to easily accept change; new ones; no matter if the change is to improve the way elections are conducted in the organization. The Walhalla that ensued is one of the factors that contributed immensely to the delay of activities, including other logistical problems. Because the General Assembly was not held, one chapter that had been serious problems the Liberian Community Association of Central New Jersey and the Metro Areas came to the Convention with nine delegates to have their problems resolved; instead, they left very disappointedly. They left with the impression that the Convention was poorly planned.
Although the Business Sections of the National General Assembly were not held, the Honest Ballot Electronic Voting System contracted by UCEPs Ad-Hoc Elections Committee whose Chief Coordinator is Rev. James D. Barclay made sure voting was conducted amicably. However, one constitutional rule of the organization was violated: 1) the results of the votes for the Northern, Southern, and Eastern Regions Vice Presidential candidates were conducted inappropriately; as a result, a complaint was filed with the proper authority to have it resolved.
Besides the problems stated above, both Carter/Wilson-Kear and Shiwoh/Minervas teams accepted the results of the elections.
Find below program items that were achieved:
The Debates were held
The National Board Election, which was not part of this General Assembly was held
The Keynote Address by Eminent Elder Siahyonkron J. K. Nyanseor, sr. was delivered
President Vamba S. Fofanas State of the Union Address was delivered.
Below is the summary of the National Executive Presidents Address:
Good evening fellow ULAA members! I thank you for the four years we worked together to move this Union forward. It could not be done without your tireless efforts and support. Thank you for seeing in me the leadership potential and for challenging me to work for the greater good of Liberians in the Diaspora and at home (Liberia).
I enjoyed the cordial working relationship and support I had throughout the years with the National Administration, the National Board of Directors, and the National Leadership Council. And to Hon. Frank Flomo Carter, I extend special thanks and appreciation for being such a team player; together, we achieved a lot; again, thank you, my friend.
I am only leaving the position of National Executive President but not the Union. I plan to support the incoming administration and to continue my support for this great Union. Because of the love both Frank and I have for the greater good of the Union, we did not use the funds allocated in the budget for our positions; we used our finance throughout our tenure, which is unprecedented in the history of the Union.
Presentation of ULAAs Presidential Awards were made by the President, and
The Traditional Ball was held to climax the occasion.
PROGRAMS THE FOFANA ADMINISTRATION ACHIEVED DURING ITS TENURE AND THE INCOMING ADMINISTRATION WILL CONTINUE
Diaspora Agenda: First 100 Days Deliverables
A. Grant the appropriate stature and recognition to the Liberian Association of Washington DC and the Metro Areas as the National Headquarters of the Union.
B. Build a strong Union through accountability and financial transparency. Re-established voucher system, and abolished the use of ATM cards as the primary source of expanding Union finances.
C. Brought together disparate Liberian community organizations under ULAA through effective dispute resolution within affected member organizations. Also used traditional Liberian palaver hut format to proactively prevent conflicts and strengthen the bonds within member organizations to build a vibrant and cohesive Union that caters to the needs of all.
Mobilization of Financial Resources
Fully utilized the Unions tax-exempt status to mobilize financial resources for the Union and implement the Liberian Diaspora Development Fund project that seeks annual financial contributions from individual Liberians for national development programs.
Strengthened and Empowered Member Organizations
A. Ensured all member organizations to be fully represented on the National Leadership Council and the National Board of Directors.
B. Provided minimum program financial assistance of $500.00 to each member organization in good standing with the Union in the second year of the Administration.
Immigration Advocacy
ULAA remains in the vanguard of advocating for immigration benefits that provide permanent residency and other legal statuses to the Liberians in the U.S. They were pursued through direct lobbying of U.S. Congressional leaders and establish a working partnership with other immigration lobbying groups.
Dual Citizenship
The campaign for dual citizenship continues. Our Administration developed new strategies such as enlisting the assistance of county associations and other partners in this effort. Also re-established and maintained a dual citizenship advocacy group in Liberia, which intensified our lobbying efforts in the National Legislature. Further, we explored the possibility of judicial review on the issue; and I hope the next administration continues where we stopped.
Out-of-Country Voting
My administration felt the time has come for all Liberians both at home and in the Diaspora to take part in the political process of the Country. We presented a solid case to the National Elections Commission for Liberians in the Diaspora to vote in all national elections.
Vigorous Advocacy Against Corruption and All Anti-Democratic Tendencies in Liberia
Our Administration made some to mobilize Diaspora Liberians in the U.S. to take concerted action against corruption and the abuse of liberty and democracy in Liberia wherever and whenever it occurs in Liberia; I hope the next administration will continue this effort.
Established ULAA Youth Wing
Realizing the role of youth in any organization, our Administration established a robust Youth Wing. The ULAA Youth Wing is charged with the responsibility to develop programs for the participation of young people in the affairs of the Union.
Also, the Youth Wing is responsible to design youth programs that will promote Liberian culture, entrepreneurship, education, and provide linkages between Liberian youths in the Diaspora and at home.
HOMELAND POLICY AGENDA
ULAA must build partnerships and collaborations between home and host country institutions that promote the development goals of Liberia. Our Agenda for Liberia along these lines will be the area of vocational/technical education and voters education.
VOCATIONAL/TECHNICAL EDUCATION
The focus of this effort is to support programs that will provide skills training for youths and young adults between six to twenty-four months period. Emphasis will be on the areas of carpentry, masonry, construction, and other technical areas.
ADOPTION OF PRIMARY SCHOOL
Explore efforts to adopt a primary school in Liberia in which the Union will undertake activities that enhance the learning environment. The goal is to adopt one school in the first year on a trial basis, and two schools in the second year of our administration.
ESTABLISHMENT OF UNIVERSITY TO UNIVERSITY RELATIONSHIPS
Explore the possibility of creating academic and institutional relationships between targeted U.S. universities and Liberian universities similar to sister-city relationships. The goal is to promote intellectual exchanges and study-abroad programs.
VOTERS EDUCATION
Due to the importance of voters education in the democratic process, our Administration will develop voter education programs for the pending elections in Liberia as part of our commitment to advocate for and promote democratic governance in Liberia.
There were other logistically problems that the Administration encountered for which the Host Chapter, delegates, and the Administration can share the blame of the problems at the Convention.
Dr. Tewroh-Wehtoe Sungbehs Account of the Convention
Dr. Sungbehs account of ULAAs 47th National General Assembly: ULAA Can Do Better, reminds me of the story told by Dr. Benjamin Franklin at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia (May 1787) about a woman he knew.
The statement reads:
"I once knew a lady who told me that her sister said to her, 'It's the strangest thing. Whenever I get into a dispute with somebody, I've always been the one who was right'"(Canfield Fisher, Dorothy, Our Independence, and the Constitution, pp. 130-131).
The woman in Dr. Franklin's story is like Dr. Sungbeh. My friend and brothers manner of writing is intended to tell only his side of a story he believes to be true. But as for good and honest writers, they write the two sides of the story good and the bad; instead, my good friend wants to appear as the only credible writer in the Liberian community by attacking the characters of other people. I will leave it with you to be the judge of what he reported happened at the ULAAs 47th National General Assembly and mine.
Anyone reporter whose introductory statement reads, As a staunch critic of ULAA will go on fishing expeditions to have his end justifies his means; even a morally bad one could be used to achieve it; with the intent to undermine the integrity of a person he dislikes. The story should be about the event, not about me (Eminent Nyanseor). My disappointment is with those who agreed with Dr. Sungbehs one-sided evaluation of ULAAs 47th National Assembly without hearing the full account of what transpired at the Convention. Liberian people remember that there are two sides to every story! I am not surprised! Attacking others unfairly is Dr. Sungbehs Fair and Balance journalism. However, my disappointment is not with what he posted on FaceBook about me; rather it is with the comments made by individuals I thought knew me better who accepted his deceptive Rush Limbaugh style of Fair and Balance internet troll which is intended to smear my character and having provided my assessment of the event, you be the judge. Finally, it is my desire and yours as well that due to the renewed interest exhibited the weekend of September 17th thru 1he 19th of 2021, in the great city of Columbus, Ohio that we remained united to form a more perfect Union which will last for another 47 years. Peace and Ku ka ton-nor! Find below the Honor bestowed on me: Office of the
NATION EXECUTIVE PRESIDENT The Union of Liberian Associations in the Americas SPECIALS RECOGNITION AWARD Presented to Eminent Elder Siahyonkron J. K. Nyanseor, Sr. For the past many years Eminent Elder Siahyonkron J. K. Nyanseor, Sr. has rendered conscientious and valuable services to the Union of Liberian Associations in the Americas (ULAA). As a Founding Member and the 11th National President of ULAA, you carried on your roles and responsibilities efficiently and effectively, rendered efficient, faithful, and unobtrusive but invaluable services to our noble Union. The National Administration, the National Board of Directors, and the National Leadership Council make formal acknowledgment of their appreciation of the invaluable services rendered by Eminent Elder Siahyonkron J. K. Nyanseor, Sr., dubbed the ULAA Historian, during the years of his leadership and duly acknowledge the substantial contributions, which you have made and continue to make to ULAA. It is the sincere hope of the members of the National Administration, the Nation Board of Directors, and the National Leadership Council that you will enjoy many more years of good health and happiness. May the years ahead be the best years of your life. NOW, THEREFORE, I, VAMBA S. FOFANA, National Executive President of the Union of Liberian Associations in the Americas (ULAA) in close consultation with the National Board of Directors, National Leadership Council, present this SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD to EMINENT ELDER SIAHYONKRON J. K. NYANSEOR, SR. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I, hereunto set my hand this day of September, in the Year of our Lord Two Thousand Twenty-one. Signed: Hon. Vamba S. Fofana
National Executive President/ULAA Approved: Hon. Alfred Sieh
Chairman of the National Board of Directors THE ACTUAL AWARD
In Union Strong Success is Sure; Reliving the Spirit of the Original Intent of the Founders: Unity and Advocacy as well as Together We Struggle For A Better Liberia.
In The Cause of The People, The Struggle Continues! About The Author :
Eminent Siahyonkron J. K. Nyanseor, Sr. is a Senior Reporter for The Perspective, an online internet web magazine (since 1996) of the Liberian Democratic Future (LDF), a non-profit, independent, and democratic research organization dedicated to promoting peace, democracy, justice and equal opportunity for all Liberians. In other to pursue its goals and objectives ideals such as building democratic, economic and political institutions will serve as a hallmark, and ensure the future of democracy in Liberia is sustained. In this regard, LDF is dedicated to a proactive approach in championing the human and constitutional rights of those individuals and groups who find themselves less empowered and unfortunate in Liberia and its Diaspora. As an independent organization, the LDF remains opened and committed to working with any Liberian and non-Liberian organization that shares its beliefs and principles. Eminent Nyanseor is apoet, Griot, journalist, cultural and political activist. He can be reached at (470) 667-9210 & siah1947@gmail.com NOTE: Should you need information about ULAA, I can be reached at the contact provided above.
By Lilli Morrish
morrishl@grinnell.edu
Nick Parker `23 arrived on the Grinnell campus when he was 18 years old. When he steps foot on it again, hell be nearly 21. I will have been a Grinnell student for over three years, said Parker, [but], I will have spent a combined, you know, 30 or 40 weeks there.
All classes besides the class of 2025 have had a portion of their on-campus college experience interrupted by COVID-19, but Parkers situation is unique: he is one of just under 50 students studying off-campus this fall as some countries loosen COVID restrictions and begin allowing international students back within their borders. In an email to the S&B, Director of Off-Campus Study Alicia Stanley wrote that this fall, Grinnellians are studying off-campus in 20 countries across the globe.
Parker will be spending his 2021-2022 school year abroad at the London School of Economics a significant shift from his original curricular plans. My junior year I planned to go to Russia. I thought I was a Russian major, Parker said.
Or, he added, I was trying to be a Russian major.
With language classes moving online and intermediate Russian not even offered during the first quarter of the 2020-2021 school year, Parker came to terms with the fact that these external factors meant it wouldnt be possible for him to advance in the language quickly enough to successfully study abroad in Russia.
It came to the point where I was like, I havent spoken Russian in five or six months, and even before that, that month that I had the last month Ive spoken Russian was online, said Parker. I felt so stuck with it and so out of practice and I knew that it would be back online I kind of just gave up.
He wasnt alone: Stanley wrote that OCS advisers have worked hard to provide deferral and program change options to help students make progress towards their degrees and stay on track to graduate on time. But for some students, those program changes may be more significant than others.
With his Moscow dreams dashed, Parker took matters into his own hands: this winter, instead of going the traditional route through the Institute for Global Engagement on campus, he reapplied for Grinnell approval, and instead decided to study abroad at the London School of Economics for the 2021-2022 school year.
Youre dealing with so many levels of government and bureaucracy. At a certain point, you just have to fill out the forms and hope everything works out, Parker said.
Parker is confident that his off-campus study will go as planned, and so are other students: Stanley wrote that there are around 130 students scheduled to study off-campus this spring, which is comparable to pre-pandemic enrollment.
Stanley also wrote that managing continued changing local conditions and COVID restrictions has been another challenge for us as well as students, but that at this time, the only programs that are truly shut down are those that take place in countries with closed borders, such as Australia and New Zealand. While COVID uncertainty has derailed majors, curriculum and past off-campus study, students and staff remain hopeful for the future.
(Editors Note: This article has been updated to reflect the correct process for changing study abroad programs. A previous version of the article said Parker applied directly to the London School of Economics without Grinnell approval. The S&B regrets this error deeply. Updated on October 5, 2021, 10:37 pm.)
Seven senior U.N. officials expelled from Ethiopia
The Ethiopian government ordered seven senior United Nations officials to leave Ethiopia within 72 hours on Thursday, September 30, 2021.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia said the following on its Twitter page today:
@mfaethiopia declared persona non grata for seven individuals who have been working for some international NGOs in #Ethiopia for meddling in the internal affairs of the country. They must leave the country within the next 72 hrs. 30 September 2021
Most of the U.N. officials thrown out of Ethiopia accused meddling in the internal affairs of the country are from UNICEF & OCHA. The seven top U.N. officials crime seems to be just doing their job. The U.N. workers were trying to help millions of Tigraians who are starving to death from a man made famine.
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The following are the the top officials ordered to leave Ethiopia in 72 hours: Mr. Grant Leaity Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator for Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Ms. Adele Khodr, UNICEF Representative in Ethiopia, Ms. Ghada Eltahir Mudawi, Acting Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator for Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Ethiopia, Mr. Kwesi Sansculotte, Peace and Development Advisor of the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ethiopia, Mr. Saeed Mohamoud Hersi, Deputy Head of Office, UNOCHA, Mr. Sonny Onyegbula, Monitoring, Reporting and Advocacy Team Leader at United Nations Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights and Mrs. Marcy Vigoda, Head of office at Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Ethiopia.
The United Nations humanitarian chief, Martin Griffiths sharply criticized the Ethiopian government for creating the worst hunger, saying the Ethiopian government has a de facto government blockade of food, medical supplies and fuel in Tigrai and that would be stain on our conscience,.
It seems the Abiy Ahmed regime is at the end of its rope at this time and the top Ethiopian officials are taking extreme desperate actions to cover up the genocide they are committing against the people of Tigrai using hunger, war, and sexual attacks as weapons of war.
Secretary-General's statement on Ethiopia
I was shocked by the information that the Government of Ethiopia has declared seven UN officials, including senior UN humanitarian officials, as persona non grata.
All UN humanitarian operations are guided by the core principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, and independence. In Ethiopia, the UN is delivering lifesaving aid - including food, medicine, water, and sanitation supplies to people in desperate need. I have full confidence in the UN staff who are in Ethiopia doing this work.
The UN is committed to helping Ethiopian people who rely on humanitarian assistance. We are now engaging with the Government of Ethiopia in the expectation that the concerned UN staff will be allowed to continue their important work.
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from Refugees International
"Refugees International condemns the Ethiopian governments decision to expel key UN staff from the country, leaving key posts vacant during a time of crisis.
The ongoing conflict in Tigray has already pushed some 900,000 people into famine with deaths now being reported regularly. The governments humanitarian blockade is causing this famine, stopping food and medicine from reaching those in need, including women, children and elderly, who are disproportionately affected by the famine.
Kicking out senior UN leaders will only make the crisis worse. Violence and hunger are also now spreading to other parts of Ethiopia, including Amhara and Afar regions. It is time for the United States and other members of the UN Security Council along with the African Union to challenge Ethiopia to end the aid blockade, and ensure that relief reaches those in need."
Contact Refugees International Communications Officer Aviva Shwayder at aviva@refugeesinternational.org or +1 734 255 8185.
MBABANE Hardly three days after he was arrested, businessman Sibusiso Mahoota Nkambule has been admitted to bail.
Nkambule is accused of having killed Bandzile Ginindza by shooting him with a pistol twice in the left arm and stomach. The incident happened at Mega Lounge hangout spot, which is situated at Sidwashini in Mbabane last Saturday. He was admitted to E15 000 bail by Judge Ticheme Dlamini yesterday but was ordered to pay E3 000 cash and provide surety for the balance. The prosecution indicated that it was not opposing Nkambules plea to be admitted to bail pending his trial. As part of his bail conditions, Nkambule was directed to surrender his passport or other valid international document to the investigating officer at the Mbabane Police Station. He was warned that pending finalisation of the matter, he should not apply for a new passport or travel document. The accused was also strictly warned to report monthly, following his release on bail, in person at the charge office at the Mbabane Police Station between 8am and 4pm.
Report
He was directed to make such report after his release and thereafter, every last Friday of the month. Another condition is that he should refrain from speaking with or communicating with or otherwise contacting any prosecution witnesses in the case against him. In the event he did not know the identities of the witnesses, he was ordered to ascertain same from the investigation office. As part of his bail conditions, Nkambule was further warned to remain within the Kingdom of Eswatini pending finalisation of his matter and to also provide the investigating officer with his residential address forthwith on release, for inter alia, purposes of domicilium citandi (the address nominated by a party). Some of the conditions were that he should attend court as and when ordered to do so and not to commit a similar offence while out on bail. He was advised further that any relaxation or amendment of the bail conditions would be authorised by a judge of the High Court. Lastly, he was told that non-compliance with any of the conditions would result in the cancellation of his bail and the amount paid forfeited to the State. The accused was represented by Noncedo Ndlangamandla.
MBABANE The multi-stakeholder forum registered their excitement after the Ezulwini Municipality issued a compliance certificate giving the green light for their proposed march to the US Embassy.
The stakeholder forum includes the Institute for Democracy and Leadership (IDEAL) and the Political Party Assembly (PPA) among others. The march is scheduled to take place tomorrow, after it was postponed last week for different reasons. It was alleged that one of the reasons for the postponement was that the marchers had not received the compliance certificate yet it was a requirement as per the provisions of the Public Order Act. PPA member and Deputy Convener, Sibongile Mazibuko, said she was hoping that there would be no challenges with the police. She invited members to arrive in numbers and assemble next to the Eswatini Water Services Corporation (EWSC) near the bridge at Lobamba where the march would begin. She urged the members to wear their masks and comply with the COVID-19 regulations.
IDEAL Chairperson Barnes Dlamini said he would celebrate tomorrow because he was taught that he should not be overly-excited over something that had been agreed on paper. He stated that the police gave assurance although they made it clear that it was beyond them as they wanted to send a certain message to the Americans, maintaining that the march would be peaceful. He urged marshals to work together in ensuring that everything was peaceful. Ezulwini Municipality Chief Executive Officer Vusi Matsebula, when asked what motivated them to issue the certificate of compliance, said they followed the Public Order Act, 2017 to the letter.
Agenda
Matsebula stated that in the meeting with the conveners of the gathering their agenda was the Act, particularly Section 8 from sub-section 1 to 18. We believe Parliament passes the legislation and ours is to assist that the police implement it to the tee, he said. However, the CEO thanked the National Commissioner William Tsitsibala Dlamini whom he said when they consulted the REPS as per Section 1 of the Act, they assigned them police officers to come to engage the convenors in the consultative meeting.
MBABANE It is not the churchs mandate to be involved in politics.
This was said by Yonder Worship Centre founder Pastor Bakhe Dlamini in a statement issued to address the growing calls for the church to intervene in the political situation in the country. This follows previous reports where the church was regarded as captured and silent on the political situation prevailing in the country. The esteemed pastor highlighted in his statement that the church had a primary role to fulfill, which was the preaching of the gospel. According to Dlamini, as ministers of the gospel, they needed to allow politicians to do their work. He mentioned that their job was to preach the gospel and allow it to transform people. The meaning of the word gospel is, Good news. We attack none, for our objective is to win all unto the Lord. Everyone belongs to God: kings, governors, politicians, the general public, preachers, etc. When politicians and authorities clash, ours is to be the unifying factor, not dividing factor, said the man of God.
Conflict
The pastor stated that part of their objectives as ministers of the Word was to restore unity where there was conflict and build those who were aggrieved. He further clarified that he worked hard and sought no favours from anyone and the grace of God had sustained him thus far. In all the years I have spent as a church leader, I have welcomed all kinds of sinners into the church. Never have I ever made it my job to judge anyone, read the statement. Dlamini further stated that as men of God, they needed to refrain from discussing politics at the pulpit but instead preach about grace. He said the church should be a place where the gospel is prioritised and government should be the entity left to deal with politics and intervene in the fixing of political problems.
He highlighted that theirs was to advise authorities with caution and not expose and humiliate those who had done wrong. The pastor continued to quote Titus 3:1-2 which says; Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander none, to be peaceable and considerate, and always gentle toward everyone.
Slander
According to the clergyman, the church was not a place of slander and judgment but that was a worldly thing. He mentioned that there had to be a difference between a Christian and a worldly individual and stated that Christianity did not mean being stupid or not speaking the truth, but meant that one should speak the truth in an appropriate manner and without antagonising the next person. He also condemned the use of certain scriptures and omission of others when pushing the notion that the church should have a political mandate. According to the pastor, activists who doubled as members of the clergy, like Martin Luther King, did get involved in politics, but they were not the canon (biblical standard). He stated that theirs was a unique assignment. Dlamini continued to urge the public to refrain from comparing ministers or forcing ministers to address matters the same way as the likes of Martin Luther King Jr.
MANZINI Parents and the Acting Manzini Regional Education officer (REO) had to flee from a meeting as they were attacked by rowdy pupils.
This happened at Emvimbeko High School, which is located under Ntondozi Constituency. This was during a meeting set to formulate a way forward in the school following that last Tuesday, pupils boycotted classes resulting in its closure. The pupils attacked their parents who were in the meeting with the acting Regional Education Officer, Sizwe Kunene and other officials, in the school hall. According to impeccable sources, the pupils started demanding to be part of the meeting just after it had started. This resulted in them, according to the sources, gatecrashing and entered the hall to partake in the proceedings.
Meeting
Upon joining the proceedings, it was claimed that the pupils became unruly and interrupted the meeting, resulting in some parents calling the police. It was gathered that the pupils had in a meeting held with the office of the REO raised concerns that they were not happy with the resolutions taken by their parents. The learners had last week Tuesday petitioned the administration demanding that there should be a reduction in the number of strokes administered when receiving corporal punishment. They claimed that they received over 20 strokes, which was too much for them. Another demand was that pupils who were late should not be turned back home as it was a waste of bus fare and deprived them of the opportunity to learn, which was their right.
They also complained about wearing one school uniform and demanded that the school incorporates the wearing of T-shirts with trousers and skirts on Fridays.
Plait
They als,o among other things, informed the administration that they wanted to plait their hair. However, it was gathered that some of these decisions were taken by parents in consultation with the administration. Despite this, the pupils relayed to the acting REO that they were not in support of these decisions. Kunene confirmed that the pupils yesterday gate-crashed the meeting demanding to partake. He said seeing their insistence to be in the meeting, they were requested to choose representatives. He said this fell on deaf ears as they were adamant to be part of the meeting. Kunene said this resulted in his delegation abandoning the meeting as the circumstances did not permit it to continue. This, he said, was after the arrival of the police. When sought to clarify what would happen next as the school had been closed since last Tuesday, Kunene said: It is tough as it is hard to work in such conditions. We are still to consult the ministry. He bemoaned that some pupils were scheduled to sit for their external examinations next Monday and such acts were disturbing them just like the class boycotts were also affecting learners as they should be learning.
MBABANE- The Ministry of Education and Training yesterday made it clear that it did not have money to fix burnt schools.
Bertram Stewart, the Principal Secretary in the Ministry, said the only budget government had was limited to the assessed schools. He said fixing of burnt schools was costly to government as they required thoroughness. Stewart stated that apart from fixing schools, government had other responsibilities, which included payment of teachers, free primary education (FPE) and orphaned and vulnerable children grants. He, therefore, pleaded with pupils to use the existing structures for learning. He mentioned that this might last until government secured funds for the rehabilitation of the schools. He stated that it might take government some time to secure the funds.
Worth noting is that in some of the vandalised schools, classes and staffrooms were burnt, resulting in the damage of doors, ceiling and windows. Stewart urged parents to warn and protect pupils against participating in any act of violence when given the opportunity to shape their future. He pleaded with parents to make their children understand the need and the purpose of learning so that they could refrain from violence. Stewart pleaded with neighours and community leaders to ensure that pupils from child-headed families attended classes for purposes of learning. He said those pupils would get necessities at school. He stated that the ministry would not shift examination dates as the papers were already set.
Examination
He assured parents and pupils that examination rooms were ready and that invigilators were also ready to work. As you all know that operations are not normal this academic year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it means we have to use every opportunity. It is a pity that some pupils wake up to burn schools as opposed to learning. We would like to encourage those pupils to refrain from this act and focus on their studies, he said. He mentioned that as many children were supposed to start to Grade I, there would be no space for repeating Form V pupils. The PS also acknowledged the lack of teachers in some schools across the country. He said the ministry was doing all in its power to mitigate the challenge. He made an example that head teachers had been urged to furnish the ministry with the number of vacancies in the schools so that they could be filled.
SITEKI Drama ensued in front of Matsanjeni North Member of Parliament (MP) and Minister of Labour and Social Security Phila Buthelezi when members of two factions from the Maziya Clan almost exchanged blows.
This happened on Tuesday at Maphungwane. It has been alleged that so serious was the altercation that wielding of knobkerries was witnessed. The bone of contention, it was gathered, was a protracted dispute over land allocated for the construction of a high school. It was stated that at noon, while talks were in progress, Dumisa Maziya, a senior member of the Maziya Clan, was detained for three hours in a police van after he allegedly charged towards the main table where Buthelezi and other dignitaries were seated.
Infuriated
It was alleged that Dumisa was carrying a bush knife which was confiscated by the police. It was also gathered that other members of one of the two factions were infuriated by his action and the exchange of unpalatable words was the order of the moment until the situation was calmed. A source who witnessed the incident alleged that the other faction members wielded knobkerries and wanted to fight the advancing elderly man, but police managed to intervene and calmed the situation. In essence, the land where the school will be built belongs to Dumisa by virtue of the fact that his deceased father left the land to him. However, the other faction claimed that the land was for the community hence the infighting, alleged the source. Initially, the committee in charge of the construction of the school had convened a meeting to give feedback on its progress.
Invited at the meeting were officers from the Lubombo Regional Education Office and the minister by virtue of being an MP of the area. Lubombo REO Richard Dlamini confirmed, incident. Dlamini said one member of the Maziya Clan charged towards the main table where dignitaries and the minister were seated and the swift response of the police prevented what could have been a nasty situation. The REO said he could not establish whom the elder was intending to attack. He said the elderly man was taken into a police van where he remained for the duration of the meeting. We had been invited by the umphakatsi as this has been a process to come and meet the committee in charge of the construction of the school. The ongoing chieftaincy dispute reared its ugly head, but the situation was calmed before it got out of hand, he said.
He explained that the minister was part of the meeting as an MP of the area to bless the construction of the school and ensure that those behind it were given support. The meeting went well and we expect that all processes will continue without being interrupted, added the REO. Dumisa also confirmed that he was detained for three hours and later released after the meeting. He claimed that police told him to come and collect his bush knife from Siteki Police Station commander. This is my land and I wanted to seek clarity but I was being avoided each time I raised my hand. I then tried to go to the main table to voice my concern but was detained by the police. The land belongs to me and the matter is pending in court, he alleged. Another senior member of the Maziya Clan, Sikelela, confirmed the situation that unfolded during the meeting. Dumisa is the owner of the land allocated for the school project and what he was fighting for was that he was being overlooked yet he was the rightful owner. The land has been taken without his permission, alleged Sikelela.
Comment
Maphungwane Indvuna Morris Mbulis phone rang unanswered when several attempts were made to get seek his comment. Meanwhile, Minister Buthelezi confirmed the drama that ensued during the meeting. The minister said Dumisa wanted to voice out his grievance to the committee in charge of the project. Meanwhile, Buthelezi stated that they were scouting for funders to kick-start the project. We want construction work to start soon and we will be scouting for funders. The area has been without a high school for a longtime and pupils travel to faraway places, which we are against, he added. Deputy Police Information and Communications Officer Inspector Nosipho Mnguni confirmed the matter. Mnguni said police confiscated the bush knife but a case was not opened against Dumisa.
dnata, a leading global air and travel services provider, has signed a service agreement with AGI Freight Singapore (AGI) to provide a fast track delivery solution for inbound e-Commerce shipments arriving by air at Changi Airport.
The partnership will see dnata prioritise inbound e-commerce cargo and offer an enhanced breakdown and delivery service from its warehouse to the freight forwarders premises within the free trade zone of Changi Airfreight Centre.
The 24-hour service involves further processing at AGIs warehouse and enables the company to dispatch the parcels to their clients appointed last mile vendors within 4 - 6 hours upon flight arrival.
Musdalifa Abdullah, Managing Director, dnata Singapore, said: With the increasing demand for e-commerce globally, we understand the requirement to handle, clear and deliver all parcels promptly. This collaboration aligns with our efforts to provide value-added solutions to partner stakeholders within the air cargo ecosystem.
Alvin Kwek, Managing Director, AGI Freight Singapore, said: Priority terminal clearance is a key performance criterion for customers like Cainiao and Lazada to remain competitive within this fast-growing and time-sensitive industry. AGI is delighted to be first in the local market to work closely with dnata in providing a seamless and speedy terminal clearance operation. TradeArabia News Service
Nine Bahraini public schools have been awarded the Technology Incubator Schools status according to the classification of Microsoft, after participating in the program offered by the company, alongside other schools around the world.
The scheme aims to raise the efficiency of the educational system and enhance students standard through an array of cutting-edge modern learning strategies that push forward digital transformation, development momentum and cultivate creativity and innovation, keeping abreast of the 21st Century skills.
The Microsoft Incubator schools is a world-standard project that aims to select schools that best implement specific criteria in incorporating technology in education.
On this occasion, the Ministry of Education in the Kingdom of Bahrain and Microsoft hosted a remote ceremony via Teams platform.
In attendance were General Director of Schools Affairs Dr Mohammed Mubarak Bin Ahmed; Undersecretary for Policies, Strategies and Performance Nawal Ibrahim Al Khater; Assistant Undersecretary for Educational Services Kefaya Habib Al Anzoor, Assisant Undersecretary for Education Latifa Isa Al Bunoudha, in additition to principals of the nine schools which were awarded the Tech Incubator status.
Microsoft was represented in the virtual ceremony by Harb Bou-Harb, Senior Director of Education, Microsoft Middle East & Africa; Ahmed Ibrahim, Modern Classroom and Microsoft Solutions Specialist and Ms. Solange Jarjour, Customer Success Manager, Microsoft.
At Microsoft, our goal is to empower young minds to become successful, capable, and active contributors to the prosperity and development of societies, said Bou-Harb.
Our work in the field of education, with strategic partners like the Ministry of Education, is part of our ongoing efforts to skill-up young talent and help them achieve more as innovators, business leaders, entrepreneurs and job creators. This partnership speaks directly to this effort and helps accelerate the digital transformation across educational institutions with relevant skilling, which is a key enabler to reshaping the world of tomorrow."
Dr Bin Ahmed congratulated the laureate schools on winning the Tech Incubator status, hailing the crucial partnership with Microsoft in introducting the virtual central classes.
He highlighted public schools online learning strides, noting the Governments firm support to building partnerships with leading international firms, such as Mircrosoft company.
He said all public schools have grasped the use of digital platforms and the Mircosoft Teams, which had a positive impact on e-learning process and enabled the educational system to mitigate the challenges resulting from the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Addressing the virtual event, Al Khater extended congratulations to the laureate schools that obtained the Tech Incubator status, adding that public schools in Bahrain abound in successful IT practices.
She underlined the ministrys years-long strides in developing the necessary infrastructure which helped spearhead digital learning in the Kingdom of Bahrain in line with the goals set by the Government.
The principals of the nine schools which were awarded the Tech Incubator status highlighted their participation in the programme which enabled them to develop their establishments.
Shaikh Saif Hilal Al Hosni, Country Manager for Microsoft Bahrain and Oman, said, commenting on the event, said: We are pleased to see the Kingdom of Bahrain at the forefront of the world's incubators of technology and digital transformation in its educational system.
The Government of of Bahrain recognized at an early stage the critical role of modern technologies in promoting growth, invested in cutting-edge technologies and worked on developing ICT talents.
The achievement we see today, he said, is the fruit of 2030 Bahrain Economic Vision, which aims to provide Bahrainis with the highest possible level of education and enhance their skills to achieve their ambitions.
The Microsoft Showcase Incubator Schools are: Hidd Secondary Girls School; Al Malkiya Primary Intermediate Girls School; Nasiba bint Kaab Primary Girls School; Halima Al Saadiya Intermediate Girls School; Religious Institute Primary Boys School; Zanubeya Intermediate Girls School; Al Shorooq Secondary Girls School; Al Andalus Primary Girls School and Saar Secondary Girls School. -TradeArabia News Service
Bahrains tourism sector has attracted nearly $40 million worth of new investments in the kingdoms tourism sector to date, which will help create more than 260 jobs over the next three years, according to a treport by the Economic Development Board (EDB).
Bahrains EDB is seeking to capitalise on the growth of the countrys tourism sector as meaningful international travel resumes.
National carrier Gulf Air had last month announced that around 80% of its pre-pandemic flights will resume from the summer season and that Bahrain was appearing on more travel green lists across markets.
EDB said among the key tourism investments in the kingdom was Remza Investment Companys addition of Turkish hospitality brand, Gunaydin, to its portfolio.
Located at The Terminal, one of Bahrains unique real estate developments, Gunaydins $6.5 million investment will be its first restaurant in the kingdom. The outfit will create 80 jobs over three years and add to the wide variety of international restaurants springing up in the country.
Remza Investment Companys Chairman and CEO Dr Fadhel Al Arrayed said: "Gunaydin is a prestigious global brand and is a valued addition to the Kingdoms numerous eateries. Our first investment, a popular Istanbul restaurant, will be operated in Adliya in a 1,000-m sq space which can accommodate up to 300 customers."
"We would like to thank our partners and the EDB for providing us with a welcoming and supportive environment," he noted.
Another investment by renowned chocolate brand, Patchi, allocated $8 million for the expansion of the business in the Kingdom. Launching new projects that offer unique experiences for customers, Patchis expansion will help create 160 jobs over three years.
On the new venture, Patchi Bahrain lauded Bahrain for offering a business environment that is in line with its aspirations for expansion, both nationally and regionally.
The company believes that the countrys stability and openness, along with the support provided by the EDB and other organisations, helped it in developing the business, and stated that it was proud to be part of Bahrains vibrant and growing tourism sector.
ELSS Group, which specialises in the construction of aquariums and marine parks, also announced a $1 million investment in their regional operational base at the Bahrain Aquarium, the kingdoms largest aquarium which opened yesterday at the Mall of Dilmunia.
The largest cylindrical aquarium in the Middle East has a depth of 17 meters and is spread over four floors. It includes a life support (water purification) system on two floors beneath and another at the top of the aquarium.
ELSS will operate and maintain the aquarium until at least mid-2025. This is in addition to other aquarium projects ELSS plans to undertake in the Kingdom and neighboring countries including Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the UAE.
The groups projects are estimated to create approximately 20 jobs in the fields of local marine biology, environmental sciences, underwater diving, and engineering.
ELSS Groups Managing Director Jed McAteer said: "Bahrain presents an ideal destination to develop and expand our business across the region. We have benefitted from the many competitive advantages offered by the countrys business friendly environment."
"We are pleased to be working alongside the EDB as well as a number of qualified Bahraini companies in the architecture, construction, and retail industries. We welcome this valuable opportunity to share our expertise in Bahrain, which is an ideal environment for our future projects," stated McAteer.
EDBs Executive Director of Investment Origination Ali Al Mudaifa said: "Tourism, with its many restaurants, hotels, and resorts, is among the industries we expect to bounce back to previous levels of activity as the country continues to gradually reopen, and restrictions ease, allowing life to return to normal."
"Attracting investments such as these are in line with the EDBs strategy to further economic diversification by contributing to the development of the sector and supporting the creation of jobs in the local market, he added.-TradeArabia News Service
The Boeing Company has announced the appointment of Kuljit Ghata-Aura as the new president of Boeing Middle East, Turkey and Africa (META), excluding the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, effective September 30.
Ghata-Aura, who is returning to the Middle East, Turkey and Africa region, will be based in Dubai. He will be responsible for leading all companywide activities and developing and implementing strategies for a region that is home to some of Boeings largest commercial, defence and services customers.
Ghata-Aura, who previously served as the regional counsel for Boeing India, Middle East, Turkey and Africa for almost six years, will oversee the companys new business and industrial partnership opportunities, safety and sustainability efforts, government affairs and corporate citizenship. He also will oversee Boeings efforts to expand its presence and strengthen its relationships with customers and other stakeholders in the region.
Ghata-Aura succeeds Bernie Dunn, who is leaving Boeing after more than nine years with the company in the region.
It gives me great pleasure to announce the appointment of Kuljit Ghata-Aura as the new president of Boeing Middle East, Turkey and Africa. Kuljit brings a wealth of experience to the role from many of Boeings most important markets and businesses, including the Middle East, Turkey and Africa region, where he has spent considerable time. I look forward to working with Kuljit to drive further growth in the region, said Sir Michael Arthur, president, Boeing International.
We thank Bernie for his great contribution to the growth of Boeings presence in the META region over the last seven years and wish him well for the future.
Boeings presence in the Middle East, Turkey and Africa goes back several decades. Boeing has offices in the UAE, Turkey, South Africa, Egypt, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. The company also has several industrial and academic partnerships in the region.
I am delighted to return to the Middle East, Turkey and Africa region in this significant leadership role and rejoin my colleagues as we continue to focus on partnering with all stakeholders in one of the fastest-growing and important markets for the company in META, said Ghata-Aura.
Boeing has a strong presence in the region and there continues to be unique opportunities. We are, and continue to be, committed to working closely with the civil aviation and defence authorities and our customers to help achieve the regions aerospace ambitions and objectives.
Ghata-Aura joined Boeing in 2010 and has held several leadership roles for the company in Europe, Russia, Israel, India and the META region. In addition to being the regional counsel for Boeing India, Middle East, Turkey and Africa for almost six years, Ghata-Aura also held the role of director of market development for UAE from 2015-16. Prior to joining Boeing, Ghata-Aura was a partner at a large international firm practicing cross border mergers and acquisitions. He is a graduate of Oxford University. TradeArabia News Service
Ethiopian Airlines, the largest aviation group in Africa, has announced that it has been honoured with four awards at the Skytrax 2021 World Airline Awards.
The airline has also been placed 37th - moving seven ranks up - in the World's Top 100 Airlines for 2021 as voted by airline customers around the world.
Ethiopian received awards for:
- Best Airline in Africa 2021 for 4th consecutive year
- Best Business Class in Africa 2021 for 3rd consecutive year
- Best Economy Class in Africa 2021 for 3rd consecutive year
- Best Cabin Crew in Africa 2021.
Ethiopian Aviation Group CEO Tewolde Gebremariam said: Keeping up with the same phase as before Covid has been a challenging task. However, we never gave up, keeping our loyalty of serving at all times to our customers, we never stopped flying. The awards we received today are proof of our consistent effort to provide our passengers with a world class service during ups and downs.
"As a customer-focused and market-driven airline, a Slytrax award, where winners are determined by the votes of travellers, manifests the airlines journey in the right direction. Thus it is with deep pleasure that we accept these awards.
Skytrax CEO Edward Plaisted added: Ethiopian Airlines have firmly established themselves as the Best Airline in Africa by winning this award for the fourth consecutive year. It is a strong recognition for both the management and all of their front-line staff who contribute to the success of the carrier's customer experience.
The World Airline Awards were introduced in 1999 to provide a global customer satisfaction study. Travellers across the world vote in the largest airline passenger satisfaction survey to decide the award winners. The awards are referred to by media around the world as the "Oscars of the aviation industry.
Over 100 customer nationalities participated in the survey, with the 2021 Awards based on 13.42 million eligible survey entries counted in the final results.-TradeArabia News Service
Tatas to retain Air India staff for 1 yr, VRS could be offered in 2nd yr 08 Oct 2021 | 7:17 PM New Delhi, Oct 8 (UNI) With Air India set to go to Tatas after being declared as successful bidder on Friday, the government has said the salt-to-software conglomerate cannot retrench the current airline staff for one year. see more..
Delhi: Attempt to dislodge ATM machine, two held 08 Oct 2021 | 7:02 PM New Delhi, Oct 8 (UNI) Delhi Police on Friday arrested two men for allegedly attempting to uproot an ATM machine in Southeast Delhis Amar Colony area. see more..
Taliban are busy dealing with issues of governance, learning it is different from fighting: Abdullah Abdullah 08 Oct 2021 | 6:56 PM New Delhi, Oct 8 (UNI) The Taliban rulers of Afghanistan are busy dealing with issues of governance now and learning that it is a different ball game, in contrast to their earlier role of fighting the existing government, and if the people dont see signs of improvement it will lead to further challenges, said Abdullah Abdullah, the countrys former top peace negotiator. see more..
'Welcome back, Air India', says Ratan Tata after bagging airline 08 Oct 2021 | 6:46 PM New Delhi, Oct 8 (UNI) Getting emotional after winning the bid for Air India, Tata Sons Chairman Emeritus Ratan Tata said, "Welcome back, Air India!"
The Tatas getting back the control of Air India completes the full circle for the airline which was founded in 1932 by JRD Tata, the legendary industrialist and an aviation enthusiast. see more..
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In order to cater for the needs of its French-speaking Partner States and users, the East African Community held a meeting of tariff experts to transpose the HS 2022 edition of its Common External Tariff (CET) into the French language. The meeting took place from 13 to 18 September 2021 in Moshi, Tanzania. It was conducted with the support of the WCO, within the framework of the EU-WCO Programme for the Harmonized System in Africa (HS-Africa Programme), funded by the European Union.
The meeting was preceded by an EAC regional consultation organized in March 2021 to prepare the English linguistic version of the HS 2022 EAC CET, with the participation of all the Community Partner States. It also falls under the HS 2022 implementation work-plan established by the EAC with the support of the HS-Africa Programme following the first EAC regional consultation that took place in Mombasa from 10 to 13 September 2019 where it was identified as important to transpose the CET into the French language during the process of validation and finalization so that all EAC partner states could have access to the CET aligned in both in English and French and ensure timely and coordinated implementation.
Experts examined the 2022 edition of the EAC CET and developed the French language version of it, while also ensuring that it incorporated all the changes made to the EAC CET from July 2017 to June 2021. The 2022 edition of the EAC CET was proofread, and some errors were rectified, in particular, in Chapters 16, 63 and 70. Moreover, the progress of the preparatory work to migrate national classification systems to the HS 2022 EAC CET was discussed.
The meeting took note of the fact that, at the Community level, the 2022 edition of the EAC CET had been adopted by the EAC Council and would come into effect on 1 July 2022. Participants highlighted the importance of synchronizing and coordinating the implementation of the HS 2022 amendments across the Community, recognising that the availability of the French language version would in particular ensure that the administration of Burundi successfully completes the migration to the HS 2022 edition of the EAC CET in time.
For more details, please, contact capacity.building@wcoomd.org.
SHREVEPORT, La. A Shreveport man is willing to sign over his classic car in return for his two French bulldogs that were stolen from his home Monday morning.
Robert McWilliams has been desperately searching for Chief and Stitch. Hes filed a police report but said he was told the Shreveport police manpower shortage could impact the priority of his case.
McWilliams has suspects a couple that he had talked to during their walks up and down the street. Three days before the thefts, and before he even knew the mans and womans names, McWilliams said one of his dogs, Stitch, the female, ran out of the yard and the man picked her up and started walking down the street with her.
She loves people, McWilliams said of Stitch.
He yelled at the man to bring her back and he did. The man and woman introduced themselves and they chatted a bit about the dogs. McWilliams said the man said he thought the dog was lost since it didn't have a collar on.
There were other encounters between McWilliams and the couple over the next few days, including one day when McWilliams gave them a ride to the grocery store.
"I was trying to be nice and all," said McWilliams.
On Sunday, the couple called while McWilliams wasn't home and said they were sitting on his front porch and waiting for him so they could visit.
But on Monday morning, McWilliams said he left his workplace, which is next door to his home on Southern Avenue near Pierremont, around 11 a.m. to go let Chief and Stitch out of their kennels for a little while. Its something he did daily. And thats when he saw the front window of his house busted and the dogs were gone.
McWilliams said it took hours for Shreveport police to respond. Fingerprints were taken and a screwdriver believed to have been used to break the window was seized.
McWilliams said hes alerted some veterinarian clinics about the missing dogs and he's putting out more flyers. Both dogs are on medication; Chief requires daily care for skin allergies.
Since he has limited funds, McWilliams said hes willing to sign over his 1967 Plymouth VIP to get his dogs back. He estimates the vintage car to be worth $5,000 to $6,000.
Im so willing to let it go, McWilliams said. You cant put a price on my dogs. They are my family; they are my whole heart.
McWilliams hasnt seen the couple since the dogs were reported missing. Hes even gone to the house where he drove them to one day and no one says theyve seen them.
McWilliams asks anyone who knows the whereabouts of Chief and Stitch to give him a call at 318-402-1461 or call Shreveport police.
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Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-31 21:18:02|Editor: huaxia
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MANILA, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines has extended the travel ban for all inbound travelers from India and nine other countries till Sept. 5 as the COVID-19 Delta variant spreads across the country, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said on Tuesday.
Roque said Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte approved the travel ban extension after the current ban expired on Tuesday.
Aside from India where the Delta variant was first detected, the Philippines also banned travelers from Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates.
Returning overseas Filipino workers are allowed under the repatriation program, but will be isolated for 14 days upon arrival.
"These travel restrictions form part of the pro-active measures to slow down the rising number of COVID-19 cases, stop further spread of variants, and increase the country's existing healthcare capacity," Roque said in a statement.
The Philippines has detected 1,789 Delta cases, including 33 deaths. The World Health Organization confirmed the community transmission of the highly infectious Delta variant in the Philippines, saying it is now the dominant strain spreading in the country.
The Philippines is grappling with soaring COVID-19 infections fueled by the Delta variant. The Southeast Asian country has reported a total of 1,989,857 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of Tuesday, including 33,448 deaths. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-07 17:16:47|Editor: huaxia
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VIENTIANE, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- Lao health officials will beef up screening and quarantine procedures for Lao nationals returning from Thailand, in a bid to stem the spread of COVID-19 infections.
As COVID-19 spread in Thailand, Laos is at greater risk of the highly infectious Delta variant, especially if people enter Laos from Thailand illegally and avoid screening, local daily Vientiane Times reported on Tuesday.
Thousands of Lao nationals are returning from Thailand during the pandemic, according to the National Taskforce Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.
Over the past week, the number of infections among frontline workers increased dramatically, affecting nurses, police officers, military personnel and customs officials.
The Ministry of Health observed that many people continue to take COVID-19 precautions lightly, particularly in offices, quarantine centers, hospitals and other places.
The Lao Ministry of Health on Tuesday reported 221 more imported COVID-19 cases and 86 new locally transmitted cases, bringing the total number of coronavirus infections to 16,365.
A total of 11,330 COVID-19 patients have recovered from the pandemic and been discharged from hospitals.
Laos reported its first two confirmed cases of COVID-19 on March 24 last year. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-10 16:40:39|Editor: huaxia
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Vendors sell Hilsa fish at a fish landing station in Chandpur, Bangladesh, Sept. 7, 2021. (Xinhua)
CHANDPUR, Bangladesh, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- Thanks to a good harvest and high prices, fishermen in Bangladesh's Chandpur district where the world's most famous silvery transboundary Hilsa fish comes from are now all smiles.
Huge catches of Hilsas, Bangladesh's national fish, are being netted in marine and coastal areas across Bangladesh especially in Chandpur, some 115 km southeast of Dhaka, during the ongoing peak fishing season.
Chandpur is considered one of the biggest trading hubs of Hilsas in Bangladesh mainly due to the skyrocketing popularity of Hilsas from Padma River, one of the three major rivers in the country.
Wholesalers in the market said they are very happy with plenty of Padma's Hilsas which fetch home some extra money for them.
Noor Alam, who has been doing fish trading for about 20 years, said the fishing season starts from May after good fishing, said Alam, proprietor of Saju Fish.
"At that time I do fairly good business. I make profit by doing business," he said.
According to the trader, this is a seasonal business that runs for four to five months.
Abdul Bari Jamadar Manik, the president of Chandpur Matsya (fish) Banik (businessmen) Samiti (association) Limited said this fish landing station at Chandpur is about 200 to 250 years old.
"About four or five thousand people are involved with this Hilsa trading (here) in Chandpur," said Manik. "Hilsa is very important for the local economy of Chandpur and for the economy of entire Bangladesh," he added.
According to a recent study by the international fisheries organization WorldFish, Bangladesh currently produces 86 percent of the world's total Hilsas followed by India, Myanmar, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and Pakistan.
According to the report, Hilsa production in Bangladesh in recent years has increased remarkably following the measures including setting up of Hilsa sanctuaries in various rivers.
Hilsas move from the Bay of Bengal to Bangladesh rivers including the Padma and the Meghna for spawning.
No matter how favorable the environment is in other rivers or reservoirs, Hilsas would return to their birthplaces where their mothers had laid the eggs and they grew up as spawns, the study revealed.
"Hilsa is Bangladesh's one of the flagship fish species," said Md Anisur Rahman, the chief scientific officer and Hilsa researcher at Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute Riverine Station Chandpur.
Rahman who started researching Hilsa in 1988 said its contribution to the GDP of Bangladesh is more than 1 percent.
He said Hilsa is the kingfish in Bangladesh and it has secured recognition as the geographical indication (GI) product of Bangladesh in 2017.
He said many countries including China have expressed interest to join Bangladesh's research efforts to increase Hilsa production, and a Japanese team wants to work on it after a visit.
He said steps are underway to create more byproducts for value addition.
"What more can be done about value additions and livelihoods are under research and the field of research is growing," he said.
Traders say the ones meant for export weighing 1 kg to 1,200 grams are now selling for around 40,000 takas (about 465 U.S. dollars) per maund in the market.
"We, the people of Chandpur, are known for Hilsa. We're doing Hilsa business (for generations) and earning our livelihoods by doing this," Noor Alam said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-10 16:58:44|Editor: huaxia
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ULAN BATOR, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- The COVID-19 death toll in Mongolia has exceeded 1,000, the country's health ministry said Friday.
The country's death toll increased to 1,007 with 15 more COVID-19 fatalities in the past 24 hours, the highest single-day growth since July 3, the ministry said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Mongolia reported 2,009 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, including an imported case, bringing the national tally to 249,408.
More than 60,300 COVID-19 patients are now being treated across the country, with 344 in very serious condition, the ministry said.
Mongolian health authorities have explained that the country's current COVID-19 resurgence is due to the Delta wave and mass gatherings.
The highly contagious Delta variant of the virus is spreading fast across the country and has been detected in the capital Ulan Bator and 20 of the country's 21 provinces.
Since a nationwide COVID-19 vaccination campaign was launched in February, almost 65 percent of the country's total population has received two vaccine doses.
In late August, the Asian country began offering a booster or third dose of vaccine to frontline workers, those in education, people aged over 55, and those suffering from chronic diseases. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-17 19:18:21|Editor: huaxia
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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. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-29 23:20:06|Editor: huaxia
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JAKARTA, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia's Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries said Wednesday that it has seized an illegal Malaysian-flagged fishing vessel in Indonesian waters in the Malacca Strait.
The captain and all the four crew members on board are Indonesians, it said.
The ministry's Director-General of Marine Resources and Fisheries Supervision, Adin Nurawaluddin, said the vessel was caught on Sunday while poaching with prohibited trawler.
Data showed that since January, the Indonesian ministry has seized 48 foreign-flagged vessels illegally fishing in Indonesian waters. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-30 00:05:47|Editor: huaxia
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Aerial photo taken on March 28, 2019 shows the Nam Ou 2 hydropower plant of the Nam Ou River Cascade Hydropower Project in northern Laos. A ceremony was held here on Tuesday to start the full power generation of all seven plants of the Nam Ou River Cascade Hydropower Project developed by Power Construction Corporation of China (PowerChina). (PowerChina/Handout via Xinhua)
VIENTIANE, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- A ceremony was held here on Tuesday to start the full power generation of all seven plants of the Nam Ou River Cascade Hydropower Project developed by Power Construction Corporation of China (PowerChina).
Lao Minister of Energy and Mines Daovong Phonekeo said at the ceremony that the Nam Ou project bears strategic significance in the country's power industry development as a large-scale clean energy project that will make an important contribution to the economic and social development in Laos.
The Lao minister praised PowerChina engineers for overcoming the impacts of the COVID-19 epidemic and other difficulties and successfully completing the construction of the whole project in a highly responsible manner. He hoped that all parties will maintain close cooperation to ensure the safe and stable operation of all the power stations.
Li Zhigong, Chinese consul general in Luang Prabang, said in his speech that the Nam Ou project is an important manifestation of the alignment of both countries' development strategies and the realization of complementary advantages between China and Laos.
The project adheres to the principle of developing local economy and the people's livelihood, and helping address poverty alleviation in Laos, he said.
At the same time, the project earnestly implements the concept of green development, so as to facilitate Laos' industrialization, modernization and independent development, said the Chinese diplomat.
Wang Bin, general manager of PowerChina, said that the Nam Ou project is divided into seven cascade hydropower plants with only the upper one built with a big reservoir, which largely helps achieve ecological, social and economic goals of the development.
The power generation ceremony was held simultaneously by video conference in PowerChina's Beijing office, its Nam Ou operation and maintenance center in Luang Prabang, and its last-completed Nam Ou 7 hydropower plant in northern Laos.
The Nam Ou river cascade hydropower project, developed by PowerChina under the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and also the first Chinese company-run project to win the development rights of a whole river basin in the country, is highly valued by Chinese and Lao governments and people.
The project, on the Nam Ou river which is also the largest tributary of the Mekong river in Laos, was developed in two phases, with a total installed capacity of 1.272 million kilowatts and an average annual generating capacity of about 5 billion kilowatt-hours.
The Nam Ou project, with a total investment of around 2.8 billion dollars from the Chinese company, will be transferred to the Lao government after 29 years' operation. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-30 17:16:53|Editor: huaxia
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MANILA, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Philippine troops killed four rebels in a clash in the central Philippine Negros Occidental province on Thursday, a military report said.
According to the report, the four New People's Army (NPA) rebels were killed in a 30-minute fighting that broke out around 2:00 a.m. local time in Manapla town.
No soldiers were wounded or killed in the clash, the report added.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte restarted the talks to end the decades-old insurgency when he came to power in 2016, but the negotiations faltered.
The NPA rebels have been fighting the Philippine government since 1969, with their attacks concentrated in rural areas. The NPA is estimated to have 3,000 members currently, significantly lower than its peak strength in the 1980s. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-30 18:03:02|Editor: huaxia
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BANGKOK, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Heavy floods caused by tropical storm Dianmu have severely impacted almost half of Thailand's provinces with at least seven people dead and one missing, the country's disaster control authorities said Thursday.
Heavy rains swept across 31 provinces of the Southeast Asian country, so far affecting more than 220,000 households, according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM).
The DDPM also noted that the situation in 13 of the affected provinces has improved, but it remained critical in the other 18 provinces.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) warned Thursday that the water level of the Chao Phraya River is forecasted to rise over the next few days, demanding 11 communities in seven districts along the river be prepared for potential floods.
Local media quoted Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang as saying that the level of the Chao Phraya River is currently well below the top of the flood embankment across the capital, without any damage to nearby residences. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-30 18:54:26|Editor: huaxia
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by Wang Aona, Dames Alexander Sinaga
JAKARTA, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- The reopening of Bali may be long overdue for foreign tourists. Although no specific date has been set, October looks officially promising now.
"Bali is showing a positive trend in handling COVID-19. We are going to discuss its reopening in the Coordinating Ministerial Meeting on Thursday," said Sandiaga Uno, minister of tourism and creative economy, in a press conference on Monday.
In September, Indonesia has been showing signs of recovery from the second virus wave caused by Delta variant.
On Sept. 20, Indonesia recorded 1,932 newly confirmed cases, the lowest daily count since August last year. The virus reproduction rate and hospital occupancy rate also continued to decrease.
With the relaxation of restrictions on public activities, locally known as PPKM, "travel revenge" is expected to happen.
Domestic travelers have made their first trip to Bali before foreigners are allowed to come.
"We've seen tourists growing sharply," said Asnawi Bahar, owner of a travel agency in Bali.
According to local media, to avoid the "hard landing" of domestic tourists in Bali, the odd-even license plate rule on access to tourist attractions officially took effect from Sept. 25.
On odd dates, only vehicles with the last license plate number being odd can be seen on roads, and vice versa. It applies to both two-wheeled and four-wheeled with a motorized vehicle number.
"The traffic jam has already started, from what I saw during the three days I stayed there," said Uno in the press conference, adding that the implementation of odd-even license plate rule in Bali needs to be done to change the pattern of tourist mobility so that congestion and crowds do not occur.
Although more than 70 percent of the people in Bali have finished double-dose vaccination and there is no more red zone with the highest risk of infection, some still have safety concerns.
"This easing of restrictions and reopening of tourism must be extra stringent. The pandemic is not over yet," said Bahar.
If COVID-19 cases in Bali increase again, it will be a bad image for Bali and for Indonesia, he said.
After being delayed for several times, the reopening of Bali in a gradual manner shows that Indonesia wants to play safe this time.
Currently, Bali airport is still closed for international flights. But one thing for sure is that Bali only welcomes vaccinated tourists.
Besides, the COVID-19 contact-tracing app PeduliLindungi has been popularized in Bali's restaurants, malls, and tourism sites. The Bali government has also prepared specialized tourism packages that include booster vaccine shots.
According to Uno, the implementation of health protocols in Bali still needs to be improved.
To prepare for what's coming next is challenging.
"We'll continue to monitor the situation and to increase vigilance in the field. However, we hope that there are always plan A, B, and C," Deputy Governor of Bali Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardana Sukawati has said recently. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-30 19:36:12|Editor: huaxia
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JAKARTA, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Four people have been killed and five others injured as a hydrometeorological disaster hit 10 sub-districts in Padang Pariaman district, West Sumatra province, Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency said on Thursday.
"They were buried by landslides following heavy rains with strong winds which also caused flash floods," the agency's spokesperson Abdul Muhari said.
The rains that have occurred since Wednesday afternoon submerged 338 houses, 80 hectares of rice fields, a house of worship, and a school building, he said, adding that the disaster also forced 72 people to evacuate.
The deluge brought down trees on the provincial highway, making land traffic from Minangkabau Airport in West Sumatra to Padang Pariaman heavily congested.
The Regional Disaster Management Agency of Padang Pariaman district is currently evacuating people and recovering materials from the fallen trees.
Rains are still pouring on Thursday, inundating a number of houses, but traffic flow has returned to normal. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-30 21:57:04|Editor: huaxia
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A health worker carries out disinfection in downtown Vientiane, Laos, Sept. 30, 2021. The Lao government on Thursday announced an extension of COVID-19 restrictive measures for a further two weeks to Oct. 15 as cases continued to increase. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)
VIENTIANE, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Lao government on Thursday announced an extension of COVID-19 restrictive measures for a further two weeks as cases continued to increase.
Deputy Head of the Prime Minister's Office Thipphakone Chanthavongsa told a press conference in the Lao capital Vientiane that the government is making every effort to lower the rate of infection and death in the country.
The Lao government also hopes to guide the people in transitioning their lives to the new normal during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The transition to the new normal way of life in Laos must be in accordance with the conditions and situation in the country, with the government taking lessons and advice from friendly nations around the world, and listening to the voice of the Lao people.
The COVID-19 restrictive measures will remain in place until Oct. 15.
Thipphakone warned that individuals, legal entities or organizations that violate measures for the prevention and control of the spread of COVID-19 will be prosecuted in accordance with relevant laws and regulations, depending on the case.
The National Taskforce Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control reported 23 new imported cases and 335 locally transmitted cases. As of Thursday, the total number of COVID-19 cases in Laos reached 23,846 with 18 deaths.
Laos detected its first two COVID-19 cases on March 24 last year. Enditem
Kenya Wednesday announced a crackdown on illegal immigrants from Pakistan and imposed a freeze on the free transit arrangements it has with the Asian country in a bid to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
The Interior Ministry said it was reacting to the surge in numbers of Pakistanis passing through the country on their way to Saudi Arabia. The groups have been arriving in large numbers since last week, taking advantage of softer conditions on travellers from Kenya to the Middle East concerning Covid-19 regulations.
Dr Karanja Kibicho, the Interior and Citizen Services Principal Secretary said authorities had noted a possible abuse of existing free transit arrangements between Kenya and Pakistan.
"The Kenyan Government is alarmed by the threat of the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic posed by the influx of foreign travel ... The government has ordered an immediate crackdown on foreigners who are in the country illegally," he said in a statement.
"The government will restrict the number of foreigners transiting through the country to levels that do not pose a risk to Kenya's national interests."
The Department of Immigration and the National Police Service will now check the papers of all those who have arrived in the country in the recent past. Those without transit visas will be deported.
Freeze transit visas
On Wednesday, the Nation also learnt the Immigration Department will freeze further transit visas to Pakistanis in a bid to limit their numbers. The two countries have had an arrangement where travellers on transit visas can enter the country for free as they await reconnecting flights. For the Pakistanis heading to Saudi Arabia, for instance, staying around for 10 days allows them enough quarantine days with which they can use to enter Saudi Arabia as travellers from Kenya. They obtain these documents online. Staying around helps them beat the tougher quarantine measures the Middle Eastern nation has imposed on Pakistanis travelling directly.
But the Nation understands the influx of travellers has raised concerns in the diplomatic circles on the potential of these arrivals ruining the existing bilateral arrangements on Covid-19 management.
A source told the Nation that only Pakistanis with valid entry visas to Kenya will now be accepted. Free transit visas that have been the norm will be halted, the source explained, saying those who arrive after today on transit visas will be refused entry and turned back.
The official, speaking on the background, explained that the measure will help Nairobi manage its obligations with countries that have allowed it softer entry terms, in spite of Covid-19.
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Dr Kibicho said the crackdown would be led by the Department of Immigration and the National Police Service, although he suggested that those already in the country have mostly been let in on transit visas while enroute to Saudi Arabia for work.
Pakistani High Commissioner to Kenya Saqlain Syedah could not immediately be reached for comment, but Government Spokesman Cyrus Oguna had indicated most of the arrivals had been let in as tourists.
Raised eyebrows
Their arrival in Kenya had raised eyebrows last week after they left the airport in buses. Most could not speak English and were unaware of their destination. Pakistan, like its neighbours in Asia, has battled variants of Covid-19 in the recent past. The country, like Kenya, was recently removed from the UK Red List of countries considered too risky to allow its arrivals into Britain. Now travellers from its territory can enter the UK without mandatory quarantine, but with self-isolation for 10 days and further Covid-19 tests.
press release
The German government will contribute 100 million to the African Development Bank's Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA), affirming its commitment to efforts to tap Africa's renewable energy potential and drive its transition to clean energy sources.
The announcement came during the United Nations High-Level Dialogue on Energy, held in New York on 24 September as part of the UN General Assembly.
The funding will go to unlock private sector investment in green-baseload projects, a SEFA priority focus. Specifically, it will support technical assistance and investment in power generation, transmission and distribution to increase penetration of renewable power in African grids. The funding follows Germany's initial contribution to SEFA of 50 million, made in 2020.
Norbert Barthle, Parliamentary State Secretary of the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, said during the High-Level Dialogue: "We need to accelerate the global energy transition. This requires the rapid phasing out of all fossil fuels and a massive expansion of renewable energy. The time to act is now."
The financing aligns with the G20 Compact with Africa launched during Germany's tenure of the G20 Presidency. The Compact promotes macroeconomic, business and financing reform to attract more private investment in Africa.
Dr. Daniel Schroth, the Bank's Acting Director for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, said, "Germany's new contribution is a major boost towards SEFA's capitalization target of $500 million. It is also recognition of the catalytic role SEFA has been playing in accelerating Africa's energy transition and supporting clean energy access solutions."
SEFA is a multi-donor special fund that aims to unlock private sector investments that contribute to universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy services for all in Africa, in line with the Bank's New Deal on Energy for Africa strategy and Sustainable Development Goal 7. SEFA has received contributions from the Government of Denmark, Germany, Italy, Norway, Nordic Development Fund, Sweden, Spain, United Kingdom and United States.
Contact:
Olufemi Terry | Communication and External Relations Department | African Development Bank | email: o.terry@afdb.org
Technical contact: Joao Duarte Cunha, SEFA Coordinator, j.cunha@afdb.org
Khartoum A vehicle driver was killed by fugitive members of a terrorist cell in Khartoum on Wednesday. The four accused of affiliated with Islamic State have been arrested.
The four men managed to flee when security officers raided buildings in Jabra and El Azhari in southern Khartoum on Tuesday.
In the raid on a building in Jabra Block 14, two officers of the General Intelligence Service (GIS) and three non-commissioned security officers were killed. Another officer was injured.
The next day, the four fugitives killed the driver of the vehicle they fled with, before they were seized. Their arrest brings the number of arrested cell members to 15, all of whom are foreigners.
On Tuesday evening, the bodies of the five security officers were buried in a cemetery in Khartoum, in the presence of Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan, President of the Transitional Sovereignty Council (TSC) and Chief of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), other TSC members, and a number of Ministers.
Even though it was all smiles, hugs, and kisses in public, the romantic affair between TV journalist Jackie Maribe and his ex-fiancee Joseph 'Jowie' Irungu was anything but blissful, the court has heard.
In fact, on one particular occasion, Maribe attempted to kick Jowie out of her house in Langata.
Maribe and Jowie are battling murder charges in relation to the killing of businesswoman Monica Kimani, whose body was found in a bathtub at her apartment in Kilimani on September 19, 2018.
The picture of the rocky love affair between Maribe and Jowie, which has since ended, was painted in court by a witness namely Brian Kasaine, who was a neighbour to the couple.
Kasaine says he once walked in on a heated argument involving the ex-lovebirds at Maribe's house.
"You want me out of your house, it's fine, bury me in Lang'ata," Jowie is said to have told Maribe during the argument, as reported by Kasaine.
Maribe did not respond.
Kasaine also told court Jowie once told him a friend named 'Mo' had been involved in a stabbing incident.
A licensed firearm holder, Kasaine also admits to giving Jowie his gun, but without bullets, on a number of occasions.
"I gave him (the gun) without ammunition and after two days he returned it," said Kasaine.
"On September 9, 2018, he again requested for the gun for the same reasons without ammunition. He had promised to return it after two days. However, he did not return it as agreed.
Maribe is reported to have been providing for most of the bills at the time he lived with Jowie.
Assistant Foreign Minister for European Affairs Badr Abdel Ati welcomed on Wednesday the recent major development in Egyptian-Russian relations.
This came during his meeting with Mikhail Leonidovich Bogdanov, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia and Special Representative of the President of Russia for the Middle East, with Egyptian Ambassador to Russia Ehab Seif El Nasr, attending.
Abdel Ati expressed hope for promoting cooperation between Egypt and Russia in various domains, expressing Egypt's keenness on pursuing consultations with Russia on issues of mutual concern, said a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry.
The two sides discussed cooperation projects between both countries topped by the Dabaa project as well as Russian projects in the Suez Canal Economic Zone.
They also probed means to increase Russian tourism to Egypt during the coming period in the light of a recent Russian decision to resume direct flights to Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada cities, as well as regional issues topped by the Middle East peace process and developments in Libya, Syria and Sudan.
For his part, Bogdanov praised Egypt's role in the Middle East and expressed Moscow's keenness on maintaining consultations with Cairo on various issues.
MENA
press release
Statement by Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla in response to the release of investigation report into Digital Vibes communication contract
Thanks Programme Director
Greetings to Deputy Minister Dr Dhlomo
Members of the media
Viewers and listeners at home
Good morning
Let me take this opportunity to thank President Cyril Ramaphosa for authorising the publication or release of the much-awaited final report of the Special Investigating Unit into the Department of Health's award of National Health Insurance media campaign and subsequent COVID-19 communications to Digital Vibes.
The Department has been inundated with public and media enquiries on the implementation of the report findings and recommendations based on the media reports, instead of being based on the actual report by the relevant law enforcement agency, the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) in particular.
We have noted the serious allegations against a number of departmental senior officials, notably the Deputy Director General responsible for Health Regulations and Compliance, Dr Anban Pillay, who was the acting Director General at the time the Digital Vibes contract was awarded.
The Department has completed the review of both the Ngubane report and the SIU documentation that was provided earlier regarding the possible misconduct by nine (9) officials. It is also important to indicate that, three (3) out of nine (9) officials mentioned in the report, are not staff members/employees of the Department of Health.
These three officials are employed by other government departments, and their DGs have already been informed of the Department of Health disciplinary process as part of consequence management. This simply means that the National Department of Health has been able to deal directly with the disciplinary process of six (6) officials implicated in this investigation report.
We are anxious to conclude the disciplinary process as a matter of urgency to bring these matters to closure in order to dedicate our time, energy and resources on the country's response to the COVID-19 pandemic through the vaccination rollout programme so that we can reach as many people as possible to achieve our goal of saving lives.
By the close of business today, all affected six officials in the Department of Health would be served with suspension letters pending the completion of disciplinary hearing process and formalisation of charges. The outstanding disciplinary investigations will require the investigators communicating with the SIU and with a procurement specialist.
The number of suspended National Health Department officials is therefore now seven (7), including the Director General who is already on precautionary suspension.
The Acting-Director General, Dr Nicholas Crisp, has written to the DGs of GCIS and the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD), together with the CEO of the Government Printing Works, where the other three (3) officials mentioned in the SIU report, are working, to inform them of the actions taken by the Department of Health.
The intention was to explain to them of the Department's course of action and to offer them opportunity to be part of the same investigation and disciplinary process.
It must be emphasised that disciplinary processes are an employer and employee matter, and in the Public Service are governed by the provisions of the Public Service Act and Regulations.
This report shows that indeed whistle-blowing is one of the effective mechanisms in the fight against fraud and corrupt activities, and it plays a role in encouraging accountability, transparency and high standards of governance in both the private sector and public institutions.
This blowing of the whistle was taken seriously within the department, and by other institutions, and this stand taken by an individual, and by subsequent witnesses, has brought us to where we are today.
We fully understand the public concerns and interest in this matter because it involves allegations of misappropriation of public funds in the middle of the fight against COVID-19 pandemic, which has so far cost the country substantial unbudgeted funds, as well as people's lives and livelihoods. Thus, we are committed to study the report's findings and recommendations fully, and act on the outcomes of the formal disciplinary processes without fear, favour and prejudice.
We are also committed to clean governance, and despite how uncomfortable the report may appear, it will help us tighten controls and ethical practice. We take seriously the evidence gathered by the SIU and have noted the view that there may be scope for criminal charges, though we are also mindful that further investigation needs to unfold before persons are declared guilty by our courts.
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This is part of the rule of law. The SIU findings will guide us in looking into the alleged conduct of officials named in the report, and assessing what disciplinary, corrective and preventive interventions are required. We would like South Africans to have confidence in our public health system and in the integrity of the hundreds of thousands of officials in our department and the broader system.
We will address matters of integrity and of consequence management concurrently and will make our decisions known as we go along. We will do so within the framework of the law, the Public Service Code of Ethics and code on disciplinary action, and within the context of natural justice.
In conclusion, we would like to tender our unreserved apology to all South Africans for this unfortunate saga, and we would like to assure the public that we are going to thoroughly and decisively act to ensure nothing is swept under the carpet. We acknowledge the impact of this on the image of the Department and public health system to provide quality health care services.
I thank you
opinion
Akwa Ibom The House of Eyibo is not just a physical structure.
The inauguration of that beautiful house in Uyo, therefore provides a challenge to the teeming youths of the state to examine critically, the opportunities offered by the state of the art facilities, with a view to leveraging on the strategic window to add value. As Mr Inoyo charged, youths should grab this house of opportunities "with open hands and make the best of it".
The other day, a 61 year old lawyer and former member of the House of Representatives, infact the spokesman of the House in his time, walked into the monthly meeting of Uyo Book Club and shared the story of the life of his late father. Mr Eseme Eyibo regaled members of the intellectual hub about how his late father, a village carpenter, used to walk from Eket in the morning to Etinan to fix stools and wooden doors for people, only to walk back to his humble homestead in Eket in the evening.
However, the man, whose offsprings have immortalised him, saw an opportunity to drop his carpentry tools and port into teaching. Today, The House of Eyibo (THOE) is in the philanthropy of giving scholarships to students in various disciplines, with emphasis on Law, Pharmacy and Medicine.
The House of Eyibo is not just a physical structure. This article is about a towering building in Uyo, in a choice and well secured part of the capital city, occupying more than 18,000 square metres on an expanse of 48,200 square metres, with a 500 capacity parking lot. That house was formally opened as part of activities to mark the 34th anniversary of the creation of Akwa Ibom State by the Vice President of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osibanjo, with a fulfilled Governor Udom Emmanuel, his officials, special guests, stakeholders in the State, grinning in satisfaction and beaming with smiles. That house was one unique birthday cake to the people of the State. A birthday cake, not to be eaten and digested with choice wine or water, but one to be leased to choice tenants.
Already, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), through the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, has indicated interest in taking two floors in the building. Built for such high- end tenants, which include international oil companies, indigenous oil companies prospecting and drilling in the State, the 21 storey state-of-the-art house holds much more than its glittering sight during the day and in the night sky. It has changed the profile of the capital city to the town with the tallest building in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.
... it's not really about its height, location, elegance and elevators, fire protection sensors, card readers, biometric control keypads, central stand alone server work station or electric cabling for doors and automatic cards, and other 21st century technology compliant devices. The multi-billion naira bespoke piece of property represents a transformation, which holds countless options for engagement.
Nevertheless, it's not really about its height, location, elegance and elevators, fire protection sensors, card readers, biometric control keypads, central stand alone server work station or electric cabling for doors and automatic cards, and other 21st century technology compliant devices. The multi-billion naira bespoke piece of property represents a transformation, which holds countless options for engagement.
In recent history, the world has witnessed and embraced opportunities which saw drone technology replacing still hand-held cameras for photography and video coverage. Also, the banking sector has evolved to bring several opportunities that smart people have exploited. It is pertinent to point to the transformation in writing from long hand to typing with typewriters, then desktops, laptops, and palm-tops. Our society has seen the transformation from 'Alalok' to the prevalent corporate taxis. There were people who saw opportunities in the music industry from recording on turntable disc players to compact discs, flash drives, music players and blue-tooth enabled downloads.
The society has seen the evolution from stationary telephones to mobile phones of various types and sizes, complete with digital cameras, television and radio access. One could go on and on in reeling out the opportunities that came in the wake of new facilities, which visionaries explored and exploited for economic gain. The brand new intelligence edifice is one such house of opportunities beyond what the eyes can readily see. It is a boon to techies.
This was aptly captured by Mr Udom Inoyo, former Vice Chairman of ExxonMobil Companies in Nigeria in his Keynote Address to participants during the Akwa Ibom Technology Week held on Friday, September 17. Speaking on the theme, "Positioning Akwa Ibom Youths for Global Success in the 21st Century", Mr Inoyo pointed to opportunities awaiting youths in "the servicing of the smart building". According to the widely exposed and erstwhile oil company executive, "youths are expected to leverage on the low technology adoption rate within the state as an opportunity to explore new frontiers to test and market their capabilities".
Mr Inoyo cited the example of several youths globally and in Nigeria, including Mark Essien, who innovated with a hotel booking platform to serve the needs of customers. To walk his talk, the Advisor of Inoyo Toro Foundation, a Non Governmental Organisation which has impacted the lives of thousands of people in the State since its inception more than a decade ago, further affirmed the Foundation's mission to support innovative solutions...
He told the budding techies, "you must be smart to access multiple frontiers with promising economic opportunities and break technological barriers."
If the youths took the tip offered by Mr Inoyo, given his vast knowledge and experience spanning 31 years in an industry which adapted easily to new technologies, the youths would not only become employees in that facility but employers of labour who would occupy office spaces in the city, pay taxes, improve their purchasing power. They would also be challenged to join the pantheon of technopreneurs who saw opportunities in emergent systems or circumstances and take bold steps to explore and exploit such opportunities for the benefit of humanity.
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Mr Inoyo cited the example of several youths globally and in Nigeria, including Mark Essien, who innovated with a hotel booking platform to serve the needs of customers. To walk his talk, the Advisor of Inoyo Toro Foundation, a Non Governmental Organisation which has impacted the lives of thousands of people in the State since its inception more than a decade ago, further affirmed the Foundation's mission to support innovative solutions that will stimulate capacity development to enhance economic growth in the State. He announced a build and grow boot camp for 72 techies valued at more than N100 million, where all the participants would be inducted into the African Fintech Community Platform, with access to markets, partners and investors.
The inauguration of that beautiful house in Uyo, therefore provides a challenge to the teeming youths of the state to examine critically, the opportunities offered by the state of the art facilities, with a view to leveraging on the strategic window to add value. As Mr Inoyo charged, youths should grab this house of opportunities "with open hands and make the best of it".
Udeme Nana is a mass communication lecturer at the Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Ikot Osurua
press release
Limpopo Provincial Office of the Department of Water and Sanitation has mitigated water supply challenges at Burgersfort, in Sekhukhune District Municipality through the Mooihoek Bulk Water Supply Project initiated in 2008. The R750 million project has a 55 kilometers long pipeline that has brought a relief to water challenged areas in and around Burgersfort.
The Acting Provincial Head of Limpopo Provincial Office, Mr. Thivonali Masindi says the project once completed will supply potable water to 100 000 people in the Sekhukhune District, and that amounts to Burgersfort and 22 villages around it.
"The project is based along the along R37 road from Burgersfort to Polokwane and is being undertaken to meet the social and economic development needs of the region. The project will also benefit the mining development around the area", says Mr Masindi.
The Mooihoek Water Treatment Works has a capacity to produce 10 megaliters of water per day and is currently supplying water to areas such as Burgersfort town, Praktiseer, Dresden, Bothashoek and Ga-Motodi. These areas are all in Sekhukhune District Municipality.
To continuously bring relief of water supply challenges to communities of Burgersfort, Sekhukhune District Municipality is currently implementing a 3.6-kilometer pipeline at Manoke Village in Burgersfort. The project was initiated in January 2020 and will connect the pipeline to an existing manhole and an already existing reservoir situated in the village, resulting in a sustained water reticulation in the area and bringing water challenges to end.
The project is scheduled to be completed in March of 2023 and will supply an additional 17 villages with this much required but scarce resource.
press release
The Minister of Water and Sanitation, Hon Senzo Mchunu will from 05-07 October 2021 be embarking on his maiden visit to the Gauteng Province since taking the reigns as portfolio Minister.
The visit will entail discussions on matters of governance, implementation, service delivery and finance towards the provision of quality water and decent sanitation. The Minister will interact with the Provincial DWS Water and Sanitation management on challenges related to water and sanitation delivery in Gauteng.
Minister Mchunu supported by Deputy Ministers Mahlobo and Magadzi will spend three days in the province, where he will meet with Department of Water and Sanitation Gauteng management, Rand Water, Premier and Provincial Executives of Gauteng, and Metro Municipality Executive Mayors among others.
The programme will be inclusive of a site visit to a water treatment plant, as well as to the Vaal Project Pump station in Sebokeng on Thursday, 07 October 2021.
Media will be afforded a doorstop opportunity on Tuesday, 05 October 2021 at Gallagher Estate between 13:00 and 14:00, as well as during the site visit on Thursday 07th October.
For RSVP and transportation arrangements please contact Mr Khulekani Ngcobo at 082 723 6030.
A trial date has been set in a matter in which suspended Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume allegedly allocated residential stands to his sister and his law firm's company secretary illegally.
Harare regional magistrate Mr Ngoni Nduna set October 25 as trial date for Mafume.
Mafume is also facing another charge of interfering with a key State witness, who is set to testify in the matter when trial opens.
Mr Nduna, however, dismissed the State's application for Mafume to be barred from visiting Town House and other council offices until the matters have been finalised.
The State led by Mr Michael Reza wanted Mafume barred from visiting the council offices fearing that he would interfere with witnesses, who happen to be council employees.
In his ruling, Mr Nduna said barring Mafume from visiting council offices would amount to reviewing the High Court's bail order.
Mr Nduna said a ruling in favour of the State had serious legal consequences as the courts had a hierarchy.
"This has two dangerously illegal consequences. The first is rooted in the order of hierarchy of courts, their power and jurisdiction.
"The High Court on the facts, issued the order the State seems not happy with. Bringing their grief to this court is like appealing a High Court decision to a magistrate.
"It's incompetent. If the magistrate gets carried away and goes with the wind and interferes as prayed, the magistrate will have usurped appeal powers of a court superior to him.
"That creates a constitutional crisis and an illegality. It's forbidden."
Mr Nduna said the application by the State was a clear repetition of what they presented in the initial bail application.
"The state may have fared reasonably well had they proceeded with their application on CRB 286/20 using the events of CRB 299/20 as new facts.
"In my view, the State had a choice and picked a poor one. Accordingly, I find this court unqualified to re-decide the matter on the same facts," he said before dismissing the State's application.
THE Deputy Minister of Commerce and Industry Mr Moses Mvenge, yesterday pleaded for greater participation by black businessmen in the country's growing economy.
Pledging increased Government assistance to black entrepreneurs, especially those in the rural areas, Mr Mvenge told the Gatooma Chamber of Commerce annual meeting that these men in turn, needed urgently to improve their efficiency, Iana reports.
The Government's plans to help finance emergent businessmen, coupled to its massive programme of reconstruction and rural development, would give rise to "practically unlimited opportunities for African businessmen," he said.
Mr Mvenge also called for "a more important role" for Africans in Zimbabwe's existing enterprises, saying the present "imbalance" could be quickly rectified with the co-operation of the private sector.
"A considerable expansion in African participation in the business sector of the economy will be of enormous benefit to all businessmen," he said.
But, he warned businessmen who benefited from the Government's development programme to avoid profiteering.
The Government's financial resources were inadequate, he said, adding: "I am convinced that huge amounts of private investment and external aid are also essential."
LESSONS FOR TODAY
The attainment of independence was not a flag-waving event, but the new Government saw the urgency of creating a new breed of entrepreneur from the majority that had been side-lined by the minority white Government.
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Over the years, Government together with business and the people have created an enabling environment that ensures that black people are active participants in business and ensures that they owned the means of production. However, more still needs to be done.
The Affirmative Action Group was one of the major channels used to bring more black people into business at various levels.
Over the years, a legal framework was put in place through the enactment of the Indigesination, Economic Empowerment Act, that was updated early this year. The Act aims "to provide for support measures for the further indigesination of the economy; to provide for support measures for the economic empowerment of indigenous Zimbabweans; to provide for the establishment of the National Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Board... "
The agriculture, mining, tourism and telecommunications sectors have seen a large number of indigenous people going into business and being extremely successful like billionaire Strive Masiyiwa.
While the First Republic concentrated on the full inclusion of the majority into business, the Second Republic has carried on, ensuring that even women and the youths become very active participants in economic activities through their entrepreneurial skills. However, in order for all to participate, large capital injections must be made, and access to viable markets should be uppermost during the strategising stage.
Nigeria's child-brides need saving. Even though it is the 21st century where education and scientific advancements have changed the face of modern society, age-old customs and traditions continue to encourage the practice of child-marriage.
This is the story of Mrs. Silvia Ayapine, now 55. She lives in a small village called Akorshi-Uwe in Bendi 1, located across the mountains in the western part of Obanliku Local Government Area of Cross River State.
Before she turned 12, Silvia was forced into a marriage. Refusal to get married to a man who was as old as her father could result in her being thrown out of the house. With no formal education, her parents considered investing in her welfare as a liability, thus the decision to get her married off
Half a century after Silva's case, the situation has not changed for many. Despite the efforts of concerned human rights activists, non-governmental organizations, humanitarian bodies like UNICEF, Save the Children, Amnesty International, UN Women etc., and even the international community, the plague of child-marriage in Nigeria continues to gather momentum.
The story of Nigeria's child-bride becomes further complicated when one considers the fact that in many parts of the country, the process of menstruation is met with hostility because of age-long taboos and myths. The associated stigma causes fright, confusion, and embarrassment. Unprepared girls feel embarrassed by their first experiences and are likely to develop negative attitudes towards menstruation.
If that is the story of the average woman and girl-child, imagine the experience of the girl-child who was a victim of child-marriage even before menarche (first menstruation experience). Silvia is one of such.
Silvia said, "I did not even know what it meant to be married. My husband had a mistress who he kept in the same house for months. All I cared about was to play with other children of my age under the moonlight till we were exhausted and slept in any corner of the room."
Since she was still a child there were limitations to what work she could do for her husband and in-laws. She would usually accompany them to the farm, and roast yams over the fire so that the workers could eat after working.
Menarche
She recalls her first menstrual experience. "I was at the farm with my father in-law assisting with roasting yams when I noticed blood flow out from my private part. I was confused and afraid. So, I ran to my father in-law and told him what I had observed. He asked me, are you sure you are not injured since you play like a boy? I was sure I was not injured and told him so.
"Then he exclaimed, 'oh my daughter it is time, you are finally ripe!' I was confused and asked, Papa, what time? He replied, 'my daughter you will not understand. Go home to your mother in-law but eat some yams before going."
Eating yams was the last thing on her mind as she burst into tears and ran back home to get explanation from her mother in-law as to what the blood flow meant. Silvia continues, "After explaining what had happened to me in the farm, my mother in-law also exclaimed, 'oh my daughter it is time, you are ripe!' That response left me even more confused and devastated."
That experience left a lasting scar on Silvia who keyed into the popular idea that menstruation was not a topic for public discussion, as she involuntarily took her place amongst millions of women who feel they are lower creatures because of the 'curse' of menstruation.
Not long afterward, when she was about 13 years old, she became pregnant. Her labor was a traumatic experience. She recalls, "One sunny afternoon, I was in the kitchen pounding yam and cooking soup when I went into forced labor. Thankfully, my mother in-law was at home and took me to the back of the kitchen where I delivered.
"Because the baby was so big and I was just a child, I had severe tears in my vagina as I struggled to push the baby out. The wounds I sustained took a long time to heal because sexual relations did not cease despite my wounds. My brother in-law was a medical doctor and tried his possible best to treat me."
Obstetric fistula
Dr Emeka Uwah, a gynecologist and family physician describes Silvia's experience during childbirth as a medical condition commonly referred to as obstetric fistula.
"In developed parts of the world, a woman with this kind of obstructed labour would be given a caesarean section, but in developing countries this may not be available. Consequently, the pressure of the baby's head for an abnormally long time on the blood vessels supplying the tissue of the vagina, bladder, urethra and rectum cuts off the supply of oxygen (ischaemia) and leads to the death of the affected tissue (necrosis). The dead tissue then sloughs away, leaving a hole between adjacent organs."
"It can lead to abnormal continual leakage of the contents of one organ into another organ or to the outside of the body. In this case, the continual leakage of urine and/or faeces," he concludes.
Silvia also had nipple fissures, a condition where the nipples are irritated, cracked, or sore. Her nipples were mostly bleeding and there was not sufficient milk for the baby to suck. She breastfed the baby anyway since she had no alternatives. She was young and inexperienced, and she was just a child responsible for the life and care of yet another child.
Before she turned 18, Silvia already had three children and two miscarriages. Life was hard as a teenage mother, and she had an irresponsible husband who spent most of his time outside the house chasing after other women, and not providing for her materially.
"One day my father in-law called me and told me that I could return to my family if I wanted to since my husband was irresponsible and had abandoned his responsibilities towards me. He said he could not take me as his wife since I was already married to his son. He did not want me to put my life on hold," Silvia recalls.
After spending a good part of her childhood and teenage years with a man who kept her as a sex machine for procreational purposes, she was finally free.
She wondered what she would do with her new-found freedom. If she had any goals or dreams to pursue as a child, they died the very day she was sold into this modern form of slavery. Her being deprived of formal education was even more so a greater barrier. In her own eyes, her worth was simply nothing.
New beginning
Upon returning home, her relatives tried to cajole her into a relationship with another man who had similar traits with her ex-husband. This time however, she was no longer that naive child who was forced into marriage many years ago. She refused to marry him.
Years later, she got married to a man that she was attracted to, and the union produced four children. Life is not easy, and even though she was not able to achieve her dreams, Silvia refuses to dwell regretfully on the past. Rather, she views her children as her priced possessions and as her life's accomplishment.
Mrs. Ayapine is forever grateful that she got a chance to be part of the Rural Sanitation and Hygiene Promotion in Nigeria (RUSHPIN) Programme that was facilitated in her community by United Purpose. Issues addressed included breaking the barriers and taboos around menstruation and spreading the word. She now has a renewed determination to give to every girl-child a gift that nobody gave her, the gift of pre-menstrual knowledge, and the gift of recognizing without fear of being shamed, that menstruation is every woman's pride.
In her community, Silvia also advocates against the practice of child-marriage and takes time to educate anyone who would listen, on the grave dangers of the practice.
Money-marriage
In the part of Northern Obanliku is the Becheve communities. Here, the practice of 'money-marriage' exists in the Becheve's 17 communities of Katele, Amana, Ogbakoko, Belinge, Ranch, Ikwette, Imale, Ekor, Kalumo, Yindive, Makambe, Apambu, Belegete, Kajinga, Mangbe, Mbunu and Agusor.
Money-marriage is a custom in which a girl-child is sold out to a man by her parents as a wife in exchange for livestock like goats, farm produce like yams or foodstuffs, or to pay a debt. The practice ensures that once a girl becomes a 'money wife', she is considered dead by her family and must not return irrespective of how she is treated by her husband or his relatives.
Upon the death of the man, the woman is given to his next of kin as a wife. And if the 'money-wife' dies without a child, her parents are obligated by tradition to give another girl-child as a replacement.
Ruth lost her childhood at 12 years of age. She was married off to an older man in exchange for money. She was enslaved and kept to work on the farms, day in and day out. Raped and beaten, she had two miscarriages.
Her escape came one day while washing cloths by the river. She ran and never returned. She says, "I am angry because he was not my age. How can I as a small child go and marry someone who is over 60 years old"?
At age 20, Ruth is now a mother. Her child's father is someone she chose and fell for. But in the community, she will always be known as the 'money-wife'. Something that her child's father could not cope with, and he left.
Speaking on why she sold her off, Ruth's mother said, "I sold her because I needed money after the death of my own mother". Ruth was sold for just N20,000.
Scale of child marriage
According to a 2018 UNICEF's database of Child Marriage in West and Central Africa, the prevalence of child marriage in West and Central Africa is 41 percent meaning that four out of ten girls and young women, that is nearly 60 million were married before the age of 18.
Africa is home to six of the 10 countries with the highest child marriage prevalence levels in the world, all six of which have a prevalence over 50 percent. Niger has the highest prevalence of child marriage in the world at 76 percent, followed by Central African Republic with 68 percent and Chad at 67 percent.
The prevalence of child marriage below the age of 15 years is also very high at 14 percent for the region, with Chad, Central African Republic and Niger all having prevalence rates over 25 percent.
As the most populous country in the region, Nigeria has the highest number of child brides. An estimated 22 million child brides live in Nigeria, which accounts for 40 percent of all child brides in the region. Niger, which has the highest prevalence in the world, has 4.1 million child brides.
Why the practice
Poverty has been identified as a catalyst in the practice of child marriage. Dr. Linda Ayade, wife of the Executive Governor of Cross River State, in an interview with Channels TV agrees with this stance.
Speaking on the prevailing and disturbing tradition of 'money-marriage' in communities in Cross River State, Dr. Ayade said, "We are trying to see how to bring them closer to us, we are trying to see how we will provide them with basic amenities.
"We are trying to see how to bring them from that level of poverty to a certain level where they will not begin to go down to those practices to sustain their livelihoods".
In many parts of Cross River, the girl-child is viewed as an economic burden. Therefore, investing in her education or training is considered an 'economic waste', thus, the practice of marrying her off as a child continues. This stance is in part due to poverty, and ignorance of the fact that the girl-child like the boy-child, has a right dignity, to parental care, and protection.
Age-old customs like the one that exists in the Becheve communities that encourages the practice of 'money-marriage' even in this modern age also contributes greatly to this form of modern-day slavery.
For the affluent, the ritual of 'money-marriage' is seen mostly as a status symbol as it was believed that recognition is earned based on the number of money-wives acquired.
Child Rights Act
Whatever the case, victims of child-marriage in Cross River State like Silvia and Ruth could have been protected by the Child Rights Act (CRA), which Cross River state domesticated in 2009.
Part III Section 21 of the Nigeria Child Rights Act states that "No person under the age of 18 years is capable of a valid marriage, and accordingly, a marriage so contracted is null and void and of no effect whatsoever."
Also, Part III Section 22, which prohibits the betrothal of children, says, "no parent, guardian or any other person shall betroth a child to any person."
A contravention of either Section 21 or Section 22, attracts a fine of N500,000 or imprisonment for a term of five years or both.
Clearly then, their marriages are prohibited under Nigeria's Child Rights Act (CRA), which bans marriage before the age of 18. But the federal bill is at loggerheads with certain State laws and age-old customs and traditions that encourage the practice.
Till date, about 11 States in Nigeria are yet to domesticate the Child Rights Act citing religion as a factor.
Lending his voice against the practice, Gov Ayade, in a recent event said, "When customs contradict morality, common sense and civilization conflict with our legal systems, then it should stop. Our laws say Nigerians, including a girl-child, have the right to freedom and dignity. Applying force to deprive her of that right is criminal. The Child Rights Act, which Cross River state has domesticated, prohibits it.
"But it is complex dealing with issues of customs and acceptable laws of the country. As a government, we cannot wield the big stick clamping people into jail. The people need education, enlightenment on the evils of these customs and that is where we are focusing on."
Consequences
Maryam Uwais, a lawyer and child rights activist opines that "when girls are forced to marry early, it is a deprivation of formal and non-formal education which translates into restrictions on mobility, domestic burdens, the denial of sundry freedoms in respect of survival, development and participation, as well as the loss of adolescent years.
"Indeed, children of young, uneducated mothers are also less likely to attain high levels of education, perpetuating cycles of low literacy and limited livelihood opportunities."
Child marriage, therefore, ultimately deprives societies of the intellectual and financial/livelihood contributions of girls, and of their offspring.
Many teenage mothers find themselves trapped in a seemingly hopeless state of poverty. Some must deal with the emotional aftermath of rape and violence.
None of this bodes well for the children of teen mothers. Says the book Teen Moms -- The Pain and the Promise, babies of teen mothers "tend to have lower birthweight, more childhood illnesses, more infant mortality, poorer medical care, suffer more from hunger and malnourishment; they are exposed to more violence, and have more delayed development than children born to older mothers."
Indeed, daughters of teen mothers are more likely to become teen moms themselves than are children born to older mothers.
Consequently, SDGs 1 (relating to eradicating poverty), 2 (zero hunger), 3.1 (to reduce the global maternal mortality ratio), remain unattainable goals, if the consequences and implications of child marriage are not confronted.
Projections
GirlsnotBrides.org asserts that globally, the number of teen brides is expected to reach 1.2 billion by 2050 if there is no reduction with one in three girls in the developing world married before age 18.
Solutions
Sustained Implementation of enacted policies that protects the rights of the girl child by ensuring child marriage is a national priority.
Governments should put in place an enabling legal and policy environment to combat child marriage. As part of these efforts, they should invest in the development and implementation of statewide and national strategies, costed action plans and legislation to address child marriage.
Continental and regional bodies such as the African Union, ECOWAS and ECCAS should strengthen their efforts at regional and continental levels to end child marriage in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the AU Agenda 2063. Existing global, regional and national level accountability mechanisms need to be used by countries to monitor progress and accelerate efforts to end child marriage.
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These actions are also included in the Dakar Outcome Document from the first-ever High-Level Meeting on Child Marriage that was held in Dakar in October 2017.
Focus on improving the availability of access to education for the girl-child especially in rural areas.
Education is a powerful way to prevent child marriage as girls' education, is strongly associated with delays in age of marriage and this was further reinforced during the Summit on Education that was held in Dakar in February 2018. Education represents a positive alternative to child marriage.
UNICEF agrees that addressing sexual and reproductive health needs of all young people, including through comprehensive sexuality education and sexual and reproductive health services, can lead to significant reductions in unintended pregnancies. This underscores the importance of investing in quality education - for girls, as well as ensuring access to sexual and reproductive health information and services for young people in order to reduce child marriage.
In September 2020, the European Union and United Nations (EU-UN) Spotlight Initiative in collaboration with African Centre For Leadership, Strategy and Development organized a capacity building event in Sankwala and Becheve communities against sexual and gender-based violence and harmful practices with a view to bringing to an end the practice of child marriage.
Speaking during the event, His Royal Majesty, Uchua Amos Item, paramount ruler in Obanliku local government area, said "In the case of eliminating money marriage, we started from the roots we have gone from complex to the simplest and we have succeeded. We have made reference to the council legislators to enact a bye-law binding that completely".
Undoubtedly, effective collaboration with relevant stakeholders at all levels including traditional leaders to implement policies at local levels is key to effectively reach rural dwellers. As traditional leaders as gatekeepers at the community level, they play a vital role in both educating and enforcing local laws that will help to keep the practice of child marriage in check.
Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) education for men and women in rural communities should also be introduced to educate rural dwellers on the ills of poor menstrual practices which births infection and a host of other diseases. The trauma and psychological effects of menarche on the Nigerian child-bride cannot be overemphasized. Provisions should also be made of adequate and affordable sanitary wares for the rural woman.
The plague of the child-bride in the Nigerian state is one matter that deserves serious attention. Pledges and commitments are not enough. The government as a matter of National urgency should devise proven strategies to turning commitments into tangible actions to transform the lives of the girl-child by ending child marriage.
They can do this by building the skills and knowledge of girls at risk of child marriage; supporting households in impoverished suburbs and rural communities with relief aids; strengthening the systems that deliver services (education, health, protection, justice) to adolescent girls; ensuring laws and policies protect and promote adolescent girls' rights; and generating and using robust data to inform programmes and policies relating to adolescent girls.
Eradicating the plague of child marriage in Nigeria is both possible, and attainable.
Countries such as Yemen, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Somalia and Bangladesh, have set a minimum age for marriage as 18, in the acknowledgment that there are serious social, physical and mental health risks associated with child marriages.
As the most populous black Nation on the face of the earth, Nigeria's over 22 million child-brides deserve a change in their narratives, a chance to grow with dignity, a right to education, and a chance to live as free moral agents without the shackles of this modern-day slavery.
Perhaps Nigeria as the giant of Africa will take a cue from her sister Nations who succeeded in eliminating child marriage.
Iwunze is a WASH, Solutions and Data Photojournalist.
Walter Muchinguri TUESDAY September 21 was a dark day for the nation as people woke up to the sad news of the passing away of one of the most prominent and long-serving civil servants -- the former Public Service Commission (PSC) chairman Dr Mariyo Mariyawanda Nzuwah.
He was 80 and is survived by his wife Janice, three children and grandchildren.
In an illustrious career spanning almost four decades, most of which he spent at the helm of the Public Service Commission, Dr Nzuwah distinguished himself as a hardworking, disciplined and focused nation builder.
A pacesetter and great administrator, Dr Nzuwah is credited with laying the ground work and foundation of the public adminstrative structures we currently have in Government today. And he did that during the challenging years soon after the attainment of independence.
What made his job particularly difficult was that he had to transform a civil service steeped in colonial bureaucracy, geared towards only serve minority interests, into a formidable broad-based system serving the majority of Zimbabweans.
It will therefore be not amiss if one sees him as one of the founding fathers of the country's post-independence public service administrators pbecause he helped shape it into what it is today, while leveraging on the knowledge and experience he had gained through studying and working overseas.
In his eulogy during the burial of the late national hero at the National Heroes' Acre on Sunday, President Emmerson Mnangagwa admitted as much, describing Dr Nzuwah as a patriotic, humble, hardworking person, who had a high degree of professionalism and sense of duty consciousness.
"Upon attainment of our hard won independence in 1980, the late national hero Dr Nzuwah took up the call by the new administration to return home and assist in the forming of a new Government," he said.
"He understood the meaning of 'nyika inovakwa nevene vayo' (A country is built by its own sons and daughters).
Together with other leading academics such as the late Dr Chales Utete, Dr Tichaona Jokonya, Ambassador Mashaire and the current Chief Secretary Dr Misheck Sibanda, among others, he became part of the pioneering crop, which manned our nascent, post-independence administration.
"He laid the foundation for the modernisation of the public service, including results-based, agile, skilled and adaptable professionals in the public service who are highly regarded in SADC and beyond."
President Mnangagwa, who had earlier described Dr Nzuwah as a "rare crop of leader in the public service", said he would also be remembered for his well-crafted and thought-out professional and widely researched advice on matters of public administration.
In his condolence message, Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Dr Misheck Sibanda, said Dr Nzuwah was a true patriot and accomplished public servant of the nation.
"Dr Nzuwah laid a solid foundation of a modernised and highly skilled public service, which is recognised not only in the SADC region but the entire Commonwealth," he said.
"He was a co-founder of the Commonwealth Association of the Public Administration and Management (CAPAM). He will be remembered for his hard work, meticulous advice on issues of public administration and his humble disposition towards superiors, colleagues and members of the public service."
Dr Nzuwah's successor, Dr Vincent Hungwe described him as a patriotic cadre who answered the call of national duty soon after independence and left his professorship at the University of Maryland in the United States of America, to help the country in defining its public institutions.
"Dr Nzuwah will be remembered not only for his great zeal for the transformation and development of the Zimbabwe's civil service, but also for his direct involvement in the shaping of the Public Service Commissions of Namibia and South Africa," he said.
Ordinary Zimbabweans will remember the late Dr Nzuwah as a familiar figure on television and radio during the announcement of the 1995, 2000 and 2002 election results, together with then Registrar General Tobaiwa Mudede.
On the other hand, he had a love/hate relationship with civil servants due to the pronouncements he made on behalf of Government.
One minute, he would be earning kudos as a bearer of good news after announcing hefty salary increments or advocating for civil servants to get non-monetary incentives such as cars and houses; but the next minute, he would be attacked for announcing that there would be no pay increases or for announcing impending job cuts, but he took everything in stride and accepted that these were risks that came with the job.
Dr Nzuwah was born on May 9, 1941 in Nharira, Chivhu District, Mashonaland East and had the misfortune of witnessing the appropriation of his fertile ancestral land by the settler administration, which created the present day communal lands of Manyene and Nharira.
He attended Driefontein Mission School for his primary education and proceeded to St Francis Xavier's Kutama College where he distinguished himself as a brilliant student.
He left the country for the United States on a Roman Catholic Church scholarship and studied public administration and political science at the University of Minnesota.
He met his wife Janice Marie Stevenson during that time. In 1965 the couple moved to Washington DC and Dr Nzuwah undertook post graduate studies in philosophy and administration at the prestigious Howard University.
His fight for economic justice and fair treatment for the minority, led him to join the civil rights movement in the United States including organising the Freedom Riders Protests, where he worked closely with the United Auto Workers Union and trade union activist Dr Gary K. Busch.
During the liberation struggle, Dr Nzuwah diligently participated in organising material and logistical support for Zimbabwe's political freedom and independence. He was always rooted and guided by African philosophy and cultural identity.
In 1970 Dr Nzuwah joined the faculty of the University of Maryland where he assisted in setting up and teaching of the first Department of Afro-American studies where he worked with Dr Mary Berry, the former chairperson of the Civil Rights Commission.
Alongside other luminaries such as the late national hero Edson Jonasi Mudadirwa Zvobgo, Drs Busch and Berry, they made representations to the United States Congress and various organisations, lobbying against the brutal white settler regime.
While at the University of Maryland, Dr Nzuwah, established a research journal - the Journal of Southern African Affairs, which was instrumental in providing academic and practical insights into Africa's liberation movements and Pan-Africanism.
This was part of the wider revolutionary agenda where pen and paper became tools to propel the liberation and development agendas of the African people.
At independence, Dr Nzuwah and his family returned home and he was appointed deputy secretary responsible for administration, finance, posts and telecommunications under the Ministry of Roads and Road Traffic, Posts and Telecommunication.
In December 1982, he was appointed permanent secretary of the Ministry of Roads and Road Traffic, taking over from Engineer Penry Mainwaring, who had retired.
Dr Nzuwah was redeployed to the Ministry of Local Government and Town Planning in 1986, which was later renamed the Ministry of Local Government, Rural and Urban Development, in the same capacity.
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In December 1987, he was appointed chairman of a nine-member board of the newly established Urban Development Corporation that had been set up by the late Minister of Local Government, Rural and Urban Enos Chikowore.
On February 13, 1992, then Secretary to the Office of the President and Cabinet Office Dr Utete, announced Dr Nzuwah's promotion by the President to chairman-designate of the PSC.
In a statement issued at the time, Dr Utete said that Dr Nzuwah, who was at the time the Senior Secretary for Local Government, Rural and Urban Development would effectively become chairman on May 1, 1992 after the retirement of the chairman, Mr Malcom Thompson in April of the same year.
Soon after the resumption of his duties Dr Nzuwah announced that senior Government officials would work on a contract basis starting in 1993 to increase performance and reduce inefficiency in the public sector.
In 1995 he was the chairman of the Election Directorate that oversaw the elections that were held in April of that year.
On May 10, 1995 Dr Nzuwah was re-appointed PSC chairman for another three-year term. And in 1996, he received death threats after someone sent him a bullet through the mail. He was appointed chairman of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission National Logistics Committee in October 2005.
As chairman of the National Resource Mobilisation and Utilisation Committee, Dr Nzuwah in 2008 travelled extensively across the country, overseeing the distribution of fuel, seed and fertilisers to farmers with a proven record of producing and delivering their crops to the Grain Marketing Board.
In November 2013 the PSC was renamed the Civil Service Commission with him being appointed chairman of the new organisation.
Dr Nzuwah retired from the Public Service Commission in 2018, but those who succeeded him proceed with his work, brick-upon-brick.
INCREASED collaboration between Government departments is critical in plugging out revenue leakages at a time when the country is losing millions of dollars due to tax evasion and corruption.
Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) chair, Justice Loice Matanda-Moyo, said this while addressing delegates at the recent Chartered Governance and Accountancy Institute of Zimbabwe conference here.
Entities such as ZACC, the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra), the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) and the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, are already sharing notes and strategizing towards enhance accountability and transparency.
In line with the Second Republic's thrust on 'zero tolerance' to corruption Justice Matanda-Moyo said the commission was also working with internal auditors at various organisations in the country and counterparts outside the country's borders to expose fraudulent activities, especially targeting recovering stolen assets.
"We have come up with a dashboard where we monitor activities. A lot of leakages are a result of tax evasion so we are working with Zimra," she said.
"We are also engaging internal auditors of organisations and they are helping us in implementing the anti-corruption drive.
"Internal audit departments have not been doing their work but we are happy that most of them are now cooperating."
"We are also working with other countries to help us with their norms and cultures as we recover assets. We are going to be doing investigations everywhere and for you, the role of accounting in fighting corruption is reporting and ensuring that there is good corporate governance, Let's reject all forms of corruption because a corruption free Zimbabwe begins with all of us," she said.
ZTA acting chief executive, Mr Givemore Chidzidzi, said the tourism sector was one among the sectors affected by revenue leakages.
The Ablekuma North Municipal Assembly in Accra yesterday unanimously endorsed the nomination of Kofi Ofori as Municipal Chief Executive (MCE).
At a confirmation exercise, preceded by an election, all 21 Assembly Members voted 'Yes' to approve the nominee.
Mr Ofori was renominated by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo after serving in the same position since 2017.
In his acceptance speech, he expressed gratitude to the President for the opportunity and pledged to operate an open door policy for the advancement of the Municipality.
He explained that he was ready to discuss with anyone issues that would promote sustainable livelihoods and ensure harmony in the area.
The MCE called on residents to support the Assembly through their advice and well-tailored criticism
"My office is opened to all of you. Come and let's share ideas toward advancing our Municipality.
"Your advice and constructive criticisms are welcome as we all work towards bringing prosperity to the area and ensuring that residents are comfortable," Mr Ofori stated.
Regional Minister, Henry Quartey urged the MCE to keep doing the good works which culminated in his re-nomination.
He appealed to Mr Ofori to establish an effective working relationship with the Member of Parliament (MP), Sheila Bartels, to create the unity of purpose needed to push for development.
Madam Bartels also promised to support the MCE to achieve the objectives for the area.
At the Ayawaso North Municipal Assembly (ANMA), VIVIAN ARTHUR reports that all the 18 the assembly members yesterday confirmed, the nomination of the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Aminu Mohammed Zakari.
The exercise was conducted by the Municipal Officer of the Electoral Commission (EC) under the leadership of Mr Watson Tizor, the Municipal Electoral Officer.
Mr Zakari thanked the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo- Addo for the confidence reposed in him to serve for the second time as an MCE.
"I am most grateful and may this be the beginning of good things to come. It is gratifying to serve the good people of Ayawaso North," he stated.
Mr Zakari pledged to be a team player and also open his doors to all for new ideas which would help improve the living standard of the citizenry.
The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Mr Henry Quartey commended the Assembly Members for the loyalty shown in endorsing the MCE.
He urged them to be united and work with the MCE to bring development to the area.
Mr Quartey, who is also the Member of Parliament of Ayawaso Central Constituency, further urged the MCE to avoid politics when it came to development issues and work closely with the assembly members to promote development.
"All this is about working together to bring development into the constituency, let's make sure that when development come, we don't do partisan politics," he added.
FROM the Bono East Regional capital Techiman, EMMANUEL ADU GYAMFI reports that the General Assembly of the Techiman South Municipality in the Bono East Region on Wednesday confirmed the President's nominee, Mr Benjamin Yaw Gyarko, a civil servant as the MCE.
Mr Benjamin Yaw Gyarko in response, thanked President Akuffo - Addo, the Regional Minister, Mr Adu Gyan, the Techiman Traditional Council and residents of the area for having trust in him to serve his people.
Mr Gyarko said it was his vision to improve infrastructure and human resource development of the municipality. He solicited support from all and sundry to help enhance the living standards of his people.
The Bono East Regional Minister, Mr Adu Gyan, reiterated President Akuffo - Addo's commitment to improve the socio - cultural development of rural communities through his appointees.
Mr Gyan was confident that with the 'all hands on deck' approach, the region would be the destination for agro - processing, agricultural hub and educational zone of the northern sector with the soon - to - be established University of Science and Technology.
AMA TEKYIWAA AMPADU AGYEMAN reports from KOFORIDUA in the Eastern Region, that assembly members in the New Juaben South Municipality in the Eastern region on Tuesday confirmed the nomination of the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Isaac Appaw-Gyasi.
Out of the 47 assembly men who cast their votes, 46 voted yes representing 98 percent of the total votes to confirm his nomination.
One person voted no whilst one person was absent.
The exercise was conducted by the Municipal Officers of the Electoral Commission (EC) under the leadership of Mr Kofi Asante-Owusu, the Municipal Electoral Officer.
The Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Seth Acheampong who led the confirmed MCE to swear the oath of office and secrecy, congratulated the assembly members for approving the President's nominee.
He said the confirmation would enable the President bring in development through the MCE to the municipality.
Mr Acheampong urged them to be united and work with the MCE to bring development to the area.
The Member of Parliament of New Juaben South Municipality, Mr Michael Okyere Baafi, who was also present, stated that the number of votes cast in favour of the President's nominee showed how loyal the assembly members were to the MCE.
He asked the assembly men to see themselves as one people and work together with the MCE to achieve a common goal of development for the New Juaben South Municipality.
"I will urge you to pursue oneness and unity so that together we can develop the Municipality for the benefit of all," he said.
The Confirmed Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Isaac Appaw-Gyasi in his acceptance speech expressed his appreciation to the assembly members for their massive votes.
He said it was a sign of their confidence reposed in him and assured that his second coming would be monumental.
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Mr Appaw-Gyasi noted that the Municipality was dazzled with many challenges, adding that with the help of the assemblymen difficult decisions would have to be taken to transform the municipality.
"As we try to transform the Municipality there are people who would make it easy but some indiscipline and recalcitrant ones would also appear along the line but I would need your help to overcome the obstacles and be able to transform the municipality," he said.
Mr Appaw-Gyasi added he would do his best to transform the Municipality into one of the best, the country could have.
He thanked his staff, assembly members, chiefs and citizens of the area for their support over the years and assured he would continue to work with them in his second tenure.
PETER GBAMBILA reports from , EFFIAKUMAin the Western Region, that Mr Kojo Acquah was confirmed as the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for the Effia Kwesiminstim Municipal Assembly, after receiving 100 percent endorsement from all the 13 assembly members.
The 13 elected and seven appointed members gave him the nod to steer the affairs of the municipality during an election supervised by
The Western Region Directorate of the Electoral Commission supervised the election.
The MCE was later sworn into office by the Western Regional Minister, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah.
Mr Kojo Acquah, for his part, expressed gratitude to God for rewarding him one more term and promised the President, saying "I will live up to your confidence and trust reposed in Me".
Yabraso At least 46 communities have been cut off from the rest of the Bono East Region after torrential rains washed the only bridge at Yabraso that links Kintampo and New Longolo, thereby affecting the local economy and livelihoods of the residents.
Consequently, the chiefs and people of the area have sent an urgent message to the Ministry of Roads and Highways (MRH) and other allied agencies, to fix the broken bridge to restore the movement of people and vechicles.
The Krontihene of Mo traditional council, Nana Adjei Adinkra II, in an interview with the Ghanaian Times on Tuesday at Yabraso disclosed that the 27 kilometer road had been in bad state since 2003,coupled with the broken bridge.
Nana Adjei Adinkra mentioned some of the affected communities as Asantekwa, Basabasa, Nyabia, Wella,Gomboi, New Longolo, Challa, Nkwanta, Ayoya and Mansie among others saying that " residents are helpless since the past week".
"About 95 per cent of teachers in the affected communities lived in Kintampo and have not been able to use the road thereby impeding effective teaching and learning in the area", the chief told the Ghanaian Times.
According to Nana Adjei Adinkra, residents of Kintampo Municipality could not go to their farms at the other side of the broken bridge and people at the affected communities could not bring their farm produce to Techiman and Kintampo markets.
The Member of Parliament for Kintampo North Constituency, Mr Joseph Kumah, said the road was awarded on contract in 2003, and had since been left to deteriorate after change of government.
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Mr Kumah appealed to the Minister of Roads and Highways, Mr Kwasi Amoako Atta and the Bono East Regional Minister, Mr Adu Gyan, to fast track the construction of the road, bridge and town roads of the Kintampo Municipality.
The Assembly Member for Asantekwa Electoral Area, Mr Agyeman Duah, was worried about how residents, especially pregnant women were unable to access health care at Kintampo and Techiman.
A driver, Mr Sulleymana Iddrisu, who ply his trade on the stretch told the Ghanaian Times that all commercial activities in the enclave had halted saying that "reptiles attack people who decide to cross the river by swimming ".
The Bono East Regional Minister, Mr Adu Gyan and his Chief Director, Mr George Padmore Mensah and other stakeholders had visited the scene to ascertain the extent of damage caused by the broken bridge.
Speaking with the Ghanaian Times, Mr Adu Gyan promised to communicate the situation to the Roads and Highways Minister, to speed up the reconstruction of the bridge and the road.
Two suspected armed robbers were shot dead by the police during an attempt to rob a gold dealer at Manso Dawusaso in the Amansie South District of the Ashanti Region
Another suspect, identified as Abraham Kwasi Tetteh has been arrested, whilefour were on the run and being pursued by the police.
This follows an intelligence-led operation by the Anti-robbery taskforce of the Ashanti Regional Police Command.
A shot gun, a pistols and a taxi cab had been retrieved and are in the police custody.
The Acting Director General of the Police Public Affairs Directorate, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP),KwasiOfori, disclosed this in a press release issued and copied to the Ghanaian Times.
He said members of the gang forcibly invaded the residence of the gold dealer at 9:00p.m.disarmed the private security guard of his weapon and fired shots into the residence.
"At this stage, a police combat team that mounted a 24-hour surveillance on the gang, returned fire to protect the lives in and around the properties,"ACP Ofori stated.
He said four suspects escaped but two who suffered gunshot wounds were arrested and sent to the hospital but were pronounced dead on arrival.
The Director General stated that one of the deceased robbers known as Lukeman, had been granted bail by the Dunkwa Circuit Court at an earlier appearance and was scheduled to reappear on October 27, 2021, for allegedly robbing passengers on the DunkwaAyafuri highway.
He said a manhunt was underway to track the four escaped suspects.
ACP Ofori said the police suspected that some of the gang members who escaped had gunshot wounds.
"We are therefore appealing to the public to volunteer information on anyone who is seen in or around Manso Dawusaso with noticeable gunshot wounds to the nearest police station,"he added.
Meanwhile ,health facility in and around the Amansie South District were requested to report the presence of any individual or group of people with gunshot wounds to the nearest police.
Presidente @PedroCastilloTe: Vamos a cristalizar la lucha de los peruanos para terminar con los grandes problemas comunes del pais como son la pobreza, el hambre y la anemia. #ComeSanoComePescado pic.twitter.com/hBckRmHrpP
Within this framework, 98% of these resolutions have been stipulated for Venezuelan nationals of which almost 5,000 have already been executed, National Superintendence of Migrations Chief Roxana del Aguila reported on Wednesday.
In an interview with Andina news agency, the official reported that the causes for these expulsions are related to the submission of false documentation and foreign citizens lying about criminal and judicial records. Criminals who have already served their sentence must be expelled as well.
However, there is also another group of citizens who have decided to leave Peru voluntarily.
Del Aguila explained that it is not easy to carry out an expulsion because in the case of Venezuelans their country does not share a border with Peru.
Del Aguila specified that her office only has jurisdiction over those cases involving administrative or civil irregularities. However, in the case of foreigners who have committed a crime, this becomes the competence of the Public Ministry and the Judicial Branch
According to the Cabinet chief, the Presidency of the Council of Ministers will launch a Quechua program structured in basic, intermediate, and advanced levels, which will be certified by San Antonio Abad del Cusco University, in coordination with its language school.
"We must announce the important actions we have taken. Today we have addressed the launch of a national online complementary teaching platform that will enhance the cultural side of all State-run entities with Quechua language," he said.
The basic level will be completed in six months, intermediate apprenticeship will take other six months to complete, and the advanced level will last three months.
"This has been part of our brothers at the national level and, later, other languages like Aymara will be added, so that the country can strengthen and deepen its cultural identity," Bellido indicated.
Remarks were made on Wednesday evening at a press conference after the Council of Ministers session at the Government Palace in Lima.
Titular de la PCM, @GuidoPuka: Haremos el lanzamiento de una plataforma nacional virtual de formacion complementaria, para fortalecer a todas las entidades estatales con el idioma quechua. Desde la PCM, se lanzara un curso basico, intermedio y avanzado certificado. pic.twitter.com/eMXLFsR7U6
El Peru saluda al pueblo y Gobierno de la Republica Popular China por la conmemoracion de su 72 Aniversario Nacional, reiterando el solido compromiso de continuar fortaleciendo la Asociacion Estrategica Integral, a fin de impulsar el desarrollo sostenible de nuestros pueblos. pic.twitter.com/weRN8kaiTY
?? AHORA | El presidente del Consejo de Ministros, @GuidoPuka, y ministros de Estado, informan a la ciudadania sobre los acuerdos adoptados en la sesion del Consejo de Ministros. https://t.co/4pXqSgO7To
Saludo la visita de la presidenta y voceros del Congreso, que recibimos anoche en Palacio de Gobierno. Coincidimos en que la cuestion de confianza y la censura forman parte del equilibrio de poderes, y son herramientas politicas para mantener la estabilidad democratica.
"En este Gobierno apostamos por la inversion privada, con transparencia y sin corrupcion", presidente @PedroCastilloTe tras la firma de la ultima adjudicacion para la construccion del nuevo terminal de pasajeros del Aeropuerto Internacional Jorge Chavez.#GobiernoDelBicentenario pic.twitter.com/9AkBalQ9GW
"This is the end of our work on nine accusations," he stated. "We have completed this investigation stage," the prosecutor said in remarks to RPP radio and TV station.
These accusations refer to the case regarding the irregular concession of the Interoceanic Highway awarded to Brazilian companies and the Ecoteva case ; both are linked to illegal payments allegedly received by ex-President Alejandro Toledo (2001-2006) . The third one involves the Lima Metro Line 1.
In addition, the prosecutor mentioned the case of the issuance of sovereign bonds by the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) to pay the refurbishment of Evitamiento Highway in Cusco, as well as irregular payments that former Cusco Governor Jorge Acurio and businessman Gustavo Salazar allegedly received in relation to this and other matters.
Finally, Vela said that another accusation refers to the case on alleged payments to the former head of Peru's Supervisory Board for Investment in Public Transportation Infrastructure (Ositran), Juan Carlos Zevallos.
"This is a complex moment, because the special prosecution group has filed nine mega accusations," he emphasized.
The prosecutor noted that now the Judiciary is expected to carry out the corresponding controls of legality.
In this sense, Vela said he hopes that such institution will give the necessary priority to this stage of the process.
(END) FGM/CVC/RMB/MVB
Peru's Lava Jato Special Prosecution Group has filed nine mega accusations on the same number of issues before the Judicial Branch, according to Rafael Vela , the prosecutor leading the investigations.Published: 9/29/2021
" " Wikimedia Commons ( CC BY-2.0 In the 1960s and '70s, the ocelot was the spotted cat most heavily exploited by the fur trade it's estimated hundreds of thousands of animals were killed and pelts sold during this time period.
In the process of researching this story, I fell in love. The object of my newfound affection: the kitten-faced, spotted coat cutie known as the ocelot. Formally known as Leopardus pardalis, this little-known feline beauty may not be a household name like its cousins, the lion, tiger and jaguar, but it's just as deserving of adoration. And it's still just as in need of protection, even though it may not seem that way based on somewhat misleading official designations of endangerment.
"It's easy to get confused when understanding the classification systems identifying conservation status of threatened and imperiled species," says Shari Wilcox, Ph.D., Texas representative for national conservation organization, Defenders of Wildlife. "In the United States, we typically reference two different systems for identifying species at risk: the United States Endangered Species Act (ESA), also commonly called the Endangered Species List, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)."
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The International Big Picture
"The IUCN maintains a list, known as the Red List, which is a globally accepted standard for imperiled species classification," Wilcox says. "Ocelots are currently listed on the IUCN's Red List as a species of 'least concern.' However, the population trend is noted as 'decreasing.' This listing of 'least concern' is largely because they face a relatively low extinction risk compared with other cat species that are assessed as 'threatened' or 'near threatened' and does not reflect the status of the species in different parts of its range."
So, while the designation of "least concern" makes it sound like the ocelot is thriving, that conclusion is far from true. "Ocelots are listed by IUCN as 'least concern' because there are sufficient numbers of wild ocelots (1 to 3 million), primarily located in Central and South America," says Susan Bass, director of public relations at Big Cat Rescue, one of the world's largest accredited sanctuaries in the world dedicated to abused and abandoned big cats. "Their numbers have rebounded in the last few decades now that their fur is no longer used for fur coats. For comparison, tigers are considered 'endangered,' the highest IUCN level, because there are only about 4,000 left in the wild."
Indeed, the ocelot isn't deemed to be in as much immediate danger as these other animals, possibly thanks in part to the conservation efforts of the last few decades. In the 1960s and 1970s, the ocelot was considered the spotted cat most heavily exploited by the fur trade it's estimated hundreds of thousands of pelts were sold during this time period. But thankfully, in 1989, import bans on all spotted cats significantly slowed the industry down and spared the lives of countless cats.
"Overall the ocelot species is classed as 'least concern' because of their large range," says Pat Bumstead, director of the International Society for Endangered Cats. "They occur from northern Mexico to Argentina and are found in every country in between. Due to this huge range, their population is thought to be large enough to support itself for future generations."
But again, "least concern" doesn't equate to "safe from extinction." "I suspect the factors informing the 'less endangered' are complex, but really boil down to the fact that smaller cats are vastly under-studied compared to their larger cousins," Wilcox says. "Larger cats also typically require more space, a broader prey base, and they are more likely to find themselves in conflict with humans all of which can lead significant pressures on their population. Bans on ocelot pelts did give the species a bump although recent poaching for eastern medicine is now impacting some species of cat in the western hemisphere."
Today, international trade of the ocelot is banned and the species is protected in most countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, French Guiana, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, the United States, Uruguay, and Venezuela (hunting is permitted but regulated in Peru). The species as a whole may not be considered in immediate danger of extinction, but specific populations in Colombia, Argentina and areas of Brazil outside the Amazon basin are considered vulnerable, and Mexico's ocelot population is listed as endangered too. According to Wilcox, the current protections only do so much as "most cat species are vulnerable if not currently at risk."
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Ocelots in the U.S.
But even though the ocelot population has bounced back in a major way from the species' darkest days (there are now an estimated 800,000 to 1.5 million found worldwide), the ocelot is still considered at risk. There are just about 80 ocelots left in the U.S., in an isolated part of southeast Texas, although at one point, they could be found throughout the southwest.
"Historically, ocelots have ranged throughout the Western hemisphere from the southwestern United States to Argentina," Wilcox says. "Today, ocelots are extremely endangered in the U.S. and at risk for extirpation (localized extinction). There are only approximately 80 ocelots residing in two small populations in Texas, with a few lone dispersers documented in Arizona in recent years."
The good news is that the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) has taken measures to protect the remaining ocelots in the country. Because the animal comes up against threats like habitat loss and collisions with vehicles, animal protection agencies are doing what they can to keep the small group of surviving species members safe. "Since 1982, the ocelot has been listed as 'endangered' and receives full protections afforded by the ESA," Wilcox explains. "Recognizing that the species meets the criteria of being in danger of extinction throughout a significant portion of its range particularly within its native habitats within the U.S."
Along with the FWS, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Service enforce the ESA by requiring federal agencies "to ensure that actions they authorize, fund, or carry out are not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of any listed species or result in the destruction or adverse modification of designated critical habitat of such species."
So while animal agencies have the ocelot's back, it's important to remember the species is still very much in need of continued protection; staying informed about developments that could impact the species like the recently proposed construction of three large liquefied natural gas terminals in south Texas is one way to make sure you're fighting on the ocelot's side.
Now That's Interesting Ocelots are majorly nocturnal creatures, so while they spend most of the day lounging in trees, they travel up to 5 miles (8 kilometers) per night and capture about one piece of prey every 3.1 hours.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 30, ARMENPRESS. The government of Armenia approved today the 2020 state budget draft.
On this occasion Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan addressed his message, stating that Armenia is currently facing difficult challenges as the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic, social and security consequences of the 44-Day War are not overcome yet.
Pashinyan said the snap parliamentary elections this year helped to solve the domestic political crisis and created quite firm grounds for the Armenian peoples aspiration to look to the future.
The governments action plan must create grounds for the peaceful, stable and inclusive development of Armenia in the medium-run, Pashinyan said. Our goals, which are reflected in the 2020 budget and also in the action plan, are ambitious and realistic. We understand that their implementation requires not only economic measures by the government, but also public and cultural reforms. We first of all attach importance to raising the efficiency of the public administration system, as well as changing and developing the working culture. The most important, probably, is the planning and implementation culture, the implementation processes of programs, the non-fulfillment of which leads to underperformance of capital expenditures and slows down the implementation of the governments goals, thus obstructing also the economic growth. In this regard the capacity development of the private sector plays a key role, and the governments efforts for this goal have started to give results, in the person of those companies which are making investments in the state capital construction field for being competitive, thus seeking to implement these projects on time and in a high quality. The government plans to continue its policy of promoting investments in this field, applying three main tools for this: the first is the transparency of state procurement system, the second is the increase of volumes of tenders and the third are the new legislative initiatives aimed at facilitating the relations with reliable companies.
According to Pashinyan, the next key task is the development of analytical capacities, which will allow to raise the efficiency of expenditures, investments, address the social programs, which is one of the most important issues. As a result the citizens trust will be raised that their taxes are spent maximally effectively and in a targeted way. The citizens of Armenia must feel every day the impact of the governments actions on their life. One of the key components of this is the engagement of the broad public circles into various stages of formation and performance of the budget, over which steps have already been taken in the past three years, and great attention would be paid also in the future, PM Pashinyan said, adding that 2020 budget is based on three main priorities reform of the security system, infrastructure development and upgrading of education and science.
We are going to pay a great focus on ensuring security, without which it would be impossible to implement the long-term development goals. In this sense, not only the upgrading of defense capacities of the Army, but also the formation of a favorable external environment around Armenia, the consistent implementation of the agenda on opening a peaceful development era for Armenia, Artsakh and the region are important. In this sense the re-opening and development of regional economic and transportation infrastructure is also important, which can qualitatively change the content and structure of Armenias economy, be an additional boost for the domestic infrastructure development, ensure a long-term inclusive economic growth, by creating equal conditions for the citizens of Armenia in order to be engaged in economic activity, significantly raise our countrys attractiveness for foreign direct investments. Therefore, the access to education, inclusive development and content reforms is our long-term priority. Our goal is to make persons education a lifestyle, this is the only way of being a competitive nation and an individual in the modern world, the PM stated.
According to him, science and technology development is the logical continuation of this process, and here the government is already introducing new funding formulas. However, he notes that all the problems cannot be solved by one budget.
In the budget of 2022 we have tried to cautiously balance the priorities of the government and at the same time ensure the manageability of different types of fiscal risks. We set our strategic goals and their implementation priorities in a way that the implementation of each of them creates grounds for the effective implementation of the others. We are confident that the governments action plan will have a successful implementation to ensure the security, welfare and dignified life of the Armenian citizens, Nikol Pashinyan said.
Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 30, ARMENPRESS. The Iranian military will launch exercises October 1, ISNA reports.
Iranian Armys Ground Forces Commander General Kioumars Heydari said the drills will be held in Irans north-western regions.
The exercises, called Conquerors of Khaybar, will involve artillery, armored equipment, drones and helicopters.
Commander Heydari said the purpose of the drills is to check and increase the combat readiness level of the military and test military equipment.
Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, 30 SEPTEMBER, ARMENPRESS: The aspirations of the people of Artsakh were and are still challenged by Azerbaijan. The military solution was chosen as an option to solve the conflict both in the brief period of existence of two small Caucasian republics and after the fall of the Soviet Union. After the fall of the Soviet Union the parties again resorted to the military solution which was ended by the 1994 armistice agreement signed in Bishkek by the representatives of Artsakh, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Artsakh and seven other districts that surround it fell under the effective control of Armenian forces. On 27 September, 2020 Azerbaijan unleashed a war in an attempt to have full control over the territory of Artsakh. The outcome was that a significant part of Artsakh as well as all the surrounding territories fell under the Azerbaijani control.
The legal aspects of the Artsakh conflict were silenced by emotional discussions and irredentist hue and cry. In the present article I will try to shed light on the conflict from the legal perspective which is indeed a novel approach to narrating the story of the conflict. In particular, I will discuss whether and to what extent it is possible to use the international legal mechanisms and institutions for the solution and transformation of conflict.
The four resolutions of the UN Security Council and the obligations of Armenia: is Armenia an aggressor?
The UN Security Council adopted four resolutions (822; 853; 874 and 884) that refer to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The resolution N822 was adopted immediately after Kelbajar district became under effective control of Armenian forces during the First Karabakh War. The UN SC notes with alarm the escalation in armed hostilities and, in particular, the latest invasion of the Kelbajar (the Armenian endonym is Qarvajar) district of the Republic of Azerbaijan by the local Armenian forces (United Nations, 1993). In this resolution, the Republic of Armenia was never mentioned as an occupying power by the UN SC and the subject that was referred were the local Armenian forces. Furthermore, in resolution N884, which was adopted after the Zangelan (the Armenian endonym is Kovsakan) district and the city of Horadiz fell under the effective control of the local Armenian forces, the UN SC called upon the Government of Armenia to use its influence to achieve compliance by the Armenians of the Nagorny Karabakh region of the Azerbaijani Republic with resolutions 822 (1993), 853 (1993) and 874 (1993), and to ensure that the forces involved are not provided with the means to extend their military campaign further (United Nations, 1993). This is the only specific mention of the Republic of Armenia indicated in the four UN resolutions. It should also be mentioned that the wording of the UN SC could have been stricter and it does not always use such restrained wording. For instance, in resolution N216 which was adopted regarding the situation in Southern Rhodesia the UN SC labels the local authorities as illegal racist minority regime (United Nations, 1965). On the other hand, no strong wording was used by the UN SC with regard to the local Armenian forces of Artsakh.
A mention must be made that except UN SC resolution N874, each and every resolution was adopted when new territories fell under the effective control of local Armenian forces. For example, as mentioned, resolution N882 was adopted when Qelbajar district (the Armenian endonym is Qarvajar) fell under the effective control of the local Armenian forces; resolution N853 is about Aghdam (the Armenian endonym is Akna) and finally resolution N884 is about Zangelan district (the Amrnian endonym is Kovsakan) and city of Horadiz. At the same time, the UN SC has never adopted any resolution that anyhow condemns the presence of the local Armenian forces in the territory that was part of Nagorny Karabakh Autonomous Oblast of Soviet Azerbaijan or demands the withdrawal of the forces. Therefore, one may infer that the UN SC has no reservation with the deployment of the local Armenian forces in the territory that used to be part of Oblast.
Now another question may arise: are the aforementioned four resolutions binding and, if yes, to what extent? According to the ICJ it might be determined based on the wording used in the resolutions. Normally, if strong words such as demands, decides, under Chapter VII signal that the UN SC intends its resolution to be binding. One might claim that the binding decision is supplemented with the power of use of force when the UN SC uses by all necessary means wording (Henriksen, 2019, 264). However, in non-binding resolutions the Council frequently uses less strict wording such as recommends, calls for or appeals (Henriksen, 2019, 264). As for the resolutions concerning the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict both strong and relatively softening vocabulary is used, however the close observation proves that the strong wording clearly does not outweigh. It is worth noting that in resolution N884 it called upon the Republic of Armenia and did not demand anything from it.
Currently, against the background of the heightened tension in the region there are more and more voices exhorting the government to bring the issue before the Security Council. However, the necessity of consensus among the permanent five members (China, France, Russia, The United Kingdom and The United States) as well as the agreement of at least 8 members (out of 15) might make it impractical. Therefore, the efforts to raise the issue before the Security Council shall be paralleled with the quest of other appropriate institutional dimensions and legal mechanisms.
In quest of appropriate legal mechanisms
First of all, let us discuss all the international courts where the case might theoretically be heard. It is both logical and natural to start with the ICJ. All the UN members are ipso facto members of the ICJ and the statute of the latter is annexed to the UN Charter (UN Charter, Article 92 and Article 93). The ICJ (aka the World Court) has jurisdiction to hear the case in the following cases:
The parties to conflict sign an agreement enabling the ICJ to hear the case (also known as compromise)
It is envisaged under the international treaty such as for example under Article 30 of 1984 Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
Under the Article 36 of the Statute of the ICJ the state declared that it recognizes as compulsory ipso facto and without special agreement, in relation to any other state accepting the same obligation, the jurisdiction of the Court in all legal disputes concerning:
the interpretation of a treaty; any question of international law; the existence of any fact which, if established, would constitute a breach of an international obligation; the nature or extent of the reparation to be made for the breach of an international obligation
However, neither Armenia nor Azerbaijan did not make the aforementioned declaration under the Statute of the ICJ. Hence, the ICJ may have a jurisdiction over any legal dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan only when both parties agree to submit the matter to the Court. Under such circumstance to enter the World Court Armenia has no choice but to find to a convention or equivalent legal instrument also ratified by Azerbaijan which envisages bringing the issue before the ICJ in case of the possible dispute. Recently, Armenia lodged such application against Azerbaijan arguing that the latter violated its obligations under International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) (ICJ, 2021).
Another international legal forum is the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), which shares the same premises with the ICJ in the Hague. In short, neither Armenia nor Azerbaijan signed the PCA founding documents (the Conventions on Pacific Settlement of International Disputes). It is interesting to note that in the China v. Philippines case, which involved a territorial dispute in South China Sea, the PCA ruled in favor of the Philippines, however China refused to comply with the decision of the Arbitration (PCA, 2016). Moreover, the Vice Foreign Minister of China stated that China does not recognize and implement the award as the decision of the Arbitration is just a piece of waste paper (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Peoples Republic of China, 2016).
The OSCE enables its member states to solve their issues peacefully through the arbitration court. However, unlike Armenia, Azerbaijan did not sign the Stockholm Convention on Conciliation and Arbitration within the OSCE (OSCE, 2020). In addition, it is interesting to note that since 1994 when the Convention entered into force the Court, the annual budget of which is 95000 Swiss Frank did not here any single case (OSCE, 2021)!
Besides the Arbitration Court the OSCE also possesses a number of political mechanisms aimed to prevent the conflict or to curtail the threat posed to the regional security. It has established a number of tools to monitor the implementation of commitments that participating states have undertaken within the human dimension (OSCE, 2011, 10). One of those mechanisms - the so-called Berlin Mechanism was adopted in June 1991 at the Berlin Meeting of the CSCE Council of Ministers. The Mechanism outlines measures that can be applied in the case of serious emergency situations that may arise from a violation of one of the Principles of the Helsinki Final Act or as the result of major disruptions endangering peace, security or stability. It foresees that, if any participating State concludes that such an emergency situation is developing, it may seek clarification from the State or the States involved (OSCE, 2011, 22). It should be noted that unlike Armenia, Azerbaijan has once availed itself of the opportunities enshrined in the Berlin Mechanism. On 6 April 1993, Azerbaijan requested an emergency meeting of the Committee of Senior Officials in regard to the situation in Nagorno Karabakh. Two weeks later, the Armenian Delegation presented clarifications under point 1 of the Mechanism, which was met with a renewed request for holding an Emergency Meeting formulated by Azerbaijan (OSCE, 2011, 25). However, the OSCE mechanisms, although being invoked by numerous states in different situations, are political rather than legal, thus they are in no way legally binding. Nevertheless, considering the big resonance of the OSCE mechanisms, Armenia may consider availing itself of the privileges of invoking them in case to deter the further escalation in the region.
The Hague, which is considered to be a town of international courts, is also the home for the International Criminal Court (ICC) which is in charge of hearing the cases involving crimes of aggression, crimes against humanity, crimes of genocide and war crimes. In short, Azerbaijan did not sign the Rome Statute of ICC and Armenia signed it, but did not ratify. Therefore, under Article 13 of the Rome Statute of ICC, the Court will have power to investigate the alleged criminal crimes only when it is referred to by the UN SC (ICC, 1998).
The only Court before which Armenia and Azerbaijan may bring cases against each other is the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). However, the power of the ECtHR is limited to the scope of the European Convention of Human Rights (Ratione materiae principle). In principle, it may render decisions only regarding cases that involve human rights violations in accordance with the Convention and is not competent to solve territorial disputes, for example.
Conclusion
The analysis shows how difficult it is to legally substantiate and justify that Armenia was or is an occupying power and it has committed its only obligation under the four resolutions of the UN Security Council. However, taking into account all the possible hurdles associated with bringing a case before the Security Council, Armenia shall also seek alternative institutional dimensions and legal remedies. ICJ can be among those alternatives , though only in limited cases when it is envisaged in the legal instrument. ICC and PCA along with the OSCE Court of Conciliation and Arbitration can hardly be an option. ECtHR can probably be the most competent court, where Armenia may sue Azerbaijan without the consent of the latter, however, its power is limited to the scope of the European Convention of Human Rights. Armenia may also consider availing itself of the remedies enshrined in the mechanisms and procedures of the OSCE.
By Albert Hayrapetyan
Albert Hayrapetyan holds a PhD in Economics. He also holds MA degrees from College of Europe and American University of Armenia. He is a Senior researcher in Amberd Research Center of Armenian State University of Economics and also an Lecturer at Chair of International Economic Relations in Armenian State University of Economics. Mr. Hayrapetyan is also a Visiting Lecturer in the Southern Federal University. His main areas of interest include economic integrations, regionalism and international legal disputes.
Funding acknowledgement
The article is part of academic commitments under the grant agreement between the author and Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. The author was funded a research grant by Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. The purpose of the grant is to enable authors research entitled The Legal Aspect of Nagorno-Karabakh Issue.
REFERENCES
YEREVAN, 30 SEPTEMBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 30 September, USD exchange rate up by 0.71 drams to 484.20 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 2.56 drams to 561.43 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.01 drams to 6.66 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 2.58 drams to 651.39 drams.
The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.
Gold price down by 192.82 drams to 27042.89 drams. Silver price down by 2.43 drams to 347.54 drams. Platinum price down by 245.37 drams to 15053.67 drams.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 30, ARMENPRESS. Newly appointed Ambassador of France to Armenia Anne Louyot delivered credentials to President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian on September 30.
I am happy to represent France in a country, with which my country has unique relations. I will do everything to further develop bilateral relations, the newly appointed Ambassador said, conveying the warm greetings of French President Emmanuel Macron to President Sarkissian.
As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Presidents Office, the President congratulated Anne Louyot on assuming the position, wished her success and hoped that by joint efforts the already rich agenda of the two countries will be enriched with new ideas and initiatives.
According to President Sarkissian, the friendship between Armenia and France coming from the depth of centuries, the unique relations between the two states, the high level political dialogue and mutual trust are a serious basis for the future development of the Armenian-French relations.
Armen Sarkissian noted that Armenia greatly appreciates the support and solidarity of French President Emmanuel Macron and the French people during the hard days for Armenia.
The interlocutors referred to different spheres of the Armenian-French cooperation. President Sarkissian assessed cooperation in modern technologies as promising. He presented ATOM (Advances Tomorrow) presidential initiative, which, being a future-oriented project, will be focused on the scientific-technological and educational development. There are already some preliminary agreements on cooperation with a number of French major technological companies. Armenia, with the support of France, can establish the locomotives for the future, which are technological locomotives, the President said.
The sides also spoke about the implementation of ambitious programs aimed at expanding cooperation in the fields of education, culture and healthcare, through which, as the Ambassador noted, the French side is ready to invest its experience in Armenia.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 30, ARMENPRESS. Newly appointed Ambassador of Armenia to Belarus Razmik Khumaryan delivered credentials to President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, ARMENPRESS reports, BelTa agency wrote.
Lukashenko said the two countries are linked by traditional friendly relations, a shared history and close interpersonal ties. "Our countries are actively cooperating within the framework of integration structures, mostly acting from a common position," Lukashenko said.
The Belarusian leader, however, noted that the significant potential of bilateral cooperation has not yet been fully realized. He assured that Belarus is open to proposals for further development of strong relations with Armenia in all spheres.
Turkey's move to purchase the S-400 air defense systems was worth the tensions it caused between Ankara and Washington, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in an interview with the New York Times newspaper, Tass informs.
September 30, 2021, 10:27 Erdogan believes purchase of Russia's S-400 systems worth tensions with US
STEPANAKERT, SEPTEMBER 30, ARTSAKHPRESS: "We buy our own weapons," Erdogan said, as cited by the paper. According to the New York Times, the Turkish leader pointed out that NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and former US President Donald Trump had reaffirmed Turkeys right to choose arms suppliers. According to him, had the US sold Turkey Patriot missile defense systems, Ankara "would not have had to buy S-400s."
When asked if Turkeys actions had been worth tensions with Washington, the Turkish president answered in the affirmative. "I think it was worth it," he said, as cited by the newspaper. "We can strengthen our defense as we please," Erdogan added.
Moscow and Ankara signed a contract for the delivery of the S-400 systems in 2017. Turkey became the first NATO country to purchase these systems from Russia, drawing a negative reaction from the United States and NATO in general. In particular, Washington said that "Turkeys decision to purchase Russian S-400 air defense systems renders its continued involvement with the F-35 impossible." The US also threatened to impose sanctions on Turkey over the S-400 deal and Ankara warned that such a move would not go unanswered. However, Washington finally introduced restrictions in December 2020.
Today the search for the remains of the fallen Armenian servicemen was carried out in the Varanda (Fizuli) region of Artsakh where the remains of another serviceman was found.
September 30, 2021, 17:26 Another fallen servicemans remains found in Artsakh search operations
STEPANAKERT, SEPTEMBER 30, ARTSAKHPRESS: The service noted that the initial data suggest that the killed is a contract serviceman who participated in the military actions. A forensic examination is planned to establish the identity of the killed.
To note, since November 13 when the ceasefire agreement was reached, 1,678 bodies of fallen troops and civilians have been recovered from the former areas of combat operations.
You no longer have to point your phone at your computer screen if you want to use Google Lens on your computer. As part of a string of updates, Google has revealed that Lens will be available for Chrome on the desktop in the "coming months." You just have to right-click on a website, choose to search with Lens and select the part of the page you want to examine. After that, you'll get results relating to the content you highlighted. Needless to say, that could be helpful if you're trying to identify an animal or a hot new jacket.
There are some upgrades coming to Lens on your phone. An update in early 2022 will let you ask a question after snapping a photo. If you need to know how to repair a part on your bike, for instance, you'll get results even if you don't know what that part is. The Google app for iPhones, meanwhile, will let you search for products within images.
This is a not-so-subtle effort to boost Google Shopping. You might be more likely to buy apparel or bike parts if you can identify them, after all. Even so, the expansion could make Lens more useful as a general search tool, not just for special circumstances.
Inspiration can strike at any time. Soon you'll be able to use #GoogleLens to instantly search for products within images while browsing on the Google app on iPhone. And psst Lens is coming to Chrome on desktop too #SearchOn pic.twitter.com/HTQCz7sjoO Google (@Google) September 29, 2021
A Florida couple may have captured a photo of wanted man Brian Laundrie in the background of a selfie while on a camping trip.
Marci and Kenny Newsom spotted a man in their photo who they were told may be Mr Laundrie. The photo was taken a few days after his fiancee Gabby Petito was reported missing.
According to ABC7, Mr Laundrie who has been missing for almost two weeks arrived at the Florida park with his parents Christopher and Roberta on September 6.
The couple spotted the eerie detail in the back of a selfie. Source: NBC2
The Newsom couple told ABC7 they checked into the campsite on the same day. According to documents obtained by the TV station they were camping next to the Laundrie family.
Sighting unconfirmed
According to The Independent, a spokeswoman from the FBIs Denver Division said they were unable to comment on the possible sighting.
This is an ongoing investigation and we have no comment other than what is posted in our official statements.
The Laundrie family attorney, Steve Bertolino, said the Laundrie family checked out of the campsite on September 7, but a public information request of park records shows they left the next day.
Ms Newsom told ABC7 she saw the Laundrie family's red vehicle but she didnt speak to the them, saying "they kept to themselves".
Brian Laundrie and his fiancee Gabby Petito were on a camping trip when she was reported missing. Source: North Port Police Department
Search for Brian Laundrie continues
Ms Petitos mother Nichole Schmidt reported her daughter missing on September 11. The 22-year-old was last seen on August 27. She was found dead at a national park in Wyoming, after setting out on a cross-country van trip with Mr Laundrie.
Mr Laundrie returned to the couple's home in Florida alone on September 1 five days after Ms Petito was last seen. He was reported missing on September 17.
The US District Court of Wyoming issued a federal arrest warrant for Mr Laundrie issued in relation to the unauthorised use of a debit card.
Story continues
Brian Laundries attorney confirmed Brian and his parents visited a Pinellas County campsite a few days before Gabby Petitos family reported her missing. @MeganMyersNews @ABC7SWFL #GabbyPetito #BrianLaundrie https://t.co/j0puqF4qYd Meagan Miller (@MeaganMillerTV) September 29, 2021
The FBI in Denver, released the autopsy results.
"The initial determination for the manner of death is homicide," FBI Special Agent in Charge, Michael Schneider said, following the autopsy results.
"The FBI and our partners remain dedicated to ensuring anyone responsible for or complicit in Ms Petito's death is held accountable for their actions.
"Mr Brian Laundrie has been named as a person of interest. Anyone with information concerning Mr Laundrie's role in this matter or current whereabouts should contact the FBI."
with AAP.
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China continues to turn the screws on Australia in the wake of its landmark defence pact with the UK and US, once again questioning Canberra's human rights track record.
The significant AUKUS agreement that will see nuclear-powered submarines added to Australia's arsenal has infuriated Beijing and paired with ongoing commentary around the growing threat of China, the ugly war-of-words between the two countries has been reignited.
While largely unmentioned in recent months at foreign ministry daily press briefings, Australia has been a hot topic in the past fortnight with the department taking every opportunity to take a swipe at Canberra and the Morrison government.
Chinese state media have been routinely teeing up foreign ministry spokespeople to go on the offensive.
Hua Chunying took aim at Australia once again on Wednesday. Source: FMPRC
China critical of Australia's treatment of Indigenous people
On Wednesday evening, spokeswoman Hua Chunying was asked about China's view on Australia's treatment of Indigenous people in the wake of the 48th session of the Human Rights Council where the issue was raised alongside that of the US and Canada.
While delving into the history of the treatment of Aboriginal people in Australia, Ms Hua said little had changed and "discriminatory laws and policies against Indigenous people are still effective" and "Indigenous people are still among the most oppressed".
She said a meeting on the sidelines of the session between China, Belarus, North Korea and Venezuela, Australia was accused of hypocritical behaviour.
"Canada and Australia claim themselves as "human rights pioneers", but their own human rights situations are "fraught with problems"," she said.
"The international community should condemn their gross violations of Indigenous people's human rights.
"All participating parties expressed gratitude to China and other countries for organising the event and paid their respect to those who are brave enough to speak out on behalf of Indigenous people.
Story continues
"They hoped the international community can act up, and redress social and historical injustice, and urge the US, Canada and Australia to give an explanation to indigenous people."
Scott Morrison is juggling an increasingly unstable relationship with China. Source: Getty
China facing its own human rights abuse allegations
It comes at a time China itself is facing serious allegations of mass human rights abuses in Xinjiang, where more than one million Uyghurs and Muslim minorities are being held in internment camps in a crackdown on extremism.
Australia is one of several countries to voice its concerns over the treatment of those in the labour camps.
Beijing has routinely countered Australia's commentary with accusations of human rights violations committed by Australia including at offshore refugee camps and the alleged war crimes of Australian soldiers in Afghanistan.
Last year, a Chinese embassy official told Nine Newspapers China was intent on raising the plight of Indigenous Australians.
"Why keep silent?" the official reportedly said.
Last week fellow foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian offered a detailed description of alleged human rights offences committed by Australia and called for an explanation from the Morrison government.
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Local
PUBLIC HEALTH
Cayuga County health care facilities report over 90% of employees got COVID-19 vaccine
Kevin Rivoli, The Citizen Nurse Ashley Colella draws a syringe during an Auburn Community Hospital COVID-19 vaccine clinic for employees and their families.
A vast majority of employees at Cayuga County's only hospital and four nursing homes chose to get the COVID-19 vaccine before the state mandate took effect on Monday.
According to the state Department of Health, 84% of Auburn Community Hospital's 1,100 employees are fully vaccinated, up from 80% one week ago. Matthew Chadderdon, the hospital's vice president of marketing and public affairs, told The Citizen that 93.5% of employees have received at least one vaccine dose.
Auburn Community Hospital released a statement ahead of the deadline for the vaccine mandate to announce that a "small number" of employees would resign, but that it wouldn't affect services provided at the hospital.
The vaccine mandate was issued by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in August. Health care workers, including those employed at hospitals and nursing homes, were required to get their first vaccine dose by Monday, Sept. 27.
A review of data provided to the state Department of Health shows the mandate led to increased vaccination rates among employees at Auburn hospital and the four nursing homes in Cayuga County.
Three months ago, Auburn Rehabilitation and Nursing Center had one of the lowest vaccination rates in the state, with 48.3% of employees who received at least one vaccine dose. As of Monday, the employee vaccination rate was 89.9%.
The Commons on St. Anthony, a nursing home in Auburn with 350 employees, reported two weeks that 86.5% of employees received at least one vaccine dose. According to the latest state data, 98.4% of the facility's employees have received at least one dose the highest rate among the county's four nursing homes.
Julie Sheedy, chief marketing and engagement officer for Loretto, which operates The Commons, wrote in an email to The Citizen that nine employees declined the vaccine and resigned. However, they would be rehired if they get vaccinated.
"Loretto was able to reach these high percentages because of our culture of caring for and listening to our employees," Sheedy said. "We had hundreds of face-to-face personal conversations with each individual to answer their questions, and we even sat with many of them when they got vaccinated. We are so proud of all our Loretto employees who made this commitment to themselves, their families, our residents and their fellow staff to be safe."
Northwoods Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Moravia, which has 40 employees, is close behind The Commons with a 98.3% vaccination rate. That's up from 79% three weeks ago and 75.8% in late June.
Finger Lakes Center for Living, a nursing home operated by Auburn Community Hospital, has a 95.9% vaccination rate, up from 79.6% on Sept. 7 and 78.7% on June 30.
Facility June 30 Sept. 7 Sept. 27 Auburn Rehabilitation and Nursing Center 48.3% 72.2% 89.9% Finger Lakes Center for Living (Auburn) 78.7% 79.6% 95.9% Northwoods Rehabilitation and Nursing Center (Moravia) 75.8% 79.0% 98.3% The Commons on St. Anthony (Auburn) 73.4% 79.1% 98.4% *Note: Rates are based number of employees who have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose
There have been similar trends statewide. Gov. Kathy Hochul's office released data on Tuesday that revealed 92.6% of the 143,753 nursing home employees in New York received at least one vaccine dose, up from 82% one week ago and 71% on Aug. 24, the day Hochul took office.
New York has 519,109 hospital employees and 92% have been given at least one shot. As of Wednesday, 87% of New York's hospital employees are fully vaccinated.
"Our greatest responsibility is to protect our most vulnerable, and ensuring that the health care workers who care for our loved ones are vaccinated is critical to keeping New Yorkers safe," Hochul said. "I am grateful to the facilities, unions, and health care workers who took important steps to prepare and protect New Yorkers, and we are working with facilities to ensure they remain operational."
Hochul issued an executive order that allows out-of-state health care workers and trained National Guard members to work at hospitals with staffing shortages. Some hospitals have said that they will need to reduce services due to the loss of employees who chose not to get vaccinated.
At the board of health meeting, Cayuga County Legislator Elane Daly, who chairs the legislature's Health and Human Services committee, asked Cuddy if there are employees who will leave the department due to the mandate.
"To date, not everyone is fully vaccinated nor has everyone started their vaccinations," Cuddy said.
The health department has been on the front lines of the pandemic since it began in March 2020. The department's staff has been overwhelmed at times due to surges in COVID-19 cases. The county is in the midst of one of its worst waves of the pandemic, with more than 1,000 cases in September and 747 in August. Twelve residents have died over that two-month period.
Beginning in January, the department's role wasn't limited to responding to COVID-19 cases, issuing isolation orders and conducting contact tracing investigations. It began holding vaccination clinics at Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES and later, Fingerlakes Mall. There have been walk-in clinics in other parts of the county. Thousands of residents have been vaccinated at these clinics.
Cuddy praised the department's staff for their work during the pandemic.
"We all understand the importance of vaccination," she said. "We will come into compliance with what is expected from the state."
In the Chautauqua-Allegheny region, Cattaraugus County spotters at Allegany State Park in Salamanca are expecting 35-40% color change for this weekend, with orange, yellow, and some red leaves of muted brilliance. Reporting from Gowanda and Little Valley predict up to 30% foliage change, with increasing hints of orange and varying shades of brown. In Chautauqua County, expect up to 25% color change around Chautauqua Institution, where many of the leaves are beginning to turn red while others remain green. The countys rural communities of Sherman and Panama are a bit further along in progression.
In the Capital-Saratoga region, Fulton County reporting from Pine Lake Park in Caroga Lake predict up to 40% color change and conditions approaching midpoint, as hints of orange and red emerge through the southern Adirondacks. In Rensselaer County, spotters in Troy predict up to 25% color change this weekend, with some bright shades of yellow, red, and orange beginning to appear. In Albany County near Cohoes Falls in Cohoes, up to 20% color change is expected with muted shades of yellow and red. Color change in Loudonville and Colonie is expected to be lower, around 10%. In Saratoga County, Saratoga Springs foliage change will remain low this weekend, with 10% color transition and subtle hues of greens, golds, and ambers, along with some reds and oranges.
Primetta supported herself by working as a seamstress. Raven-haired with dark eyes and sharp features, she eventually fell in love with an Italian fighter pilot named Vittorio Andriani.
"I didn't see too much of him because he was always fighting someplace," Primetta told the Golden Gate Wing, a military aviation club in Oakland, California, in 2008.
Italy entered World War II in June 1940. The local police warned Primetta to leave because Mussolini wanted American citizens out of the country. Primetta refused. Several weeks later, the state police told her to get out, warning her that she could end up in a concentration camp.
In June 1941, Andriani was missing in action; Primetta learned later that he had crashed and died near Malta. While he was missing, she joined a group of strangers making their way out of Italy on a train to Portugal.
"In Spain, one can still see, after 2-3 years, the traces of the atrocities of the past," Primetta wrote in a letter to a friend in the midst of her flight. "At Port Bou, the Spanish border, not one house is left standing; everting got destroyed because the town is an important train transit point that brought supplies to the "Reds", the enemy . . . I've seen so much destruction that I've had enough. The day after tomorrow, I get on the ship, and I'm sure all will go well."
Luxury electric car maker Lucid Group is on track to meet its production targets for 2022 and 2023 and is pushing to achieve this year's goal of 577 vehicles, its chief executive said.
(Also Read: Volvos Polestar to go public, valued at $20 billion)
The California-based startup, which went public via a shell company this year, has secured the $4.4 billion it needed until the end of next year but would not wait until then to raise more cash, Peter Rawlinson told Reuters.
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"This is a capital intensive business," he said, adding that the company was on track to achieve its production target of 20,000 vehicles in 2022 and 50,000 in 2023.
He said the latest funding "sees us through to the end of 2022. So it doesn't see us right through to project Gravity," a reference to the firm's electric sport utility vehicle planned for release in late 2023.
"The balance sheet is okay till the end of next year. So we will not wait till the end of next year to raise money. That would be pretty crazy," he said.
Lucid started production of its Lucid Air premium electric sedans at its Arizona factory on Tuesday, aiming to deliver the cars to customers in late October.
Lucid shares were up 6.5% in premarket trading on Wednesday.
He said there was an undue fascination" with Tesla's new 4680 battery format, adding the current cells that helped Lucid achieve an industry-leading driving range showed more promise in the near term. Tesla has canceled its plan to launch its longest-range car Model S Plaid+ with its new batteries.
Rawlinson said Tesla's bigger battery has a cost advantage, and has the opportunity to reduce internal resistance if it is incorporated with tabless architecture, a difficult technology.
"People are thinking that 4680 is this huge leap that is gonna transform the electric car. I don't see that one. I think that is the fantasy," he said.
He said Lucid would have a team looking at all these battery formats in due course.
Tesla did not immediately responded to Reuters' request for comment.
It was a "reasonable bet" that in a year's time, the industry's chip shortage would ease, Rawlinson said, echoing comments made by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who said last week that new semiconductor plants being built would mean the shortage was short term.
Rawlinson said the company was redesigning one printed circuit board to avoid any problems that could affect the supply of one chip in the medium term.
"We are undertaking risk mitigation actions now," he said.
This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.
Ola Electric, Indias latest electric two-wheeler manufacturing company, has announced that it has raised over 200 million dollars from Falcon Edge, Softbank and others. The lenders have put Ola Electric's valuation at around 3 billion dollars ahead of the company's plan to launch its IPO.
The funds came at a time when Ola has already got off to a flying start with its first products - the S1 and S1 Pro electric scooters.
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Ola claims it has sold electric scooters worth over 1,100 crore in just two days earlier this month. The Ola S1 electric scooter is priced at 1 lakh while the more capable S1 Pro is priced at 1.30 lakh.
After the launch of the electric scooters, Bhavish Aggarwal, CEO and Co-Founder of Ola Electric, had expressed his intentions to expand the business to electric motorcycles and cars as well. The latest fund raise has given a boost to his plans.
India is building technologies of the future and becoming a global EV hub! With this raise, we will accelerate our vehicle dev across 2W scooters, motorbikes and 4W. And fast track Mission Electric: No petrol 2W in India after 2025," Aggarwal wrote while announcing the fund raise development on Twitter today.
The company has issued a statement saying that it will now speed up development of these vehicle platforms, which will also include mass market electric scooters.
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- On Sept. 29, Tesla announced the launch of its 100th Supercharger stations and 1,000th Supercharger in Shanghai, the first auto brand in China to deploy 100 supercharging stations in a city.
Tesla's first China-based Supercharger station was launched in Jinqiao Town, Shanghai in April 2014. In December 2019, the automaker's first V3 Supercharger station for the country started operation in Shanghai. With the station at Shanghai Jing'an International Center put into use in December 2020, the number of Tesla's Superchargers in Chinese mainland hit 5,000. Currently, Tesla's charging network has already covered all 16 districts of Shanghai.
Tesla's 100th Supercharger Station in Shanghai; photo credit: Tesla
Tesla's Supercharger manufacturing plant in Shanghai began production in early February 2021. The site focuses on outputting the V3 Superchargers. The automaker claimed that a V3 Supercharger can add 250 km of range for a Model 3 through a 15-minute charging.
Aside from Shanghai, Tesla opened 6 Supercharger stations in Beijing at the end of August, increasing the total number of its Superchargers in the capital of China to nearly 800.
As of today, Tesla has deployed over 900 Supercharger Stations in more than 300 cities across China, with the cumulative number of Superchargers exceeding 7,000 piles.
Moreover, the U.S.-based EV manufacturer has launched its charging facilities along the Silk Road, Sichuan-Tibet highway, and other domestic long-distance inter-provincial routes.
On September 30, NIO officially launched its ES8 in Norway and commenced user delivery. NIO House | Oslo will open to the public on October 1.
NIO adopts global pricing strategy. After adjusted for logistics, local taxes and operating costs, the ES8 has a starting price of NOK 609,000 with the standard-range battery (75 kWh), and NOK 679,000 with the long-range battery (100 kWh) with which the ES8 boasts a WLTP range of 500 km.
NIO's Battery as a Service (BaaS) is also available in Norway. With comprehensive services enabled by vehicle-battery separation, battery subscription and the chargeable, swappable and upgradable batteries, it marks a breakthrough both in technology and business model. BaaS users can choose to purchase a car without battery, and subscribe to batteries of various capacities according to actual needs by paying a monthly subscription fee accordingly.
At the same time, BaaS can address problems that have long been affecting the wide adoption of electric vehicles, including battery degradation, inflexible capacity upgrades, and fluctuated vehicle resale value. Those who subscribe to BaaS will be able to enjoy services of NIO Power Swap network and flexible battery upgrades. BaaS users choosing the standard-range battery can have a deduction of NOK 90,000 from the car purchase price and only need to pay a battery subscription fee of NOK 1,399 per month. And the price deduction for the long-range battery stands at NOK 160,000 with a monthly subscription fee of NOK 1,999.
By the end of 2022, NIO will build 20 Power Swap stations in Norway, covering Norway's five largest cities and their main roads. The first integrated station of battery charging and swapping in Norway will be up and running at the end of October.
Located at Karl Johans Gate 33, Oslo's center of commerce and culture, NIO House | Oslo has a total area of 2,100 square meters, and is the largest user center in Norway. The two-story structure has an upper floor for the display of products and services, and a lower floor for the NIO Cafe, Library, Forum, Lab, Living Room and Joy Camp areas exclusive to NIO users.
NIO's Service and Delivery Center in Oslo will open in October. With a floor space of 1,800 square meters, it offers services including vehicle delivery, maintenance and repair, mobile service fleet and car pick-up and delivery service. NIO will also provide worry-free service in the other four cities in Norway together with authorized service partners.
The Norway Collection jointly designed by NIO Life, NIO's lifestyle brand, and two Norwegian artists, Anette Moi and Sandra Blikas, is now available in Norway and China.
Today marks a significant moment in the history of NIO. Today the very first European users have the opportunity to experience what it means to be part of the NIO community, says NIO Europes CEO Alexander Schwarz. Norway is our starting point of our journey in Europe and beyond. Our vision is clear: to provide our users with seamless and worry-free services as well as supreme and joyful user experiences. We offer to be their friend and partner on their personal journey to a brighter and more sustainable future. From our NIO Houses, such as the first one in Oslo, through to our battery swap stations, our worry-free Battery-as-a-Service subscription models and our convenient online services, Being part of the NIO community will bring joy, friendship and meaningful interaction.
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- GAC Motor, the wholly-owned PV subsidiary of GAC Group, and the global automaker Stellantis held a ceremony on Sept. 26 for the export of 770 SUVs to Mexico, according to a post on GAC Motor's WeChat account.
GAC Motor's SUVs to be exported to Mexico; photo credit: GAC Motor
Those SUVs were manufactured at GAC Motor's Hangzhou plant, while will be sold in Mexico tagged with Stellantis' Dodge brand. Under the partnership of the two automakers, cumulative vehicle exports are expected to reach 4,000 units by the end of this year.
Under GAC Group's globalization strategy, Mexico has been regarded as an important market for the business expansion in America due to its massive consumer group and huge market potential on car shopping. GAC Motor International Limited started an investigation into Mexican market in 2019 and formed a strategic partnership with Stellantis to sell products abroad bearing the latter's marques.
Through two-year joint efforts, the first cooperative cars will soon depart for Mexico under the name Dodge Journey. As one of the 15 brands owned by Stellantis, Dodge is a popular car brand in Mexico and has a mature local sales network. GAC Motor expects its products to be rapidly well received by local consumers by virtue of Mexican's familiarity to Dodge brand.
Stephen A. Smith has been remarkably open as to why Max Kellerman is no longer his First Take cohost: Smith wanted a change.
That became news very quickly, of course, which is what youd expect when one of the most recognizable people at ESPN forces a change to a long-running program. Kellerman is now hosting This Just In, along with ESPN Radio duties, and Smith has been consistent in saying that one of the reasons he was comfortable pushing for the change was that Kellerman would have landing spots within ESPN.
He said that on Hot 97 a few weeks ago, and on the SI Media Podcast he told Jimmy Traina the same thing.
Stephen A. Smith couldn't have been more open and honest on this week's SI MEDIA PODCAST as you will see in this clip. Full show here: https://t.co/xB8VRjJbFB pic.twitter.com/mLaf718REw Jimmy Traina (@JimmyTraina) September 30, 2021
The quotes are consistent enough that well just use the Hot 97 version, as transcribed by OregonLive:
The rumors are accurate in terms of me wanting him off the show, Smith told radio hosts Ebro Darden and Peter Rosenberg. Lets get that out the way. Yes, I did (want him off the show). It wasnt really about asking him to be off the show, it was about the fact that I knew that we, together, as far as I was concerned, was not a great partnership anymore and that was something that needed to change. The reason why Im unapologetic about my position, No. 1, is that its no knock against him professionally, his work ethic, and all of that other stuff, his talent. Its not like I wanted the guy to be fired. I knew there were landing spots for him available at this network that would generate just as much, if not more revenue for him and all of that other stuff.
Western movies, a prominent genre in the 50s and 60s, botched North Americas history as it glorified the colonial conquest. It rendered the white cowboys heroes and the dark-skinned Indians brutal and wild, having them, almost always, caving in to the colonialists. In stereotypical slant, the cowboys represented the better arm of humanity and the Indians the lower category of the human species, so the injuns, were pictured as savages and rarely perceived as humans with rights to their lands, history, and culture. These Hollywood movies propagated the world with unfair and unjust revelations: this is a minuscule example of the many intolerant and abusive acts that indigenous peoples in North America endured.
When North America was discovered, 15 million indigenous people lived there; by the late 19th century, only 238,000 had survived the colonialists attack. The motto then was kill the Indian save the man, as the the indigenous peoples did not qualify as humans.
For decades, Indigenous peoples were not considered citizens, their culture undeserving of saving. In fact, the residential school system in both the US and Canada was one of many torturous methods utilized to have indigenous people become extinct by assimilating them into the white culture. By assimilation they were expected to cease to exist as nations.
These boarding schools were mandatory and run by the government and Catholic authorities where children were forcibly taken from their parents under a shameful colonial policy. In Canada, between 1863 and 1998 more than 150,000 children were taken from their parents' arms and placed in schools that served as concentration colonies. Since the children were not allowed to speak their language or practice their culture, and many of them were mistreated, abused and killed, it was a policy that amounted to cultural genocide. The impacts of such schools reverberate until today.
True, todays climate has made a crucial bend; still, indigenous peoples cannot simply shake off and get over what happened to them because the pain remains alive and the impact of the suffering and the colonization exists in the elders of communities and their offspring today. The past persists as a daunting legacy.
However, the Indigenous peoples of America are indeed redeeming some of their rights. It began by apologies. In 2008, Stephen Harper, then Canadas prime minister, apologized publicly to Canadas indigenous peoples for the consequences of residential schools. This while the Truth and Reconciliation Act fundamentally acknowledged the gut-wrenching history that indigenous peoples suffered and vowed to support the sufferers.
Also, the US apology says, The United States apologizesto all Native Peoples for the many instances of violence, maltreatment, and neglect inflictedby citizens of the United States."
Many occurrences exhibit how the current culture has changed especially in Canada. The most pivotal recognition came in 2021, as Mary Simon, an indigenous Inuit from Kangiqsualujjuaq, Nunavik, Quebec, became the first indigenous Governor General as she acclaimed the position of the 30th Governor General of Canada.
Columbus Day is observed on the second Monday of October each year, commemorating his arrival to the new world. Today, many believe that Columbuss arrival to the Americas led to the genocide of the indigenous people. This is why many states in the US have replaced that national holiday with Indigenous Peoples Day. It has become a holiday that celebrates the resilience and cultures of Indigenous peoples across the Americas.
Statues of renowned Canadians who also played roles in the torturous past that Indigenous Canadians suffered are being knocked down. The statue of Edward Cornwallis, the founder of the Halifax Port, also accused of practicing genocide against Indigenous population, was removed; the statue of John A. McDonald, the first Prime Minister of Canada, also the initiator of the most damaging policies against Canadian Indigenous peoples was also removed. At Ryerson University in Toronto, the statue of Egerton Ryerson, deemed the principle initiator of Canadas residential school system, was toppled. Whether these monuments were toppled, removed, or knocked down is besides the point, for they will never be erected again.
Furthermore, most indigenous communities were oral societies, with no written words associated to their languages. They passed down their ways and knowledge through stories and songs. Some societies did not have a written language till the 70s of the last century. Now the written words are often utilized in writings and syllabic signs across many highways and roads in Canada as one travels through unceded territories of indigenous peoples. All the signs along the Sea to Sky Corridor, in British Columbia, are written in both English and Skwxwu7mesh or Squamish language.
Its worth noting that many territories in Canada including 95 percent of the Province of British Columbia, all the Maritimes, and much of eastern part of the Provinces of Quebec and Ontario are on unceded territory, meaning they were never yielded or handed over to Canada. This is why acknowledgement of ownership of territories is becoming a regular acceptable way of prefacing a speech, document, or presentation. Almost all events begin by acknowledging the host nation by saying a phrase along the lines of, I would like to acknowledge that we are meeting today on the unceded traditional territories of the _____ people.
As we speak, over 50 indigenous candidates are running in the 2021 Canadian federal election. This is a fundamental change in how indigenous people view their role in the bigger picture across Canada.
These are all exceptional attributes in the healing and are an aid in the reconciliation process. Still, it will take time to overcome the years of pain and hurt.
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The harbor sprang to life as Norwegian Sun pulled into Port Said at dawn. An endless line of tour buses were waiting along a narrow street by the pier. Perpendicular to the pier was a thoroughfare stretching far into the heart of the city and beyond. A steady stream of people was being disgorged from the starboard side of our humongous ship and inching its way toward the buses as I stood high above on Deck 15 trying desperately to steady my camera against the tremor sent through the ship by its idling engine and snap a few pictures of my first view of Egypt soaked in the shimmering twilight of morning.
Shrouded by the long shadows of moored gargantuan vessels, little boats of all sorts were toiling around on the rippling surface of dark water.
In the dim halo of street lamps flanking the thoroughfare could be seen police vehicles dotting both sides of the road and people standing by those vehicles kept the surrounding areas under their watchful eyes. Such was my first sight of Egypt, ominous, ghostly, evoking the underworld. I didn't realize it then, but looking back, that scene of tight security should have alerted me that this was going to be a tour unlike any I had taken before.
We were in no particular hurry as Blue Nile was supposed to have a minivan waiting down there for us, and as all those countless buses and minivans had to get loaded with tourists first and then organized into a police-guarded convoy for the 3-hour drive to Cairo. Over the years, terrorists have attacked tourists in Egypt on a number of occasions. The most gruesome attack happened on November 17, 1997, when 62 people, mostly tourists, were killed by terrorists in Luxor. The protected convoy arrangement is in response to such threat.
After finishing a leisurely breakfast, we strolled down to Deck 4, with a piece of luggage each, to disembark. It was fully bright by now.
It did not take us long to find Nile Blue's minivan parked on the right hand side of the street; it had Nile Blue painted on its side panels and a cleanly shaven young man standing by its passenger side door. He looked in his late 20s, of a stocky build with a budding beer belly. All smiles, he was sporting a loosely fitting black hoodie and a pair of denim jeans, and was holding up a cardboard sign saying Nile Blue.
My name is Mo'men, the young man was saying to us as we gathered around him. It sounds like moment in English, so you can call me Moment. It'll be a while yet before the convoy can leave. I was just about to tune him out and step away to look around the harbor when he said something that alarmed me: The drive to Cairo will take a bit over three hours, and we won't be able to make stops on the way as the convoy must stay together at all times. More than three hours without stops?! Well, that's going to be a problem, I thought to myself, a big problem, for my bladder! So, what if we need to go to the bathroom? I asked. Well, you'll just have to hold your pee, Mo'men replied matter-of-factly. Here is a bit of hindsight I had after we got to Cairo: if he hadn't told us there were no planned stops on the way, I might probably have been just fine; now that he had put us on notice, however, I couldn't help but start dreading what to do when nature called. As a matter of fact, I immediately felt the need to take a leak upon hearing Mo'men's unpleasant announcement.
Truth be told, I felt a bit put off by Mo'men's reply. We've been to places around the world. No matter where we are, we invariably find people to be accommodating when it comes to tourists' reasonable, expected needs. It is not uncommon either for people to even go out of their way to offer help. I was taken aback by Mo'men's response because, just a moment before I popped the question, he had been saying how happy he was to see us and how his personal living as well as the health of the Egyptian economy both heavily depended on tourism. I can't even chalk it up to inexperience, as Mo'men later revealed that he had been employed in the tourism industry for years, ever since graduation from college. In my urge to rationalize everything, I did manage to find an excuse for Mo'men: our vehicle needed to stay with the convoy at all times for security reasons. But this does not explain why arrangements couldn't have been made for the entire convoy to make at least one stop somewhere along the way.
Long story short, I went to the bathroom three times during the one hour we waited for departure at the harbor just so I wouldn't have to cause some embarrassing international incident because I needed to pee.
I did manage to survey the harbor a bit in between. The street the Nile Blue van was parked on was flanked on one side by an endless row of nondescript one-storey buildings housing what looked like warehouses and waterfront stores and on the other side by apartment buildings of different heights and sizes. At the end of the street stood a glistening mosque topped with light green domes, reminding us unequivocally we were in a land of Muslims.
Indeed, most conspicuous amid an assortment of constructions lining the opposite side of the harbor was another majestic mosque, its twin minarets, meticulously sculptured, towering in sharp contrast next to a crowd of colossal portal cranes of ruthless functional design, a mesmerizing ode to history in symphony with a barbarian shout of modernity, beauty and the beast, the two sides of the same coin called Egypt. All that's there left to do is figure out which is the heads, and which the tails.
Digital Leaders Summit 2021Lets talk: Move to digital infrastructure for business agility
In this webinar, Dr William Lee of IDC Cloud Services Asia/Pacific and Guy Danskine of Equinix Australia discuss the latest technology trends and explain the need for organizations to re-think their infrastructure modernization strategy for business agility and resiliency.
Tune in to hear these two professionals discuss ways IT leaders can make the most of digital infrastructure investments and learn about:
The future of digital infrastructure
Cloud-centric infrastructure realities
Considerations when shifting away from traditional infrastructure
And much more
Whats New with VMware Cloud on AWS: Improved Compliance, Workload protection and Enhancement in scale, usage and migration capabilities
VMware Cloud on AWS has over three years in the market, boasting its ability to help customers accelerate their hybrid cloud journeys in a fast, cost-effective manner with minimal risk.
Use this brief report to see whats new with VMware Cloud on AWS as of 2021and what you need to know about these updates.
Read the report here.
The Cost of Doing Nothing: 3 STAKEHOLDER PERSPECTIVES Explore this white paper to learn about Smarshs archiving solutions which use modern, web-scale technologies to ingest, search and export content orders of magnitude faster than legacy archives can help.
Zoom and Re-Imagining the Future of Work in Financial Services Access this webinar to learn about how the financial services is changing as we emerge from the pandemic, what Zooms role will be in enabling remote/hybrid work, and more.
Archiving Microsoft Teams Communications for Public Agencies Checklist Access this white paper to see the Archiving Microsoft Communications Checklist which will help you figure out where you stand today and where you need to be to manage Microsoft Teams effectively, and keep your organization prepared for records requests and legal inquiries.
Key Considerations When Making the Move to Office 365 Common obstacles for Office 365 migration have typically focused on inadequate planning, lack of communication & an insufficient review of policies. This white paper outlines 6 key considerations for the Office 365 migration process. Read on for a comprehensive look at all considerations for Office 365 migratioa and its archiving requirements.
5 Steps to Compliance in an Evolving Mobile Landscape New tools make it more complicated than ever to archive and monitor employee communications, leaving regulated companies vulnerable to risk. Read this guide to learn 5 important steps to managing policy, risk and technology knowledge gaps and working toward a seamless, scalable and forward-thinking mobile communications.
Electronic Communications Compliance Checklist for Broker-Dealers The requirements for electronic communications recordkeeping, storage and supervision can be daunting. Without due oversight, broker-dealers put their business at risk of litigation, fines or other enforcement penalties. Read this checklist for recommendations on how to streamline oversight processes and reduce the chance of regulatory risk.
Government's Guide to Secure Recordkeeping of Electronic Communications In this guide, discover all the forms of electronic communications you must be securely collecting and preserving, how to evaluate your current archiving technology and capabilities and which security features to expect from an archiving solution. Read on to get started.
THE FUTURE OF WORK IN FINANCIAL SERVICES: How to Enable Location-Agnostic Work Now that the work from anywhere model is near ubiquitous, financial services firms need to ensure that theyre preserving and monitoring digital communications as mandated. Read this guide to get a detailed view of whats driving the shift to such a model and recommendations for reducing risk.
Microsoft Teams Communications Compliance Checklist This Microsoft Teams communications compliance checklist will help you cover all your bases, no matter your experience with or interest in Microsoft Teams. Read on to find out where you stand now and where you need to be to enjoy the benefits of Teams robust collaboration capabilities.
Managing Global Compliance: What to Do About IM and Collaboration Platforms in the Enterprise Enabling staff to interact across channels via IM and collaboration platforms has become essential for business, but regulated companies leveraging these platforms have reason to be concerned about potential risk exposure. Download this guide to explore how contextual capture and archiving strategies can help you reduce this risk.
The Public Sector Guide to Social Media Strategy and Policy This guide contains practical steps that will help public sector agencies and departments develop a strategy and policy to gain maximum value from social media efforts. It also outlines smart records retention practices so youll be better prepared to respond to open records requests or other needs when they arise. Read now.
Slack Records Retention Considerations for Public Agencies Checklist If your government agency is using or planning to use Slack, download this Slack governance checklist to make sure its prepared to fill its responsibility of preserving all agency-related communications. Find out where you stand and where you need to be to embrace and manage Slack effectively.
Archiving Slack Communications in the Public Sector Checklist If youve already chosen Slack as your agencys collaboration tool, youve taken the first step toward achieving new levels of employee engagement and productivity. The next step is to put guidelines and technology in place that will help you address potential risks. Download this Slack governance checklist to cover all your bases.
Achieving Compliant Productivity with Slack Checklist Slack is one of the most widely used, fastest-growing workplace collaboration tools today, and it's not slowing down. But without the right solution in place to govern high-volume, broad-range usage, Slack opens organizations up to risk. This governance checklist will help you cover all your bases, no matter your involvement with Slack.
Mitigating the Risks of the Hybrid Workforce What will happen over the next couple of quarters as employees return to the office? How will organizations be able to mitigate the growing amount of risk around their communications infrastructure? Watch this informative webinar to learn how Smarshs Connected Capture strives to provide communications intelligence to keep these resources secure.
Managing Zoom for Financial Services 69% of financial services firms expect to have 60% of their workforce at home at least once a week going forward, meaning that collaboration tools like Zoom are here to stay. Access this webinar to learn how Smarsh can help you better capture, archive and manage data on Zoom.
Public Sector Guide: How to Remove IT from Public Records Requests Government agencies are under increasing pressure to be more transparent when it comes to personal information requiring them to maintain strong data integrity and respond quickly to public records requests. Access this guide to unlock valuable insight and practical tips to streamline your public records request process.
How to Inspect Communications for Outside Business Activities Download this checklist to help identify potential areas of OBA risk and close the visibility gap for unauthorized business activities and other areas of employee impropriety.
THE NEED FOR FAST AND EFFECTIVE E-DISCOVERY OF ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS For IT and Legal Teams Access this white paper to learn about the Electronic Discovery Reference Model (EDRM) for e-discovery, e-discovery costs and considerations, the benefits of a modern electronic communications archiving and e-discovery solution, and a more efficient e-discovery workflow from Smarsh.
Public Sector Guide to Text Messaging Policy and Retention Check out this white paper to learn archiving best practices that put policies, procedures, employee training, and records management technology in place to reduce text communications risk.
RECORDS MANAGEMENT TRENDS FOR 2021 A RESOURCE FOR PUBLIC AGENCIES The communications boom of the last 12 months has taught us that we need to be on top of our digital records. We need to know what forms of communication are the most prevalent, what activities count as public record and how we can improve our mobile policies. Access this guide to explore 5 key records management trends for 2021.
Text Message and Social Media Compliance Best Practices for Law Enforcement Agencies The popularity of workplace SMS/text messaging and social media has exploded in recent years. Because of this, law enforcement needs to be aware of certain guidelines and considerations when allowing officers and agency employees to use these communication tools. Use this guide to learn how to stay SMS and social media compliant.
Regulatory Updates Roundup Of 10 Recent Finra And Sec Violations And Penalties In this report, review 10 of the most notable violations to better understand how they occurred, as well as how firms are managing enhanced SEC and FINRA scrutiny. Download the Roundup of 10 Recent FINRA and SEC Violations and Penalties now!
Expanding the Sphere of Supervision Value Download this guide to learn more about how information risk affects organizations of all types, the expanded value of supervision software for more than FINRA risk, and how Smarsh can help protect your organization from these risks.
July 4, 2018 will be Americas 242nd Independence Day, the day Americans celebrate our Declaration of Independence from Great Britain.
Here are five facts you should know about Americas founding document and the day set aside for its commemoration.
1. July 4, 1776 is the day that we celebrate Independence Day even though it wasnt the day the Continental Congress decided to declare independence (they did that on July 2, 1776), the day we started the American Revolution (that had happened back in April 1775), the date on which the Declaration was delivered to Great Britain (that didnt happen until November 1776), or the date it was signed (that was August 2, 1776).
2. After the War of 1812, the Federalist party began to come apart and the new parties of the 1820s and 1830s all considered themselves inheritors of Jefferson and the Democratic-Republicans. Printed copies of the Declaration began to circulate again, all with the date July 4, 1776, listed at the top. Celebrations of the Fourth of July became more common as the years went on and in 1870, almost a hundred years after the Declaration was written, Congress first declared July 4 to be a national holiday as part of a bill to officially recognize several holidays, including Christmas. Further legislation about national holidays, including July 4, was passed in 1938 and 1941.
3. The signed copy of the Declaration is the official, but not the original, document. The approved Declaration was printed on July 5th and a copy was attached to the rough journal of the Continental Congress for July 4th. These printed copies, bearing only the names of John Hancock, President, and Charles Thomson, secretary, were distributed to state assemblies, conventions, committees of safety, and commanding officers of the Continental troops. On July 19th, Congress ordered that the Declaration be engrossed on parchment with a new title, the unanimous declaration of the thirteen united states of America, and that the same, when engrossed, be signed by every member of Congress. Engrossing is the process of copying an official document in a large hand.
4. John Hancock, the President of the Continental Congress at the time, was the first and only person to sign the Declaration on July 4, 1776 (he signed it in the presence of just one man, Charles Thomson, the secretary of Congress). According to legend, the founding father signed his name bigger than everyone elses because he wanted to make sure fat old King George could read it without his spectacles. But the truth is that Hancock had a large blank space and didnt realize the other men would write their names smaller. Today, the term John Hancock has become synonymous with a persons signature.
5. The 56 signers of the Declaration did not sign on July 4, 1776, nor were they in the same room at the same time on the original Independence Day. The official signing event took place on August 2, 1776 when 50 men signed the document. Several months passed before all 56 signatures were in place. The last man to sign, Thomas McKean, did so in January of 1777, seven months after the document was approved by Congress. Robert R. Livingston, one of the five original drafters, never signed it at all since he believed it was too soon to declare independence.
Media company Next Digital has had its financial records seized in Hong Kongs latest move to stifle an independent press and pro-democracy activism []
Clement Chan Kam-wing, an inspector appointed by the Hong Kong government, raided the headquarters of Next Digital media company in a search and seizure of financial records on Sept. 28 as part of an investigation into the company.
The raid came a day after the Hong Kong Eastern Magistrate authorized a search warrant of Next Digital on suspicion of fraudulent activities.
The special inspector was appointed in response to allegations that Next Digital repaid HK$150 million loan to its founder Jimmy Lai on April 1, much earlier than its due date. This premature reimbursement led Hong Kong officials to suspect fraudulent activity.
The search warrant was necessary, as every member of Next Digitals management team and board of directors has either resigned amid pressure from police or been arrested under Hong Kongs ever-restrictive National Security Law (NSL). None of Next Digitals senior employees were left to hand over its financial records.
The investigation is expected to last six months, according to South China Morning Post (SCMP). Chan is the managing director for assurance with a Hong Kong accounting firm and has over 30 years of experience. He is the first inspector to be appointed by the citys government in two decades.
Apple Daily, a subsidiary of Next Digital, still has a satellite location in Taiwan, where it is published electronically. Several parties are interested in buying out its operations, according to SCMP.
This is not the first time Next Digital Media Company, founded by pro-democracy activist and long-time Acton friend Jimmy Lai, has been confronted by Hong Kong authorities and strict legislation under the NSL. Since July 16, trading in stock from Next Digital has been banned. On June 17, Hong Kong authorities raided Apple Dailys headquarters, freezing HK$18 million (US$2.3 million) of their assets and forcing the pro-democracy news service to print their final edition on June 24.
Jimmy Lai was arrested for his participation in the 2019 Hong Kong pro-democracy protests, violating the NSL, which bans acts the government deems as subversion, secession, or terrorism. Such violations carry up to a lifes sentence in prison. Lai was charged and is currently serving a 20-month prison sentence. He stands trial in November to contest incitement charges.
In addition to Lai, eight other Next Digital senior editors and executives have been arrested under the NSL since June. Of the eight, publisher Cheung Kim-hung and editor-in-chief Ryan Law Wai-kwong were charged for publishing more than 30 articles that qualified as calling for foreign sanctions against Hong Kong and Chinese officials.
Four directors of Next Digital stepped down on Sept. 5, urging the Hong Kong government to allow Next Digital to be liquidated so employees and creditors could be paid.
Under Hong Kongs Companies Ordinance, an inspector has permission to apply for a court order to seize books and financial records and call for witnesses for information and statements from any company under investigation.
Next Digitals stock presence has raised some legal concerns as well. The same day as Chans appointment, Hong Kongs market regulator, the Securities and Futures Commission, announced its investigation of Next Digital after a rapid change in its share price.
The fraud accusations and the inspectors subsequent search of Next Digital is Hong Kongs latest move in restricting the pro-democracy media companys operation and legacy. The city moves swiftly to stifle any political opposition or hint of dissent, severely restricting freedom of speech and assembly.
As the future of Next Digital hangs in the balance by Chans continued investigation, so too does Hong Kong residents access to an independent press and the reality of a free, democratic society.
The long convoy of buses and vans finally stirred into motion. It was some more time yet before it came our turn to merge into the procession and start the trip through Port Said toward Cairo and the pyramids.
(Pic from the internet)
The highway we were traveling on traversed on the eastern edge of the Nile Delta. The surrounding terrain reminded me of the time when we visited Fort Lauderdale, where I stood in awe at the vast and totally flat southern Florida coastal plain, uninterrupted for miles and endless miles, stretching in all directions to the horizon. Unlike the Florida plain, though, the land here was heavily cultivated. Farming communities, all cowering around their own mosques with towering minarets, dotted the right hand side of the highway. A mysterious grayish wall could be seen stretching endlessly along, and keeping a good distance from, the highway on the left side. We drove for the most part on the highway, which was of okay quality at first, but gradually deteriorated to a somewhat rundown condition as we got closer to Cairo's much heavier traffic. Occasionally, our van veered onto local roads, either for shortcuts or to circumvent pay stations.
(Pic from the internet)
It became immediately clear that Mo'men was a well trained tour guide. No sooner had the van started moving than he launched into a nonstop offering of facts and explanations about Egypt in general and about what our van was passing by at any given moment. His narration kept us from nodding off during a few boring stretches of the trip. Of all the information he generously doled out to us, I found most interesting the part about the Suez Canal, which ran side-by-side with our road for the first one-third of our journey.
(Pic from the internet)
Suez and Port Said are both coastal towns in Egypt; Suez is on the Red Sea, Port Said overlooks the Mediterranean. While the distance on land between the two is only about 150 km, to travel from one to the other by sea, without the benefit of the canal, one would have to skirt the entire African continent. The first waterway linking the Red Sea to the Mediterranean was created by ancient Egyptians around 2,000 B.C., who dug a canal connecting the Red Sea with the Nile which enters into the Mediterranean. The canal allowed the passage of light sail boats, either pulled along by horses or camels or rowed. Though poorly constructed by today's standards, it was kept in use for more than a thousand years before it dried out and was silted up by the sand constantly swept around by the great desert winds.
A new canal was contemplated in the 18th century, but the idea was nipped in the bud because there was thought to be a 30-foot difference between the levels of the Red and Mediterranean Seas, which would require the construction of large and costly locks.
(Pic from the internet)
Interest in a waterway was rekindled in the 19th century by some Frenchmen. Chief among them was Linant de Bellefonds, who had become chief engineer of Egypt's Public Works. He and Mougel, a hydraulics engineer, surveyed the Isthmus of Suez and planned out a direct line from Suez to Peluse, crossing Lake Timsah and the Bitter Lakes, totaling 147Km in length. For his part, Bourdaloue established that the difference in levels between the two seas was so small as to be negligible.
(Pic from the internet)
A French diplomat and engineer, Ferdinand de Lesseps, then convinced the Egyptian viceroy Said Pasha to support the building of a canal. In 1858, the Universal Suez Ship Canal Company was formed and given the right to begin construction of the canal and operate it for 99 years. Construction of the Suez Canal officially began on April 25, 1859. It opened ten years later on November 17, 1869 at a cost of $100 million. Some sources estimate that over 30,000 people were working on the canal at any given period, that altogether more than 1.5 million people from various countries were employed, and that thousands of laborers died on the project. Forced labor of Egyptian workers was even used for a period of time, and this practice of slavery was stopped only due to British objection. One should not be so quick to interpret the British opposition as purely based on humanitarian concerns, though. Throughout the nineteenth century and into the twentieth, Britain was in competition, and frequently in conflict, with France in the eastern Mediterranean. The British feared the alterations in the status quo that the Canal apparently would bring. They specifically feared that a canal open to everyone might interfere with its India trade and, therefore, preferred, and eventually built, a connection by train from Alexandria via Cairo to Suez. In truth, the British could not be blamed for being paranoid; Napoleon, after all, had conquered Egypt for exactly that purpose: to undermine Britain's access to its trade interests in India and to establish a French presence in the Middle East, with the ultimate dream of linking with a Muslim enemy of the British in India.
(Pic from the internet)
Jamie Spears, the father of pop star Britney Spears, was today removed from her conservatorship in what CNN describes as a legal victory in her "fight to regain control of her life." Control of Britney, placed under a conservatorship 13 years ago after a reported mental health crisis, amounts to control of her $60m fortunea sharpener and a sweetener for the myriad of personae deeply interested in her wellbeing.
Mathew Rosengart, attorney for Britney Spears, described the elder Spears as a "cruel, toxic and abusive man," adding his client wants him out "today." "Britney deserves to wake up tomorrow without her father as her conservator," Rosengart said. "It is what my client wants, it what my client needs, it is what my client deserves." He cited behavior he called "unfathomable," based on reporting by the New York Times. Rosengart accused the elder Spears of placing a recording device in his daughter's bedroom, an allegation a representative for Jamie Spears did not respond to when previously contacted by CNN.
It strikes me as crude and offensive to describe what she has experienced as "slavery", but there is something tres americain about the government's responsibility to protect the weak and vulnerable resulting in years of inescapable indenture.
After the Apollo moon landings, the White House gifted tiny samples of moon rocks to the 50 states and many countries. They were encased in acrylic and mounted on a wooden plaque. Weirdly, some of these space souvenirs were lost over the years but fortunately nearly all were eventually tracked down. Most recently, Louisiana's misplaced moon rock from the Apollo 17 mission of 1972 turned up in a most unusual place: a Florida man had bought it at a garage sale intending to turn the nice wood plaque into gun stocks. From CollectSpace:
The buyer, who requested to remain anonymous but resides in Merritt Island, near Cape Canaveral, said that he had likely purchased the plaque at a garage sale sometime over the past 15 years.
"I can't even tell you how long I owned it for," the man told collectSPACE after reaching out for information through a common contact. "I'm not even sure how much I paid for it. I buy plaques because I take the wood from the plaques and I send it over to my gunstock guy and he makes grips for my Colts and so forth."[]
"I started reading it and thought, 'Hmm, that's a little strange.'" said the man who had bought the plaque at a garage sale. "So I went to the internet and found out, 'Oh! They are looking for this puppy.'"[]
After realizing what he had, the Florida man who had bought the goodwill moon rock reached out to the Louisiana's governor office. From there, he was directed to Louisiana State Museum.
"They wanted me to mail it out to them," the man recalled. "I said, 'I'm not mailing this thing out to you. I will hand deliver it,' and with that said, that is what I did."
Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) recently spoke at the North Carolina Faith & Freedom Coalition's "Salt & Light Conference" where he said historical inaccurate things about Christianity to an adoring crowd.
Rafi Schwartz, who describes himself as a "person who actually paid money to a major university to receive a degree in religious studies," said Cawthorn not only invoked "expressly Jewish figures as upholding 'Christian principles'" but also cited horrifically violent stories from the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible as models of the Christian theocracy Cawthor is striving to install in the United States.
From Mic:
We can concede Cawthorn's initial point that the stories do, indeed, involve the intersection of theology and politics. But otherwise, I'm not convinced Cawthorn could name a Christian principle actually on display there: King David was violent adulterer whose reign was defined by the murder of his romantic rival and a brief stint as the head of a straight-up protection racket. The Book of Esther (Do you think Cawthorn knows it's the only book in the Hebrew bible that doesn't actually mention God?) is less "political intrigue" than it is a gleeful celebration of rampant sex and horrifying mass murder. The Book of Daniel is a hodgepodge of divine punishment and apocalyptic imagery. To the extent that any of the examples offered by Cawthorn are endorsements of mixing God and governance, they do so with maximum bloodshed and anguish. Of course, perhaps that's what Cawthorn is really going for here: conditioning his followers to accept a measure of political violence in the name of divine righteousness.
It could also come down to sheer intellectual laziness. Cawthorn after all, "dropped out of the college after a single semester of mostly D's," reports The Washington Post.
Here's a short list of Cawthorn's exemplary GOP morals:
In August 2020, during Cawthorn's campaign for Congress, several women came forward accusing him of sexually aggressive behavior, sexual misconduct, and sexual assault." [Wikipedia]
Cawthorn claimed he was accepted to attend the United States Naval Academy in 2014 but his plans were "derailed by an automobile accident that left him partially paralyzed. However, the Naval Academy rejected him before the accident, something Cawthorn only admitted in a lawsuit deposition.[Wikipedia]
He claimed to have worked as a full-time staffer for Rep. Mark Meadows, which was a lie. His position was part-time. [Wikipedia]
Cawthorn told the Christian inspirational podcast The Heal, "I had an opportunity for the Paralympics for track and field." But The Nation says Cawthorn did not have that opportunity, nor does it appear he took any meaningful steps that would have led him there."
Cawthorn "helped incite the U.S. Capitol invasion with a Jan. 6 speech that lied about election fraud and stoked anger, then less than 24 hours later said the president's election falsehoods played a role in the riot while claiming his own, similar election lies weren't a factor. Cawthorn wasn't alone in that kind of whiplash-inducing pivot, but he was the only lawmaker calling for unity after Jan. 6 who also sold "Cry more, lib" T-shirts on his website. (He later removed the listing.)" [Charlotte Observer]
"Cawthorn's account of the 2014 wreck which he presented publicly in the chapel of his Christian college in Virginia three years later was that a close friend had crashed the car in which he was a passenger, leaving him to die 'in a fiery tomb,' The Washington Post reported over the weekend. But the friend, Bradley Ledford, told the newspaper in his first public comments about the crash that he pulled Cawthorn from the wreckage. 'It hurt very badly that he would say something as false as that,' Ledford told the paper. 'That is not at all what happened. I pulled him out of the car the second that I was able to get out of the car.'" [HuffPost]
I could go on, but you get the picture.
[image: By Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America Madison Cawthorn, CC BY-SA 2.0]
Switzerland became Charlie Chaplins home after he was hounded out of the U.S. in 1952, so its perhaps fitting that the Zurich Film Festival hosted the European premiere of feature documentary The Real Charlie Chaplin.
Playing in the festivals documentary competition section, The Real Charlie Chaplin is an innovative montage of film clips, behind-the-scenes footage, newly-unearthed audio recordings, dramatic reconstructions and personal archive about cinemas first and arguably greatest icon tracing his meteoric rise from the slums of Victorian London to Hollywood stardom and eventual banishment.
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The darker side of Chaplins life is explored too, from the treatment of his ex-wives (his second wife Lita Grey was just 15 when their relationship began) to his eccentric working methods.
The film is directed by Peter Middleton and James Spinney, whose acclaimed 2016 debut feature doc Notes on Blindness won the British Independent Film Award for Best Documentary Film. That doc caught the eye of producer Ben Limberg, who had secured access from Chaplins estate to his personal archives, including his home movies.
Both Middleton and Spinney live in South London, not far from where Chaplin grew up and first trained to be acrobat. They were drawn to the project as a chance to explore Chaplins remarkable rags to riches tale, and his status as the first modern celebrity. He starts making films in 1914, and within two years he is the most famous person in the world and famous in a way that no one had been before, says Spinney. It feels like theres a direct line from there to today. He was the first person who people felt they had a relationship with that was mediated through a screen.
Story continues
For Middleton, the way that Chaplains films and creative output map onto the events of his lifetime were also appealing. As well as becoming the first modern celebrity in the 1910s and cementing his reputation in the 1920s, his films of the 1930s such as Modern Times respond to the politics and economics of the era. In the 1940s he confronts Hitler and fascism with The Great Dictator, before being branded a communist and banned from the U.S. in the 1950s.
All of this, of course, has been explored in great detail in countless Chaplin books and documentaries before. We were conscious that we had to try and approach it from a different angle, and to find a fresh perspective, says Spinney, explaining that they wanted to make a film that could both be an entry point for people who knew of Chaplin but werent familiar with his work, while offering something new to Chaplin aficionados. We also wanted to try to do something that reflected how puzzling, fascinating and difficult to access we found Chaplin himself.
This explains why the doc begins with a quote from Chaplins friend Max Eastman, which suggests that there is an unknowable quality to Chaplin. Enjoy any Charlie Chaplin you have the good luck to encounter, Eastman wrote. But dont try to link them up to anything you can grasp. There are too many of them.
The deeper we went into it, the more versions of Chaplin we found, says Spinney. So we tried to find a form that was quite restless.
Finding narrator Pearl Mackie was a breakthrough, says Middleton. Mackie acts as warm, playful almost Puck-ish guide for the audience just sitting on their shoulder, edging it in different directions, he says.
Three key dramatic reconstructions, based on rediscovered audio recordings, also anchor the documentary. One is based on a recently rediscovered interview with Chaplins childhood friend, Effie Wisdom, who grew up with him in South London. In a glorious, almost Dickensian, cockney accent, she tells the film historian Kevin Brownlow how Chaplin used to talk like me. Common. Its the accent Chaplin later abandoned in the States.
Another re-enacts the notorious 1947 press conference for Monsieur Verdoux where reporters harangued the actor about his alleged communist sympathies. Only a fragment of this audio recording had been archived but a long search led the filmmakers to the original reels in a garage in San Francisco.
Middleton says these reconstructions create present tense pockets within the film in which the audience has an opportunity to settle in a little bit more, because it is so restless at times a sort of kaleidoscopic tumble. Just, it might be said, like Charlie Chaplin himself.
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Workforce Readiness
New College-Business Partnership to Boost Hispanic Students' STEM Aspirations
California's San Jose City College (SJCC) has teamed up with the Hispanic IT Executive Council (HITEC) to address the challenges Hispanic students have in staying with and graduating from college and forging good careers in the technology segment. The joint program will combine education and training with mentoring and professional development, with the goal of increasing student retention, graduation and employment rates.
Nearly half of SJCC students are Hispanic 47 percent in fall 2020, according to IPEDS data. And currently, across the country, Hispanics make up 17 percent of the workforce, the organizations reported, but only 8 percent of the STEM workforce.
A 2019 study by the Student Research Foundation found that just 12 percent of college graduates who earned STEM degrees were Hispanic, in spite of the fact that Hispanic Americans made up more than a fifth (21 percent) of the 18- to 24-year-old population in the United States. The same research reported that Hispanic high schoolers were less likely than their White and Asian peers to take at least seven STEM courses (20 percent versus 31 percent) and were far more likely to aspire to attend community college (26 percent versus 14 percent) than four-year institutions.
STEM aspirations were nearly comparable. Half of White and Asian high schoolers aspired to STEM careers, compared to 47 percent of Hispanic students. However, confidence gaps were evident. A third of Hispanic students (33 percent) with STEM aspirations expressed high STEM confidence, compared to 40 percent of White and Asian students.
Through the new partnership, Hispanic technology leaders will serve as role models and mentors among the college's non-traditional and at-risk populations, encouraging Hispanic students, in particular, to follow through on their career goals.
"Our HITEC motto of pushing up and pulling up summarizes our key tenant of service to our community. We will be focused on collaborating with the SJCC team to support the students that are working hard to attain a degree in computer science and technology," said HITEC Foundation Chairman Ramon Baez, in a statement.
"SJCC's collaboration with HITEC is exactly what is needed to close the wage and skills gap in Silicon Valley and to open the door to technology careers for our students," added Lena Tran, SJCC's vice president of Strategic Partnerships and Workforce Innovation.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 1) Senator Risa Hontiveros on Thursday questioned why the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) didnt buy COVID-19 test kits directly from the manufacturer in order to cut costs.
Hontiveros raised this during the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on the handling of pandemic funds. She said that instead of buying from Pharmally, the procuring agency could have gone straight to Chinese manufacturer BGI.
Australia and Chile were able to procure these test kits for much cheaper (prices) because they went straight to the manufacturer, the senator said. Even UNICEF, in its reference documents, priced those test kits lower than the price at which PS-DBM procured them.
PS-DBM Executive Director Jasonmer Uayan said there are deals between the BGI and companies in the country which prohibit direct purchases.
BGI had existing dealership agreements with local companies here. And as I understand it, if we go directly to the manufacturer, it would affect the dealership agreement," he said.
Uayan said Pharmally offered the lowest test kit prices from among the firms that had supposedly entered into a contract with the BGI.
But Hontiveros asked why there would be a different arrangement in the Philippines when there are no such deals with other nations, such as the two she mentioned.
Uayan admitted he did not see a copy of the dealership agreements himself. However, he adds, it was the Department of Health (DOH) which provided the information.
We do have a letter coming from DOH regarding that matter. If Im not mistaken it would be under the office of Asec. Nestor Santiago, he said.
When asked to confirm this, Santiago told the panel he still has to double check if his office really sent the letter.
Earlier, Santiago said nearly 8,000 government-procured COVID-19 test kits with a six-month life span had expired last year. He said he wasn't sure if all of these were delivered by Pharmally.
The Senate is probing the DOH for "deficiencies" in its management of over 67 billion pandemic response funds, as flagged by state auditors. These include the transfer of 42.4 billion to procuring agencies. Of the amount, the PS-DBM got around 41 billion, a portion of which was used to buy test kits.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 29) Senator Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday refuted claims of the camp of Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. that her office bribed a witness to appear in the past Senate probe.
First, it was the witness who reached out to us. We have an e-mail thread to prove this, Hontiveros said in a statement, adding that her office vetted all information beforehand.
Wala kaming kahit anong track record ng witness tampering at witness bribery. Inaalagan namin lahat ng aming witness at whistleblower, she added.
[Translation: We dont have any track record of witness tampering and witness bribery. We take care of all our witnesses and whistleblowers.]
Hontiveros was reacting to the allegation of Atty. Ferdinand Topacio, the legal counsel of Pharmally director Linconn Ong, that her camp offered money in exchange for the testimony of the witness, who in the past hearing claimed that face shields procured from the firm were tampered.
The witness was supposedly a warehouse employee of Pharmally.
Topacio said it was another warehouse staff who revealed that his co-worker was bribed to give the false testimony to lawmakers.
Nabayaran siya para siraan si Ms. [Krizle] Mago at Pharmally [The witness was paid to bring down Ms. Mago and Pharmally], the other employee was quoted as saying in a video clip presented by the lawyer to the media.
In the past Senate inquiry, the witness claimed they were instructed by Pharmally to repack the face shields despite being dented and dirty. Pharmally executive Krizle Grace Mago eventually admitted that the company changed the expiration dates of some medical supplies, citing supply concern during the onset of the pandemic.
Ready to face cases
Topacio also said they are considering filing charges against Hontiveros and two of her staff over the alleged bribery.
But the senator said she is ready to face any case.
Hindi ko uurungan ang anumang kasong isasampa laban sa akin. Handa kaming harapin, sagutin at patunayan na hindi namin kailangang magbayad para sa katotohanan, Hontiveros said.
[Translation: I will not back down from any case that may be filed against me. Were ready to face, answer, and prove that we dont need to pay for the truth.]
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 30) The country's top diplomat has ordered the filing of more diplomatic protests against China amid its continued presence and activities in the West Philippine Sea.
In a series of tweets on Thursday, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. instructed the department to file protests over the following:
the continued presence of Chinese fishing vessels in the vicinity of Iroquois Reef;
Beijing's "incessant and unlawful restriction of Filipino fishermen from conducting legitimate fishing activities in Bajo de Masinloc"; and
Chinese radio challenges unlawfully issued against Philippine maritime patrols.
No further details were provided about the protests.
Locsin's move comes after the National Security Council (NSC) revealed on Wednesday that the government has monitored some 150 Chinese vessels in Philippine waters.
In a House hearing, Muntinlupa Rep. Ruffy Biazon citing information from the NSC said Beijing's maritime ships have been "doing fishing operations" and "moving from one spot to another."
The Philippines has filed a flurry of diplomatic protests against the East Asian giant over the past months, as the government continues to assert its 2016 arbitral victory in the South China Sea case.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 30) Opposition coalition 1Sambayan has nominated Vice President Leni Robredo as its presidential bet for the 2022 elections.
The group made the announcement in a virtual forum on Thursday.
Retired Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio, convenor of 1Sambayan, said Robredo was endorsed after receiving an overwhelming majority of votes among members and partners.
Carpio added the coalition followed a rigorous process in reaching the decision. The criteria for choosing the candidate? Integrity, competence, track record, patriotism, vision for our country, and winnability, he noted.
We have chosen VP Leni based on this criteria. We therefore ask VP Leni to accept our endorsement, to lead the Filipino people, Carpio said during his speech, expressing hope that the vice president will take the challenge.
Will Robredo accept?
Robredo thanked 1Sambayan for the presidential nomination, and for the trust and support thrown her way.
However, she still did not say whether she was accepting the endorsement.
Mabigat ang hinihiling sa isang pangulo. Maraming responsibilidad at obligasyon ang dala nito buhay at kinabukasan ng Pilipino ang nakataya. Ang desisyon sa pagtakbo, hindi pwedeng nakabase sa ambisyon, o sa pag-udyok ng iba, Robredo said in a statement.
Sa mga susunod na araw, samahan ninyo akong magdasal pa, that our decision will be what is best for our country, she continued.
[Translation: The president has a heavy duty. There are a lot of responsibilities and obligations that come with the job lives and the future of Filipinos are at stake. The decision to run should not be based on ambition and motivation from others. In the next days, join me in prayer, so that our decision will be what is best for our country.]
Should Robredo decline the nomination, Carpio said 1Sambayan will meet anew to discuss. The former magistrate, however, sees this as a remote possibility, citing the vice presidents former pronouncements that she was willing to help the country.
Consultations for VP, senatorial bets
Meanwhile, Carpio said that 1Sambayan has crafted a list of possible vice presidential and senatorial candidates, but noted the lineup will be finalized in consultation with its presidential bet.
We hope to complete that in time of the filing of the [COC], he stressed.
Addressing Robredos standings in recent election surveys, Carpio said it is still very early to rely on them as of the moment.
The surveys, at this time of the year, do not really reflect what happens in the elections, the former justice said.
As early as June, 1Sambayan already announced that Robredo was one of the personalities it has been eyeing to hold the torch for the opposition in next year's polls. The vice president earlier said she was not closing her doors to a possible run for the highest post.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 30) Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said the initial phase of vaccinating adolescents against COVID-19 will be carried out in select hospitals in Metro Manila due to the controversy that hounded dengue vaccine Dengvaxia.
The coronavirus vaccines will be administered at the National Children's Hospital, Philippine Heart Center, Philippine General Hospital, and two other hospitals in the capital region beginning October, Galvez said. The reason for this is to ensure the safety of the children, he added.
"Gusto namin hospital based para sigurado tayo. Alam natin ang mga tao natin and even our medical practitioners, meron tayong takot ng Dengvaxia syndrome," Galvez said during the arrival of Pfizer vaccine delivery on Wednesday.
[Translation: We want it done in hospitals just to be sure. We know that the public and even our medical practitioners are wary because of the Dengvaxia syndrome.]
Over 800,000 young Filipino students took part in the Dengvaxia vaccination program in 2016. Drugmaker Sanofi Pasteur later reported that the vaccine was found to be riskier for people not previously infected with the virus, which prompted the Department of Health to stop the nationwide dengue immunization program.
This controversy led to low vaccine confidence in the country, which continues to hound the COVID-19 immunization program.
Galvez said this is the reason why the ongoing vaccination program will be gradually extended to children.
Although President Rodrigo Duterte allowed the inoculation of minors aged 12 to 17, Galvez said the initial focus will be on teenagers aged 15 to 17 with health risks and those who are living with healthcare workers.
"Very cautious ang gagawin sa children's vaccination," he said. "Gagawin natin itong dahan-dahan, phased, at incremental... Slowly and surely. 'Yung safety naandon."
[Translation: We will be very cautious when it comes to children's vaccination. We will do it slowly, in a phased and incremental manner. Slowly and surely so we can ensure safety.]
Allaying apprehensions, Galvez vouched for the safety and efficacy of all COVID-19 vaccines in the country. He said vaccination of adolescents has been safely and successfully carried out in the United States.
"I would like to make an appeal to our public na gagawin po namin lahat to make sure that our vaccination will be safe. Iyong safety measures ay i-implement po natin," he said the next day during the arrival of over 1.2 milion doses of Moderna vaccine.
[Translation: I would like to address the public that we will do everything to make sure that our vaccination will be safe. We will implement all safety measures.]
Vaccine supply
The DOH on Wednesday said vaccine supply is also one of the reasons why the government is opting to vaccinate children against COVID-19 on a staggered basis.
Galvez said 15 million doses of Pfizer and 5 to 7 million doses of Moderna are expected to arrive in the country in October. These are the only brands that have received an approval from the Food and Drug Administration to be used on minors.
San Juan Mayor Francis Zamora said his city is saving its Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to allot them for children once the pilot run rolls out.
Marikina Mayor Marcy Teodoro, meanwhile, said Metro Manila mayors are asking the government to provide them with the inventory of vaccines that will be administered to minors so they can prepare their resources.
He added the request includes the deployment of more pediatricians, social workers, and other resources to ensure the safety of children.
The Health department said parents or guardians must give an informed consent for children who will get vaccinated. They must also present a medical certificate proving the minor has comorbidities.
The final and detailed guidelines have yet to be released by concerned agencies.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 30) The National Economic and Development Authority and the Department of Tourism are hoping that the new alert level system will be expanded and implemented in other parts of the country.
NEDA Secretary Karl Chua said the implementation of the alert level system with granular lockdowns has not only helped in lowering COVID-19 infections, it has also allowed employees to return to their jobs.
Ang kailangan po natin gawin ngayon ay, i-expand ito, expand the pilot at matuto po tayo sa ating experiences sa ibat ibang lugar ng Pilipinas, he said during a Palace briefing on Thursday.
[Translation: What we should do now is to expand the implementation and learn from our experiences in other areas of the country.]
At iyan sa tingin ko yung ating solusyon kasi hindi talaga puwedeng bumalik sa whole country or whole region lockdown...tayo ay kailangang matutong to live with this virus, he added.
[Translation: I think thats the solution because we cannot place again the whole country or a whole region under lockdown...we need to live with the virus.]
Meanwhile, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said the scheme is more lenient on economic activities.
Gusto natin ito sa buong Pilipinas. Kami confident kasi ang maganda dito kahit nasa Alert Level 4, kahit papaano, pwede ang dine-inpwedeng pumunta sa outdoor tourist attractions, Romulo-Puyat said Thursday in a Laging Handa briefing.
[Translation: We want this for the whole Philippines. We are confident because what is good about this is, somehow, dine-in and going to outdoor tourist attractions are allowed].
Romulo-Puyat said the Tourism department has been coordinating with local governments in the capital region, which is testing out the alert level system, to ensure the establishments' compliance with new rules.
She assured that businesses have been following protocols.
The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) has yet to make an announcement on the fate of the alert level system, as its pilot run in Metro Manila ends on Thursday. Romulo-Puyat, who is part of the IATF, said members of the pandemic task force will have a meeting on Thursday afternoon.
OCTA Research fellow Guido David earlier said there was no huge spike in new cases since Metro Manila shifted to Alert Level 4 of the five-step status system two weeks ago. He noted the recent downtrend in new infections in Metro Manila, citing compliance with health protocols and the high COVID-19 vaccination coverage as among the possible reasons behind the decline.
(CNN) CNN says it will no longer publish content to Facebook in Australia. The decision comes after the country's highest court ruled that media companies are liable for comments people post under articles on the platform.
Earlier this month, the High Court of Australia dismissed an argument brought by three major Australian news organizations that they could not be held responsible for comments people post on their Facebook news pages. The news outlets had appealed a lower court ruling.
After that ruling, CNN approached Facebook and asked if the tech firm would "support CNN and other publishers by disabling the comment functionality on their platform in Australia," a CNN spokesperson said in a statement, adding that Facebook "chose not to do so."
"We are disappointed that Facebook, once again, has failed to ensure its platform is a place for credible journalism and productive dialogue around current events among its users," the CNN spokesperson said, adding that the media outlet will continue to publish on its own platforms in Australia.
Facebook does allow people and publishers with Pages to turn off comments to posts, or otherwise limit the ability for people to comment to selected Pages and profiles a feature the company announced in March.
In this case, CNN asked Facebook to offer a Page-wide setting to turn off comments in Australia, according to a CNN source. Instead, Facebook provided instructions for how the media organization could disable comments post by post.
A Facebook spokesperson said in a statement that the company supports the "ongoing reform of Australia's defamation law framework" and looks forward to "greater clarity and certainty in this area."
"While it's not our place to provide legal guidance to CNN, we have provided them with the latest information on tools we make available to help publishers manage comments," the spokesperson said.
The case the High Court ruled on began with a defamation lawsuit filed by a former detainee in the Australian youth detention system. His treatment at a detention center made him the center of a 2016 abuse scandal, and he later sued Fairfax Media Publications, Nationwide News and Australian News Channel because comments made on their Facebook pages accused him of crimes his attorney says he did not commit.
The media companies argued that they shouldn't be held responsible for user comments, appealing that particular issue all the way to the High Court. In its dismissal of the argument brought by the media organizations, the High Court wrote earlier this month that the "appellants' attempt to portray themselves as passive and unwitting victims of Facebook's functionality has an air of unreality."
"Having taken action to secure the commercial benefit of the Facebook functionality, the appellants bear the legal consequences," the High Court wrote, adding that the appeals court "was correct to hold that the acts of the appellants in facilitating, encouraging and thereby assisting the posting of comments by the third-party Facebook users rendered them publishers of those comments."
The High Court's ruling did not resolve the underlying defamation case against the publishers, which has since returned to the Supreme Court of New South Wales.
It's been a contentious year for Australia and Big Tech. In February, Facebook suddenly blocked people from seeing or sharing news in the country after months of tension with the Australian government, which had proposed legislation that would force tech platforms to pay news publishers for content.
Facebook eventually restored news pages in Australia after the government agreed on changes to the planned media code. The tech company said those changes would allow it to retain greater control over what appears on its platform.
(CNN) Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) elected former top diplomat Fumio Kishida as its new leader on Wednesday after a tightly contested race that ended in a runoff vote clearing a path for him to become the country's next Prime Minister.
Kishida is widely expected to take the reins of the world's third-largest economy once Parliament convenes in October, succeeding outgoing Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, owing to the LDP's majority in the lower house. The general election is expected to be held later this year.
In a speech following his victory, Kishida said he will "start running at full speed" to work toward "a bright future for Japan."
Kishida, 64, will inherit a Japan that has suffered surging Covid-19 infections, with numerous states of emergency, and rising frustration among businesses over a pathway out of the pandemic.
A moderate liberal regarded as a stabilizing hand, he will also steer Japan's foreign and domestic policy, defining relations with China, the United States and other regional partners, and will shape the country's stance on defense, the economy and social issues.
"Japan's national crisis will continue. We must continue our efforts with the desperate determination to take measures against Covid-19," Kishida said in his speech Wednesday.
"In addition, we must firmly develop economies of scale of several tens of trillions by the end of the year," he added. "Beyond that, there are many important issues related to Japan's future, such as new capitalism, the realization of a free and open Indo-Pacific, and measures against the declining birthrate."
The LDP leadership race was the most unpredictable in decades, and none of the four candidates -- Kishida, vaccine minister Taro Kono, internal affairs minister Sanae Takaichi and House of Representatives member Seiko Noda -- received a majority in the initial vote.
After the runoff, Kishida received a total of 257 votes -- from 249 Parliament members and eight rank-and-file members -- to defeat Kono, who secured a total of 170 votes.
During campaigning, candidates were split on key issues such as Covid-19 restrictions, gay marriage, renewable energy, the economy and security. It was also the first time the LDP elections have fielded multiple female candidates -- rare in a country where women are vastly underrepresented in politics, with just 14% of parliamentary seats occupied by women.
Kishida served as the country's foreign minister from 2012 to 2017, under Japan's longest-serving Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe.
Abe, whose second term lasted for eight years, stepped down last September due to health issues.
Suga assumed the top role but announced earlier this month he would not run in his party's leadership election following a turbulent term marked by a slump in public support as he struggled to contain the coronavirus.
Analysts say Kishida is seen as a consensus builder who represents stability. This was his second bid to become LDP leader.
"Japanese people think about stability and preventing radical change. Kishida represents (sustainability) and stability," said Stephen Nagy, professor of international relations at Tokyo's International Christian University, adding that Japanese CEOs see Kishida as the more favorable choice.
Kishida campaigned on narrowing the income gap, saying the eponymous economic policies of Abe -- known as "Abenomics" -- failed to "trickle down" from the rich to the poor. He has said nuclear energy should be considered as a clean energy option, and proposed a hefty economic recovery package.
Analysts say the question now is whether Kishida will be a lasting leader, or whether Japan will return to a period of political instability similar to that of the pre-Abe era.
"Whether you like Abe or not, he had eight years in power to refine policies. We saw some positive changes in terms of corporate governance, women in the economy, migration policy, but it's because they were pushed through over time," Nagy said. "Will this be a revolving door of premiership, or will this be a leader in power for four to five years that can make all those changes?"
Kishida won the runoff against Kono, 58, Japan's popular vaccine minister who has also served as the country's foreign and defense minister.
Though historic that two women candidates -- Takiichi, 60, and Noda, 61 -- ran in the LDP elections, neither garnered enough support to become Japan's first female Prime Minister.
(CNN) The first NASA mission to study Jupiter's Trojan asteroid swarms is getting ready to launch.
The Lucy mission has passed all of its prelaunch tests and is set to leave Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at around 5:30 a.m. ET on October 16.
The Trojan asteroids, which borrow their name from Greek mythology, orbit the sun in two swarms one that's ahead of Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, and a second one that lags behind it.
Lucy is the first spacecraft designed to visit and observe these asteroids, which are remnants from the early days of our solar system. The mission will help researchers effectively peer back in time to learn how the solar system formed 4.5 billion years ago.
Lucy's 12-year mission could also help scientists learn how our planets ended up in their current spots.
There are about 7,000 Trojan asteroids, and the largest is 160 miles (250 kilometers) across. The asteroids represent the leftover material still hanging around after the giant planets in our solar system, including Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, formed. Even though they share an orbit with Jupiter, the asteroids are still very distant from the planet itself -- almost as far away as Jupiter is from the sun, according to NASA.
"With Lucy, we're going to eight never-before-seen asteroids in 12 years with a single spacecraft," said Tom Statler, Lucy project scientist at NASA Headquarters, in a statement. "This is a fantastic opportunity for discovery as we probe into our solar system's distant past."
The spacecraft is set to fly by an asteroid in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, and then it will explore seven of the Trojans. Over the course of its mission, Lucy will end up swinging back to Earth's orbit three separate times for gravity assists that can slingshot it on the right path. That will make Lucy the first spacecraft to travel to Jupiter and return to Earth.
"Launching a spacecraft is almost like sending a child off to college -- you've done what you can for them to get them ready for that next big step on their own," said Hal Levison, the principal investigator of the Lucy mission, based at the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado, in a statement.
The mission borrows its name from the Lucy fossil, the remains of an ancient human ancestor discovered in Ethiopia in 1974. The skeleton has helped researchers piece together aspects of human evolution, and the NASA Lucy team members hope their mission will achieve a similar feat regarding the history of our solar system.
"We view these objects as being the fossils of planet formation," Levison said.
Both the fossil and the mission are a nod to the Beatles tune, "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," which is why the logo for the Lucy mission includes a diamond.
The Lucy spacecraft is more than 46 feet (14 meters) from tip to tip, largely due to its giant solar panels -- each about the width of a school bus -- designed to keep up a power supply to the spacecraft's instruments. But Lucy also has fuel to help it execute some skilled maneuvers on the way to the asteroids.
Over 12 years, Lucy will travel nearly 4 billion miles (6,437,376,000 kilometers) moving at about 400,000 miles per hour (17,881.6 meters per second).
Lucy will specifically visit these asteroids, all named for heroes you might recognize from Homer's "The Illiad": Eurybates, Queta, Polymele, Leucus, Orus, Patroclus and Menoetius.
Though it's not one of the Trojans, Eurybates was chosen because it's the largest remnant of an ancient massive collision, meaning that it could reveal a look at what's inside an asteroid. Observations made using the Hubble Space Telescope revealed that the small asteroid named Queta is a satellite of Eurybates.
Each of the asteroids Lucy will fly by differ in size and color.
"Amazingly, many of these mysterious worlds have been altered very little in the 4.6 billion years since they first formed," said Lori Glaze, director of NASA's Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters."The relatively pristine state makes comets, asteroids and some meteorites wonderful storytellers that have preserved clues they can share with us about conditions in the early solar system."
Lucy will use three science instruments to study the asteroids, including color and black-and-white cameras, a thermometer, and an infrared imaging spectrometer to determine the composition of the asteroids' surface materials. The spacecraft will communicate with Earth using its antenna, which also can be used to help determine the masses of the asteroids.
Once the Lucy mission has finished, the spacecraft will remain in a stable orbit that retraces the path of its exploration between Earth and Jupiter, and it won't have a chance of colliding with either for over 100,000 years. Eventually, if the orbit does grow unstable, it will likely head on a doomed mission to the sun or get kicked out of our solar system.
This story was first published on CNN.com NASA's Lucy mission will observe the earliest 'fossils' of the solar system
(CNN) A Tibetan-style cafe set up in Edinburgh, Scotland after its owner's chance encounter with the Dalai Lama has been saved from closure by a successful crowdfunding campaign.
When Reka Gawa's landlord told her of his plans to retire and sell up, she feared she would have to close the cafe, which had become a neighborhood favorite.
Gawa, who is of Tibetan heritage, was born in a small town called Mussoorie in the foothills of the Indian Himalayas, where she lived until she was 13. The family then emigrated to Denmark, and nine years later Gawa moved to the Scottish capital.
It was while working as a waitress at the Scottish Parliament in 2004 that she had a chance encounter with the world's best-known living Buddhist figure.
"One of my morning rituals was to offer coffee to the presiding officer, Sir George Reid," Gawa told CNN in a phone interview. "He would always ask how things were going and was very interested in my Tibetan background.
"That morning he said His Holiness the Dalai Lama was visiting the Scottish Parliament and asked if I would like to meet him."
The Dalai Lama is the Buddhist spiritual leader of the Tibetan people. He has been living in exile in India since a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959, and regularly travels the world to spread his message of tolerance and peace.
"I was so emotional -- he was my spiritual leader but I had never met him in person," said Gawa. "The meeting only lasted a few minutes but it changed my life completely."
She recalled: "He told me during that short meeting 'you are Tibetan, you are living in the West -- it's very important for you to promote your Tibetan culture.'"
Some time later, Gawa left her job, deciding to follow the Dalai Lama's advice by setting up the Himalaya cafe in 2007. Today it operates not just as a cafe but as a store and therapy center, while also offering training opportunities for local young people.
Gawa's regulars -- among them members of the homeless community, whom she feeds free of charge -- know her for Tibetan specialities,including momos (dumplings) and thukpa (Tibetan soup), as well as her ever-popular chai tea.
Located in the Newington district of Edinburgh, close to the city's university, the Himalaya is popular with locals, students, tourists and other members of the British Tibetan community -- which numbers around 1,000, according to the Dalai Lama's Office of Tibet agency in London.
When Gawa's landlord announced plans to sell, she was offered first refusal. The mother-of-two took out a loan from her bank and gathered investments from family and friends, but there was still a $60,000 shortfall. So she launched a crowdfunding appeal to cover the shortfall of $60,000.
Gawa told CNN she has been "overwhelmed" by support from donors around the world. Their generosity saw her not only hit her target but exceed it in the space of just three weeks. Not only can she now buy the property, but she can also pay for much-needed renovations.
"I have no words to express how happy I am. I really feel it is the blessing of His Holiness that has allowed us to continue," she said, adding: "I am so overwhelmed and really can't thank them (donors) enough, from the bottom of my heart. If they ever come to Edinburgh, I will treat them to some wonderful Tibetan meals."
Sonam Tsering Frasi, who represents the Dalai Lama in northern Europe, the Baltic states and Poland, told CNN via email that he was aware of the Himalaya cafe, which he said was used by Tibetans in the city "as a Tibetan cultural centre for meetings and social activities."
He added: "I appreciate it very much that Reka has been promoting Tibetan culture in Scotland for many years and would like to see her cafe business uninterrupted, providing the taste of Tibetan food and tranquility to the Scots in Edinburgh."
This story was first published on CNN.com This little Scottish cafe was inspired by a meeting with the Dalai Lama. Now international donations have saved it
(CNN) The White House believes vaccine requirements for large private companies are still weeks away from being implemented, weeks after US President Joe Biden announced the new mandates were coming.
During a press briefing on Wednesday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the administration hopes to have "more detail" on the regulations "in the coming weeks."
Asked if this signaled a delay in their rollout, Psaki said it didn't, and that an exact timeline had never been given.
"Maybe we should have been more specific at the time," she said. "Obviously it takes some time and we want to make sure when we put these out, they're clear, and they provide guidance necessary to businesses."
Earlier this month, Biden announced stringent new vaccine rules for federal workers, large employers and health care staff in a sweeping attempt to contain the latest surge of Covid-19.
He directed the Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to require all businesses with 100 or more employees ensure their workers are either vaccinated or tested once a week, an expansive step the President took after consultation with administration health officials and lawyers. Companies could face thousands of dollars in fines per employee if they don't comply.
Psaki said she "couldn't give a timeline," on the regulations, but that "OSHA is working on them."
"But obviously," she continued, "hopefully we'll know more in the coming weeks."
Psaki later added that employers "should" expect the regulations to come this year.
"They should also know and understand that we're working to ensure that these rules -- regulations provide as much clarity as possible," Psaki said. "There will still be questions, every business is dealing with different challenges, but that's what they're working toward and that's what their objective is."
This story was first published on CNN.com, "Vaccine requirements for large private companies still weeks away, White House says."
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The European Committee of the Regions' Commission for Natural Resources (NAT) met on 27 September to discuss the EU health policy and the resilience of cities. During the meeting, members also analysed how to boost consumption, increase production and further improve sustainability in the organic sector as well as in the blue economy. Both sectors can ensure a green and inclusive recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The meeting of the NAT commission started with a discussion on the EU's health policy and NAT's contribution to the Conference on the Future of Europe. During a health debate with Vytenis Andriukaitis, UNWHO Special Envoy and former Commissioner for Health, and Maria Joao Rodrigues, President of the European Foundation of Progressive Studies (FEPS) and member of the CoR High-Level Group on Democracy, local leaders shared experiences from the ground and underlined the need to strengthen EU health policy framework.
The signing ceremony of the UNDRR-CoR Joint Action Plan took place during the NAT Commission meeting. After the ceremony, Octavian Bivol, Head of UNDRR Regional Office for Europe, presented the Making Cities Resilient 2030 (MCR2030) campaign, a cross-stakeholder initiative to improve local resilience through advocacy, share knowledge and experiences, establish mutually reinforcing city-to-city learning networks, inject technical expertise, connect multiple layers of government and build partnerships.
The UNDRR-CoR Joint Action Plan builds on the success of the collaboration between the two institutions, which ran from 2016 to 2020. Since 2012, the CoR and the UNDRR ROE have been collaborating to promote disaster risk reduction (DRR) at local level in European countries.
The members of the NAT commission adopted the following opinions:
Uros BREZAN (SL/GREENS) - EU action plan for organic farming
The aim of the action plan for the development of organic production is to increase the production and consumption of organic products, thereby reducing the use of fertilisers, pesticides and antimicrobials. Under three axes - increasing consumption, increasing production and further improving the sustainability of the sector - 23 actions are proposed to ensure sustainable growth. Local and regional authorities should be closely involved in both implementation and evaluation of the action plan, stressed CoR members. The opinion recommends the involvement of local and regional authorities, which will allow the specificity of each place to be taken into account, as set out in the Territorial Agenda 2030, and the needs of rural, peri-urban and urban areas across Europe to be met.
Bronius MARKAUSKAS (LT/EA) - Sustainable blue economy and aquaculture
As aquaculture has recently become a particularly important area of the blue economy, the opinion calls for a clear definition of "sustainable aquaculture", taking into account environmental, social and economic criteria. This is a sector with considerable potential, both economically and in terms of environmental protection. It also creates jobs, offers new economic development opportunities for coastal and rural populations, and contributes to mitigate the effects of climate change and to protect ecosystems. The rapporteur calls for local authorities to be more involved in the development of aquaculture policy. He also points out that the regions need clear guidelines for sustainable aquaculture development in the EU, and a detailed action plan. The opinion advocates also reducing the administrative burden and improving competitiveness, which allows aquaculture to develop effectively.
Birgitta Sacredeus (SE/EPP) Europe's Beating Cancer Plan
NAT commission members attended a debate with Bartosz Arukowicz (PL/EPP), Chair of the Special committee on Beating cancer (BECA) in the European Parliament. The same day Birgitta Sacredeus discussed the CoR opinion on Europes Cancer Beating Plan at the European Parliament (Engagement of regional authorities key to address inequalities in cancer prevention and cure across Europe) .
The three opinions are to be adopted at the CoR's plenary session on 3 December 2021.
Members had an exchange of views on the upcoming opinion on a long-term vision for Rural Areas.
Juan Manuel MORENO BONILLA (ES/EPP) - A long-term Vision for Rural Areas
As part of his work, Juanma Moreno will hold a consultation with stakeholders and discuss the long-term vision with elected representatives from local and regional authorities across Europe. Franc Bogovic (SI/EPP), Co-chair of the RUMRA & Smart Villages Intergroup in the European Parliament, and Desa Srsen, Deputy Head of Cabinet of the European Commission's Vice-President Dubravka Suica, joined the debate on the European Commission's communication on a Long-term vision for the EUs Rural Areas. Local authorities' underlined the importance of improving public transport services and connectivity, as well as deepening digital infrastructures; and diversify economic activities to new sectors in order to make rural areas more prosperous. The long-term vision should incorporate climate action and better prepare local economies for climate change, natural hazards such as fires, and economic crises. Rural areas must not be left behind, concluded the rapporteur Juanma Moreno.
Meeting documents
Watch the meeting again: webstreaming link.
More information:
Making Cities Resilient 2030 (MCR2030)
EU action plan for organic farming
Turning the tide on cancer: the national parliaments' view on Europe's Cancer Plan
A long-term vision for the EUs rural areas
Contact:
Wioletta Wojewodzka
Tel. +32 (0)2 282 2289
Mobile: +32 (0)473 843 986
wioletta.wojewodzka@cor.europa.eu
Level of LatAm Crypto Interest is Lowest in Chile, Survey Finds
Plaza de las Armas square in Santiago, the capital of Chile. Source: Adobe/
Chileans are the least interested people in crypto in the Latin American region, a new survey has found and over a quarter of the respondents say they have no idea what bitcoin (BTC) is.
In a study conducted by the LatAm-focused PR agency Sherlock Communications, 2,700 people from across the region were surveyed, with a focus on Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Chile.
But while just 74% of Chileans said they recognized BTC, that number was as high as 92% in Argentina.
In fact, Argentines appear to be more crypto-savvy than many other countries in the world, with 41% of respondents saying they had heard of the number one altcoin token ethereum (ETH). A further 30% of Argentina-based respondents said they knew litecoin (LTC), too, with 16% also saying they knew what dogecoin (DOGE) was.
By contrast, between 10%-18% of Chileans said they knew about any of these coins.
When it comes to actually making investments in crypto, however, Chileans are far more crypto-cautious than any of their neighbors and near-neighbors.
Just 7% of Colombians said that they had no interest in crypto, with the same figure climbing to 12% in Brazil and a more sizeable 17% of Chileans.
In all five nations, roughly a third of respondents said they wanted their governments to introduce more crypto-related regulations. But Chileans were the most skeptical of the lot when it came to assessing El Salvadors decision to adopt BTC as legal tender.
Well over half of the Brazilians, Mexicans, and Colombians surveyed said they supported El Salvadors BTC move, with 48% of Brazilian respondents saying that they wanted Brazil to adopt bitcoin as legal tender as well.
Chile was the outlier in this respect, with only 36% of those surveyed believing El Salvadors President Nayib Bukele had made the right choice.
Over a quarter of those surveyed stated that they did not have enough money to make crypto investments, but almost half claimed that crypto could be a powerful tool in making international money transfers and exchanging fiat currencies.
In summer this year, the Chilean opposition leader Giorgio Jackson, of the Democratic Revolution party, urged the government to officially recognize crypto as an asset class and admitted to owning an unspecified amount of ETH.
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Learn more:
- El Salvadors Bitcoin Mining Volcanode Takes its First Steps
- What Are Salvadorans Doing with their USD 30 Bitcoin Giveaways?
- Uruguay Regulator Suggests that Crypto-Real Estate Exchanges Are Possible
- Colombian Bank Begins Second Phase of its Crypto Pilot with Exchanges
- Pay Tax on Your Bitcoin Profits or Face Punishment, Mexican Auditor Warns
- Chinese, Taiwanese Bitcoin Miners Eyeing Paraguay Move
More Crypto Regulation May Be on its Way in South Korea, Japan
Source: Adobe/ MOBY
A South Korean regulatory chief has renewed calls for stronger crypto sector policing, but an industry association has warned that billions of USD worth of damages could follow if crypto-only exchanges are allowed to go bust.
According to Seoul Finance, the new Financial Services Commission (FSC) Chairman Koh Seung-beom announced that he would seek to strengthen the monitoring of crypto exchanges to ensure that they return customer deposits in a timely manner and follow other regulatory protocols.
Koh was speaking to reporters after meeting with the heads of eight policy and financial institutions at Seoul, where he discussed crypto and other matters.
Koh was quoted as stating:
The Financial Intelligence Unit [a regulatory agency that answers to the FSC] cryptoasset-related labor resources have been increased and a cryptoasset inspection department has been established. We will check with the FIU to see if we are on the right track.
But the industry is doing what it can to push back against regulatory policies that have seen all but four of South Koreas crypto exchanges close or limit their services to crypto-only operations in the past few days. News1 quoted the head of the Korea Blockchain Enterprise Promotion Association as urging politicians to support a private members bill in parliament that would seek to unpick the current regulations and open the door for crypto exchanges that have no bank affiliations to offer fiat KRW trading.
The association was quoted as stating that the government and regulators had ignored the will of the National Assembly, industry experts and the media, allowing only large corporations to offer crypto exchange services.
It added that it was a bitter pill to swallow for the 39 medium-sized exchanges who had also invested billions of KRW to build various systems and to obtain information security management system certification only to be told they had to switch to crypto-only business.
Trading figures have shriveled at most non-big four exchanges in the days following last weeks regulatory deadline.
Allowing these exchanges to go out of business could compromise the holdings of up to USD 8.4bn worth of customer funds, the association warned.
Meanwhile, across the sea to the East, Japanese regulators have been urged to limit or police peer-to-peer (P2P) crypto transactions.
Per Nikkei, legal experts have claimed that direct [crypto] transactions between individuals have emerged as a hotbed of crime.
The media outlet noted that the regulatory Financial Services Agency monitors transactions through exchanges, but mainstream interpersonal transactions are not monitored.
Experts called for a crypto fraud deterrent, and added that a joint public-private sector collaboration was required to create, improve and spread the technical capabilities of tracking software.
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Learn more:
- Trading Volumes Collapse at Most S Korean Crypto Exchanges, New Restrictions Confirmed
- Crypto in Chaos, but Blockchain-powered Pay and Stablecoins Thrive in S Korea
- South Korean Ruling Party Squabbles over Crypto Tax
- South Korean Taxman to Be Granted Right to Search Crypto Tax Evaders Homes
- Japanese Regulator Has NFTs, IEOs in its Sights as it Eyes More Crypto Regulation
- Bank of Japan Identifies DeFi Pros & Cons, Mentions Uniswap, Yield Farming
IT Infrastructure
Naval Postgraduate School tests 5G maritime solutions
The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) and AT&T will develop and test 5G and edge computing-based maritime solutions for potential use in national defense and homeland security.
Under a three-year collaborative research and development agreement, high-speed, low-latency AT&T 5G networking and edge computing capabilities will support 5G-focused experiments incorporating artificial intelligence, data analytics, the internet of things, machine learning, robotics and smart base solutions. Experiments will be conducted as part of NPS Sea Land Air Military Research (SLAMR) program, which facilitates maritime experiments with emerging technologies in different physical environments, at its main campus and a beach lab in Monterey Bay, Calif.
The work started in July 2020 and ends in July 2023, with 5G expected to go live in the middle of 2022.
We provide expertise related to the operational environment and problem set, said Ray Buettner, associate professor of information science at NPS. AT&T brings in their networking expertise, and then together with other companies and industry and governmental entities and universities, well go after some of the hard problems and hopefully accelerate new capabilities for the warfighter.
An example of those hard problems is navigating a large environment in a conflict with, say, China, Buettner said. The Pacific Ocean is vast and more than 2,000 islands are scattered around the region.
We have to learn to learn to create bubbles, if you will, of consistent, reliable communications and connect to computing assets, especially if they want to take advantage of things like artificial intelligence that are closer to the warfighter, to the battlefield, he said. To go after those kind of problems, we need to really understand the potential of technology like 5G and network companies like AT&T.
Although 5G is relatively short-range, reaching about 1,500 feet from a tower, Buettner said he believes it can be useful for integrating those bubbles to support activities such as virtual reality and AI on vessels at sea. For instance, a 5G node could be put on a buoy, and the natural motion of the waves could generate the electricity to power the node.
Another area of study is control of drones and other autonomous aerial, surface and underwater systems.
In 2017, NPS was leading the world in developing drones, he said. We actually demonstrated the capability to fly swarms of up to 50 vehicles, each one completely independent and operating on its own no human operators, Buettner said. But the networking technology to support large-scale deployment of that really wasnt sufficient in the 4G world.
Whats really important is the autonomy unmanned and uncrewed vehicles that are able to now connect at higher speeds with lower latency on these 5G networks, added Lance Spencer, client executive vice president-defense at AT&T. That helps as they want to improve the command and control of vehicles over the water.
For SLAMR, signals are not going to be sent underwater because the physics of that are totally different, he said. This exercise about the ability of aerial and submergible vehicles to connect when on the surface or in the air.
SLAMRs goal is to create a command and aquatics operations facility for localized, unmanned aerial, surface and underwater robotic vehicle activity. That facility and its experimental vehicles would be connected and powered by AT&T networking capabilities.
This is not the Defense Departments first foray into 5G. In October 2020, it announced a $600 million contract for 5G experimentation and testing at five installations, including smart warehousing at Naval Base San Diego. On Sept. 21, DOD tapped Verizon Public Sector to deliver its 5G Ultra Wideband mobility service to seven Air Force Reserve Commands.
I think the value of a lot of this prototyping and experimentation and collaboration that were seeing in DOD -- and that NPS is clearly taking a leadership position on -- will prove the viability of providing [5G] capability, Spencer said. This research project will create a wider aperture to perhaps deploy at more of a scale, applying the lessons to any industry that relies on safe passage across water such as commercial, transportation, shipping, oil and gas, he said.
This article first appeared on GCN, a Defense Systems partner site.
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The tower business spin-off planned by telecommunications giant America Movil has got the green light from the companys shareholders, who have overwhelmingly approved the plan.
In an extraordinary general meeting, they gave what is described as a strong endorsement for the spin-off proposal, which will create a new company called Sitios Latinoamerica. America Movil has already said that it expects to complete the reorganization before the end of 2021.
Upon completion, the new entity will own 36,000 telecommunications towers in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay.
According to Reuters, America Movil will hand over to the new company a portion of its share capital consisting mainly of shares it owns in subsidiary companies that own towers and other associated infrastructure.
Specialist website Tower Xchange says Sitios Latinoamerica is set to become the worlds 10th largest towerco and the second largest in the region. It adds that over a third of Sitios Latinoamericas towers are in Brazil, some 12 percent are in Argentina and 10 percent in Peru.
America Movil and Sitios Latinoamerica will operate autonomously with separate management, operational, commercial and financial objectives.
Among growth opportunities, Tower Xchange suggests that ongoing 4G rollout and, in the longer term, the arrival of 5G will benefit the new company.
America Movil and Sitios Latinoamerica will enter into medium and long-term lease agreements, a model that is becoming common as tower businesses around the world are spun off or sold to free up operator capital.
The Telecommunications and Information Accessibility Agency (BAKTI) of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCI or KemKominfo) has designated domestic mobile operators PT XL Axiata Tbk and PT Telekomunikasi Selular (Telkomsel) as Operational Cooperation Partners (KSO) for 4G Cellular Services in the 3T region (underdeveloped, outermost, and leading).
President Director of BAKTI KemKominfo, Anang Latif, confirmed that the two mobile providers would manage the provision of 4G base transceiver stations (BTS) built by BAKTI KemKominfo in 7,904 villages in 3T zones.
The selected operator will manage the network that BAKTI built-in 7,904. We are only preparing the infrastructure, because the frequency issue is, of course, the operators property. So thats our collaboration with operators, he said.
BAKTI KemKominfo has the mandate to build 4G BTS, including support for electricity resources. However, operational services used by the community will be provided by KSO Partners, he added. BAKTI is responsible to procure the necessary 4G infrastructure, as the operators run the services.
When operational, the signal will appear Telkomsel or XL (as the chosen partner), and BAKTI will use funds from the financing mix, he explained.
The budget for the construction of 4G BTS is a financing mix sourced from Universal Service Obligation (USO) funds, Pure Rupiah APBN, and Non-Tax State Revenues for communications and information technology sector.
Lava International, an Indian multinational electronics company that manufactures smartphones, has filed Draft Red Herring Prospectus (DRHP) with capital markets regulator SEBI to raise INR 1400- 1500 crore (USD 202 million) through the initial public offering (IPO), said a report in the Economic Times.
The Lava International IPO is expected to hit the stock market in December 2021, said market sources.
According to media reports, proceeds from the issue will be used for marketing and brand building activities, funding acquisition and other strategic initiatives and investment in material subsidiaries, and for funding its working capital requirements.
The company designs, manufactures, markets, distributes and service mobile handsets, tablets, and other electronics accessories under its own ''LAVA'' and ''XOLO'' brands, and provide value-added software services.
Based on sales volume, Lava International is Indias 3rd biggest feature phone business, with a market share of 13.4 percent in the fiscal year 2021. The company says that it has a footprint in countries like Thailand, Sri Lanka, the Middle East, Bangladesh, Mexico, Indonesia, and Nepal.
Lava has recently signed a partnership license agreement with Lenovo to distribute mobile handsets that it makes under the Motorola brand in India and overseas. It has also signed a multi-year contract with HMD Global to design, manufacture and distribute mobile handsets under the Nokia brand in India and overseas.
The company was co-founded by Hari Om and Shailendra Nath Rai and Sunil Bhalla in 2009. Vishal Sehgal joined in 2010.
Statement by Ambassador Byrne Nason at the UN Security Council on the Middle East - Palestine
Statement
I want to thank Special Coordinator Wennesland for your briefing and a very special thanks to Mai and Meredith. You show us the pivotal work that young women are doing, day in, day out, as agents of change. Were really glad youre with us today. We have heard your voices. In my view, its your generation and maybe your gender that hold the key for a brighter future for both Palestine and Israel.
Mai, thank you for setting out the ongoing worrying impact of settlements and related issues on the Palestinian population. You registered with us.
Meredith, your work on capacity building for strategic, sustainable and scalable peace efforts on the ground has given all of us here in the Council very useful insights and in my case, some hope.
Ireland remains steadfast in its view that a two State solution offers the strongest prospect for sustainable peace. Ongoing contacts between the parties, and within the region are welcome, but they are no substitute for direct negotiations, as part of a wider political process.
Today we heard another deeply concerning briefing from Special Coordinator Wennesland on the implementation of Resolution 2334.
Tor, once again, your report reminds us that settlements remain a major obstacle on the path to peace.
I reiterate Irelands long-standing condemnation of illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory.
Ireland is extremely concerned at the increase in demolitions, evictions and seizures of Palestinian-owned structures in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. We call on the Israeli authorities to cease these activities and to provide adequate permits for legal construction in Palestinian communities, as well as development of Palestinian territories.
In particular, I wish to underline clearly our serious concern at the recent increase in the number of Palestinian families at risk of eviction in Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan. This remains of serious concern.
We underscore again the importance of maintaining the Status Quo at the Holy Sites, in particular at Haram al Sharif/The Temple Mount.
Lets be clear: Acts of violence, including rocket attacks from Gaza into Israel, continue to erode trust between the parties, and to also erode trust within their own communities. All of this adds up to making a political settlement more difficult to achieve. Ireland condemns all acts of terrorism.
We are concerned about the increase in violence in the occupied Palestinian territory. We unreservedly condemn yesterdays incidence of settler violence in the South Hebron Hills in which a young child was seriously injured. We call on the Israeli authorities to hold those responsible accountable and to end the culture of impunity around all such incidents of violence. We call out in particular the devastating impact of the occupation and of violence on children, as we have just heard this morning from Tor.
We remind all the parties of their obligations under international human rights and international humanitarian law.
We call on the Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority to use their influence and authority to reduce tensions, to prevent violence and to contribute to resolution of long-standing issues.
Once again we renew our call on Israel to end the blockade of Gaza. We welcome the decision by Israel to allow more reconstruction material to enter Gaza, its expansion of the fishing area and provision of more work permits for residents of Gaza.
This though is the minimum we need to see to help Gaza residents on the path to recovery. As we all know however, Gaza remains still far removed from normal economic activity and the situation there will continue to pose challenges, including a deepening humanitarian crisis, until the underlying issues are addressed.
Ireland reiterates its view that it is incumbent on this Council, incumbent on the Quartet, incumbent on partners in the region and on the international community to uphold international law, and to remain fully engaged in working to resolve the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
The time for this has long passed, we simply cannot afford to wait.
Thank you.
Previous Item | Next Item
Late last week, the White House directed federal department and agency leaders to prepare for a possible shutdown. For many, this involved updating their lapse in allocations contingency plans, which outline which functions will continue to be carried out during a government shutdown.
The Treasury Department updated its plans in August, after the debt ceiling suspension passed in 2019, expired. This suspension is one of the key factors driving the government towards a shutdown, as Republicans are steadfast in their opposition to another suspension.
What does the plan say about the payment of child tax credit?
Based on the guidance published by the IRS in their contingency plan, it does not seem likely that the October Child Tax Credit payment will be impacted.
There are specific programs and tax credits that Congress provides funding for through the fiscal year, ending on 30 September. Other programs, like Social Security, are paid out of an indefinite appropriation, and therefore [the IRS] may continue making these payments during a shutdown.
Similarly, the funds needed to distribute the Child Tax Credit were appropriated under the American Rescue Plan and do not run out after this fiscal year. The IRS states that a certain subset of its workforce will be kept on to ensure that the distribution of payments is not interrupted.
The debt ceiling and the Child Tax Credit
While a government shutdown may not prevent the distribution of the Child Tax Credit payments, the debt ceiling crisis might.
In August, when the suspension to the debt ceiling expired, the Treasury had to begin using its extraordinary funds to cover costs until Congress decided if it would suspend, increase, or do away with the debt limit.
In testimony on Capitol Hill this week, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned lawmakers that Treasury is likely to exhaust its extraordinary measures if Congress has not acted to raise or suspend the debt limit by October 18.
Without these funds in hand, Treasury would be left with very limited resources that would be depleted quickly. It is uncertain whether we could continue to meet all the nations commitments after that date. Those commitments include the payment of the Child Tax Credit and many other crucial benefits.
When asked by Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown precisely the impact, this could have on the economy, Sec. Yellen responded by saying it would have catastrophic economic consequences. It would represent the first time the United States has ever defaulted on its debt, which would be disastrous for the American economy, for global financial markets, and for millions of families and workers whose financial security would be jeopardized by delayed payments. In speaking directly about the Child Tax Credit, the Secretary said, "30 million families who rely on the child tax credit would not receive the monthly payment on time.
Democrats in the US Congress are struggling to get their next set of legislative priorities based on President Bidens Bild Back Better plan through both chambers. One is the rump of the hard infrastructure proposals the President laid out in his campaign. The other is a much more ambitious set of measures to re-envision the US social safety net and tackle climate change.
Neither of the bills include another round of stimulus checks like the three Congress has already approved for families still struggling in the wake of economic damage the covid-19 pandemic continues to leave in its path. But the second proposal could extend the Child Tax Credit which is sending families with children monthly direct payments. The fourth installment is set to go out 15 October and payments will go through December.
States are sending stimulus
Despite the continued calls from some lawmakers in Washington and online petitions for Congress to approve more stimulus checks, enthusiasm over that specific measure has waned. However, some states have already approved stimulus checks and new batches are set to go out in October, including to those who were ineligible for the federal payments. Heres a rundown on where stimulus checks are being paid at a state level in October.
California: Golden State Stimulus
Due a larger than expected budget surplus and a quirk in state tax law, California approved a second round of Golden State Stimulus for around two thirds of its residents this summer. Previously, the state had approved an initial round destined for undocumented workers in the state who didnt receive the federal stimulus checks and low-income residents. The scheme now makes all residents who earn under $75,000 eligible for a one-time payment.
The California Franchise Tax Board began sending out payments of up to $1,100 to Californians in September. The latest batch of direct deposit payments is slated to go out 5 October, and the first batch of paper checks the following day. In total the state will send out some 9 million payments which are scheduled to continue through the end of October.
New York: $2.1 billion Excluded Workers Fund
New York, meanwhile, has a $2.1 billion Excluded Workers Fund to be claimed by those who werent eligible for unemployment benefits, including undocumented workers.
To be eligible for the payment, New York residents must have a 2020 income under $26,208.
In addition, local artists in New York City will also receive help in the form of a $5,000 check in October.
Tennessee: $1,000/$500 checks for teachers
Tennessee will pay a $1,000 bonus to full-time teachers, and $500 to those who work part-time. The bill was passed on 30 June and recipients will get the payments before the end of the year. However, the one-off payments come in place of a 2% pay rise which many educators had expected to be introduced.
Alaska
Last but not least, although they arent stimulus checks in the exact sense, those who have been kept out of work for an extended amount of time in Alaska could see some extra money. Residents in Alaska may qualify for 13 to 20 weeks of additional payments through the Federal-State Extended Benefits program. The amount of money and requisites to qualify for the payments still remain uncertain, as this will depend on how much of the pot is available after some of it has been claimed for other purposes.
Moreover, this is not the only check available to Alaskans, they could receive in October the annual oil wealth checks, investment from which 25% of the annual oil money is put into the Alaska Permanent Fund, a dedicated fund for future generations.
People walk past a warning board at a hospital in New York, United States, Sept. 6, 2021. The cumulative number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the United States exceeded 40 million, according to statistics released by Johns Hopkins University on the same day. (Photo Source: Xinhua)
Political fragmentation is the root cause of America's failure to contain COVID-19. Partisan rivalries have intensified in the US, and the interests of political parties, especially those in election campaigns, openly override national and public interests, eclipsing basic human rights including people's life and health. If the two parties had been able to manage their political differences and work together to deal with the pandemic, or if the COVID-19 outbreak were not in an election year, the pandemic might not have gotten out of control in the US. However, lessons could be learned, but history cannot be postulated.
Political fragmentation has prevented the US from channeling national capacity into pandemic containment.American political scientist Francis Fukuyama wrote in Foreign Affairs in 2020 that the three elements of a successful response to the pandemic are national capacity, social trust, and leadership. The US is the world's most powerful country and a leader in medical technology and medical resources. Obviously, the main factor behind the runaway pandemic is not the lack of national capacity. Fukuyama argues that the US has great potential in terms of national capacity, but its current highly polarized society and incompetent politicians prevent it from functioning effectively.
Trump's sudden rise and "surprise" election victory in 2016 was in fact a product of the political polarization in the US. The Trump administration exploited and exacerbated political polarization. Former US Defense Secretary James Mattis criticized Trump as the first president ever who was not willing to unite the American people, "even not pretending to do so." However, the key to effective control of the pandemic lies precisely in solidarity and working together. Any weakness or loophole in any link of the whole society, or lax attitude or neglect, will cause national capacity to be impeded, depleted or misdirected in the process of pandemic prevention and control.
If leadership is the engine to mobilize national capacity, social trust is the driving bearing that ensures orderly operation. Due to political fragmentation, only some groups in American society have taken part in the pandemic prevention and control, while others have been turning a blind eye to the basic facts of the spread of the pandemic. According to a 2020 report by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, 87% of Democratic respondents believed the pandemic is a serious challenge to the US, while only 48%t of Republican respondents believed so. In the face of the crisis, the US, a state machine that had no shortage of fuel, could only partially function. The precious opportunity that China gained for the world by effectively containing the pandemic at home was wasted, and Dr. Fauci and other experts warnings were ignored, and the lives and health of millions of Americans were trampled on.
Political fragmentation obstructs the normal operation of American politics and destroys its self-regulation mechanism. As partisan struggles intensified, the effectiveness of both horizontal and vertical division of power in American politics suffered performance decline. Members of Congress debated over pandemic bills to convey their interests, while the legislative and executive branches are hobbling each other. The lack of coordination between the federal and state governments worries people, while the state governments are at war with each other. The "confrontation" between democratic states and the Trump administration is frequently reported. The judicial system, which is supposed to function as a "stabilizer" in the chaos, has become a tool of partisanship. Since the outbreak, the Republican Party has challenged the state government's quarantine policies through lawsuits in several democratic states. Even when packaged as "protecting freedom" and "balancing economic interests," the real purpose of the lawsuits is to increase public exposure, gain electoral advantage, and thwart the political agenda of the opposing party.
At the end of March 2020, Mike Kelly, a Republican Congressman from Pennsylvania, tested positive for COVID-19. He was declared healthy more than a month later, claiming that "the recovery process was very difficult" and that he had "lost 30 pounds in about 10 days". People thought the infection of COVID-19 and the hard time of rehabilitation should increase his empathy for the ordinary people who are threatened by the pandemic. However, this experience not only failed to provoke any sense of support Senator Kelly had for pandemic prevention, but gave him the confidence to lead a lawsuit in his home state challenging the Democratic governor's quarantine policies and calling for reopening Pennsylvania.
US Congress squanders the publics trust on partisan wrangling, but the virus does not stop spreading. The fact that Republicans are trying to block quarantine policies in Democratic states does not prove that Democrats are more sensible about the pandemic. Democrats have repeatedly attacked the Trump administration for not having a plan to fight the pandemic, but they are unlikely to come up with one that works. After African-American George Floyd was killed by a white police officer, protests, even riots, took place in many American cities. The Democrats took the opportunity to attack the Republicans for their ethnic policies, which also fueled the commotion and hindered pandemic prevention and control. The campaign timetable overrode two parties timetables for responding to the pandemic.
People protest over African American George Floyd's death during a peaceful rally held in downtown Dallas, Texas, the United States, June 3, 2020. (Photo by Song Qiong/Xinhua)
Political fragmentation has led American politicians to manipulate public opinion and confuse public perceptions. Political fragmentation and social polarization cause and affect each other and shape each other. Under the logic of election campaigns, if a party decides that the key to winning an election is not to unite the majority but to keep its loyal followers, using rational public standpoints to win public opinion becomes a thankless option. In his four years in office, Trump's overall poll rating had never flipped from negative to positive, but that didn't seem to bother him. Getting voters to go more extreme and say only what they wanted to hear is more bang for the buck. Therefore, during the pandemic, sensational and eye-catching statements were all the rage. From claiming "the virus will miraculously disappear one day" at the beginning of the pandemic to suggesting that "the virus will be killed by sterilizing water" when the pandemic was expanding, its unbelievable that these irresponsible remarks came from the president of the US, the world's leading power.
In the context of social polarization and with online we-medias dividing effects on public opinion, it has been more difficult for the public to obtain objective and authoritative information on pandemic prevention. On October 2, 2020, President Trump tweeted that he had tested positive for COVID-19 and declared recovery after brief hospitalization. Mark Scaringi, a Pennsylvania lawyer, and staunch Republican advocate, immediately tweeted that Trump's quick recovery showed that for most Americans the outbreak was like a "mild flu" and that "political science and life science show that the US should be fully unlockdown". When Wolf, the Democratic governor, contracted COVID-19 on December 9, Scaringi took the opportunity to taunt him, saying it showed that the state's quarantine restrictions were meaningless and a "scam." The political divide runs like a watershed across American society, blinding people on both sides.
Political fragmentation has led the US government to stigmatize and blame China. Foreign policy begins at home. The two parties in the US are always "opposing for the sake of opposing", attacking and undermining each other, so they always find it difficult to cooperate on many domestic political agendas. As a result, the rulers in the US urgently need to create an "external common enemy" to divert domestic conflicts, ease the anxiety and maintain the increasingly divided interest groups.
From Trump hyping up "Chinese virus" and "claim for pandemic responsibility", to Biden advocating "laboratory leakage" and the so-called virus origins tracking, the logic behind is all old. Some people in the US seem unable to get things done without mentioning China, whether in public speeches at home or in talks with allies and partners abroad. Rather than continuing Trumps strategic policy towards China, the Biden administration inherits an overall situation in which it has to get tough with China to advance its domestic political agenda. It is not a series of extreme measures taken at the end of the Trump administration that has shaped the future of US-China policy, but both parties are mired in political fragmentation. The US is trying to evade responsibility for the pandemic by blaming China, just like covering its ears and stealing the bell. If the US doesnt remove the political virus, neither changing its president nor changing the ruling party will stop the pandemic from recurring. There is a bunch of urgent domestic problems in the US. Shortsighted efforts to push the political agenda with the "China issues" will only prevent the US from tackling the root causes of its social problems. To consolidate US hegemony through strategic competition with China is like drinking poison to quench thirst. The wheel of history is rolling forward and will not stop because some politicians are obsessed with the glory coming from the victory in the Cold War.
COVID-19 has killed nearly 700,000 people in the US so far, more than the death toll in the US Civil War. The cold numbers are sobering. Political fragmentation is the root cause of the US failure to contain the virus, and it was the root cause of the Civil War. Americans look up to President Lincoln because, in the midst of nationwide chaos, he recognized that political fragmentation was the gravest threat and managed to heal the rift and preserve the union. COVID-19 is the common enemy of humanity. The out-of-control pandemic in the US has not only inflicted severe trauma on its own people but also brought chaos to the global response to fight the virus. When will the US learn from the lessons of the pandemic that their domestic politics is torn apart? That is the most serious threat at hand.
Contributed by Chen Changning
Translated by Zhang Andi
Editor: ZAD
Peter Weckesser, Executive Vice President, Digital & Chief Digital Officer of Schneider Electric
"We see the potential of integration of 5G technologies and industrial scenarios that bring a major leap in productivity and efficiency, especially in those use cases that require real-time, quality connectivity for precision, accuracy, and reliability, " said Peter Weckesser at the WIC forum on 5G empowerment Monday.
Here we spoke with Peter Weckesser, the executive vice president, digital & chief digital officer of Schneider Electric to discuss how 5G will empower a new era of manufacturing.
Guangming Online: As you see it, how does 5G empower the world recovering from the pandemic?
Peter Weckesser: The growing use of 5G technologies can help meet the demand for greater, faster connectivity especially in remote operations using AR/VR and real-time data. These use cases have become especially critical in many industries during the pandemic and will continue to play an important role in the post-COVID world. In the long term, 5G has the potential to act as a catalyst of further digitization of industries, leading to greater productivity, efficiency, and resiliency.
Guangming Online: How can 5G technologies revolutionize industrial activities and catalyze digital transformation in industries?
Peter Weckesser: At Schneider Electric we see 5G as an important enabler of accelerated digitization across industries, unlocking greater flexibility and benefits of remote operations. It can empower greater connectivity and help manage massive volumes of data which means providing better insights, faster. These data-based insights that can help reach new levels of efficiency and lead to greater sustainability at the enterprise level.
Guangming Online: Currently, the commercial deployment of 5G worldwide is entering a critical period. From your point of view, how can 5G technologies be integrated in industrial scenarios in China? And what kind of practice has Schneider Electric made in this sector in China?
Peter Weckesser: At Schneider we have been interested in adopting 5G for relevant use cases from the very beginning and today we already have some highly valuable applications in place. One example is the Schneider Electric Wuxi factory where 5G is used to enable fast, flexible setup of our production lines depending on the orders for the factory. Without 5G, the time needed to re-configure the wired production lines took weeks - now, thanks to 5G connectivity, its just a matter of hours.
This means incredible flexibility of production and enables us to meet our customers demands faster.
Guangming Online: How can the rapid development of 5G in China facilitate the digital transformation of industry?
Peter Weckesser: Thanks to the fact that 5G in China is experiencing remarkable growth, there will be more and more practical use cases for 5G applications. The challenge is finding the right use cases and scaling them to achieve lasting business outcomes, seizing the true potential of AI, Internet of Things, cloud, and edge computing Partnerships on various 5G projects can help accelerate this and bring even more innovation in China.
Guangming Online: As the 5G communications era has dawned, how can 5G technologies enable people to make the most of energy and resources, as the purpose of Schneider Electric states?
Peter Weckesser: 5G is an important technology that must be integrated as part of an efficient, sustainable and secure manufacturing landscape of the future. Simply put, it can help manufacturing and use of energy and resources smarter in a connected, integrated enterprise.
Guangming Online: China announced that it would strive to peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. As an expert in global digital transformation in energy management and automation, how will Schneider Electric help China meet its commitment with the application of hi-tech such as 5G?
Peter Weckesser: Schneider Electric is both an actioner and an enabler on the way toward carbon neutrality. We pledge to achieve: carbon-neutral in our operations by 2025, and net zero CO2 emissions in our operations by2030. Carbon-neutral on full end-to-end footprint (scope 1, 2, 3) by 2040, and net zero CO2 emissions in our supply chain operations by 2050. In China we are helping customers and supply chain partners to increase productivity, energy and resource efficiency, as well as business resilience to achieve high quality and sustainable development. We have integrated new technologies such as 5G and AI in our carbon neutrality solutions, across the entire lifecycle of our customers, from carbon neutrality consultation to its realizing via green smart manufacturing solutions and green energy management solution. By 2025, we will deliver 800 megatons of saved and avoided CO2 emissions to our customers globally.
Editor: WXL
Photo taken on Sept. 29, 2021 at UN headquarters in New York shows UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland (on the screen, bottom) briefing the UN Security Council. Tor Wennesland on Wednesday expressed concern over the continued violence between Israelis and Palestinians. (Ariana Lindquist/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)
UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland said Wednesday that the current pause in Israel's settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, must become permanent.
There were no new settlement housing plans advanced, approved or tendered between June 12 and Sept. 27, Wennesland told the Security Council in a briefing.
"I reiterate that all (Israeli) settlements are illegal under international law and that they undermine the prospect of achieving a viable two-state solution in line with UN resolutions, international law and prior agreements. The pause in new advancements and tenders of plans for housing units in settlements observed during this reporting period must become permanent," he said.
He expressed deep concern over the continued demolitions and seizures of Palestinian-owned structures, which have included internationally funded humanitarian projects. He urged Israel to cease demolitions and evictions and to approve plans that would enable these communities to build legally and address their development needs.
Citing the absence of Israeli-issued building permits, which are almost impossible for Palestinians to obtain, 302 structures were demolished or seized by Israeli authorities or demolished by their owners to avoid heavy Israeli demolition fees during the reporting period. These actions displaced 433 people, including 251 children and 102 women, said Wennesland.
On July 7, Israeli authorities demolished some 30 structures, of which 17 were provided as humanitarian assistance, in the Bedouin community of Humsa Al Bqai'a in the Jordan Valley. On July 14, Israeli authorities confiscated at least 49 structures in the Bedouin community of Ras al Tin in the Ramallah governorate. As a result, 84 people, including 53 children and 14 women, were displaced.
On Aug. 11, the Jerusalem Local Affairs Court froze the demolition of several dozen structures in the al-Bustan section of the Silwan neighborhood until Feb. 10, 2022, pending ongoing planning discussions, he said.
On Aug. 2, Israel's Supreme Court held a hearing to consider an appeal request by four Palestinian families facing forced eviction in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in East Jerusalem. The judges made a proposal, which was not accepted, and the hearing was adjourned with no date to reconvene. There are currently some 970 Palestinians facing eviction in East Jerusalem, he said.
On July 2, some 50 Israeli settler families left the settlement outpost of Evyatar, illegal also under Israeli law, following an agreement with the Israeli government that the Israeli military would re-establish a presence at the site and a land survey would be conducted to determine land status, he said.
Wennesland also voiced deep concern about the continued settler-related violence in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, settler-related violence continued, including reports of armed settlers carrying out attacks against Palestinians in proximity to Israeli security forces, he said.
On Aug. 17, a 15-year-old Palestinian boy was attacked in the northern part of the occupied West Bank, during which a group of Israeli settlers kidnapped the boy and brutally assaulted him, said Wennesland.
During the reporting period, a total of 102 attacks occurred in which Israeli settlers or other civilians injured 36 Palestinians or reportedly damaged property. Palestinians perpetrated 193 attacks against Israeli settlers and other civilians in the occupied West Bank, including the throwing of stones, Molotov cocktails, and pipe bombs at civilian vehicles, resulting in 27 injuries and damage to property, he said.
"Israel, as the occupying power, has an obligation to ensure the safety and security of the Palestinian population and to investigate such attacks. I underscore that all perpetrators of violence must be held accountable and swiftly brought to justice," said the envoy. Enditem
COVID-19 is the most serious pandemic and the biggest public health emergency the world has experienced in a century. The origins-tracing of SARS-CoV-2 aims to identify the zoonotic source of the virus and the route of introduction to the human population, including the possible role of intermediate hosts. The work is of vital importance to taking targeted interventions against infectious diseases and reducing the risk of similar events occurring. To produce a research report that can stand the test of history, a paramount principle that must be upheld is sticking to the spirit of science, adopting a science-based approach, and following the law of science.
The origins-tracing study is a complex and serious matter of science. To study the origins, transmission and evolution of COVID-19, which has raged across over 200 countries and regions, the global science community needs to work together so that science, solidarity and cooperation will prevail over ignorance, isolation and prejudice.
China has its share of COVID-19 prevention and control work. Yet, it has twice invited international experts to conduct origins-tracing studies. In a science-based, open, transparent and cooperative manner, China offered the necessary facilitation for WHO expert teams work in Wuhan. With a sense of responsibility and urgency, the WHO-China joint team completed the China part of the global study of origins, giving a panoramic view of the work methods and major findings of origins-tracing study and offering suggestions for the next phase of global origins-tracing work.
Based on media reports and information from Chinas National Health Commission, research institutes, universities and other relevant parties, Xinhua reporters have reviewed major facts of Chinas facilitation for the WHO-China joint teams origins-tracing study in Wuhan. The following are the major facts in chronological order.
2020
From July to August, WHO and China conducted the groundwork for studies to better understand the origins of the virus. Terms of Reference (TORs) were agreed that defined a phased approach, and the scope of studies, the main guiding principles and expected deliverables. The TORs envisaged an initial Phase 1 of short-term studies to better understand how the virus might have been introduced and started to circulate in Wuhan, China.
On July 11, an advance team, comprised of two expertsMr. Olivier le Polain and Dr. Peter K. Ben Embarek, arrived in China to conduct preparatory consultation on origins-tracing scientific cooperation.
Between July 11 and Aug. 2, experts from China and WHO held 16 meetings to exchange their views. Chinese experts introduced epidemiological investigation results of early cases in Wuhan, testing results of animal and environmental samples, data analysis of the testing results from wild animal surveillance samples, the oversight over food safety, the main hypotheses of virus transmission paths, the source of infection and potential unknown factors of the early clustered cases, among others. At the request of the WHO experts, China also arranged a special video conference between the WHO experts and Dr. Shi Zhenglis team from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The Chinese and WHO experts agreed on a workplan for the China part of the WHO-convened global study of origins of SARS-CoV-2.
On Aug. 2, the WHO team left China after the visit.
From October to December, the Chinese experts and the WHO international team held four online meetings to discuss the progress of the global study of origins of SARS-CoV-2 and the work methods of the joint study on origins-tracing.
2021
From January to February, the WHO-China joint team (members are listed below) conducted study in China in accordance with the previously-agreed TORs for the China part of the WHO-convened global study of origins of SARS-CoV-2.
(Information on joint team members)
International experts, observers and WHO team members
Team leader
Peter Ben Embarek -- Scientist, Monitoring Nutritional Status &Food Safety Events, Nutrition and Food Safety, World Health Organization
Epidemiology
Thea K Fischer* -- Director of Clinical Research, Nordsj llands University Hospital, Denmark
Dominic Dwyer -- Director, NSWHP-Public Health Pathology State-wide Service and Director, New South Wales Health Pathology-Institute of Clinical Pathology and Medical Research, Westmead Hospital, Australia
Farag Elmoubasher -- Acting Head, Communicable Disease Control Programmes, Public Health Department, Ministry of Public Health, Qatar (Participating via video links)
John Watson -- Adviser, Public Health England, The United Kingdom
Marion Koopmans -- Head, Department of Viroscience, Erasmus University Medical Centre, The Netherlands
Molecular epidemiology
Marion Koopmans* -- Head, Department of Viroscience, Erasmus University Medical Centre, The Netherlands
Fabian Leendertz -- Robert Koch-Institute, Germany (Participating via video links)
David Hayman -- Co-Director, Molecular Epidemiology and Public Health Laboratory, Massey University, New Zealand (OIE Collaborating Centre) (Participating via video links)
Animal and environment
Peter Daszak* -- President and Chief Scientist, EcoHealth Alliance, United States of America
Vladimir Dedkov -- Deputy Director-General for Research, Head of Epidemiology Department, Institute Pasteur, Russian Federation
Ken Maeda -- Director, Department of Veterinary Science, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan
Hung Nguyen-Viet -- Co-Leader, Animal and Human Health Programme, International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Kenya
Keith Hamilton -- Scientific and Technical Department, World Organisation for Animal Health (Office International des Epizooties, OIE)
Observer
Sophie von Dobschuetz Animal Production and Health Division, Food and Agriculture Organization
Junxia Song -- Animal Health Services, Food and Agriculture Organization
WHO Team
Pat Drury -- Deputy Incident Manager for COVID-19/Unit Head, Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) and Global Health Emergency Workforce, Emergency Response, World Health Organization
Li Jian -- Technical Officer, Emergency Operations Centre, Strategic Health Operations, Emergency Response, World Health Organization
Lisa Scheuermann -- Technical Officer, Human Animal Interface for IHR, Health Security Preparedness, Emergency Preparedness, World Health Organization
David FitzSimons -- Consultant (Rapporteur)
Chinese team members
Team leader
Liang Wannian -- Executive Vice-President, Vanke School of Public Health, Tsinghua University
Epidemiology
Feng Zijian* -- Deputy Director-General of China CDC
Shi Guoqing -- Deputy Director of Public Health Emergency Center of China CDC
Zhou Lei -- Professor, Public Health Emergency Center of China CDC
Zhang Xianfeng -- Director-General of Hubei Provincial CDC
Tong Yeqing -- Deputy Director of Institute of Infectious Diseases of Hubei Provincial CDC
Chen Banghua -- Deputy Director of Office of Health Emergency of Wuhan CDC
Molecular epidemiology
Yang Yungui* -- Deputy Director, China National Center for Bioinformation
Song Shuhui -- Associate Professor, China National Center for Bioinformation
Wang Qihui -- Professor, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Huo Xixiang -- Deputy Director of Institute of Health Inspection and Testing of Hubei Provincial CDC
Peng Mingwei -- Technologist-in-charge, Institute of Pathogenic Biology of Wuhan CDC
Animal and environment
Tong Yigang* -- Director of Life Science and Technology College, Beijing University of Chemical Technology
William Jun Liu -- Professor, National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, China CDC
He Hongxuan -- Professor, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Yang Guoxiang -- Senior Engineer, Hubei Wildlife Epidemic Source and Disease Surveillance Center
Gao Yanhong -- Deputy Director of Wuhan Zoo
(*Subgroup lead)
On Jan. 14, 2021, 13 members of the WHO-convened SARS-CoV-2 Origins-tracing Study team arrived in Wuhan by plane via Singapore and began their 14-day medical observation. They were Dr. Peter Ben Embarek, Prof. Thea K Fischer, Dr. Dominic Dwyer, Prof. Marion Koopmans, Dr. Peter Daszak, Dr. Vladimir Dedkov, Dr. Ken Maeda, Dr. Hung Nguyen-Viet, Dr. Keith Hamilton, Dr. Pat Drury, Ms. Li Jian, Ms. Lisa Scheuermann and Mr. David FitzSimons. Dr. John Watson arrived in Wuhan on Jan. 31 after entering China via Xiamen and receiving medical observation there. Dr. Farag Elmoubasher, Dr. Fabian Leendertz and Dr. David Hayman did not come to China and joined the study via video link.
From Jan. 15 to 27, WHO experts, then still in medical observation in designated places, conducted exchanges on academic topics via video link with Chinese experts:
An overview of the development of the integrated database developed by the China National Center for Bioinformation
The transmission of SARS-CoV-2 among mink in the Netherlands and steps taken to control outbreaks
Pathogen identification of COVID-19
Collection and testing of animal and environmental samples in the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market (hereinafter referred to as the Huanan market)
Types and sources of animal products in the Huanan market
COVID-19 pandemic traceability and the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 via cold chain
Progress in tracing and monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 in livestock
The investigation into the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 in Xinfadi market, Beijing in May-June 2020
An overview of geographical hotspots for potential emergence of zoonotic viral diseases (in particular coronavirus-related diseases)
Laboratory detection methods for SARS-CoV-2 in animal samples
The performance of the SARS-CoV-2 in laboratory
Surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in wild animals
The infection risk in cats, dogs and pigs to SARS-CoV-2
The research work of the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
The joint team agreed on work plans, the outline of the joint report, and a plan of site visits.
On Jan. 28, international experts concluded their medical observation in designated places and began site visits. The following each day saw the joint team, after making site visits, hold group meetings or a plenary meeting to discuss existing scientific evidence and data analysis methods, and jointly interpret data including epidemiological data on early cases, genomic data, and animal and environmental testing data. They also worked in groups to analyze data and to draft the joint report. Meetings often went on late into the night, with some group discussions even lasting until the wee hours the next day.
On Jan. 29, the joint team visited Xinhua Hospital (Hubei Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine) to learn about the diagnosis of the first patient of pneumonia of unknown etiology (PUE) by Dr. Zhang Jixian, the cases follow-up treatment at the hospital, and the treatment of COVID-19 patients by the hospital during the outbreak. The case with the earliest onset date reported to the National Notifiable Infectious Disease Reporting System (NNIDRS) -- who became ill on Dec. 8, 2019 -- was invited to have face-to-face interview with the international joint team.
Interview with the patient who had recovered from COVID-19:
Through questions about the patients personal information and family, the WHO expert team learned that the interviewee works in a family business as an accountant. The interview found no evidence of high-risk exposure (including exposure to wild animals, mass gatherings, contacts with medical institutions, contacts with symptomatic individuals, and travel). The interviewee mentioned a relative who works in the healthcare system and another relative who had visited a local market, but no infections were reported at these places. The interviewee commutes by public transportation with no history of travel outside Wuhan.
On Jan. 30, the joint team visited the Jinyintan Hospital for Infectious Diseases in Wuhan. The joint team also paid a visit to a COVID-19 exhibition at its request. The team talked with former president of the hospital Zhang Dingyu and others, and learned about the hospitals admission and treatment of the first batch of patients with PUE, treatment of severe COVID-19 cases with the assistance of medical workers sent from across the country, and day-to-day scientific research management, particularly COVID-19 research carried out at the hospital.
On Jan. 31, the joint team visited the Baishazhou Wholesale Market and the then-closed Huanan market. After talking with merchants, managers, and regulators of the two markets, as well as residents in the neighborhoods, experts of the team gained more information about the two markets, especially the Huanan market, including their layout, products for sale, and management, hygiene management in particular.
Focusing on the Huanan market
Although the Huanan market was closed on Jan. 1, 2020 and subsequently disinfected, it remains shuttered and closed to the public. In the markets area most linked to COVID-19, its west section, the team visited various stalls, the ventilation system which had been shut off, and warehouses that had been closed since the prohibition of live poultry markets in China.
Meeting with people related to the Huanan market
The joint team had a face-to-face meeting with the Huanan market staff and customers, and talked with two vendors of the market who sold frozen beef and frozen seafood, two suppliers of frozen products, market regulators and the market manager, as well as two residents in the neighborhood.
The manager informed the joint team that the market was cleaned twice a day, morning and evening. Pests and rats were sought out and killed before holes were closed. Rigorous cleaning was done once or twice a week. Even though there were rooms above some stalls, vendors were not allowed to live in the market. The rooms were only for storage.
The international team was informed that the market was not a purely wholesale market and that many ordinary people also bought their food there.
The WHO team was told by a representative from Hubei CDC that around 10,000 people visited the market per day.
Two neighborhood residents had responded to a community invitation to participate in this meeting. They had been shopping regularly in the market for 20 and 30 years. They provided very similar details: Nothing was unusual or worth noticing and all vendors had business certificates and inspection certificates displayed at their stalls; they had never witnessed any live animals being sold; the market was kept clean and tidy; they had not noticed any stray cats or dogs; there had been no confirmed COVID-19 cases in their residential blocks.
On Feb. 1, the joint team visited Hubei CDC and Wuhan CDC and their laboratories, where officials from China CDC and Jianghan District CDC of Wuhan were also present. The team was provided with information on the operation of the CDC system in China, the management of laboratories, and the work of CDCs at different levels during the epidemic, particularly in the early stage of epidemic, including epidemiological investigation, sample collection and testing, virus culture, genome sequencing and sharing the results with the world, as well as retrospective testing of samples collected by the infectious disease surveillance system.
Guan Xuhua, head of the Institute of Infectious Diseases, Hubei CDC, briefed the team on the analysis of early cases and the testing of environmental samples collected at the Huanan market. Based on the information, Guan concluded that it is likely the virus was transmitted into the Huanan market via individuals or animals. It is more likely from individuals in view of the sporadic cases prior to Dec. 10, 2019 having no exposure to the Huanan market.
The experts were provided with information on the infection among staff members of CDCs at different levels. All laboratory staff of Hubei CDC had been tested for SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies: all had negative IgM and IgG results. One staff member of Wuhan CDC was confirmed SARS-CoV-2 seropositive after infection due to family cluster transmission. All other staff members had tested negative. A health check was mandatory for all BSL-2 laboratory workers, but no serum was preserved. All PCR tests for SARS-CoV-2 of all laboratory workers of Jianghan CDC in June 2020 were negative.
The joint team also interviewed media journalists, who informed the team of their activities. They went to the Huanan market on Dec. 31, 2019 before it was closed and had footage of the market, which could be provided to the WHO team. They did not see or hear anything about the disease or virus on social media prior to the report by the government.
On Feb. 2, the joint team visited the Hubei Animal CDC to learn about Chinas prevention and control system for animal-related diseases, the overall operation of the center, the retrospective inspection of animal surveillance samples and laws and regulations on animal trade and wild animal protection.
During the tour and discussions, the joint team made three suggestions:
1.More international collaboration with experts and academics from Southeast Asia, build capacity and experience in laboratory research, and apply for more funding and support from the government
2. Starting to build capability for public health in veterinarian students and professionals as well as the veterinary medicine capability of public health students and professionals, in order to have capable professionals for sustainable animal disease prevention and control work in China
3. Connecting public health professionals, veterinary experts and socio-economic experts for joint studies and projects.
On Feb. 3, the joint team visited the Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. They visited the institutes BSL-4 laboratory, learning about its daily operation and laboratory management, especially its research work on COVID-19.
Professor Shi Zhengli gave an extensive scientific report on her teams work on bat CoVs. She covered issues including the following:
- The team has collaborated internationally since 2004.
- About 19,000 samples had been collected, CoVs were detected in about 13 percent (2,481 positive for CoV) of the tested samples by RdRp sequencing and classified according to phylogeny. Clade 4 SARSr-CoVs only found in Yunnan Province.
- All fieldwork is done with full PPE (Personal Protective Equipment).
- One virus strain with high homology with SARS-CoV-2, was renamed as RaTG13, and the information published in Nature.
- The low likelihood that RaTG13 was the precursor of SARS-CoV-2.
- The limited amount of live virus available for research.
- Her laboratory used recombinant viruses to test whether the spike protein of bat CoV could bind ACE2 (angiotensin-converting enzyme II) to facilitate virus entry, using bat spike protein on a bat-CoV backbone instead of a human CoV.
- With regard to possible reservoirs of SARS-CoV-2, other animals besides bats can also be susceptible hosts.
- With regard to the matter of morbidity and mortality in miners in a mine in Mojiang County, Yunnan Province, where bats were present, Professor Shi said that the events had been clarified in an addendum to her Naturearticle.
Prof. Wang Yanyi, Director of the Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, discussed the issue of lab leaks with the WHO team.
Wang said serum samples were preserved annually for laboratory staff, and all staff samples were tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.
When asked about positive influenza cases in October-November 2019, Wang replied that the institute performed retrospective research in collaboration with Wuhan Xiehe (Union) Hospital, testing influenza-like illness samples from that hospital. In total 1,001 samples were collected from patients in the hospital (the samples were not from staff of Wuhan Institute of Virology). No SARS-CoV-2 Nucleic Acid Testing positive samples were found in the samples from December 2019 and four coinfections with influenza and SARS-CoV-2 were found in the 700 samples from January 2020. The four coinfection cases are not staff of Wuhan Institute of Virology.
With regards to questions about laboratory workers, Wang said all of them underwent a strict training regime that includes three levels with strict rules on the certain quantity of training hours and in-laboratory experience prior to being allowed to enter the lab, or supervise others. P4 staff also undergo psychological evaluation before being allowed to work in the laboratory. Physical and mental health was monitored; no unusual respiratory infections had been noted in the previous year. Good compliance with mask use and hand hygiene was observed. Surveillance during the outbreak had been stringent; no suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 was found in PCR testing and antibody testing of all staff was negative. (If any worker had been infected, it would have been likely that close contacts would have shown signs of infection.) Sera were tested twice a year, and all had been negative. There had been no turnover of staff in the CoV team.
Some reports identified one former laboratory worker as missing. Actually, this person was an alumnus who graduated in 2015 and was now working in a different province and declined to speak to media. The person had been contacted and tested and ascertained to be healthy.
On Feb. 4, members of the joint team visited the Jiangxinyuan Community Center, and talked to survivors of COVID-19, family members of COVID-19 victims, and community workers. They learned about the daily management of the community, especially services including provision delivery, health promotion, healthcare, and psychological counseling during the epidemic. At the hotel where the WHO experts stayed, some members of the joint team talked with professors of Huazhong Agricultural University. They learned about the general information of the university and its COVID-19-related scientific researches such as animal surveillance around Wuhan.
During the meeting of WHO experts and community residents, a couple in their 70s, who both contracted COVID-19, recounted their fears and experiences. They expressed thanks to the government for covering all their expenses and to the volunteers for smoothing their return to their apartment with practical and moral support. Of the joint teams work on origins-tracing, the husband welcomed the experts to Wuhan and expressed the view that origins-tracing should be extended to cover the whole world.
Another representative of the community, who is also a building director, introduced the activities of volunteers, including urging everybody to stay indoors, delivering food and medicines, and frequently telephoning the old and lonely. The representative concluded that quarantine brought people together as one big family.
The last interviewee lost his spouse to COVID-19. He described how they were unable to see each other during the last two weeks of her life due to isolation measures. He acknowledged the continuing support of his colleagues and was grateful to the government for psychological support and counseling. His sorrow was still very evident.
On Feb. 5, the joint team interviewed staff members of the Wuhan Blood Center in the hotel where the international experts stayed. The team learned about Chinas blood donation administration system and the centers overall operation, its blood collection management, blood sample storage as well as its work during the COVID-19 outbreak.
The WHO experts carried out in-depth discussions with the center on the testing and analysis of the stored blood samples collected in the second half of 2019. The center expressed the view that blood collecting and supplying facilities are working under the regulation of the Measures for the Administration of Blood Stations, Article 31 of which stipulates that a blood sample shall be preserved for two years after the whole blood or the component blood is used. The center keeps the samples in tubes of the blood bags, like infusion tubes or blood collection tubes. At present, it keeps samples collected in 2019 and 2020 in such tubes. The storage and use of such samples strictly abide by relevant regulations and the samples can only be available for use when there is a medical dispute or lawsuit. The testing must be conducted by third-party judicial authentication agencies in the case of possible medical disputes. The blood center did not use the samples in such tubes for studies. According to the regulation, after the two-year preservation period expires, the samples shall be disposed of as medical wastes. The blood center thinks that the legal purpose of the use of such samples is to answer in medical disputes or lawsuits, and there is no precedent that this kind of blood sample is used in a scientific study, including study of diseases, as was suggested by the joint team. The center believes that scientific studies, especially those on major and complicated issues, should have prudent research plans, research subjects and follow prudent technological protocols, and they should be well-discussed and carried out in accordance with law and regulations under necessary guidance.
The international experts believed that the studies on people who have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibody are correlated worldwide, and many countries and regions hoped to know when the virus was first transmitted to human, making it necessary to conduct relevant studies in places such as Asian and Pacific regions to trace back to the period before the first transmission. The joint team made relevant recommendations because the experts believed that access to such blood samples would be of great value for the studies of origins, as the processes of blood donations are similar all around the world, following relatively standardized procedures. WHO was also considering carrying out such studies in other locations worldwide.
On Feb. 6, experts from the joint team interviewed staff of the Central Hospital of Wuhan at the hotel where the international experts stayed, to learn about the overall situation of the hospital, diagnosis and treatment of early cases, infections among medical staff and the handling of COVID-19 patients.
The Central Hospital of Wuhan reported the detection and testing of early cases. At around 4 p.m. on Dec. 29, 2019, the medical affairs division of the hospital received a report from a doctor from the emergency department, who was visited by three patients from the same place with fever symptoms on that day. The situation sounded an alarm among hospital management. On that afternoon, the hospital organized a review session on the patients received in the past few days. The session was attended by the hospital management, the medical affairs division and related clinical departments, including the emergency department and the respiratory department.
By 10 p.m. that night, the hospital had received six such cases from the same place -- the Huanan market. Concerned about potential clustered outbreaks, the hospital designated a large special zone to handle and treat the patients. At 8:30 a.m. on Dec. 30, 2019, the hospital held a joint consultation session to discuss the handling and clinical treatment of the six cases and reported to Jianghan District CDC at the earliest opportunity. Testing for influenza-like illness was all negative for the six patients.
For infectious diseases, routine checks from the hospital would involve bacterial culture and identification, and drug sensitivity testing. In terms of respiratory viruses, seven types of detection are often conducted mainly focusing on antigen detections. The viruses include the influenza A virus, influenza B virus, parainfluenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus and adenovirus. There are also some tests for mycoplasma pneumoniae and chlamydia pneumoniae. According to the requirements of biosafety, all specimens in the hospital will not be preserved after testing, and will be destroyed immediately.
After no specific issues were found via the routine tests, the hospital immediately expanded the tests to screen for all pathogens. The hospital collected respiratory tract samples, hoping to test the specimen for all pathogens by high-throughput sequencing. As the hospital did not have the capacity for high-throughput sequencing at the time, the samples were sent to a third-party commercial testing agency for detection. As the tests were extensive and comprehensive, it was known at the time that the results suggested the existence of CoV but it was unclear which specific CoV it was. The third-party testing agency sent the report directly to the families of the patients. The report contained many contents, among which the existence of CoV raised concerns. The phrase SARS-like viruses was mentioned in the Chinese version of the report, and relative SARS was reported in the English version.
On Feb. 7 and 8, the joint team drafted the joint report.
On Feb. 9, at a press conference, the joint team released major results of the China part of the WHO-convened global study of origins of SARS-CoV-2. The epidemiology working group found, after an analysis of surveillance data, that the outbreak in Wuhan predated the rest of Hubei Province and it is considered unlikely that any substantial transmission of SARS-CoV-2 was occurring in Wuhan in October or November, 2019. The study also found that there was no obvious clustering by the epidemiological parameters of exposure to raw meat or furry animals. The molecular epidemiology and bioinformatics working group found that evidence from surveys and targeted studies so far have shown that the CoVs most highly related to SARS-CoV-2 are found in bats and pangolins. However, neither of the viruses identified so far from these mammalian species is sufficiently similar to SARS-CoV-2 to serve as its immediate precursor. The high susceptibility of mink and cats to SARS-CoV-2 suggests that other species may also act as potential reservoirs. Some diversity of SARS-CoV-2 already existed in the early phase of the outbreak in Wuhan, suggesting unsampled chains of transmission beyond the Huanan market cluster. In addition, most estimates of the time to the most recent common ancestor of the SARS-CoV-2 sequences were between mid-November and early December. Through extensive testing of animal products in the Huanan market by the animal and environment working group, no evidence of animal infections was found. The presence of SARS-CoV-2 has not been detected through sampling and testing of wildlife, livestock and poultry across China. The introduction of the virus into the Huanan market may be through infected people, infected animals or contaminated products. Sampling and testing taken of upstream and downstream supply chains of the Huanan market and other markets in Wuhan did not reveal evidence of SARS-CoV-2 circulating in animals. Researches found that SARS-CoV-2 can be carried long distances on cold-chain products.
Among four main potential introduction pathways of SARS-CoV-2, the joint team listed the direct zoonotic spillover scenario as possible to likely, the scenario of introduction through an intermediate host as likely to very likely, the potential for SARS-CoV-2 introduction via cold/ food chain products as possible, and a laboratory origin of the pandemic as extremely unlikely.
On Feb. 10, the WHO team left China.
On March 30, the WHO briefed its members and the media about the China part of the global study of origins of SARS-CoV-2 and published the joint report WHO-convened Global Study of the Origins of SARS-CoV-2: China Parton its website.
On March 31, Chinese members of the joint team briefed the public about the study at a press conference.
Editor: WXY
American men lost 2.2 years of life expectancy last year because of COVID-19 the biggest decline among 29 nations in a study of the pandemics impact on longevitynews said by the Japantimes this week.
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Kyiv's heating infrastructure is technically ready for the beginning of the heating season, but high gas prices and tariffs shifted to local governments make the situation close to critical, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said during a meeting of Kyiv City State Administration.
"We are ready for technical reasons. There are other challenges that make the situation close to critical, namely high gas prices, tariffs shifted to local government, the lack of a legal framework to ensure the heat supply companies' operation," Klitschko said on Thursday.
He said the Ukrainian Cities Association offered the central government specific solutions that would allow to start supplying heat and hot water to the population on time. Klitschko said he appealed to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal to ask the government to fix the price of natural gas for budgetary institutions until the end of the heating season at UAH 11.2 per cubic meter instead of the market price of UAH 35.
"Meanwhile, NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy should immediately exclude the discriminatory norms of gas supply agreements. In turn, local budgets should be paid for the difference in tariffs of previous years and compensation for the future should be provided in order to keep tariffs for heat and hot water for the population at the previous heating season's level," the mayor said in the statement.
The mayor said the Kyivteploenergo communal enterprise ensured the proper technical preparation of the city economy for the heating season. "But today, I emphasize again, we are waiting for the government to answer the key question: what will be the mechanism of compensation for local budgets so that we cannot increase the tariff for the population. Therefore, the tariff has not yet been approved," Klitschko said.
Over the past day, Russian-occupation forces violated the ceasefire seven times in Donbas, the fighters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were not wounded, the press center of the Joint Force Operation (JFO) said.
"The Russian armed formations violated the ceasefire seven times. There are no casualties among our soldiers," the JFO said on the Facebook page on Thursday morning.
In particular, in the area of Zolote-4, the enemy conducted aimed fire from hand-held anti-tank and underbarrel grenade launchers, as well as small arms. Near Pisky, Russian-occupation forces fired at Ukrainian positions using hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers and heavy machine guns. Near Shumy, the enemy made targeted fire from hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers. And in the direction of Lebedynske, the enemy fired four times from grenade launchers of various systems and small arms.
"Since the beginning of this day, September 30, no cases of ceasefire violations by the Russian occupation forces have been recorded," the headquarters said.
One Ukrainian serviceman was killed in eastern Ukraine on Thursday in shelling by Russia-led forces, according to a summary on the Joint Forces Operations page.
"Since the beginning of the day, on September 30, the Russian occupation forces have violated the ceasefire three times, once using weapons prohibited by the Minsk agreements. At Novotoshkivske, enemy armed formations carried out targeted shelling of the positions of our defenders from grenade launchers of various systems, large-caliber machine guns and small arms. The occupants fired from the artillery of 122 mm caliber," the message on Facebook says.
Also, Russia-led forces fired from automatic easel grenade launchers in the direction of Popasna settlement.
"As a result of enemy shelling, one soldier of the Joint Forces was wounded, incompatible with life. The command and personnel of the Joint Forces expresses sincere condolences to the family and friends of the hero who died for Ukraine," the Joint Forces headquarters said.
Tariffs for heating and hot water for the population will not increase until the end of the heating season, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said.
"Until the end of the heating season, tariffs for heating, tariffs for hot water for the population will not increase. I believe that this is a great victory [...] People have been waiting for this. In spite of everything, despite any market changes, fluctuations, pressure from other states, despite the terrible price for today - more than $1,000 per 1,000 cubic meters, as they say, the European price [...] because I think this is important, right," Zelensky said during a meeting of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities on Thursday.
He said that this is the result of work with the participation of Naftogaz Ukrainy, the government and local authorities.
"But this is still patching holes. Therefore, I am waiting for the appearance of a similar memorandum [on tariffs]. We have already started working with the local authorities. I would like us to have a memorandum not for one, but for the next three years. So that there are no surprises for the citizens of Ukraine," the president said.
Consideration of the issue of personnel rotations in the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, related in particular to the resignations of some ministers, has been postponed for now, although personnel rotations will definitely take place in the near future, MP from the Servant of the People faction Oleksandr Kachura said.
"A lot of what is heard in the media about certain names is not true. I can say it with confidence, because for some [ministers] the issue has been postponed. But again, the position of the president [Volodymyr Zelensky] will be decisive for the faction. That is, it is logical that the pro-presidential faction will rely on the opinion of the head of state regarding certain ministers," Kachura told Interfax-Ukraine on Thursday.
"If we talk about the Minister of Defense, then this is generally the prerogative of the President, according to the Constitution," the MP said.
At the same time, Kachura did not name possible candidates for the positions of some ministers before the on-site meeting of the Servant of the People faction, which will be held with the participation of the President of Ukraine on October 1-2 in Truskavets.
The auditors of the European Court of Auditors believe that the European Union can itself develop a list of Ukrainian oligarchs in order to restrict their activity on the European market and prohibit entry into the EU member states.
This is how speaker Juhan Parts in an exclusive interview with the Interfax-Ukraine agency explained the corresponding recommendation of the report of the European Court of Auditors, dedicated to the support by the European Union of reforms in Ukraine in the field of combating corruption at a high level.
"The EU should probably develop kind of a model how to address this group of people, diminish their opportunity to act in the European market, including money laundering," the auditor said.
Asked who exactly should draw up the corresponding list of specific persons, Parts noted that such a decision is made by the European Council.
But any decision of this type is passed on to the European External Action Service, where, together with the EU member states, they can think about how to prohibit the entry into the EU for specific persons who are under great suspicion, a little like in the United States, he explained.
While detailing this proposal, the auditor emphasized that the matter does not concern sanctions.
"We are not talking about sanctions, we are a little bit more modest. We are proposing what should be done to be more effective with this anti-corruption strategy, and what we are proposing is not only this kind of bilateral cooperation or different kind of cooperation between the EU and Ukrainian government. The EU also themselves can limit the leverage and power of these groups of people who have a vested interest in Ukraine. This is what we proposed. If you want to hear names you can open media. Of course, it's not a work of external auditors," the expert said.
"We are looking how to improve this overall management and the policies The Commission and the EC should consider this kind of tool to be more effective on this corruption front," he noted.
Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Dmytro Razumkov declares that he has no conflict with the Servant of the People faction.
"I really have no conflict [with the Servant of the People faction]. If someone wants to create it, then that is another question. I would like to understand all the subjects of this conflict ... There was a task, and David Heorhiyovych [Arakhamia] fulfilled it," Razumkov told reporters after a meeting of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities under the President of Ukraine on Thursday.
At the same time, he noted that he is ready to defend his position, including at the faction meeting, if he is invited.
The speaker also added that he was not invited to the meeting of the faction in Truskavets and therefore would not go there.
In addition, Razumkov said that he did not discuss with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky the issue of his recall from the post of speaker.
"There was a conversation with Arakhamia [after receiving a letter of the recall]. I also did not hear any complaints ... I think the main initiator of this process was not David Heorhiyovych," Razumkov emphasized.
At the same time, according to him, with any decision of the faction and a possible resignation, he is not going to leave politics.
As reported, the letter on the recall of the chairman of the parliament was sent by head of the Servant of the People faction David Arakhamia from the deputy faction, and not on behalf of the people's deputy.
Interfax-Ukraine to host press conference 'Lessons for Parties in Ukraine Taught by the Elections in Germany and Russia. Prospects for the Main Participants in Domestic Political Process'
On Friday, October 1, at 12.00, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency will host a roundtable talk entitled 'Lessons for Parties in Ukraine Taught by the Elections in Germany and Russia. Prospects for the Main Participants in Domestic Political Process'. Participants: Director of the Institute for Global Strategies Vadym Karasiov; political expert Kostiantyn Matviyenko; Director of the Ukrainian Barometer sociological service Viktor Nebozhenko; Doctor of Political Sciences, Political Scientist Ihor Petrenko (8/5a Reitarska Street). The broadcast will be available on the YouTube channel of Interfax-Ukraine. Admission of journalists requires registration on the spot. Details by phone: (068) 099 17 09.
On Friday, October 1, at 14.00, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency will host press conference on the launch of mass sampling for research in Mykolaiv region among potential victims of the negative impact of red sludge. The project is being implemented by the public organization "Stop Sludge," which unites more than a thousand victims of the influence of red sludge. Participants: forensic expert of the Forensic Research Laboratory Yevhen Yurchenko; head of the public association "Stop-Sludge" Vasyl Orel; lawyer of the public organization "Stop Sludge" Artemiy Vorobiov (8/5a Reitarska Street). The broadcast will be available on the YouTube channel of Interfax-Ukraine. Admission of journalists requires registration on the spot. Additional information: (093) 912 58 89 (Oleksiy).
The Odesa Business Forum is a permanent platform and an annual event focused on the Odessa Region Economic Strategy 2050.
OBF is committed to boost and strengthen economic and investment development processes, and to unlock the hidden potential of Odessa City.
Odessa Business Club - a community of major CEOs and entrepreneurs of Odessa and the South of Ukraine - has initiated and organized this event attended by the leading European experts in urbanism, architecture and economics, Ukrainian top business players, regional and local authorities, as well as representatives of institutions supporting business. In total, 500 people, including those who participated online, attended the event.
The Odesa Business Forum was the first event in a row and we hope to scale it up in the future.
The key topics of the Forum : Economic business vision of the city; search and expanding the opportunities for Odessa to compete for attention, investments and talents in the modern world.
The Economic Business Vision, the key focus of the Forum, was presented by Andrii Dlygach, futurologist, Dmytro Kazavchinsky, co-founder of the Odessa Business Club and GST Security Seals, and Vadim Morokhovsky, co-owner of Vostok Bank.
Among the OBF speakers there were , in particular: Valeria Ionan, Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation for European Integration; Oleksandr Bornyakov, Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation for IT Development; Vlad Mykhnenko, PhD, Associate Professor in Sustainable Urban Development, Research Fellow at St. Peter's College, University of Oxford; Karl-Filip Coenegrachts, strategist, innovator from Ghent (Belgium), creator of an alternative vision and concept of Open and Agile Smart Cities, City of People; Cees Donkers, the founder of the City as a LAB project, one of the key founders of Dutch Design Week, the designer of the urban environment, the chief urbanist of Eindhoven (Netherlands); Andreas Flodstrom, co-founder and CEO of the Swedish-Ukrainian IT companies Beetroot and Beetroot Academy.
The event envisaged the following panel discussions :
Odessa, a City of Innovations. Dropping an Anchor. Cases of successful transformation of cities (panel moderator and forum voice - Andrii Fedoriv, founder of the FEDORIV marketing agency).
City of IT and ircuses. The role of innovation clusters in the urban economic prospects (moderated by Maxim Bakhmatov, founder and head of the Transformation Office, UNIT.City managing partner).
Among the speakers there was Oleksandr Vernik, the co-founder of the shoe equipment supply company MSM GmbH, co-founder of Gallery Architect Group, a construction company and a design studio Atmosphere, SINOBI brand, Chairman of the NGO Center for Project Initiatives.
Odessa, a city of opportunities that no-one else ever sees but we will show (moderator - Ivan Liptuga, President of the National Tourism Organization of Ukraine).
The list of panelists included:
Yegor Grebennikov, co-owner of the TIS seaport, founder of Impact HUB Odessa, author and investor of the concept of revitalizing the Green Theater, founder of Pro Bono Club Ukraine;
Georgii Bochorishvili, co-owner and chairman of the board of directors of ZARS construction holding;
Oleksandr Yakovenko, the founder of the group of companies in the field of international logistics and trade - EnlivUA;
Andrii Zdesenko, co-founder of the SHABO Wine Culture Center;
Giorgi Iukuridze, founder and CEO of Biosphere Corporation, owner of Charisma Fashion Group, co-founder of the Inspira Business Club in Dnipro.
The keynote speaker: Volodymyr Yakovlev, media entrepreneur, famous for his projects and books called The Age of Happiness.
Lively discussions and open dialogues at the Forum were complemented by networking at a wine tasting (Ukrainian wines were provided by the Odessa Wine Week project) and a party at the Mantra Beach Club.
The state support of Odesa will allow Ukraine to make a qualitative leap in the field of tourism. This was stated by the Mayor of Odesa Gennadiy Trukhanov during a meeting of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities under the President of Ukraine, which was held in Kiev.
Gennadiy Trukhanov emphasized that this year, according to preliminary data, Odesa is returning to the pre-pandemic figures - about 3 million tourists a year. According to the Mayor of Odesa, this process is facilitated by the ongoing joint work: Large Restoration and Great Construction State Programs have significantly improved the urban space.
We have already implemented a number of projects, such as a new airfield complex, and the establishment of the largest pedestrian zone in Ukraine in the Odesa city center for weekends and holidays. Also, since 2014, great amounts have been allocated from the city budget for restoration works,said Gennadiy Trukhanov.
Gennadiy Trukhanov noted that with well-coordinated cooperation between the state and the city, the largest and most beautiful park in Eastern Europe - Jubilee - could appear in Odesa. Government support will help create new sandy beaches as well.
The Head of the Odesa Regional State Administration Sergei Grinevetsky emphasized that the issue of providing the population of the country, including the Odesa region, with high-quality drinking water requires special attention.
The quality of drinking water in the region depends on the state of the water supply and sewerage facilities. Reconstruction of water supply and sewerage facilities in Odesa is an acute topic. The cost of implementing these projects is significant for the local budget. The situation in the region cannot be fundamentally resolved without state assistance, said Sergei Grinevetskiy.
The President of Ukraine highlighted that Odesa is a magnet for Ukrainian tourists and should become a role model for the rest of Ukraine.
We must approach Odesa as a priority resort and do everything for the tourist to come back! To do this, we will develop a separate program for the Odesa region, where we will pay special attention to security issues and the preservation of the city's historical wealth, said Volodymyr Zelensky.
Gennadiy Trukhanov noted that with the joint work of the state and city authorities, the Odesa dream can become a national reality.
A former advisor to Irans ex-president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says the Supreme Leaders office has refused requests by Ahmadinejad to meet with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Abbas Amirifar a cleric who was Ahmadinejads cultural advisor in his second term told Sharq newspaper that For three years Ahmadinejad knocks on every door and begs to get a chance to meet the Leader, but they do not give him an appointment.
Although Ahmadinejad was a favorite of Khamenei who supported his controversial reelection in 2009, he had a fell out with the Supreme Leader over the issue of a ministerial appointment during his second term. After his presidency for a while he became a vociferous critic of the ruling system and once even went as far as sharply criticizing Khamenei for his governance.
In 2017, Ahmadinejad registered to run for president and the Guardian Council, loyal to Khamenei, refused to approve his candidacy. Now, there are speculations whether the enigmatic former president intends to run again in 2021 when current president Hassan Rouhanis term ends.
Amirifar told Sharq that if Ahmadinejad registers again the Guardian Council will unanimously reject his candidacy. However, Ahmadinejad has managed to get many of his supporters elected to parliament. For now, they do not dare to oppose policies endorsed by Khamenei but their presence in the legislature gives the former president a degree of political cover.
There are indications that Iran's firebrand former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad may be willing and ready to run for president in 2021, less than a year from now. But are Iran and its Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei also ready for that?
When Ahmadinejad started a new round of provincial visits during the year preceding the February 2020 parliamentary elections, many Iranian analysts from both sides of the country's political spectrum speculated that he might be willing to become a member of parliament.
While, Ahmadinejad was being welcomed by spontaneous crowds during some of his visits, this hypothesis lingered around for up to three months before the election. But the analysts became convinced that he was lobbying for his previous aides and provincial governors, not for himself. However, Ahmadinejad's office at the time denied his involvement in election campaigns, probably for legal reasons, as early campaigning is illegal.
Many of Ahmadinejad's aides and supporters happen to be in the new parliament (Majles) as representatives from various cities and two of them Ali Nikzad and Amir Hossein Qazizadeh Hashemi are the vice-speakers of the legislature.
Some analysts including reformist Sadeq Zibakalam and conservative Amir Mohebbian have said at different times that Ahmadinejad can always win at least more than 10 million votes in any presidential election.
Now his former appointees and many others supporting his views have a significant number of seats in parliament.
In the meantime, an increasing number of Iran watchers came to the conclusion that the separation between Ahmadinejad and some of his supporters, including the ultraconservative Paydari Front in 2011, was a tactical move to keep them safe vis-a-vis Khamenei's hardline supporters after they fell out with Ahmadinejad and branded him as "deviant" following a brief rift between him and Khamenei.
The combined weight of Paydari and those who entered the Majles as Ahmadinejad's aides now forms a solid majority at the Parliament that chose not to compete with -now- Majles Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf at the last moment probably against some concessions still not clearly spelled out.
At least 50 of Ahmadinejad's aides and former managers are now members of parliament. Observers say that some of the younger members who ae not necessarily known to support Ahmadinejad also do sympathize with him.
Pro-reform news website Fararu in Tehran in a June 7 story once again speculated about Ahmadinejad's political ambitions, noting that the biggest barrier between Ahmadinejad and another round of Iranian presidency is the Guardian Council that may not endorse his qualification.
The council disqualified Ahmadinejad in the 2017 election, probably due to their insider's knowledge about Khamenei's views. Fararu says this can happen once again, and if it happens, that would be a political disappointment even harder to stomach than back then.
Fararu quoted Zibakalam as saying that the former president's aides at the Majles may hold negotiations with the Guardian Council to make sure Ahmadinejad gets through the vetting in 2021. He says Ahmadinejad will certainly declare his candidacy but the Guardian Council's response is not always predictable.
Mohammad Hossein Qadiri Abyaneh, a conservative figure however, believes that Ahmadinejad will use his influence in the provinces to exert pressure on the Guardian Council to endorse his qualification.
This comes while Ali Akbar Javanfekr, a close aide of Ahmadinejad, denies the former president's willingness to run once again, and Abbas Amirifar, another political figure close to Ahmadinejad says Ahmadinejad might groom one of his aides such as former Guardian Council Spokesman Gholam Hossein Elham as a candidate.
The Rouhani administration's failures despite continued criticism of Ahmadinejad has made some of the latter's achievements such as his decade-old idea of cash subsidies to people to shine. Rouhani has been even using such ideas with a heavy heart without paying any tribute to Ahmadinejad for initiating them. Meanwhile, big corruption cases in Iran under Rouhani has made Ahmadinejad look like a saint to some Iranians.
Currently, the COVID-19 epidemic has limited Ahmadinejad's political activities. Nevertheless, he has been seen signing letters and giving autographs to his fans.
Ahmadinejad, like any populist can also rely on social media to galvanize support and he is no stranger to this commonly used medium in Iran.
The hardline former Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, says that the hijab law in Iran must be compatible with most people's wishes.
Speaking to Mehdi Nasiri, the former editor-in-chief of an ultraconservative daily close to Iran's Supreme Leader, Ahmadinejad posed the question, "If the parliament has passed a law, but the majority of the people rejected it, can one say that I would apply it at any cost?"
Nasiri's interview with the controversial former President was published on Thursday on the YouTube and Telegram social networks.
During his presidency, Ahmadinejad enjoyed the support of extremist groups of fundamentalists and clerics, such as Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi. Nasiri was also a student of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, and the editor-in-chief of an extremist weekly, Sobh (Morning).
Responding to Ahmadinejad's unprecedented remarks about the hijab, Nasiri reminded him of the comments made by the supporters of the law, referring to Khamenei's speech he made when responding to the widespread protests against compulsory hijab in March 2018. At the time, Khamenei defended the mandatory Islamic dress code and argued that it prevented "sexual harassment," and categorically dismissed the argument that everyone should be free to choose their clothing and maintained that such reasoning could apply to all other "social sins."
Ahmadinejad fired back by asking, "If, at a given time, the leadership recommends something, does it mean that someone who has an opinion on the issue, should not express it? Or, for example, is it not possible that he (Khamenei's) may have changed his opinion in the past two years?! Such deductions are absurd."
In the final years of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's second term, there were signs of a rift between him and Ayatollah Khamenei. He also announced his candidacy in the 2017 presidential election, which was said to be "against the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic's recommendation." However, the Guardian Council disqualified him.
The .com domain of Iran's Fars News Agency affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard was blocked due to U.S. Treasury Department sanctions on January 25.
Fars said it had received an email from the server company informing it that the blockage was due to an order by Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
However, an official of a company owned by Iran's Ministry of Telecommunications admitted Saturday that the company has restored the .com domain of Fars News Agency by resorting to DNS spoofing or hacking in simple terms. This is the first time in Iran's Internet history that the regime has admitted DNS spoofing, experts say.
The admission to spoofing, also known as DNS cache poisoning, came on Saturday in a tweet by Sajad Bonabi, a member of the Board of Directors of Telecommunications Infrastructures Company owned by the Telecommunication Ministry.
In his tweet Bonabi said through measures taken [by the company] the problem that Fars News was facing had been resolved. He also advised the websites and companies "that suspect they would be targeted by the cowardly sanctions of the United States" could get in touch with the company to be informed of precautionary measures.
"For the first time in Iran's Internet history, the Iranian regime has confirmed they have done DNS Spoofing. DNS Spoofing is a method used by hackers to redirect the traffic of a particular website to another destination,". London-based digital security expert and hacker-hunter Amin Sabeti told Radio Farda.
The tweet in which the Iranian official admitted to the hack.
In the case of Fars News, it means Iran has started to redirect the traffic of Farsnews.com to Farsnews.ir in the infrastructure level for viewers of the website in Iran. "We can call this, in simple terms, a 'hack'," Sabeti says.
For almost a day Farsnews.com visitors would see a message saying the IP address could not be found. Like most other websites Fars has alternative domain names, such as Farsnews.ir. Currently, anyone inside Iran who tries to access Farsnews.com is automatically redirected to Farsnews.ir, a national domain which cannot be affected by U.S. sanctions.
However, outside Iran, Farsnews.com cannot be reached unless Farsnews.ir was visited before and the IP address still exists in the browsing history of the device used to access the site.
Visitors inside Iran now have access to the website of Fars News Agency but losing the .com domain means the News Agency will lose its visibility in search engines and all the links to its website, at least for visitors from outside the country.
Fars News Agency publishes news in Persian, English, Arabic and Turkish so the loss of the .com domain will deprive it of the audience it has outside Iran.
In an earlier tweet on Friday evening Bonabi had said that his "colleagues" were offering advice to the companies affected by the U.S. sanctioning of .com domains used in Iran. "The infrastructure that exists in the National Information Network (NIN) resolves many such concerns about unfair sanctions," he said in his tweet.
Bonabi also reassured Iranian website owners that the problem only affected .com domains sold by American domain registrars and .com domains could also be purchased from none-American registrars or they could simply use domains names with the national .ir ending.
NIN is an intranet and relies on the Internet to function. It is the tool that the regime is planning to use to censor the Internet because it provides access only to selected content and bars VPNs from being used for accessing the sites that the Iranian authorities have blocked.
U.S. defense secretary says he is concerned for Afghan pilots held in Tajikistan
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin responds to questions during a House Armed Services Committee hearing on "Ending the U.S. Military Mission in Afghanistan" in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, (Photo : Rod Lamkey/Pool via REUTERS)
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin expressed concern on Wednesday for U.S.-trained Afghan pilots and other personnel being held in Tajikistan after fleeing across the border from Afghanistan last month as the Taliban took power.
Reuters exclusively reported first-person accounts from U.S.-trained Afghan personnel being held at a sanatorium in a mountainous, rural area outside of the Tajik capital, Dushanbe, waiting and hoping for over a month for transfer by the United States.
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Among the 143 Afghans there is a pilot at an advanced stage of pregnancy.
Speaking to Austin at a hearing in Congress, Republican Representative Austin Scott expressed frustration with delays in getting the pilots out of Tajikistan, given U.S. promises during the two-decade-old war that America would stand by them.
Austin appeared aware of the issue and sympathetic.
"We will get with State (Department officials) right away to see if we can move this forward. I share your concerns," Austin said.
Austin's remarks came during a hearing about the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban's victory. In the war's final moments, the U.S.-backed Afghan Air Force personnel flew dozens of military aircraft across the Afghan border to Tajikistan and Uzbekistan and were detained there.
It is unclear what will happen to the aircraft. Scott said it was vital that both countries knew those aircraft could not be returned to the Taliban.
"I would appreciate it if we could put that in writing to both of those countries that the equipment belongs to the U.S. - not to Afghanistan," Scott said.
"NO ASSISTANCE"
The pilots who flew across the border hoped to join the other Afghan military personnel being processed for U.S. visas in places like the United Arab Emirates and Germany.
Scott appeared to pile blame on the U.S. State Department and appealed for help from Austin as well as General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and General Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command.
"We have gotten no assistance at all from the State Department to move them. And I'm asking all three of you for your help in addressing the issue," Scott said.
He also expressed frustration with the time it took to get Afghan pilots out of Uzbekistan. Reuters was first to disclose conditions there and the pilots' departure earlier this month from Uzbekistan to the United Arab Emirates.
Some of the English-speaking pilots in Uzbekistan had feared they could be sent back by the Uzbeks to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan and killed for inflicting so many Taliban casualties during the war.
"We had people in Uzbekistan - the State Department ignored them as well and said they would get to them when they got to 'em," he said.
Afghanistan's new rulers have said they will invite former military personnel to join the country's revamped security forces and that they will come to no harm.
That offer rings hollow to Afghan pilots who spoke with Reuters. Even before the Taliban takeover, the U.S.-trained, English-speaking pilots had become their prime targets. Taliban fighters tracked down a number of them and assassinated them off-base.
"We have a lady in Tajikistan that's nine months pregnant. That's one of our pilots. And we need help removing them," Scott said.
From Bond to 'Macbeth': Daniel Craig to return to Broadway stage
Cast member Daniel Craig arrives at the world premiere of the new James Bond film "No Time To Die" at the Royal Albert Hall in London, Britain, (Photo : REUTERS/Henry Nicholls)
Bond star Daniel Craig has chosen his next act.
The British actor, whose fifth turn as the British secret service agent had its world premiere https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/bond-is-back-007-film-no-time-die-premieres-london-2021-09-28 in London on Tuesday, is to play the ambitious and murderous "Macbeth" on Broadway next year, producers said on Wednesday.
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The new production, with British actress Ruth Negga playing Lady Macbeth, will begin performances on March 29 for a limited 15-week run.
Craig, 53, who played Bond for the last time in "No Time to Die," is a seasoned stage actor, appearing on Broadway in 2013 couple's drama "Betrayal," and in multiple stage productions in London.
The new staging of Shakespeare's "Macbeth" is being produced by Bond movie producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson. Tickets went on sale on Wednesday.
"Daniel is not only a great film actor but a magnificent theatre actor as well. I am thrilled that he will be supporting the return of Broadway playing this iconic role," Broccoli said in a statement.
Dozens of Broadway plays and musicals reopened in September after an unprecedented 18-month shutdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The BlackRock logo is seen outside of its offices in New York (Photo : REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton)
BlackRock Inc will require more than half of its employees to work from the office for three days a week on average starting November, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters on Thursday.
Some businesses may require employees to be in the office more frequently, the memo from Chief Operating Officer Rob Goldstein and Global Head of Human Resources Manish Mehta said.
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The world's largest asset manager will also allow staff to work flexible hours with approval from their managers, according to the memo.
The new directives, which will apply to locations across the United States, Europe, Middle East and Africa are part of BlackRock's "Future of Work" pilot program. It will be implemented in select locations that meet certain conditions, including not requiring split operations and masks at desks.
The company also reiterated that all individuals entering its U.S. offices will need to be fully vaccinated, and all employees and contractual workers will be required to be tested once a week.
Egypt reported 788 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, bringing the total infection tally to 309,135 since the outbreak began in February 2020, said the health ministry in its daily coronavirus update statement.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday that Ethiopia has no right to expel UN staff and it is violating the international law in doing this.
Iraqis go to the polls Sunday for parliamentary elections, two years after a wave of anti-government protests swept the war-scarred country, but analysts say the vote is unlikely to deliver major change.
The Arab Affairs Committee said Tunisian president Kais Saied's measures aim to stabilise the country and solve its political, economic and health problems
In a statement on Thursday, the Arab Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives said the Egyptian parliament supports the measures recently taken by Tunisian president Kais Saied to stabilise the country and secure the aspirations of the Tunisian people.
The committee said Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry's visit to Tunisia on Tuesday demonstrates that Egypt completely supports President Saied's historic measures and that Egypt's security and stability are closely tied to those of Tunisia.
"The Egyptian parliament declares complete confidence in President Kais Saied's measures and in his capacity as a leader of Tunisia to help the country get out of its current critical conditions and take all the measures necessary to help Tunisia solve it political, economic and health problems," said the statement.
The committee also called on the international community to support Tunisia in their confrontation with terrorist organisations, which pose a threat to its internal stability.
"Tunisia under its current leadership is quite capable of restoring stability and getting rid of the terrorist organisation of the Muslim Brotherhood and other terrorist forces," said the statement.
Ahmed Abaza, deputy chairman of the Arab Affairs Committee, said Tunisia is fighting a ferocious battle against the forces of political Islam led by the Muslim Brotherhood, who are trying to hijack the country and implement their radical agenda. However, he continued, President Saied's measures are saving the country from this agenda. "The Muslim Brotherhood is the group which has caused internal strife and instability in recent years in many parts of the Arab world, including Tunisia," said Abaza.
In the meantime, Karim Darwish, the chair of Egyptian parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, met on Thursday with Lotfi El-Talbi, the charge d'affaires at the Tunisian embassy in Cairo. A statement said both Karim and Talbi discussed the mutual relations between Egypt and Tunisia at all levels, particularly in political, economic and security terms, in order to be able to face the challenges.
The meeting comes after Egypt's foreign minister Sameh Shoukry visited Tunisia on Tuesday and met with President Kais Saied. Shoukry declared Cairo's full support for what he described as the historic measures taken by President Saied.
The Tunisian president announced a number of drastic decisions on 26 July, suspending the parliament dominated by the Islamist party Ennahdha and dismissing his prime minister.
Shoukry said Saied's measures "aim to fulfill the will of his people and guarantee the stability of his country and its best interests, and that Egypt is confident in the wisdom of president Said and his ability to lead this constitutional path steadfastly."
The Tunisian president underscored his country's keenness on "permanently" boosting its ties and coordination with Egypt.
"Egypt's stability and security are closely tied to those of Tunisia," President Saied emphasised.
He also underscored his appreciation to Egypt for its solidarity with Tunisia in countering the spread of the coronavirus, referring to the medical equipment and drugs Egypt has sent recently
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The Big 5 Impacts Awards is an international platform to recognise innovation and project excellence in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia
The Egyptian presidential Decent Life initiative won the Community of the Future prize granted by the Big 5 Impact Awards, the state-owned Arab Contractors Company, one of the participants in the initiative, announced on Sunday.
The Big 5 Impacts Awards, an international platform to recognise innovation and project excellence in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia, assessed a number of projects implemented by companies from several countries, including the UAE and the US.
The Arab Contractors Company is the first Egyptian body to be named for the prize, which was handed out at a ceremony in the UAE.
Decent Life, meaning Hayah Karima in Arabic, comprisesa series of countryside-focused national infrastructure projects. It was first initiated in 2019 by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi who tasked the Ministry of Social Solidarity with developing Egypts poorest 1,000 villages.
In December 2020, El-Sisi expanded the initiative to include 4,500 villages within the framework of the Sustainable Development Strategy: Egypt's Vision 2030.
The Egyptian countryside will be transformed in three years time, El-Sisi said in January upon launching the expanded initiative.
The national projects budget has been increased to around EGP 600 billion.
The enormous volume of work required to develop the 4,500 villages means they have been divided into three groups of 1,500 villages each.
The first phase started in January 2021 with a budget of nearly EGP 200 billion and is due to be completed by the end of FY 2021-22.
The initiative also addresses women through family guidance and counselling offices and reproductive health clinics. It will provide decent housing in new complexes and, wherever possible, develop existing housing.
In terms of education services, the initiative is building 13,000 classrooms, while health services will be enhanced by developing health units, constructing new hospitals, and activating the new Universal Health Insurance System.
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Dbeibah arrived in Cairo on Wednesday on top of a high-level delegation, including several ministers and experts for talks on bilateral cooperation
Libya's interim Prime Minister Abdel-Hamid Dbeibah toured the New Administrative Capital (NAC) in Egypt on Friday, a mega 700-square-kilometre project expected to be a new home to various public agencies.
Dbeibah arrived in Cairo on Wednesday on top of a high-level delegation, including several ministers and experts for talks on bilateral cooperation.
The Libyan premier started his visit with performing Friday prayer at Al-Fattah Al-Alim Mosque before touring several sites and districts in the new capital, including the Central Business District, in which 20 towers are being built, and the Government District.
PM Dbeibah, who was accompanied by a number of Libyan ministers, praised the efforts exerted in the NAC, saying the volume of projects "reflects the strength and originality of Egyptians."
Friday's tours come a day after both countries signed a series of memoranda of understanding and agreements in fields of agriculture, social solidarity, civil aviation security, oil and gas, counter-maritime pollution, marine search and rescue, housing, construction, and youth and sports.
The MoUs and agreements were signed during the 11th round of meetings of the Egyptian-Libyan joint higher committee, a joint mechanism that focuses on enhancing trade and bilateral cooperation between the two African countries, which convened on Thursday after a 12-year halt.
Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said on Thursday that the Egyptian and Libyan ministerial delegations agreed to implement several projects in Libya in the fields of energy, electricity, industry, trade, transport, aviation, sports, education, infrastructure and security.
In April, Egypt and Libya agreed to resume flights between the two countries capitals as Cairo seeks to restore normalcy in relations with the neighbouring country. Egypt also reopened its embassy in Libya in May after a seven year-closure.
The interest in resuming an Egyptian presence in the neighboring country comes on the back of the latest developments, which culminated in the election of an executive authority to guide the country until legislative elections are held by the end of the current year.
Egypt has been pushing for a political settlement in Libya for years, calling for a ceasefire, a complete disarming of militias, an end to foreign intervention in the country.
The oil-rich country seeks to restore normalcy after a decade of violence and political turmoil following the ouster and murder of its leader Muammar Gaddafi on the heels of a NATO-backed uprising in 2011.
In recent years, Libya was torn between warring administrations, one in the east and one in the west, before the two camps signed a ceasefire in Geneva last year and an interim government was established earlier this year to guide the country towards national elections slated for December.
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Al-Abad said that Egyptian workers were in high demand in Libya, especially due to the planned development projects between the two countries
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 Egyptian foreign minister continues his meetings with top diplomats and officials on the sidelines of the 76th UNGA session
Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry has asserted the importance of stabilizing the situation in Libya at a meeting of Libya's neighboring countries on the sidelines of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly in New York.
Shoukry underlined the role that Libya's neighboring countries could play to help reach a comprehensive settlement that preserves Libya's sovereignty away from any foreign interference, the Egyptian foreign ministry said on Saturday
He stressed in the meeting the necessity of holding the elections in Libya as scheduled as a key step to maintain stability in the North African country.
The Egyptian foreign minister also continued his meetings with top diplomats and officials from around the globe.
He held meetings on Friday with the foreign ministers of Brazil, Senegal, Norway, Portugal and Malta.
Shoukry also held a meeting on Friday with his Syrian counterpart Faisal al-Mekdad where they discussed means of resolving the crisis in Syria.
Spokesman for the Foreign Ministry Ambassador Ahmed Hafez tweeted that the talks took place at the headquarters of the Egyptian mission in New York.
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A new shipment of some 4.4 million doses of the Chinese Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Cairo on Wednesday, Egypt's health ministry announced in a statement.
Egypt also received a shipment of 1 million doses of the Chinese Sinovac vaccine on Tuesday as well as 3,000 litres of the raw material required to produce 4.6 million doses of Sinovac locally, according to the ministry.
Egypt has already started producing Sinovac vaccines locally at its VACSERA factory for domestic consumption as well as for export to African countries.
The raw material shipment is part of three shipments of 8,600 litres that Egypt will receive as part of the agreement signed between VACSERA and Sinovac, health ministry spokesman Khaled Maghed said on Wednesday.
Egypt is currently administrating Sinopharm, Sinovac, AstraZeneca, Sputnik and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, and is also set to receive Pfizer BioNTech vaccine doses.
As of 23 September, more than 15 million doses have been administered in Egypt since the country's vaccination campaign started in January, according to the World Health Organisation.
The government is currently intensifying its efforts to reach its target of 40 million fully vaccinated people in Egypt by the end of 2021.
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Daniel Byman, Georgetown University political science professor and a member of the National Commission on the 9/11 attacks, talked to Ahram Online about the future of the Taliban, their relationship to Al-Qaeda, and whether the US's withdrawal from Afghanistan gives the terrorist group freedom of action to renew attacks on the West and the region.
Since the Taliban took over Afghanistan, Al-Qaeda and its affiliates expressed and celebrated on social media their feeling of victory, considering the Taliban's return to power as "the beginning of a pivotal transformation, and evidence that armed jihad is the only way to glory." Analysts and political observers fear that terrorists in the world may consider a new jihadist migration to Afghanistan, which is now being talked about in the jihadist circles on the internet as the "centre of global jihad."
Despite the Taliban's acceptance of the terms of the Doha agreement not to let Al-Qaeda plot attacks against the United States from Afghanistan, there are fears about the future. On one hand, the Taliban are becoming more powerful militarily, establishing relations with regional leaders and nudging their way into the international community in a bid to gain financial support. However, Taliban and Al-Qaeda activity in recent years indicate that they have no intention of severing ties, which also portends an exacerbation of the danger of the foreign fighters phenomenon.
Ahram Online talked to Georgetown University political science professor, Dr. Daniel Byman, whose research and books focus on terrorism and jihadist movements in the Middle East and their effects on the region, coinciding with the twentieth anniversary of the 11 September attacks, about the future of the Taliban, their relationship to Al-Qaeda, and whether the US's withdrawal from Afghanistan gives the terrorist group freedom of action to renew attacks on the West and the region.
Byman is a senior fellow at the Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution and served as a staff member with the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks on the United States (The 9/11 Commission) and the Joint 9/11 Inquiry Staff of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees. Byman considered in his interview with us that the United States misread the situation and its withdrawal from Afghanistan is a propaganda victory for the jihadist movement, giving Al-Qaeda more freedom of action.
Ahram Online: The withdrawal from Afghanistan without the achievement of one of the most important goals, the elimination of the Taliban, has called into question the feasibility of the "War on Terror" for many in America. This renewed the debate about the legacy the USA has left in a country thousands of miles away. Were American presidents in a hurry to withdraw from Afghanistan to win over public opinion that saw it as an endless war that did not achieve clear goals? Is the Taliban today different from yesterday's Taliban? How do you evaluate the withdrawal of the US from Afghanistan?
Daniel Byman: Under presidents Biden, Trump, and Obama three very different leaders the United States has sought to withdraw from Afghanistan. Although many security experts are concerned about the situation in Afghanistan, the majority of the American public favour withdrawing. How the Taliban will govern Afghanistan and whether they will allow Al-Qaeda to do international terrorist attacks as was done before 9/11 remains a question. The Taliban may have learned lessons from the past, but it remains a highly ideological movement. The US withdrawal is a win for the broader jihadist movement. It is a propaganda victory that jihadist groups across the world are touting. In addition, it gives the Al-Qaeda group more freedom of action.
AO: You consider that the US withdrawal gives the Al-Qaeda group more freedom of action. How can the US and international community reduce the risks of this in the future?
DB: It will require international intelligence and law enforcement cooperation as well as pressure on the Taliban to make sure Al-Qaeda does not attempt international terrorism. Robust homeland defence is also necessary.
AO: After the Taliban takeover, did the US misread the situation?
DB: The US misread the situation before the Taliban takeover, when it thought the Afghan government would last for many months if not years. That is what led to the bungled US exit from the country.
AO: Does this call for the US to reevaluate its role as a geopolitical power?
DB: The US has long been reevaluating its role. Under President Obama, the United States tried to reduce its obligations in the Middle East. President Trump was even more open about his dislike of US involvement in the Middle East and did not even respond when Iran attacked Saudi Arabia. President Biden would prefer to focus US attention and resources on challenges in Asia and Europe over the Middle East. He will be more likely than President Trump to criticize countries on human rights grounds, however.
AO: The "War on Terror" witnessed an increase, not a diminution, in the levels of terrorist attacks. It undoubtedly also helped to produce the Islamic State. As you stated: "The Islamic State is Al-Qaidas most important progeny." Do you think Western leaders and societies are prepared to acknowledge the ways in which hubristic foreign policy in the past fifteen years has made many aspects of the terrorism crisis worse and they need to change their strategy?
DB: Since 9/11, there have been very few terrorist attacks on the US homeland from foreign jihadist movements, and few inspired attacks, especially compared to what US officials feared. So for many US leaders the various post-9/11 efforts are a success. The US invasion of Iraq worsened regional instability, but many of the problems in the Middle East predated 9/11 (dictatorial governments, corruption, economic stagnation, and so on).
AO: In your book, you demonstrated that many crucial questions and answers about Al-Qaeda have changed over time; you tried to answer questions like: Where does Al-Qaeda begin and end, and how should we think about other jihadist theoreticians, fighters, the broader jihadist movement. Today, how has all of this changed with the developments in the Middle East, especially in Afghanistan? How do jihadists governing strategies vary, especially their degree of adaptation to local conditions? How have the social structures for mobilization changed, creating a need for different strategies in response?
DB: The broader jihadist movement is vast, with many variations. Some groups, such as the Islamic State, favour attempting to create a caliphate, while others like Al-Qaeda claim they are loyal to the Taliban and otherwise favour working more with local actors. Much depends on the opportunities available in the countries in question. In some countries, the local groups have the opportunity to establish their own government over territory. In others, they must work with more powerful groups. In Afghanistan, the Taliban dominate, and Al-Qaeda depends on the Talibans goodwill to survive and operate.
AO: Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, who was rumoured to be dead, resurfaced in a video released recently on the 20th anniversary of 9/11. How do you read this? What are the reasons for its appearance and the significance of the timing?
DB: Zawahiri still has difficulty communicating in real time. The video suggests he is still alive, but he probably fears that if he is not highly cautious about communicating then he is vulnerable to a drone strike or otherwise being attacked.
AO: Al-Zawahiri was deeply involved in maintaining relationships between Al-Qaeda leaders in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and was known for organising and overseeing the 9/11 attacks. In your opinion, how relevant is Al-Zawahiri to what is happening on the ground? Could he or other Al-Qaeda leaders influence Afghanistan with their ties to the Taliban, especially given that the UN reported in June this year that significant members of Al-Qaeda leadership, including Al-Zawahiri, remain based in a remote area along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border? Will Afghanistan become a safe haven for terrorists again?
DB: The Taliban leadership will make most of its decisions without significant Al-Qaeda input. Afghanistan again hosts large numbers of Al-Qaeda figures. The Taliban may be reluctant to have them target the United States, but the Taliban may be more willing to have Al-Qaeda support operations and groups in the Middle East and especially in South Asia.
AO: Some analysis has considered that todays Al-Qaeda enjoys a much stronger foundation on which to build because its component groups are embedded as combatants in conflicts in Yemen, Syria and elsewhere where it could renew attacks on the West or the Middle East. New US intelligence estimates warn that Al-Qaida could use Afghan soil to plot attacks on the United States within one to two years. What do you think?
DB: Al-Qaeda has a presence in the Middle East that is more extensive than it was on 9/11. However, much of that presence is focused on local civil wars. This is a problem for regional stability, but less of a threat for terrorist attacks in the United States and Europe.
AO: In your book, you analysed Al-Qaedas goals. Today, 20 years since 9/11 and the return of the Taliban to power, what are Al-Qaedas goals and how have they changed? Especially considering you said The danger of Al-Qaeda comes not only from its central leadership in Pakistan but through its cooperation with other like-minded groups.
DB: Al-Qaedas biggest goal is ensuring its relevance. It was eclipsed by the rise of the Islamic State, and it has not done high-profile terrorist attacks in the West for years. The core leadership needs to establish control over its affiliates and offer inspiration to the next generation of jihadists. It may attempt high-profile attacks, but these are harder to carry out.
AO: After its return to power, the Taliban found itself in a difficult situation. On one hand, its relationship with Al-Qaeda lends the Taliban credibility within jihadist circles. Moreover, their historical loyalty to Al-Qaeda calls into question the extent of their willingness to abandon an important strategic ally. But on the other hand, the Taliban must abide by the US peace agreement and the promises of intellectual revisions, as they are eager for recognition on the international stage and the benefits it brings. This may alienate their most extremist fighters and other extremist groups that celebrated their takeover of Afghanistan. What are your expectations about how the Taliban will deal with this dilemma, and what are the American guarantees that prevent the Taliban from breaching the terms of the agreement?
DB: The Taliban have consistently refused to break with Al-Qaeda despite US pressure. The Taliban have incentives to stop Al-Qaeda from doing international terrorism, especially against the United States and Europe. The United States can threaten the Taliban economically and militarily, though in the past the Taliban ignored such threats.
AO: You noted that the United States can threaten the Taliban economically and militarily. Today, the UN and other countries are trying to donate aid Afghanistan. These donations could help the Taliban; its like feeding a monster and giving it a legal civilian face. With its ties to Al-Qaeda, the Taliban could grow stronger while remaining a highly ideological movement resistant to change. How can the US and international community deal with this time bomb, especially given that, as you mention, the Taliban have ignored such threats in the past?
DB: The question for the international community is primarily whether the Taliban will support violence outside the country, with some concern about human rights within it. Some people would argue that by denying aid to the Taliban it would make it more extreme. In any event, there is a genuine humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, and innocent Afghans are suffering.
AO: In May 2021, a United Nations monitoring team estimated the number of foreign fighters in Afghanistan at 8,000 to 10,000. These fighters' primary goal is the same as it was in the 1990s: to train in Afghanistan for deployment around the world. Your recent book Road Warriors analyses this issue and how it has played a significant role in the destabilization of numerous countries for many years, including becoming one of the key problems in the international security system. So with the situation in Afghanistan today, what are your suggestions regarding how to combat it?
DB: The UN report does not differentiate between fighters who went to join Al-Qaeda and those coming from Pakistan to help the Taliban win. It is not clear what their purpose is for most of these fighters. As I noted in my book, I believe through military action, intelligence cooperation, and better law enforcement, the international community is far better at identifying and stopping foreign fighters. Many of these tools are necessary now given the Talibans control of Afghanistan.
AO: Finally, will the United States and Europe adopt a strategy to coexist with terrorism after withdrawing from Afghanistan?
DB: The United States and Europe have long had to manage the problem of terrorism, recognizing that, unfortunately, it cannot be completely eliminated. This became clear many years ago.
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UN delegation visited the headquarters of the Fund for Drug Control and Treatment of Addiction (FDCTA) to study how Egypt is treating and rehabilitating drug addicts and simulating the model in Iraq.
As part of the cooperation between the Ministry of Social Solidarity and the Vienna-based UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), a UN delegation visited the headquarters of the Fund for Drug Control and Treatment of Addiction (FDCTA) to study how Egypt is treating and rehabilitating drug addicts and simulating the model in Iraq.
The UN praised FDCTAs implementation of awareness programmes to protect youth from falling victim to drug addiction, while Iraq said it would consider the Egyptian model in treating and rehabilitating drug addicts, and implementing awareness campaigns to protect youth from abusing narcotics. In meetings, FDCTA Director Amr Osman presented the operations of the fund in treating and rehabilitating addicts, and implementing awareness programmes to protect youth, university and school students.
The FDCTA, chaired by Minister of Social Solidarity Nevine Al-Qabbaj, met with the UNODC delegation to showcase Egypts experience in treating and rehabilitating addicts and raising awareness in order to transfer its expertise to Iraq. Participants agreed on cooperation between the ministry, FDCTA and UNODC.
Osman also met the delegation headed by Ali Al-Bereir, head of the UNODC office in Iraq, and included Mirna Bouhabib, UNDOCs deputy Regional Representative for the Middle East and North Africa. Discussions included the key operations and functions of FDCTA for treatment, prevention and raising awareness about drug abuse.
The visit is part of an extensive partnership and continued coordination between Al-Qabbaj and her predecessor Ghada Wali, who is now executive director of UNODC in Vienna. Both sides are keen on developing a system to treat and prevent drug abuse according to UN global standards, and drawing on Egypts experience in supporting regional and international UN programmes.
Al-Bereir said Wali recently met three delegations from Iraq, including that headed by Iraqs foreign minister, to discuss developing a national strategy to combat and prevent drug abuse in Iraq. Wali suggested Iraq should look at the Egyptian model since it has succeeded in reducing the demand on drugs. In response, the UNODC delegation came to Egypt to learn about FDCTAs work and how this could benefit Iraq. During the visit, Osman highlighted the FDCTA operations, including policies, legislation, preventative programmes and early detection of drug abuse, as well as supporting and providing treatment services, rehabilitation, and reintegration in society. He added that lessons against drug abuse have also been added to school curricula.
Drug abuse treatment based on global standards is provided at 27 specialised hospitals in 17 governorates so far, in collaboration with Hotline 16023, for free and confidential help. In 2014, there were only 12 treatment centres in seven governorates, and Osman projected that treatment centres will be available everywhere across the country by 2025.
He explained that recovering addicts are re-integrated into society through loans that help them start small projects, as part of the New Beginning Fund initiative in cooperation with Nasser Social Bank. There are also intense campaigns to screen school bus drivers for drug abuse, which has reduced drug abuse rates among them to 1.8 per cent, when it was 12 per cent in 2017. Government employees are also screened and treatment is provided free of charge in strict confidentiality for anyone who voluntarily submits to treatment.
Osman also reviewed several of FDCTAs programmes and activities, including correcting misinformation about types of drugs, demographics of drug abusers, school programmes, and media campaigns using prominent influencers. These include You Are Stronger Than Drugs starring world famous Egyptian Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah, and the most recent campaign that was launched in Ramadan this year which quadrupled calls to the 16023 Hotline.
The UN delegation praised Egypts efforts and hoped to benefit from FDCTAs expertise and transfer its know-how to Iraq and other countries such as Mozambique.
UN officials were also briefed on the operations of the 16023 Hotline, how it receives calls from addicts and their families and refers them to free and confidential treatment. More than 88,000 addicts received treatment services via the hotline by September 2021, whether asking for help, advice or follow-up.
Bouhabib praised FDCTAs work in implementing the national plan for combating drugs, and the effectiveness of its programmes on a global scale. She added that Wali met Mozambiques minister of justice and that a delegation from that country will also visit Egypt to find out how the FDCTA decreased demand on narcotics and increased preventative programmes.
Bouhabib also revealed that soon there will be a memorandum of cooperation with FDCTA for awareness programmes to protect youth from turning to drugs.
*A version of this article appears in print in the 30 September, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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The United Kingdom (UK) is willing to encourage more British investment in the Egyptian market, tapping into Egypt as a key gateway to the African market, according to newly appointed UK Ambassador to Egypt Gareth Bayley.
Bayley made his comments during a meeting held on Thursday with Egypts Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait, to discuss new developments in the business and investment atmosphere in Egypt as well as the opportunities for British businesspersons.
Bayley took up his position as the UK Ambassador to Egypt in September in succession to Sir Geoffrey Adams.
During the meeting, Bayley lauded Egyptian achievements including mega projects underway in transportation, road construction and water desalination, stressing that there are lots of lessons that can be learned from the Egyptian experience with economic reforms.
On his side, Maait asserted that Egypts keenness to foster the domestic and foreign private sector in support of the states development plans is a key engine of the countrys economic growth.
He also reviewed the efforts the government has been taking to ease the work of the private sector in Egypt and to partner with it for recovery and development.
On Egypts macroeconomic performance, Maait noted that debt to GDP ratio is expected to decrease as of the upcoming FY2022/2023.
In this regard, the minister said that Egypts debt to GDP ratio was 91 percent in FY2020/2021, which witnessed the very beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, adding that this ratio was smaller than a number of European countries'.
Maait also stated that Egypt has managed to improve the debt maturity to 3.4 years in June 2021 with the objective of reaching 3.8 years in the current FY2021/22.
In September, the UK removed Egypt from its "red list" for travellers to the Kingdom from countries deemed a coronavirus risk starting 22 September.
Following the Brexit deal, the UK set an agenda to open up to other markets outside the European Union (EU) to establish robust economic and trade deals worldwide, with a special focus on the African market.
In this respect, The UK-Egypt Association Agreement, which governs trade exchange between the two countries, entered into force in January 2021 with the aim of supporting the continuity of trade between Egypt and the UK.
According to the UK's Trade Commissioner Emma Wade-Smith, "the agreement provides for tariff-free trade on industrial products, as well as liberalising trade in agriculture, agri-foods and fisheries, making business easier and delivering significant savings to companies in both the UK and Egypt."
"The agreement also provides a framework for furthering trade, political, economic, social and cultural links, reflecting the breadth and depth of the relationship between our two countries," she added.
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The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) instructed banks on Thursday to create and provide banking products dedicated to individuals with special needs in line with the bank's strategy of financial inclusion that aims to provide the banking services for all classes of society.
According to the CBE directives, banks are expected to release banking cards with special designs featuring raised letters and numbers suited for these clients.
Special needs persons represent about 10.6 percent of Egypts total population of 102 million, according to the latest official statistics issued by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and (CAPMAS).
The CBE instructed the banks to provide mechanisms for those clients to follow up their banking accounts and transactions including through SMSs, phone calls and screen reader services.
CBE also directed banks to accept the seal and thumbprints as signatures for all banking procedures, as well as providing required physical assistance in the banks branches for those clients.
Moreover, banks will be required to provide bank statements, notifications, and documents in both braille and sound-on-disc CDs.
Additionally, banks will be required to make available all information about the banks products and services on their websites and social media platforms combined with audio reading for visual impaired persons, and with sign language for hearing impaired persons.
The CBE instructed banks to make structural changes in services to facilitate transactions for special needs' customers within 12 months. It instructed banks to designate at least 10 percent of personnel in each bank branch to service special needs' clients as well as making a minimum of 10 percent of all ATMs accessible to them.
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The US Embassy in Cairo announced on Thursday that 1.6 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine are on their way to Egypt as a gift from the US government.
The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine shipment is making its way to Egypt. These 1.6 million Pfizer vaccine doses are a gift from the US Government to the people of Egypt and are part of our commitment to defeat the pandemic, the embassy said in a short statement on its official Facebook Page.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which is administered in two shots 21 days apart, needs special refrigeration to store vials at the low temperatures of 2C to 8C.
Last week, Egypts Health Minister Hala Zayed announced preparations for handling and distributing the Pfizer vaccine doses in a number of governorates, explaining that the government has secured a nationwide storage capacity of 4.3 million doses in 600 recently-purchased refrigerators.
The Pfizer vaccines effectiveness against the Alpha variant of coronavirus is 95 percent and 88 percent against the Delta variant.
Egypt is on the short list of partner countries to receive US vaccines against the coronavirus, according to a statement from the US embassy in June.
However, the country was not one of the 60 countries that received a shipment of 110 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines in August.
Egypt has already obtained 40.4 million vaccine doses, including 2.3 million AstraZeneca vaccine doses that were donated by Germany last week.
Egypt has launched a mass vaccination campaign in January, expanding it in recent weeks to cover more than 13 million persons.
The country has administered a total of 16,223,309 vaccine doses nationwide at 1,100 centres, according to the World Health Organisation.
Egypt is currently administrating the Chinese Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines, the British-Swedish AstraZeneca, the Russian Sputnik V and the American Johnson & Johnson in the innoculation campaign.
Egypt's Holding Company for Biological Products and Vaccines (VACSERA) is currently manufacturing the Sinovac vaccine to serve local and African needs.
The country has so far registered 303,783 coronavirus cases since the outbreak began in February 2020, including 17,294 deaths and 256,467 recoveries.
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'By buying 52 new NATO-calibre cannons, we will boost our defence capacity and replace the DANA howitzers that are more than 40 years old,' Czech Defence Minister Lubomir Metnar said
France signed a deal in Prague on Thursday to sell 52 howitzer cannons worth 333 million euros ($386 million) to the Czech Army.
Frech arms group Nexter makes the 155-milimetre Caesar howitzers, which will replace the Czech-made DANA over the next three to five years.
"By buying 52 new NATO-calibre cannons, we will boost our defence capacity and replace the DANA howitzers that are more than 40 years old," Czech Defence Minister Lubomir Metnar said.
"The weapons will be supplied in 2024-2026," he added.
French Defence Minister Florence Parly hailed the Caesar artillery cannons as "a powerful, accurate and modern tool".
"With a local share of more than 40 percent, the Czech industry will be fully involved in the construction of this system," she told reporters.
France will supply the first four howitzers and the remaining 48 will be completed in the Czech Republic by the Czechoslovak Group holding company.
The Czech defence ministry, which considered eight offers, announced the deal last year but the talks took longer than expected.
The French Army has been using the 155-millimetre Caesar canons with a range of 40 kilometres (nearly 25 miles) since 2008.
In July 2019, Nexter sold 62 Titus armoured vehicles to the Czech Republic, a NATO member since 1999, for 230 million euros.
The Czech Republic used to be part of Czechoslovakia, a former Communist nation.
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Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry reiterated Egypts call for the unconditional, simultaneous, and coordinated exit of all foreign fighters and mercenaries in Libya in a speech given during the African Union Peace and Security Council meeting on Thursday.
This, he said, will hasten the political roadmap agreed upon by all sides and end the conflict in the North African country
The main problem that impedes Libya in restoring its sovereignty and unity is the presence of foreign forces and mercenaries on its territory, which negatively impacts Libyan national security in particular and the security of its Arab and African neighbours in general, Shoukry said.
Egypt has been pushing for a political settlement in Libya for years, calling for a permanent ceasefire, a complete disarming of all militias, and an end to foreign intervention in the country.
In recent months, Egypt has hosted several rounds of talks between various Libyan factions to mediate a political solution.
Shoukry also stressed Egypts support for the 5+5 Libyan Joint Military Commission (JMC) that has been tasked with ensuring the departure of all foreign forces from the country.
The JMC, which brings together five military officials from the eastern and western camps in the Libyan conflict, is one of the UN-backed entities in Libya that was formed as a result of the signing of a ceasefire agreement in Geneva in October 2020 between the warring parties in the country.
Egypts top diplomat asked the parties involved to renew their commitment and support to the implementation of the ceasefire.
Egypt warned more than a year ago of the consequences of the continuation of the armed conflict in Libya, and that it may have to take measures to protect its national security and preserve the balance of power if it was disrupted, he added.
President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisis has repeatedly stressed that Egypt will not stand idle in the face of any threat to its national security from Libya, warning on more than one occasion that Cairo would militarily intervene if certain red lines were crossed.
Shoukry highlighted that Egypt has persistently urged the two factions in Libya to engage seriously in the UN-brokered peace process and implement all international decisions specifying the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Libyan soil.
However, the international community has not taken firm measures to end such a problem, he said, calling for a united and staunch stance in support of the JMC.
The continued foreign military presence in Libya provides an unstable incubation environment for terrorism and extremism that allows the movement of terrorist elements in the region, Shoukry warned.
The Egyptian minister urged all countries that have fighters and mercenaries deployed in Libya to withdraw them and punish their supporters, employers, and those who facilitated their transit and movement across international borders.
Shoukrys speech comes as political forces in east and west Libya continue to disagree on the constitutional grounds for holding the presidential and parliamentary elections, which are scheduled in December and are a key step in completing the road map to end the years-old conflict and restore normalcy.
Earlier in September, Libyas eastern-based parliament approved a law allowing a presidential election to take place in December, however, the step was not completely welcomed by Tripolis High Council of State, an advisory body formed under the terms of the UN-brokered Skhirat agreement of 2015.
Last year, the two camps signed a ceasefire in Geneva; and earlier this year, an interim government was established through internationally sponsored negotiations to guide the country towards the national elections in December.
The Egyptian foreign minister also praised the efforts exerted by the Libyan parliament in preparing the laws of the long-awaited elections.
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Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry will hold talks in Moscow with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, on Monday, a statement by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today.
During their meeting, Shoukry and Lavrov will discuss furthering development of bilateral cooperation in various fields including political, trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian aspects.
Shoukry held a meeting with Lavrov earlier this month on the sidelines of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to discuss bilateral relations and recent international and regional issues.
Lavrov embarked on an official visit to Cairo in April and held meetings with President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Shoukry. The meetings tackled the Middle East peace process and the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) dispute between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia.
Discussions between Lavrov and El-Sisi also discussed the Libyan crisis and enhancing Egyptian-Russian relations.
In August, Moscow resumed direct flights to the Egyptian Red Sea resorts of Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada, ending a hiatus of six years over security concerns.
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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was "shocked" Thursday by Ethiopia's decision to expel seven senior United Nations officials from the African country, which is facing the threat of famine in its war-torn Tigray region
"I was shocked by the information that the Government of Ethiopia has declared seven UN officials ... as persona non grata," Guterres said in a statement after the announcement by Ethiopia's foreign ministry, which accused the officials of "meddling."
Guterres said he had "full confidence" in UN aid workers in Ethiopia, and that the body is engaging with the government "in the expectation that the concerned UN staff will be allowed to continue their important work.
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Egypt's National Security Agency foiled a plot by the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood (MB) aiming to revive its terrorist activities by searching for sources of funding, the Ministry of Interior announced in a statement it released on Thursday.
According to the statement, the National Security Agency found out that MB member Yehia Mahran Othman played a prominent role in said plot by being one of the main arms of the imprisoned Muslim Brotherhood senior figure Safwan Thabet.
Thabet, Egypt's Juhayna Food Industries chairman, was arrested in December of last year over charges of calling for unauthorised protests, joining an outlawed group, inciting violence, and financing a terrorist group.
The agency concluded that Thabet assigned Othman to exploit the former's companies in transferring and concealing the terrorist organisation's funds in an attempt to circumvent the legal procedures taken to freeze its assets, the statement added.
According to the statement, Othman operated out of an apartment in Hadayek Al-Ahram district, where he concealed MB funds.
Police forces raided the apartment and discovered a secret room containing a total of $8.4 million along with an undisclosed amount of money in other foreign currencies and a hidden stash of ammunition, the statement read.
All legal procedures were followed, and the Supreme State Security Prosecution was notified to commence its investigations, the statement concluded.
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U.S. President Joe Bidens National Security adviser, Jake Sullivan, will travel to Cairo for official meetings on Wednesday joined by White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk, according to a statement by the White House on Tuesday.
The US and Egyptian delegations will discuss support for Libyan elections and regional security, including in the Horn of Africa.
Sullivan will affirm the importance of human rights in the context of the overall strategic relationship.
He will also discuss Egypts role in promoting security and prosperity for both Israelis and Palestinians following the visit by Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennet to Egypt earlier this month.
Sullivan is set to host Israeli National Security Adviser Eyal Hulata in Washington on October 5 for follow-up discussions on these and other topics and a meeting of the US-Israel Strategic Consultative Group.
Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, met with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in the Egyptian city of Sharm El-Sheikh, earlier this month, where he asserted Egypts support for all efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East based on the two-state solution and international resolutions in a way that contributes to ensuring security and prosperity in the region.
Bennett, in the meeting, expressed his appreciation for the Egyptian role in the region and asserted the importance of its role in keeping the security stability in Gaza and to find a solution for the Israeli POWs and missing soldiers.
In May, Egypt brokered a cease fire between Israel and Hamas, after 11 days of deadly bombing that pounded the Palestinian enclave, killing more than 250 Palestinians, including 66 children, while the death toll in Israel stood at 13.
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Egypt welcomed on Thursday Tunisias assignment of Najla Bouden as the Prime Minister of the country, renewing its support to Tunisian President Kais Saieds vision to meet the Tunisian peoples aspirations.
Egyptian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ahmed Hafez congratulated Tunisia on this occasion, hailing the step as the countrys movement towards the future under the wise national leadership of President Kais Saied, a statement by the ministry read.
The spokesman reiterated Egypts support to Saieds decision that seeks to achieve stability and security, meet the will of the brotherly Tunisian people, and preserve their resources, the statement added.
Bouden, a 63-year-old geophysics university professor, was assigned as the prime minister of Tunisia on Wednesday.
She is the first to be given the post since Saied sacked the government of Hichem Mechichi and suspended the activities of parliament late in July.
Egypt has repeatedly affirmed its support to Saied in the wake of his actions in July, calling them historic and reiterating its trust in Saieds wise leadership.
In a meeting with Saied early in August in Tunisias capital, Shoukry said that Saieds decision aims to fulfil the will of his people and guarantee the stability of his country and its best interests, a statement by the Tunisian presidency read.
Boudens appointment as Tunisias first ever female prime minister has been internationally welcomed.
She has served in high-profile academic posts, the most notable of which was her stint as an implementation officer of the World Banks programme at Tunisias higher education ministry.
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Cairo International Airport received its first flight coming from Tripoli, Libya on Thursday after a suspension that has lasted seven years due to turmoil in the neighbouring country.
The flight was operated by the Libyan state-owned Afriqiyah Airways, which is based in Tripoli.
A flight operated by flag carrier Libyan Airlines was also scheduled to reach Cairo International Airport but was redirected to Borg Al-Arab International Airport instead.
Afriqiyah Airways is taking off to Cairo airport in a step that will ease the pain of travelling for my people, Libyan Interim Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah said in a tweet on Thursday.
Addressing Libyans, Dbeibah promised that there is still a lot in this file. We will not disappoint you.
Afriqiyah Airways plans to fly nine weekly flights from Libyan airports to Cairo International Airport while adhering to preventive measures against the coronavirus, informed sources said.
This includes abiding by the Egyptian governments policy of banning visitors from abroad from entering the country until they present a negative PCR test result 72 hours before the flight at most.
This does not include children under six years of age of all nationalities.
The Egyptian Civil Aviation Authority suspended flights between Libya and Cairo in 2014 due to the insecurity and political turbulence that was rampant in Libya in the past seven years.
The announcement to resume flights between Egypt and Libya came during Libyas Transportation Minister Muhammad Al-Shoubis participation in the 11th session of the Libyan-Egyptian Joint Higher Committee earlier this month, according to the Libya Observer.
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Egypt's Ministry of Health and Mercedes-Benz reached an agreement whereby the German automotive giant will supply Egypt with 2,510 ambulances and mobile clinics for over EGP 3 billion ($190 million) as part of the countryside-based Decent Life initiative.
Some 1,510 vehicles will be received between October and mid-2022, the rest by the beginning of 2023, a health ministry statement read on Thursday.
The agreement was reached during a meeting between Health Minister Hala Zayed and Mercedes' officials in Stuttgart city.
The vehicles will be running on environmentally friendly engines, with less vibration and emissions, making Egypt the second country after Germany to use these advanced engines, the statement noted.
The Decent Life initiative, meaning Hayah Karima in Arabic, is a series of countryside-focused infrastructure projects, which aims to improve the standard of living, infrastructure, and basic services, and targets 58 percent of Egypts 102-million population.
With overall investments of EGP 700 billion, the initiative seeks to improve livelihoods in over 4,500 villages within the framework of the Sustainable Development Strategy of Egypt's 2030 Vision.
The initiatives first phase started in January 2021 with a budget of nearly EGP 200 billion and is due to be completed by the end of FY 2021-22.
The initiative also addresses issues faced by Egyptian women by providing family guidance, counselling offices, and reproductive health clinics. It also provides decent housing in new complexes and, wherever possible, develops existing housing.
In terms of education services, the initiative is building 13,000 classrooms. In the healthcare sector, the national project is meant to develop existing health units, construct new hospitals, and implement the new Universal Health Insurance System.
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Egypt will allow a total of 74 countries to obtain tourist visas electronically upon arrival at any of Egypts ports within 24 hours of registering for them, an official statement by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities read on Tuesday.
The statement affirmed that Egypts e-Visa Portal can issue tourist visas to visitors holding valid passports from Schengen countries, the US, the UK, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, and Canada to name a few upon arriving to Egypt.
A screenshot from Egypt e-visa portal showing a list of the countries whose nationals are allowed to issue an e-Visa upon application on the Egypt e-Visa Portal
An Egyptian tourist e-visa costs $25 for a single-entry visa or $60 for multiple entries, Ghada Shalaby, the vice minister for tourism and antiquities, said in July.
The update comes as part of the states efforts to encourage the flow of tourists of different nationalities, especially amid the pandemic.
Egypt resumed international flights to and from all its airports in July 2020 after a four-month suspension due to the coronavirus.
The country also started receiving flights from Russia to Egypts Red Sea resort cities after a six-year hiatus.
Russian travellers have always been a major contributor to the country's tourism industry, making them a key source of hard currency in Egypt.
Foreign tourists are only allowed as tour groups into the coastal governorates of the Red Sea, Marsa Matrouh, and South Sinai, given that they are the least affected by the pandemic.
Egypt requires travellers arriving to the country to present a negative PCR test certificate performed 72 hours before taking off from their destination or a recognised certificate proving they were fully vaccinated at least 14 days before arrival. Both certificates should contain a stamp from the country of origin and a QR Code.
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Sudanese Irrigation Minister Yasser Abbas reiterated on Thursday Khartoums rejection to engage in the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) negotiations unless they include the regulations of filling and operation of the dam.
In a meeting with US Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Jeffrey Feltman in Khartoum, Abbas said the safety of Sudans Roseires Dam on the Blue Nile should come on top of the points to be negotiated, Sudans News Agency (SUNA) reported.
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Africa and the Sudans Bryan David Hunt and a number of officials at the US State Department and US Embassy in Khartoum attended the meeting.
Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia recently expressed their readiness to engage in the African Union-sponsored negotiations to resolve their decade-long dispute over the mega dam Addis Ababa is building on the Blue Nile.
The two downstream countries have grave concerns about the potential impact of the GERD, especially in light of Ethiopia's resistance of a binding deal on the filling and operation of the dam, a matter that Egypt and Sudan see as necessary.
Ethiopia implemented the first and second phases of filling the dams reservoir unilaterally in 2020 and 2021 without an agreement.
Abbas told Feltman that anticipated GERD negotiations should also tackle conducting environmental and social studies, the exchange of information, and all points related to the continuous safe operation of the GERD, Abbas said.
Sudan also demands the talks include an explanation of the negotiations approach to avoid the negative aspects that took place during previous rounds of talks.
During their meeting, Abbas and Feltman discussed the harms caused by Ethiopias unilateral filling of the dam last July and the costly measures Sudan has shouldered due to the lack of coordination and exchange of information with the Ethiopian side.
Earlier this month, Abbas sent a letter to his Ethiopian counterpart, Seleshi Bekele, complaining about Addis Ababas failure to furnish Khartoum with accurate information about the second filling.
Abbas affirmed to Feltman the need to implement all the points in the statement issued by the UN Security Council (UNSC) in mid-September during the talks sponsored by the African Union and to encourage the role of observers to facilitate the negotiations.
The UNSCs statement encourages the three sides to return to the AU-sponsored talks to reach a binding deal within a reasonable timeframe.
Feltman and Abbas discussed Washingtons endeavours to ensure a legally-binding deal on GERD is reached at the earliest opportunity.
They also discussed the letters exchanged between the Sudanese and Ethiopian irrigation ministers over the month.
Addressing the 76th UN General Assembly (UNGA) General Debate earlier this week, Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok said Sudan suffered damages during the filling phases of GERD.
He noted that reaching a binding deal on GERD will spare our country the probable damages that threaten the means of livelihood of half of Sudans population.
Hamdok warned that the unilateral acts by the Ethiopian side threaten the safety of operation of Sudans dams and negatively affect the irrigation of agricultural projects and drinking water plants.
We suffered some of these damages during the first unilateral filling last year and the second unilateral filling over the past weeks despite the numerous and costly preventive measures that we have taken to avoid these impacts, Hamdok affirmed.
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Talks also pored over promptly pressing ahead with a strategic dialogue agenda, with the aim of serving Sudan's interests and further promoting bilateral ties
Sudan and the UK have agreed to launch high-level strategic dialogue sessions at the nearest possible time.
During a meeting late Tuesday, Ambassador Mohamed Sharif Abdullah, Undersecretary of the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Director of the Central and East Africa Affairs at the British Foreign Office Simon Mustard discussed ways of boosting Sudanese-British ties.
Talks also pored over promptly pressing ahead with a strategic dialogue agenda, with the aim of serving Sudan's interests and further promoting bilateral ties.
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The White House on Thursday condemned "in the strongest possible terms" Ethiopia's decision to expel senior UN officials at a time of looming humanitarian crisis and warned of sanctions.
Press Secretary Jen Psaki called Ethiopia's move an "unprecedented action to expel the leadership of all of the United Nations organizations involved in ongoing humanitarian operations."
The United States "will not hesitate" to impose sanctions against "those who obstruct humanitarian assistance," she warned.
The expulsions have ratcheted up worries over the humanitarian response in Tigray, which has been mired in conflict since November.
The seven UN officials, including the local heads of the UN children's agency UNICEF and its humanitarian coordination office, have been declared "persona non grata" for "meddling in the internal affairs of the country," Ethiopia's foreign ministry said in a statement.
Earlier in September, US President Joe Biden signed an executive order allowing for sanctions against the warring parties in northern Ethiopia if they fail to commit to a negotiated settlement.
The order authorizes the Treasury Department to sanction the governments of Ethiopia and Eritrea and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), among other parties
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Israel's foreign minister arrived in Bahrain on Thursday, the first high-level visit to the small Gulf state by a senior Israeli official since the signing last year of a landmark agreement to establish diplomatic ties.
Yair Lapid landed in Bahrain's capital, Manama, for meetings with his Bahraini counterpart and to inaugurate Israel's embassy. It was the first official visit by an Israeli Cabinet member.
After Lapid landed, Bahrain carrier Gulf Air launched its first direct flight between Manama and Tel Aviv.
The Israeli diplomatic delegation was to meet with its Bahraini counterparts and sign a raft of agreements to further cement bilateral ties, including economic deals and cooperation between hospitals and water companies. The two countries had long enjoyed shared distrust of regional rival Iran.
``We see Bahrain as an important partner, both in the bilateral level but also as a bridge to cooperation with other countries in the region,'' said Lior Haiat, spokesman for the Foreign Ministry.
Israel established formal diplomatic relations with four Arab states last year as part of the U.S.-brokered ``Abraham Accords.'' Lapid has already visited the United Arab Emirates and Morocco and opened Israel's diplomatic offices there since he became Israel's foreign minister in June.
Lapid said in a statement that the Israeli delegation and Bahraini officials ``talked about the cooperation between our countries and about taking the official peace between us and turning it into an active, economic, security, political and civic friendship.''
Bahrain's first ambassador to Israel arrived earlier this month and presented his credentials to Israel's figurehead president on the anniversary of the signing of the accords.
The deals to establish relations with Bahrain, Sudan, Morocco and the UAE were the first peace accords between Israel and Arab states in decades, after peace treaties with Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1995.
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On the 65th anniversary of the nationalisation of the Suez Canal by the late President Gamal Abdel-Nasser, Ahram Online remembers the opening of the strategic international water way on 17 November 1869
Opening Ceremony of Suez Canal 1869
The idea of connecting the Red and Mediterranean seas had haunted Egyptians for centuries. Remnants of an ancient west-east canal through the ancient cities of Bubastis, (Tel Basta), Pi Ramsis (Tel Al-Dabaa) and Pithom (Per Atum) were discovered during the French expedition of 1799.
Ismailia transit dock 1869-1885 photo by Arnoux; Ismailia view of roadstead on 19 june 1885 photo by Arnoux
According to an article published in Al-Ahram in 1894, celebrating the 25-year jubilee of the inauguration of Suez Canal:
Its been 25 years since the Red and Mediterranean seas got married, and this is their silver wedding jubilee. Lavishness aside, the story of the Suez Canal starts in 1830 when Ferdinand De Lesseps was assigned French deputy council in Egypt. He was 26. However 38 years later he led the inauguration of the Suez Canal when he was 64 years old."
Kantara km 44 Camel Ferry and ship in transit , photo by Arnox 1869-1885; Suez Canal terminal and camps photos by Arnoux 1869-1885
The article claims that when De Lesseps first set foot in Egypt he was confined to an obligatory quarantine and had to stay on his ship in Alexandria for 40 days.
Bridge of the Mecca Caravans by unknown photographer 1869- 1885; port Ibrahim Suez photo by Arnoux 1869-1885
During such this time he got hold of a study aiming to join both seas and since then it became his obsession. Often referred to as an impossibility due to the difference in sea levels, Deliseps did not take no for an answer. And 38 years later he was there to celebrate his dream come true.
Port Tawfik Quary and basin photo by Zangaki 1869-1885; Russian Vessela at dock 1869-1885 photo by Arnoux
Indeed it was a dream for Delisepss that Suez Canal Authority got the royalties of canal for 99 years. the canal gave an alternative route for ships to sail between Europe and Asia without having to go around Africa, reducing the distance by some 7,000 km.
Shallufa excavation on dry land to widen the canal , photo by Arnoux 1869-1885; Shallufa view of Canal undergoing work photo by Arnoux 1869-1885
Suez Gulf 1905, source Alexandria library
In June 1956, Egyptian president Gamal Abdel-Nasser nationalised the canal and channeled the revenues to build the High Dam after he was denied funds from the World Bank. Nationalisation was a grand victory for Egyptians and a great disappointment to the western world. And the response was violent and quick. The Tripartite Aggression on Egypt by Israel, Britain and France was meant to regain control over the canal and topple Nasser.
Nasser's famous speech where he nationalized the Suez Canal
Egypt agreed to the stationing of a United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) in Sinai to ensure the implementation of the 1949 Armistice Agreements.
On 5 June 1967, Israel declared war on Egypt. The 1967 Naksa (Set Back) also known as the Six Day War, allowed Israel to invade the Gaza Strip and Sinai, the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights.
The Suez Canal was closed and under the authority of the Egyptian Armed Forces until president Anwar Sadat reopened it eight years later after Egypt regained Sinai in 1973. The re-opening of the Suez Canal was on 5 June, the same date it was closed on.
In August 2014, construction was launched to construct an extension for half of the route of the canal, costing $4bn, to increase its capacity. Egyptians were able to raise the targeted amount in six working days.
Compiled by Amira El-Noshokaty
-All Data Courtesy of Al-Ahram Organisation and Information Technology Centre (Microfilm)
-All 1950ies-1970ies) Photos courtesy of Al-Ahram digital archive
-All (1869-1900ies ) photos courtesy of Bibliotheca Alexandrina
*This article has first been published in Ahram Online on 5 November, 2011
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This article is in response to a recent opinion piece in the New York Times, since this needs to be put into a proper perspective. It is important that this reply appears in a national Egyptian newspaper noted for its objectivity, one that neither exhibits patriotic bias nor indulges in a disregard for the facts.
The title of the New York Times article, US and Egypt Put Improving Egypts Human Rights on the Agenda, which appeared on 16 September, sounds optimistic. It seems to herald a period of Egyptian-US cooperation on this sensitive issue. However, reading further one finds that it has more to do with the negative reactions of Egyptian rights activists and international rights organisations to Washingtons decision to withhold $130 million in military aid to Egypt.
The article is primarily focused on registering these individuals and agencies disappointment at a decision that they say fell short of the expectations they had pinned on the Biden administration, given its pledge to put human rights at the centre of its foreign policy, especially with Egypt.
I will not comment on the articles reference to me as being pro-government, except to say that I have spent half my life and up until the present among the ranks of the opposition. I have never held a government post in my political career. However, I am proud to say that I am pro-Egypt and that I stand among those who defend the steps it has taken to improve human rights.
On this subject there are facts that cannot be ignored. Among them are the centrality of human rights in the international order and how easily they can be politicised. It is also a fact that there are rights organisations that receive funding from various governments and agencies in order to produce reports that help further their interests. This is part of the international dynamics that even extend to using terrorism as a player in contemporary international relations.
It is impossible to claim that the state of human rights in Egypt is problem free. The same applies to other nations. No country has reached perfection in the application of human rights standards as laid out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the UN in December 1948. I will not take this occasion to remark on some of the violations that have tainted the USs own rights record. There is no need for this discussion to turn into a contest assigning blame.
Instead of the extensive criticisms of the human rights record in Egypt that appeared in the New York Times article, I would have liked the US to join us in monitoring the implementation of the National Strategy for Human Rights that President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi recently launched and pledged to implement in Egypt. This is what Egypt expects from the world and especially from the US, which sees itself as the custodian of democratic values.
It is important to make a specific point clear here. The National Strategy for Human Rights is the fruit of a purely Egyptian drive inspired by principles and values that are deeply ingrained in Egyptian society. Work on this strategy began over a year ago in the framework of ongoing efforts to improve human rights. This was before US President Joe Biden entered the presidential race in the US, putting paid to any claim that the Egyptian Strategy was the result of US pressure.
If there are doubts about Egypts credibility or the strength of its will to improve human rights, they should compel friendly nations to be more supportive and more accurate and objective in their observations as Egypt struggles to overcome challenges and threats that also jeopardise regional and international peace and security.
This brings me to another point related to an inconsistency in US policies. The US is in the process of withdrawing from certain areas in the international arena, such as the Middle East, in order to focus more on its confrontation with China and the expansion of worldwide Chinese influence.
Surely the US would want to strengthen its alliances and strategic partnerships in the areas from which it withdraws in a manner that enables its allies to play a more effective role in the preservation of stability, security and peace in the absence of American power? For Washington to reduce the aid it offers Egypt to fight terrorism and protect the countrys borders is unwise and not what we would have expected from Biden given his lengthy experience of US foreign policy. Biden has spent much of his career as a member and then chair of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which has a major influence on the design, planning and monitoring of US foreign policy.
Egypt will not use its regional role as a token to barter with over its human rights record, but surely any serious steps it has taken towards improving human rights should have been met with support from Washington, even as monitoring continues in the framework of international agreements and conventions.
In short, Egypt deserved encouragement from Washington, not punishment by docking a relatively small amount of aid that was nevertheless large in its political significance. I hope Washington revises this decision, making it clear that this is not about looking the other way, but about supporting efforts to promote the democratic values that the US itself champions.
* The writer is head of the Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights.
*A version of this article appears in print in the 30 September, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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Statements and counter statements from the Sudanese civilian and military powers in the wake of last weeks coup attempt do not serve the best interests of todays Sudan.
A failed coup attempt has unmuted differences between the military and civilians in Sudan, with news from the country saying last week that the Sudanese military had nipped in the bud a coup attempt staged by some 60 officers loyal to the ousted regime of former president Omar Al-Bashir, arrested the perpetrators and restored order.
The next day, Lieutenant-General Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan, president of the Sovereignty Council of Sudan, vehemently criticised the countrys politicians, accusing them of seeking their own narrow interests and neglecting the slogans of the December Revolution.
He was fed up with what he called continued attempts to exclude the military from the scene in the country, pinpointing an initiative put forward by Abdulla Hamdok, the Sudanese prime minister, which had sidelined the military in favour of the civilian political powers. Al-Burhan said that the military holds everything in Sudan and that it remains the guardian of the democratic transition in the country post Al-Bashir.
The woes of the president of the Sovereignty Council were echoed by his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, aka Hemetti, commander of the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces. Hemetti slammed the countrys politicians and accused them of standing behind the coups that the country had experienced because they ignored the people and kept themselves busy with conflicts over power.
The statements of both military leaders have infuriated the civilian partners within the government and the targeted political powers as well. The main opposition power, the Forces of Freedom and Change Alliance, explicitly called for a divorce from the military in order to bring this partnership to an end. Khaled Omar Youssef, the Sudanese minister of cabinet affairs, even said that if the military wanted confrontation, so be it.
The reality is that these statements and counterstatements do not serve the best interests of post-Al-Bashir Sudan. The only winner from these reciprocal fiery statements is Al-Bashirs deep state, which looks to be still active even though its main players have been somewhat curtailed.
Though a government committee has fired hundreds of state employees, including top-ranking officials affiliated with the Al-Bashir regime, and confiscated their property, the facts on the ground, including the recent coup attempt, show that the committee is still lagging behind in reaching its goal of cleansing the ousted presidents old guard.
Even more alarming is the fact that Eastern Sudan is witnessing disturbances that could risk the fragile stability of the country as a whole. The chief of the Beja people in the east of the country has called for the cancelling of the Draft Constitutional Declaration and the dissolution of the government itself, among other requests. His affiliates have blocked access to the air and sea ports of the city of Port Sudan, which are vital to the Sudanese economy and to the transfer of oil from Sudans neighbour South Sudan.
They have also shut down the oil pipeline that provides supplies to the capital Khartoum. Given the ailing economic conditions of the country, Sudan cannot bear the implications of these irrational acts for long.
The civilian-military partnership in Sudan is in reality one of a kind in the region, particularly in the wake of a popular uprising. Until the end of the transitional period and the holding of free-and-fair elections, all the stakeholders in Sudan need to defuse the tension and work for the betterment of the Sudanese people who have suffered most for decades under military dictatorships, only to end with the ousting of the former regime of Al-Bashir.
The incumbent government in Sudan, under both military and civilian leaders, has accomplished a lot to make the country more prosperous. Sudan has been removed from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism, allowing for the return of foreign investors and the renewed access of the country to the kind of normal business services it had been long deprived of in the past.
Major international powers are competing to win Sudan in their favour through economic or military deals. Debts have been written off only because Sudan is on the track of a democratic transition. The political space in the country has been opened up, embracing Sudanese of all political stripes. The country is gearing up to restore its leverage both at the regional and the international levels.
All these gains are not coming on a silver platter, however. The Sudanese, both the military and the political powers, may end up facing the music if they do not come to the table together to discuss a successful conclusion to the transitional period. Relative peace in Sudan and the laying down of arms by most of the countrys armed groups, now part of the Peace Agreement signed in Juba in South Sudan, should be a reminder to all the Sudanese parties that dialogue in good faith is the only safeguard against the countrys falling back under the rule of a tyrannical regime.
The Sudanese Armed Forces are entrusted with the protection of the countrys national security, securing its borders and making sure that the territorial integrity of the state remains unharmed. This is a tough task given the circumstances unfolding in a troubled region, particularly as far as the situation in Sudans neighbours of South Sudan and Ethiopia is concerned.
But Sudans Armed Forces have been assuming their role diligently and effectively since the ousting of the former regime. For the first time, Sudan has exercised sovereignty over the Al-Fashaka territories after decades of Ethiopian occupation thanks to the Sudanese militarys sacrifices in that department.
The countrys civilian partners should not fan the flames and should work on considering the concerns of the military in post-transition Sudan. In plain English, the restructuring of the military and security apparatus is a complicated process that needs to be eased up on, particularly in a highly polarised environment like that in Sudan, where an effective player on the scene, Hemetti, has explicitly rejected the idea of merging the Rapid Support Forces into the Sudanese army.
If this is not done, the whole transition may be at stake, and Sudan may go back to square one. It is time that the Sudanese stakeholders realised that it was their collective effort that toppled Al-Bashirs regime and that this is still needed to surf the troubled waters since the goal of democracy in Sudan has yet to be accomplished.
The active powers in Sudan should, therefore, learn from the lessons of the past and join forces for a smooth and safe transition in the country.
* The writer is a former press attache in Ethiopia and an expert on African and international affairs.
*A version of this article appears in print in the 30 September, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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Last weeks foiled military coup in Sudan highlights the undeniable fact that Sudans democratic transition towards stability and economic prosperity is far from complete, and will need support from its Arab and African neighbours as well as the international community to succeed.
Sudans army leaders, who have been sharing power with the civilian political parties that led the revolt against former president Omar Al-Bashir in 2019, blamed army officers and civilians connected to the previous regime for the failed plot. After ruling the country for 30 years, the former president known for his sympathy with the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood group, installed and nurtured Brotherhood officials across all levels of government and security organs, including state and local levels. These elements of the previous regime were sidelined and seemingly removed from power by the revolution.
However, what is worrying is that Sudans military and civilian leaders do not seem to be reading from the same page, and have been trading blame as to who made the latest coup attempt possible. This is only two months ahead of the deadline for army leaders to hand over power to a government led by civilian political parties, according to the timetable agreed on by the two sides months after Bashirs removal.
Army leaders criticised the civilian government led by Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok for failing to improve economic conditions, and the deterioration of security conditions in several Sudanese eastern regions. Top army commanders accused civilian leaders of being bogged down by personal and political battles. Civilian political party leaders rejected the criticism, and claimed the coup attempt was promoted by the military to gain domestic and international support so as to remain in control and delay handing over power to a civilian government in November.
Regardless of who engineered the coup attempt, it shows Sudans competing, disjointed centres of power and the contested nature of the transition. Sudans leaders, both civilian and military, face the unenviable task of trying to reconcile, outmanoeuvre and override these centres while not upending the transition itself.
Indeed the Sudanese government, led by Hamdok, faces enormous economic, social and security challenges after decades of conflict and Bashirs failed and corrupt rule. Gains have been made to forge peace with some armed groups in war-affected areas, usher in economic reforms and bring Sudan back into international organisations and financial folds, especially after the United States agreed to remove Sudans name from its list of nations accused of supporting terrorism. Yet the Sudanese obviously expect more from the current transition government. The two components of that government, military and civilian, must work hard to preserve the unique arrangement resulting from the 2019 revolution, which was the only way to make room for progress.
Despite the ongoing exchange of critical statements, there remains hope that the failed coup, and any organised effort that spawned it, will inspire increased unity and positive actions by the civilian and military leaders. Delaying the plan to hand over power to a civilian-led government was likely one of the motives for the plotters, but if efforts to bolster up civilian and military unity succeed, it can show the transformational power of a civilian-military government as envisioned by the 2019 revolution.
Both components of the government are also required to continue working on establishing key transitional institutions, including the long-delayed legislative council, the constitutional court and judicial organs. These bodies will be critical to institutionalising governance reforms already underway and giving the country a real chance to provide justice to citizens subjected to decades of war and misrule. In the case of the legislative council, its creation is needed to give popular legitimacy and political direction to the transitional governments decisions and provide space for other political and civic stakeholders to participate. The transition will never be complete without these institutions, and their absence leaves it vulnerable to events like the attempted coup.
As in any political transition in a deeply divided state, there must also be a clear role for the military, while in no way denying its crucial part in making the 2019 revolution a success and maintaining the countrys unity. Sudans challenges are not only economic and political. The growing tension with Ethiopia over border areas and the Grand Renaissance Dam is another reason why Sudans military and civilian leaders must maintain unity in the face of regional threats.
Sudans neighbours, and particularly Egypt, are ready to play any role that will help in achieving stability and prosperity in a country dear to all Egyptians. African nations and the international community also have an important role to play in shoring up support for Sudans government, in close partnership with Sudans diverse set of decision-makers. Sudan has already gone a long way since Al-Bashir was ousted in April 2019, but much more work is required to assure a smooth transition towards a stable government that will consider peace and economic prosperity in Sudan as its top priorities.
*A version of this article appears in print in the 30 September, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi on Tuesday inspected the harvesting of crops, part of the agricultural project called The Future of Egypt which is being implemented in the Western Desert.
The scheme is part of the major New Delta venture due to be carried out over one million feddans along the Rod Al-Farag-Dabaa Axis. The New Delta plan is meant to help in developing the northwestern coast by establishing new agricultural and urban communities.
Proximity to both the Sphinx and Burg Al-Arab airports and the ports of Dekheila and Alexandria facilitates the process of transporting goods and products.
The president urged tightening the time frame for applying New Delta and integrating its phases, according to Presidential Spokesman Bassem Radi.
Before going into effect there were several studies concerning the plan conducted by research teams from the Ministry of Agriculture, the National Service Products Organisation, and the academic authorities on the land allocated. These studies have proven that the land is fit for agricultural reclamation, Radi affirmed.
The mega project also aims to establish industrial complexes that would depend on agricultural production, Radi said while noting that state of the art mechanisms will be used in the process.
Meanwhile, The Future of Egypt is expected, according to Radi, to create more than 200,000 new job opportunities as it serves the countrys strategy to form new agricultural and urban communities that use modern management systems.
This is considered an attractive destination for investors, he stated.
In January President Al-Sisi inspected a mega project aiming to expand agricultural production by reclaiming 500,000 feddans along the Dabaa Axis Highway in the countrys northwest.
*A version of this article appears in print in the 8 April, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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MPs meet in a plenary session on Saturday, marking the start of the new legislative season.
Following a two-month summer recess, the House of Representatives will hold an opening procedural sitting on Saturday amid strict anti-coronavirus measures. The Senate Egypts upper consultative house will hold its opening session on Tuesday.
House Speaker Hanafi Gibali will chair Saturdays meeting. He will first read out Decree 418, issued last week by President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi, which instructs MPs to begin their legislative programme on 2 October, and then deliver a speech outlining what MPs can expect in the coming stage. MPs will then be given the opportunity to take the floor and give their own opinions on the new legislative season.
On Sunday, a procedural session will be held to allow MPS who wish to stand for positions on the Houses 25 committees to declare themselves. The house is required to elect a chairman, two deputies and one secretary-general for each committee.
Ahead of the opening session, the majority Mostaqbal Watan (Homelands Future) Party will hold a meeting to select its committee candidates.
Before adjourning on 27 July, the House approved amendments to its internal bylaws. The most significant change allowed political parties which have three seats, rather than the previous eight, to join the general committee which drafts the weekly schedule of debate.
Alaa Abed, a senior member of Mostaqbal Watan Party, told Al-Ahram Weekly that the change will help democratise the House of Representatives. It means that 11 political parties, instead of five, will now be represented on the Houses general committee. The more political parties sit on the general committee, the more views there are to discuss, he said.
Article 24 of parliaments bylaws states that the general committee is led by the speaker, includes the speakers two deputies, heads of 25 committees, representatives of political parties with three or more seats, and five independent MPs. Under the new rules the Tagammu, the Egyptian Socialist Democratic, Nour, the Reform and Development, the Congress and Freedom parties will join the committee.
Following this weeks procedural sessions MPs face a legislative-heavy season.
Amr Darwish, deputy chairman of the Local Administration Committee, told reporters this week that the old rent law is likely to top the legislative agenda. Darwish said a public dialogue on changes to the law needs to be held to ensure amendments are fair to both landlords and tenants. The fact is this law has remained unchanged for half a century. Owners want to unfreeze the old rents, while tenants would like to see a gradual increase in rents, said Darwish.
In an open discussion with the Egyptian Family Initiative on 14 August, President Al-Sisi said a balance must be struck between the needs of owners and tenants. The rent of some housing units in downtown Cairo is just LE20 a month yet their market value can exceed LE5 million. This is completely unfair for landlords, said Al-Sisi.
MPs also expect to debate a new personal status law in the new session.
Ibrahim Al-Heneidi, chairman of the Houses Legislative and Constitutional Affairs Committee, told reporters on 15 September that the committee anticipated changes to the law regulating marriage, divorce, guardianship, and custody. There is general public support for the law to be changed, and President Al-Sisi has requested a new personal status law that serves the public interest, he said.
A new draft personal status law was presented to parliament in February, only to be withdrawn by the government after details emerged and provoked widespread public controversy.
Informed sources say the government has referred the draft law to the Justice Ministry for review, and that the ministry is in consultation with Al-Azhar, the Coptic Church, the National Council of Women and other institutions in an attempt to forge a consensus before the law is referred to parliament.
Mustafa Salem, deputy chairman of the Houses Budget Committee, said his committees proceedings were likely to be dominated by new general finance and unified planning laws.
A unified planning law was referred to parliament last year then put on hold to allow the committee time to canvas the views of different bodies, most notably those of the Ministry of Local Administration and the Ministry of International Cooperation, said Salem. The new law seeks to devolve power to governorates and allow them to formulate their own socio-economic development plans.
The general finance law, according to Salem, aims to streamline the process of preparing the annual state general budget by imposing greater transparency and ensuring the budget guarantees the percentages spent on education, health and scientific research stipulated by the constitution.
*A version of this article appears in print in the 30 September, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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The Ministry of Education announced it was hiring part-time teachers for the upcoming school year 2021-22 to make up for the current shortage of teachers in all grades whether primary, preparatory, or secondary. The part-timers, who should be graduates of a university of a relevant specialty, will be trained on modern teaching methods.
Deputy Minister of Education for Technical Education Affairs Mohamed Megahed noted that there were at present 1.187 million teachers while the number of school students exceeded 24 million in close to 57,000 schools. According to Megahed, there is a shortage of 320,000 teachers.
Part-time applicants who should not be older than 50 will teach a maximum of 24 classes a week, Megahed added. They will be paid LE20 a class.
Although this years education budget has increased to LE256 billion from LE241.6 billion last year, of which 80 per cent is allocated for wages, there are no funds to hire teachers on a permanent basis, Megahed said. The ministry will pay the part-timers from the ministrys special funds in order not to financially burden either the ministry or the countrys general budget, he said.
Head of the Teachers Syndicate Khalaf Al-Zanati criticised the concept of part-time teaching, saying it could seriously affect the educational system because they do not have the proper training. Moreover, he said, since they do not have any rights, they lack loyalty to the profession. They are just pain killers, not an actual and credible solution to the problem, Al-Zanati added.
The government is spending huge amounts of money on national projects. Does it not have enough resources to appoint teachers in order to end the shortage, and pay them reasonable salaries for them to lead a decent and respectable life, Al-Zanati asked, believing the only solution was to train a new batch of teachers on a salary that would meet their living standards, he added.
Former member of the House of Representatives Education Committee Mahmoud Atteya said he hoped the ministry would use its resources to inject large financial amounts that could contribute to covering the shortage of teachers who, he added, were indispensable in light of the deficiency in some specialties.
Atteya pointed out that in 2012 when there was a significant shortage of teachers, parliament summoned the then ministers of education and finance and succeeded in providing allocations for the permanent appointment of temporary teachers.
*A version of this article appears in print in the 30 September, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.
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While Europe anticipates an energy crisis this winter, others are content that oil and gas are still the main dynamo powering the global economy. According to some commentators, that is even more important than any increase in revenue for oil and gas exporters.
Energy contract traders are making ample profits. Even equity investors are enjoying the spike in the share prices of major oil companies, which averaged more than 15 per cent in the last few days. Meanwhile, industries and consumers are facing rapid and huge rises in energy bills.
For the first time since the autumn of 2018, crude oil prices came close to $80 a barrel last week; and natural gas prices more than trebled in Europe since start of August. That forced some countries to revert to coal-fired power stations to make up for the shortage in their electricity grids. The UK, Germany and other countries had to switch on power stations that were supposed to be decommissioned to achieve global warming combatting targets.
But officials in energy-consuming countries, for once, are not blaming Gulf oil and gas producers for the current price spike. The reasons for the price increase are rather a drop in supply due to accumulated shortages in the year of the pandemic and the need to refill energy stores depleted during lockdowns.
Some political manoeuvring cannot be avoided anyway, with the US and Europe accusing Russia of turning off gas taps to Europe. China has also been blamed for the huge increase in Asian energy imports. The latest is part of the imbalance in the demand-and-supply equation of energy market supporting price hikes.
At least, Gulf exporters and the Organisation of Oil Exporting Countries (OPEC) escaped blame this time. Previously, any energy price spike was quickly and easily blamed on OPEC and the Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC) in particular as a soft target.
An Oxford-based energy analyst told Al- Ahram Weekly that the increase in oil prices also helps replenish the treasury coffers of Gulf states following the pandemic. According to official figures from the Energy Information Agency of the US, an annual average of 21 million barrels per day (bpd) of oil went through the Strait of Hormuz in 2018. That includes some Iraqi and Iranian oil, besides the exports of the GCC countries. Re-routing some of the production and the cuts applied by OPEC, the estimate now is around 18 million bpd.
For those who set their budget estimates around $60-65 per barrel, the latest price rise means a surplus of around $2 billion a week for those countries. This is true if we consider oil Gulf exports without even mentioning natural gas exports, especially from Qatar, the analyst said.
Demands on energy have increased rapidly this year as economies around the world started to grow, recovering from the pandemic. Under investment in oil and gas production in the last few years was reflected in a supply squeeze. Clean energy trends and investment in producing energy from sustainable resources like the sun and wind is growing but not yet enough to provide a major portion of global needs.
For example, this summer wind turbines in the northern hemisphere stopped due to still winds associated with the rise of temperatures. That was also another reason added to increased gas prices leading to coal power stations providing between 15 and 20 per cent of power.
In recent years GCC countries have been investing in clean energy while providing the global economy with the fossil fuels needed to keep it running and growing. The UAE already operates two nuclear power stations, and another two are coming soon. Saudi Arabia is planning to build its first nuclear power station. Abu Dhabi also pioneered the solar energy sector by establishing Masdar, a clean energy arm of the investment fund Mubadala, earlier this century.
Decades ago, the Gulf countries would have used billions of dollars of revenue from oil and gas price increases for heavy spending. Now, as these countries are diversifying their economy away from heavy reliance on oil and gas revenues, they are becoming more conservative in their spending. The new focus is riding the new wave of a green and smart economy strategically important for GCC countries.
With oil and gas destined to remain a principal source of power for the global economy for many years to come, those countries can use the revenue from exports to reinvest in sustainable development, as one Dubai-based commentator puts it. Billions of dollars might be pouring into oil and gas exporters pockets, but now they are more aware than before that it is an unsustainable source of income. Investing in other sectors of the economy is a guarantee for the future, as the commentator notes.
Ambitious plans and projects to diversify the Gulf economies needed finance not as forthcoming as it might be in the year of the pandemic. Now, if this spike in energy prices continues, it may help plug the finance gap for those plans.
*A version of this article appears in print in the 30 September, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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The biggest mass resignation from the Islamist Ennahda Movement thus far took place this week as Tunisias political crisis worsens
Tunisias largest parliamentary bloc the moderate Islamist Ennahda Movement witnessed the biggest mass resignation in its history this week. The timing of the walkouts occurred just as the movement was escalating its opposition to what it described as Tunisian President Kais Saieds coup.
On 25 July, Saied suspended the Tunisian parliament, dismissed the prime minister and declared emergency measures for 30 days at a time when the country was battling a fierce Covid-19 variant wave and recording the highest death rates in Africa.
After extending the measures for another 30 days, Saied gave them permanent status last week by issuing Decision 117 that suspends parts of the Tunisian Constitution and grants him extraordinary powers to rule by decree.
The decision, issued on 22 September, said that amendments to Tunisias 2014 Constitution would be introduced with the assistance of a committee appointed by the presidency.
Four days later as thousands of people protested against Saied in central Tunis, there was an avalanche of resignations from the Ennahda Movement, reaching 131 by late evening.
The dissenting members included leading figures from the movement and MPs who explained in a statement that their departure from Ennahda was an acknowledgement of their failure to reform the party.
The statement called out the movements leadership for a string of bad policies that had led to its isolation and failure to be actively involved with other Tunisian political parties to counter Saieds emergency measures.
Internal divisions in Ennahda have been brewing for years over the leaderships policies, and the movements popularity has been declining with every election.
The reverberations of Saieds political earthquake on its fragile unity are an inevitable outcome of the political changes that have taken place in post-revolutionary Tunisia that Ennahda has grappled with during its past decade in power.
Successive, albeit smaller-scale, resignations over recent years from the movement have cited demands for leadership change, more democratisation within the party, and controversial realpolitik compromises made during its decade in power that have alienated Ennahdas constituency.
In their statement this week, the signatories to the new wave of resignations said they had felt compelled to emancipate themselves from the movements constraints and limitations to prioritise their national duty to defend Tunisias democracy.
The statement held Ennahda Movement head and Parliamentary Speaker Rachid Al-Ghannouchi responsible for the political crisis in the country.
Both the 25 July emergency measures and the 22 September Decision by Saied would not have been welcomed by many Tunisians, the statement said, had it not been for parliaments damaged image.
This was the result of the populist performance of its members under the failed leadership of its speaker, a reference to Al-Ghannouchi, who had ignored advice against nominating himself for parliamentary speaker to avoid fuelling polarisation and discord, it added.
The statement said the situation had been exacerbated by the catastrophic performance of Prime Minister Hichem Mechichis government in handling the Covid-19 health crisis in Tunisia. The economic crisis in the country had deepened Ennahdas isolation leading to the widespread popular support for Saieds emergency measures, it added.
The resignations included top figures from the Ennahda leadership, MPs and former members of Tunisias National Constituent Assembly of 2011-2014.
On Sunday, thousands of people rallied against Saied for the second consecutive week in Avenue Bourguiba in central Tunis. Turnout was noticeably larger than during the previous week, while a second counter-protest supporting Saied had shrunk in size. Eye-witnesses said that the police had prevented buses packed with protesters, believed to be from Ennahda, from reaching the Avenue.
Constitution, Freedom, National Dignity, they chanted. The people want what he [Saied] does not want. Some of the protesters carried placards demanding the intervention of the armed forces to protect the constitution.
Decision 117 allows Saied to issue legislative texts by decree, appoint the government and set out its policy decisions unilaterally. Parliament will remain frozen, and its members will no longer receive their salaries or enjoy immunity from prosecution. The Decision also terminated the countrys Independent Provisional Authority in charge of determining the constitutionality of laws.
The Decision has not received the support of political parties or civil-society groups, even while the polls say that Saied remains popular. The Attayar, Al-Joumhouri, Akef and Ettakatol Parties said in a joint statement that Saieds measures enshrined a monopoly of absolute power.
On Saturday, a joint statement by 15 local and international rights groups and NGOs said Decision 117 constituted a power grab in the absence of guarantees. The statement questioned the absence of anti-corruption measures and impunity in Tunisias transitional-justice arrangements and Saieds decisions.
Tunisias influential UGTT trade union described Saieds Decision as a danger to democracy and called for dialogue on Friday. It had earlier been part of a quartet that had addressed Tunisias national discord after the 2011 Revolution and was the winner of the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize.
The UGTT initially adopted a cautious posture in response to the 25 July intervention, but this changed when Saied extended the emergency measures. It has called for the formation of a new government and early elections as a precondition to introducing constitutional amendments.
The union said it rejected the presidents monopoly on constitutional amendments, describing these as a danger to democracy.
There is no way out without consultation and dialogue on the foundation of national principles, it said.
*A version of this article appears in print in the 30 September, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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Angela Merkels chapter as chancellor of Germany ended this week with her opponents narrowly winning the countrys general elections
Angela Merkel governed Germany as the countrys chancellor for 16 years, and it will likely take the Germans, as well as the Europeans in general, some time before they fully understand both her disappearance from the political scene and her partys defeat in this weeks German general elections.
Merkels centre-right CDU/CSU Bloc narrowly lost the race to automatically name the new chancellor in the elections, and though it was not a crushing defeat it could end the blocs domination of German politics.
The centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) came first in the elections with 25.9 per cent of the vote, while the CDU/CSU Bloc took second place with 24.1 per cent. The environmentalist Greens and the centrist Free Democrats (FDP) gained 14.8 and 11.5 per cent of the vote, respectively.
I would have preferred to be first, leader of Germanys ruling CDU Party Armin Laschet said. I understand, of course, that I bear some personal responsibility for this result.
This is the worst defeat for Laschets party since World War II. However, he congratulated the winners, believing that they cannot now form a coalition government since in his view any party that receives less than 30 per cent of the vote cannot seek to impose its rule.
But Laschets statement seemed to be annoying for Olaf Scholz, the leader of the SPD. He said that parties that have been voted out of office shouldnt try to build a government, referring to the defeated CDU/CSU.
The voters have spoken very clearly, Scholz said on Monday. They strengthened three parties the Social Democrats, the Greens and the Free Democrats so this is the visible mandate the citizens of this country have given: these three parties should lead the next government.
The war of words reflects the fact that both men want to be the next chancellor of Germany to replace Angela Merkel. The two parties worked together in a coalition that ruled Germany for 12 out of Merkels 16-year time in office, but today their willingness to repeat the same experience is questionable.
Germanys political leaders would like to see the coalition talks on the next government concluded before the country starts its leadership of the G7 group in January.
The countrys two major parties have differences when it comes to tax policy and policies to combat climate change. The Greens want a harsh strategy on China and Russia, though foreign affairs were not extensively tackled during the campaigns.
The CDU could now form a coalition government with the Greens or the Free Democrats, retaining the chancellorship. The two smaller parties announced they were willing to examine coalition scenarios with each other ahead of speaking to the larger parties.
Theres plenty of reason to expect the next government will be a traffic light one, Greens co-leader Robert Habeck said, using the German term for a coalition between the SPD, the FDP and the Greens, each of which has a different colour.
Germany has rarely seen so many possibilities in play regarding the shape of its next cabinet. The lower house of the countrys parliament, the Bundestag, will have the unprecedented number of 735 MPs, exceeding the 598 seats in the chamber.
Following the elections, the Social Democrats have 206 seats, the CDU/CSU 196, the Greens 118, the Free Democrats 92, the Alternative for Germany Party 83 and the left-wing party Die Linke 39. Enjoying representation for the first time since 1949, the Danish SSW minority party has one seat.
Merkels government will stay in office until a new coalition is formed, though it is not known when this will happen.
In 2018, Merkel said she would not seek a fifth term as German chancellor. This term is my last as chancellor, she said. I will not be seeking re-election as a CDU lawmaker. I will not be seeking any political posts after the current term ends in 2021, she concluded.
*A version of this article appears in print in the 30 September, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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The Forces of Freedom and Change must reach a political agreement with the Sudanese military in the wake of the recent coup attempt in Sudan.
Contrary to what had been anticipated, success in overcoming the recent failed coup attempt in Sudan has not led to positive interactions producing greater political stability and ending the transitional phase that was already planned for in the Constitutional Document signed in August 2019.
Instead, it has brought new problems and deepened the rifts between the various political forces in Sudan. It has also driven the revolutionary forces to rally and to try to reconcile their differences after sensing that the post-coup atmosphere may lead to a forcible end to the transitional period.
Various observations can be made regarding the failed coup attempt and the political context surrounding it in both domestic and international terms.
The first is that this failed coup attempt might have been a trial balloon for another coup that could take place either through an actual seizure of power in the shape of a classic military coup or through the Sudanese military refusing to hand over the presidency of the Sovereignty Council of Sudan to its civilian members. This is set to take place in November according to the Constitutional Document and will announce the end of the transitional phase in preparation for holding early elections.
The second is that the political inclinations and sympathy among Sudans military leaders for the political and social base of former Sudanese president Omar Al-Bashirs regime seem obvious and almost visible. General Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan refused to blame remnants of the old regime for the failed coup attempt during his visit to the Al-Shajara Camp, one of the coup strongholds, in response to Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdoks accusation of the National Congress Party, which ruled the country during Al-Bashirs rule.
Third, the failed coup has brought home the need for the reform of the Sudanese military and security institutions, with political stability in the country now relying on it. This is in the light of the announcement of more than one coup attempt during the last two years, all of which were attributed to the National Islamic Front, the base of the Sudanese Islamists.
Fourth, restructuring the Sudanese military and resolving the relationship between the regular forces (the Sudanese Armed Forces) and the irregular forces (the Rapid Support Forces) is a precondition for stability in all Sudans provinces and the panacea against coup attempts. At the moment, the interactions between the two sides are sometimes in agreement and sometimes in tension. They are also decided according to the internal political climate. The current situation threatens political stability and even the future of the state itself.
Fifth, the presence of the Forces of Freedom and Change among the people of Sudan has declined to a great extent due to internal divisions. As a result, spontaneous popular protests against the attempted coup were weak despite calls issued by the prime minister. There were, however, rallies by Sudans parties and political forces refusing any coup attempt and rejecting any attempt by the military to return to power.
Sixth, the merits of the civilian components of the Sovereignty Council have been brought into doubt by economic challenges and the living conditions of ordinary people in Sudan. The Forces of Freedom and Change have become fragmented, calling into doubt their political strength and effectiveness and affecting the balance of power between them and the military. This imbalance resulted in the hegemony of the military during the previous period.
Seventh, the regional and international stand against any coup attempts in Sudan was very significant and clearly shows that any such attempts will not receive a positive reaction. Cairo, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi all issued statements denouncing the attempted coup, and there were also firm stances taken by the US, the EU, the Arab League and the African Union.
Eighth, the statement by the US State Department alleging the existence of foreign hands behind the failed coup attempt in Sudan raises questions about who these parties are, especially in the light of Eritrea and Ethiopia not issuing any condemnation of the coup.
TASKS AHEAD
The following issues must now be addressed by Sudans military and civilian forces.
First, they must prove to the international community that the Sudanese elites are trustworthy partners with a view to investment and economic support. If this is not done, there will be a decline in this support, with signs of this already beginning to emerge particularly in the concerns expressed by the US administration, the main supporter of Khartoum.
Second, the problem of East Sudan has become important for the future of the state and its stability because of its bias in favour of the military. The closure of Port Sudan more than once during the last year in an attempt to annul the East Sudan track in the Juba Agreement has caused great economic and political losses.
Third, protests in response to a call by the High Council of Beja Nazirs, the local tribal council, has led to the closure of Port Sudan, Suakin and Bashayer, among other places. These closures, exempting buses, police and ambulance vehicles, are a major threat to the Sudanese economy. East Sudan controls much of Sudans economic relations with the outside world, and Sudan imports 70 per cent of its needs via Port Sudan. The closure of the port of Bashayer has also greatly impacted South Sudan, as oil exported through it provides most of the countrys revenues.
Fourth, there is a need to settle the constitutional relationship between the centre and the periphery in Sudan, decide matters of political representation and restructure the sharing of wealth. This could take place either within the framework of a constitutional conference or within a legislative body whose formation has been delayed. One of the main reasons for the protests in East Sudan is that the residents of the region believe that it is being treated as a cash cow for the rest of Sudan, whereas in fact it suffers from significant underdevelopment.
Fifth, the political party of former president Omar Al-Bashir, the National Congress Party, is still influential even two years after the revolution. Mohamed Al-Amin Tirik, head of the High Council of Beja Nazirs in East Sudan and a National Congress Party member, has demanded the dismissal of the transitional government and the formation of a military council representing six Sudanese provinces with a partner civilian component substituting for Hamdoks government, for example.
Ending the hegemony of the military in Sudan and with it the possibility of a further military coup can only be achieved through a political agreement between the Forces of Freedom and Change and the military guaranteeing the safety of those who were associated with the former regime and the military participation in political decision-making in the future. Without an agreement of this sort, the political situation will not return to peace and stability, and the antagonism among the different parties will continue.
Regional and international support for Sudan at this crucial stage is urgently needed, especially given Sudans important geopolitical location and importance for Red Sea security and the security of the region. Egypt, in particular, should continue to build partnerships with Sudan.
*A version of this article appears in print in the 30 September, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisis speech at the UN General Assembly this month presented Egypt interacting effectively with allies in building a better world and a more secure and stable Middle East.
The 76th Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations opened on 14 September, with debates taking place from 21 to 27 September. Unlike the 75th session last year, a virtual one because of Covid-19, this year the General Assembly was hybrid with in-person attendance and virtual participation.
It was the first appearance at the UN of US President Joe Biden since his taking office earlier this year, and in his remarks to the General Assembly he spoke of his administration adopting an international agenda of what he termed relentless diplomacy to meet the challenges of todays world through alliances, partnerships and cooperation, among them to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic as well as climate change.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke of a world standing on the edge of an abyss due to the gravity of the Covid-19 pandemic and the disastrous consequences of climate change. He also spoke of the dangers of the widening gap between the wealthy and developed nations and the developing countries.
Both the Chinese and Russian presidents addressed the General Assembly virtually this year, as did President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi of Egypt, repeating the way in which he had addressed the assembly last year. It was the eighth time that President Al-Sisi has spoken to the UN General Assembly since he was elected president in 2014.
His remarks this year were the most progressive so far and dealt with how Egypt is carrying out the international agenda and UN priorities. They were wide-ranging, comprehensive and in tune with the present-day agenda of multilateral diplomacy. He emphasised Egypts commitment to the UN system as one of its founding members.
His remarks were balanced between dealing with the major challenges of the day, such as Covid-19, climate change and the fight against terrorism, and Egyptian positions vis-a-vis various Arab crises and differences around the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), which President Al-Sisi said could threaten international peace and security if the parties concerned do not reach a binding agreement on the filling and operations of the dam. He warned that the status quo represents a threat to the well-being of 150 million people in Egypt and Sudan.
Al-Sisi also brought up the decision by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to allocate $650 billion in Special Drawing Rights to the developing nations to help them deal with the financial consequences of Covid-19. He called for a major infusion of foreign direct investment into the economies of the developing countries coupled with debt alleviation, particularly for the African countries.
As far as international assistance in providing vaccines against Covid-19 is concerned, Al-Sisi called for a balanced distribution of such vaccines, pointing out that Egypt has begun producing the vaccines and is ready to provide the African countries with them.
Regarding the fight against terrorism, President Al-Sisi called on the international community to adopt a comprehensive approach in this regard. Resorting to security measures alone will not suffice, he said, and such measures will fall short in ultimately defeating it. He spoke of the necessity of dealing with the economic, social and intellectual underpinnings of the appeal of terrorist groups to some members of the younger generations. He also addressed the need to impose sanctions on countries harbouring terrorists and providing assistance to various terrorist groups.
It came as no surprise that the Palestinian question was the first Arab issue that the Egyptian president dealt with. His remarks were comprehensive, and a major part of his comments on Arab crises was dedicated to the situation in Palestine, calling the Palestinian question the central issue of peace and security in the Middle East.
Al-Sisi reiterated Egypts commitment to the two-state solution according to UN resolutions in this regard, and he called on the international community to speed up humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians in Gaza and to provide the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) with the necessary funds to alleviate their suffering.
By the same token, he also stressed the urgency of launching reconstruction efforts in Gaza, adding that Egypt has already earmarked $500 million for these. It goes without saying that he stressed how imperative it is to reach a long-lasting truce between the Palestinians and the Israelis to replace the existing ceasefire in Gaza that Egypt successfully negotiated in May 2021.
One of the most interesting parts of Al-Sisis speech to the UN General Assembly this year was the clever linkage it made between the weakening and targeting of state institutions, especially the military, and the insecurity and instability in Syria, Iraq, Libya and Yemen.
The basic message that he wanted to convey was that Egypt is reaffirming its commitment to multilateral diplomacy and firmly believes that present-day challenges call for worldwide cooperation that will benefit the developing countries.
President Al-Sisis remarks at the UN this year chart a way forward for Egyptian diplomacy in a fast-changing international environment that presents Egypt with opportunities to interact constructively and effectively with allies and partners in building a better world and a more secure and stable Middle East.
For many years, Egypt has been busy dealing with regional crises and threats, and perhaps today the time has come to balance our involvement in Arab and regional crises with a more forward-looking diplomacy geared to more cooperation with the international community in facing the challenges and open-ended opportunities of tomorrow.
These have started to manifest themselves in the shape of emerging pandemics, climate change, the development of cyberspace, the transformation to green economies, the protection of the environment and rapid advances in technology and information technology, such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing.
* The writer is former assistant foreign minister.
*A version of this article appears in print in the 30 September, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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A recent report published by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) highlights the growing threat posed by the water crisis and drought confronting the future of millions of Arabs across the Middle East. It is crisis that is the result of both climate change and the callous and selfish policies pursued by some governments.
For millennia, the history of the peoples of this region has been defined by its waterways from the Tigris and Euphrates in the East, the Nile in the West, and the Sea of Galilee and Jordan River flowing through its heart. Dozens of civilisations and hundreds of millions of souls have been nourished by these waters. Crops were grown, fish were caught, people drank, bathed and washed clothes in them, and they figured prominently in various religious texts. The waterways were a constant taken for granted, because they were always there and, it was assumed, would always be there. But this is no longer the case.
A combination of climate change and unilateral initiatives by three regional governments have had a dramatic impact on the supply of water available to their neighbours. If these challenges are not addressed, the results will be devastating to the livelihood and survival of hundreds of millions and the resultant tensions have the potential to fuel even greater conflicts than we see at present.
It should be noted that the three countries involved are the non-Arab states of Turkey, Israel and Ethiopia, while the affected populations are the Arab peoples of Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Palestine, Egypt and Sudan.
With rising temperatures and reduced rainfall, several Arab countries have already experienced severe drought the worst in 900 years. These climate changes have resulted in increased evaporation, lower water levels and spreading desertification. The consequences can be seen not only in the drying up of once irrigated farmlands and the dislocation and impoverishment of small farmers, but also in the increased intensity of dust storms, with effects felt as far away as the Arabian Peninsula.
There is ample evidence that drought was one of the precipitators of the conflict in Syria. Several years of dangerously low levels of rain coupled with government mismanagement and lack of foresight resulted in hundreds of thousands of Syrian farmers being forced to leave their lands and flee to cities. The pressure that they and the influx of over a million Iraqi refugees placed stress on resources, preparing the ground for civil strife and extremism, ultimately erupting into mass protests. The regimes brutal response to this unrest only fuelled the populations anger at their dislocation and poverty.
Syrias water problems were not only the result of drought and the regimes behaviour. They were exacerbated by the Turkish dams on the Euphrates River that reduced the flow of water into the country by 40 per cent.
The bottom line is that not only have water shortages been a precipitating factor in Syrias long war, but also that the pressures created by people internally displaced by war coupled with the persistent lack of water resulting from Turkeys expanding dam projects threaten to create even greater hardships and concerns for the survival of Syrias people.
Iraq, which has also experienced rising temperatures, lower levels of rainfall and spreading desertification, has been even more dramatically impacted by the Turkish dams of both the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. It is estimated that the Euphrates dams have resulted in an 80 per cent decline in Iraqs water supply. Much of Iraqs date crop, once famous world-wide, its citrus orchards, and rice fields have also dried up. Iraq is losing an average of 100 square miles of arable land each year.
In addition, the dangerously low level of fresh water in the rivers, a major source of drinking water in the country, has now been compromised as the back flow of salt water from the Gulf is seeping into the rivers rendering them unsafe for consumption and irrigation.
With Turkey planning to construct 22 more dams on both rivers, the situation downstream will only worsen. It is estimated that the new dams on the Tigris will reduce the water flowing from that river into Iraq by more than 50 per cent.
Facing the same water problems as its Arab compatriots in the Levant, Egypt and Sudan are now struggling with how to confront the threats to their well-being that will result from Ethiopias new dam project the largest on the African continent. Egyptians depend on the Nile for 97 per cent of their water and it is estimated that they will lose about 20 per cent of its waters to the Greater Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Sudan estimates that it will lose almost 50 per cent of its supply. With water already a scarce commodity and with both countries confronted by climate change-induced desertification, their rapidly growing populations and struggling economies will soon face monumental challenges and growing unrest.
For its part, Israel has long been diverting the waters from the Sea of Galilee to support its agriculture and population. In the 1950s, the Eisenhower administration not only objected to Israels unilateral actions, warning that it was increasing tensions with Syria and Jordan, it also took the step of suspending US aid. Israel, however, did not relent. Some analysts see Israels water diversion schemes as a precipitating factor leading to the 1967 War.
In 1967, Israel overran the West Bank, seizing all of Mandatory Palestine and the Golan Heights. This enabled it to intensify its exploitation of the waters of the sea, the Jordan River and the waters of the West Banks aquifers. Today, Israelis drain more than 80 per cent of the West Banks aquifers and their diversion of Galilee and Jordan Rivers waters have resulted in shrinking that historic river to five per cent of its original volume. To add insult to injury, Palestinians and Jordanians are now forced to buy water from Israel at inflated prices.
All of these situations pose real threats to human life, because of the poverty and dislocation they create and the danger they pose to greater conflict. Each could be resolved through negotiations. For decades, Syria and Iraq have sought compromise with the Turks. At a minimum, Egypt and Sudan have appealed to Ethiopia to stretch out the time for the filling of GERD to 10 to 15 years, so that they could make needed adjustments downstream. And water was one of the final status issues that Israel agreed at Oslo they would refrain from impacting through unilateral actions.
But Turkey, Ethiopia and Israel have pursued their own agendas and refused to act in a manner that would promote regional cooperation and stability. The consequences of their short-sighted actions will be felt in the near term.
For millennia the Tigris, Euphrates, Nile and Jordan Rivers fed civilisations that flourished along their banks. Now the selfish actions of a few states are serving instead to fuel conflict because they are threatening the lives of others.
* The writer is president of the Arab American Institute.
*A version of this article appears in print in the 30 September, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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On Monday, President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi inaugurated the worlds largest wastewater treatment plant. Bahr Al-Baqar wastewater treatment plant, east of Port Said, will treat 5.6 million cubic metres per day which can then be used to irrigate agricultural land in Sinai.
Mohamed Ghanem, Irrigation Ministry spokesperson, said the plant aims to process two billion cubic metres of water annually to contribute to the reclamation of between 400,00 and 500,000 feddans as part of the national project to develop Sinai and make optimal use of water resources.
Egypts water resources are estimated at 60 billion cubic metres per year, 55 billion of which come from the River Nile and five billion from rain and underground sources, forcing the government to look for other sources. We are currently involved in building wastewater projects that will help process 20 billion cubic metres annually. Soon the Bahr Al-Baqar station will be joined by Al-Hammam station in the west of the Delta, said Ghanem. While water treated by Bahr Al-Baqar will irrigate Sinai, water processed by Al-Hammam station will be used to irrigate lands around Al-Natroun.
Tarek Al-Rifaai, spokesperson of the Ministry of Housing and New Communities, revealed that 146 wastewater treatment projects with a combined daily capacity of 5.8 million cubic metres are currently under construction in Egypt.
Egypts population is increasing rapidly. We desperately need water to meet the needs of this growing population and to irrigate as much agricultural land as possible.
Water treated by Bahr Al-Baqar station will allow new agricultural, industrial and housing communities in Sinai to be developed, says Agricultural Syndicate head Sayed Khalifa. The government is aiming to expand Egypts inhabited land from 14 to 17 per cent of the land mass, and most of this increase will be in Sinai. Water treated by Bahr Al-Baqar will reach the peninsula through underground pipelines to reclaim land there.
President Al-Sisi said on Monday that Egypt is in a race against time to double its water resources. He revealed that the cost of treating waste water to cultivate half a million feddans in Sinai will reach LE160 billion, which will be covered by soft-term loans from Arab development funds.
Bahr Al-Baqar was built by the Arab Contractors and Orascom Construction, and funded by the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development and the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development.
Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouli said during Mondays inauguration that projects to develop and populate Sinai have cost LE700 billion so far. We are currently implementing 63 projects, the most important of which include the building of six underground tunnels to link Sinai with the rest of Egypt, said Madbouli. These projects aim to put an end to Sinais isolation and make it a population magnet.
As part of this strategy, seawater desalination plants are being developed, which Madbouli described as central to populating and developing Sinai. The plant currently being built at Arish, he added, will produce 300,000 cubic metres annually of desalinated water.
Populating Sinai is central to Egypts national security objectives, observed Madbouli, and the main vehicle for this is the National Project for Developing Sinai, one of the first initiatives launched by President Al-Sisi following his election in 2014.
Major General Ihab Al-Far, head of the Armed Forces Engineering Organisation, said the flow of water from Bahr Al-Baqar to Sinai will speed up the process of populating the peninsula.
He added that the Armed Forces are participating in developing Sinai through two kinds of projects: building 34 seawater desalination stations to produce 442 million cubic metres of drinking water to meet the needs of the population of Sinai, and constructing 36 wastewater treatment stations to process 473 million cubic metres per year of water to irrigate agricultural lands.
*A version of this article appears in print in the 30 September, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.
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A House committee investigating the violent Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection has subpoenaed 11 officials who helped plan rallies in support of former President Donald Trump ahead of the attack, including the massive event on the day of the siege at which the president told his supporters to fight like hell.
In this Jan. 6, 2021, file photo, President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a rally in Washington. [File photo: AP]
The announcement follows a first round of subpoenas last week that targeted former White House and administration officials who were in contact with Trump before and during the insurrection.
The committee said in a release Wednesday that the subpoenas are part of the panel's efforts to collect information from the organizers and their associated entities on the planning, organization, and funding of those events. In letters to those who were subpoenaed, Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, demanded that the officials provide documents to the panel by Oct. 13 and appear at separate depositions that the committee has scheduled from late October through the beginning of November.
Thompson cites in the letters efforts by representatives of the group Women for America First to organize the rally on Jan. 6 and to collectively communicate with senior White House officials. The subpoenas also mention other events the group planned in the weeks between Trump's November election defeat and the January attack.
The House committee of nine lawmakers seven Democrats and two Republicans has ramped up its investigation in recent weeks as it attempts to dissect the origins of the insurrection by Trumps supporters and find ways to prevent it from ever happening again. The Trump loyalists beat and injured police as they battled their way inside the building, destroyed property and sent lawmakers running for their lives. Repeating Trumps lies about widespread election fraud, they interrupted the certification of President Joe Bidens victory and left those in the U.S. Capitol deeply shaken.
Included on the list of subpoenas are Amy Kremer, founder and chair of Women for America First; Kylie Kremer, founder and executive director of Women for America First; Cynthia Chafian, an organizer who submitted the first permit for the rally; Caroline Wren, who the committee says was listed on permit paperwork for the Jan. 6 rally as a VIP Advisor"; and Maggie Mulvaney, who the panel says was listed on the permit as VIP Lead.
Wren, a veteran GOP fundraiser, was a national finance consultant for Trump Victory, a joint fundraising committee between the presidents reelection campaign and the Republican National Committee. The AP has previously reported that Wren was involved in at least one call before the pro-Trump rally with members of several groups listed as rally participants to organize credentials for VIP attendees.
Amy Kremer, who the committee says was listed as one of several designated points of contact for the rally, denounced the assault in a statement issued on Jan. 6 and said it was instigated after the rally by a handful of bad actors, while seeming to blame Democrats and news organizations for the riot. She is also the cofounder of the Women for Trump PAC and the former chair of the Tea Party Express.
Mulvaney, a niece of former top Trump aide Mick Mulvaney, worked as director of finance operations for the Trump campaign, according to her LinkedIn profile. Maggie Mulvaney retweeted several messages on Jan. 6, including one from the president that urged support for the Capitol Police.
Also subpoenaed was former Trump campaign official Katrina Pierson, who the committee says was reportedly involved in the organization of the rally on Jan. 6 and a smaller one the day before. The panel said in its letter to Pierson that it is aware of reports that she met with Trump in the days before the rally.
The top US general conceded in a stark admission on Wednesday that the United States "lost" the 20-year war in Afghanistan.
United States Army General Mark A. Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff responds to questions during a House Armed Services Committee hearing on the conclusion of military operations in Afghanistan at the Rayburn House Office building on Capitol Hill on September 29, 2021 in Washington, DC. [Photo: Rod LAMKEY/POOL/AFP]
"It is clear, it is obvious to all of us, that the war in Afghanistan did not end on the terms we wanted, with the Taliban in power in Kabul," General Mark Milley, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the House Armed Services Committee.
"The war was a strategic failure," Milley told a committee hearing about the US troop pullout from Afghanistan and the chaotic evacuation from the capital Kabul.
"It wasn't lost in the last 20 days or even 20 months," Milley said.
"There's a cumulative effect to a series of strategic decisions that go way back," said the general, the top military advisor to President Joe Biden, who ordered an end to the 20-year US troop presence in Afghanistan.
"Whenever you get some phenomenon like a war that is lost -- and it has been, in the sense of we accomplished our strategic task of protecting America against Al-Qaeda, but certainly the end state is a whole lot different than what we wanted," Milley said.
"So whenever a phenomenon like that happens, there's an awful lot of causal factors," he said. "And we're going to have to figure that out. A lot of lessons learned here."
Milley listed a number of factors responsible for the US defeat going back to a missed opportunity to capture or kill Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden at Tora Bora soon after the 2001 US invasion of Afghanistan.
He also cited the 2003 decision to invade Iraq, which shifted US troops away from Afghanistan, "not effectively dealing with Pakistan as a (Taliban) sanctuary," and pulling advisers out of Afghanistan a few years ago.
Biden, in April, ordered a complete pullout of US forces from Afghanistan by August 31, following through on an agreement reached with the Taliban by former president Donald Trump.
Milley and General Kenneth McKenzie, commander of US Central Command, told a Senate committee on Tuesday that they had personally recommended that some 2,500 troops remain on the ground in Afghanistan.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden had received "split" advice about what to do in Afghanistan, which the United States invaded following the September 11, 2001 Al-Qaeda attacks on New York and Washington.
"Ultimately, it's up to the commander-in-chief to make a decision," Psaki said. "He made a decision that it was time to end a 20-year war."
No massive blackout across the city
By:Wu Qiong | From:english.eastday.com | 2021-09-30 11:48
Claims of a widespread blackout in Shanghai have been denied by the local power utility, after a post on social media about a blackout from September 27 to October 3 raised some citizens concern.
Some places in northeast China have recently faced electricity shortages due to energy-saving needs. Will Shanghai face the same situation? According to the State Grid Shanghai Municipal Electric Power Company, the power supply is generally stable and orderly, which can ensure the electricity demand for factories and people in the city.
The post on social media platforms is a planned power outage announcement, explained the company.
Planned power outage is a routine operation of the power utility, part of carrying out daily maintenance of equipment to ensure the safety of the power grid during peak hours. That causes a blackout in specific time periods and in specific areas, and the notification will be, as stipulated, issued at least seven days in advance.
KYODO NEWS - Sep 30, 2021 - 17:47 | All, World, Japan
Japan's top government spokesman on Thursday said a North Korean missile launch earlier this week violated U.N. Security Council resolutions while condemning the test as "extremely regrettable."
Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told a press conference that Japan, which does not have formal diplomatic relations with North Korea, lodged a protest through its embassy in Beijing.
"While further analysis is necessary, based on the information available so far, we have judged the latest launch violates U.N. Security Council resolutions against using ballistic missile technology," he said.
North Korea on Tuesday test-fired a newly developed hypersonic missile, the Hwasong-8, according to state-run media. The second launch in a span of two weeks, it fanned concerns the reclusive country has made technological advances in developing the hard-to-intercept projectile.
Meanwhile, the top North Korea envoys of Japan, the United States and South Korea held phone talks on Thursday and shared concerns over the North's recent activities related to its nuclear weapon and missile development program.
Takehiro Funakoshi, head of the Japanese Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, and his counterparts agreed to continue trilateral cooperation to achieve North Korea's complete denuclearization, the ministry said.
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KYODO NEWS - Sep 17, 2021 - 14:26 | Others, All, Japan
The Japanese government said Friday it will carefully analyze whether China is ready to meet the requirements for joining the trans-Pacific Partnership free trade deal, a day after Beijing announced it has filed a bid to join the framework.
"We must thoroughly assess whether China is ready to fulfill the high-standard rules of the TPP-11," Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said, referring to the deal formally known as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.
"We will consult with other members while following the procedures for approving new members," the top government spokesman said at a press conference.
China needs the unanimous approval of all 11 member countries to join the pact, which Beijing apparently sees as a way to increase its economic clout. Its accession would have a significant impact on trade in the Asia-Pacific region.
Japan's finance and foreign ministers also expressed a cautious stance on China's bid.
Finance Minister Taro Aso told reporters, "I simply wonder if China is really in a state in which it can join," citing the trade pact's detailed rules over state-owned enterprises.
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi separately said Japan needs to respond "from a strategic standpoint," while noting that procedures for approving Britain's participation following London's application earlier this year will take precedence.
The other existing TPP members are Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. The United States remains cautious about returning to the treaty after its withdrawal in January 2017.
Taiwan has also expressed interest in joining.
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By Tomoyuki Tachikawa, KYODO NEWS - Sep 30, 2021 - 09:08 | All, Japan
Hopes are growing that Japan's former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, the country's de facto next prime minister, can pave the way for talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and contribute to stability in East Asia.
As the novel coronavirus pandemic has choked North Korea's trade with its major economic ally of China and natural disasters have devastated the agricultural sector, Kim could try to get closer to Japan to receive aid to rebuild the sluggish economy, analysts said.
While former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and outgoing Yoshihide Suga have failed to resolve the long-standing issue of North Korea's abduction of Japanese nationals in the 1970s and 1980s, Kishida might grasp a clue to how to negotiate about it with Kim, they added.
Expectations are also rife that Kishida, if he succeeds in alleviating tensions between Tokyo and Pyongyang, could lay the groundwork for the resumption of Kim's talks with leaders of South Korea and the United States, a close security ally of Japan.
The upcoming election of Kishida as Japan's prime minister in parliament "represents both continuity and change in foreign policy towards the Korean Peninsula," said Stephen Nagy, a senior associate professor at International Christian University in Tokyo.
"The Japanese leadership seems to have consensus that meeting Kim Jong Un and speaking with North Korea can accrue some benefit on the sensitive kidnapping issue" but also "in ensuring that Japan is not locked out of the evolution of North Korea and peninsular politics in general," Nagy added.
A diplomat in Beijing echoed the view, saying, "North Korea has been facing a severe economic downturn and it has been really eager to obtain economic assistance from other countries, while Japan wants to settle the abduction issue."
"If Japan and North Korea think they can create a win-win agreement, Kishida would get a chance to meet with Kim in the future," he said.
Kishida, known as a moderate with a steady hand, won the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election on Wednesday in a runoff, positioning him to become Japan's next prime minister in early October.
The United States and its Asian security allies, Japan and South Korea, have no diplomatic ties with the North. The Korean Peninsula has been divided as the 1950-1953 Korean War ended in a cease-fire. Washington, which fought alongside Seoul, technically remains in a state of war with Pyongyang.
Since its founding in 1948, meanwhile, North Korea has kept up stern rhetoric on Japan to promote propaganda of the communists in the nation and demanded it to pay post-World War II compensation. Japan colonized Korea from 1910 through the end of the war in 1945.
In a statement released four days before the LDP presidential election, North Korea said it would "never interact" with a Japanese political leader who is likely to maintain a "hostile policy" toward the Asian country.
North Korea has also been stepping up provocations since September, such as staging a military parade in its capital Pyongyang and test-firing new types of hard-to-intercept ballistic missiles.
Another diplomat in Beijing said North Korea's recent moves suggest that it may be employing "brinkmanship" to get the United States to ease economic sanctions by increasing the security threats in the Asia-Pacific region.
Nevertheless, Pyongyang has voiced its intention to leave the door open for an inter-Korean summit in an apparent bid to receive aid from Seoul, he said, adding Kim must be placed "in a very difficult position to prevent an economic meltdown."
Kishida, who has experience holding talks with his North Korean counterpart during his term as foreign minister from 2012 through 2017, has pledged to compel Pyongyang to abandon its missile and nuclear development program by putting "maximum" pressure on it.
Japan's de facto next prime minister, however, said in September that it is "important to come up with a scenario for summit talks" with Kim while coordinating with the U.S. President Joe Biden administration over North Korea.
Shawn Ho, an associate research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, said, "A new Japanese prime minister and new policy towards North Korea may represent a fresh opportunity to reset the Japan-North Korea relationship."
"A successful effort by the next Japanese administration to engage North Korea might also help boost the chances of U.S.-North Korea and inter-Korean dialogue or negotiations regarding North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs," Ho said.
Since North Korea embarked on its summit diplomacy with various other nations in 2018, "Japan has yet to have a summit meeting with North Korea," he said.
"If such a summit meeting can take place, this would represent an additional useful key pillar to the overall trilateral U.S.-Japan-South Korea strategy to have dialogue with North Korea and negotiate with it over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs," Ho added.
After five abductees were brought back to Japan in 2002, Tokyo has been seeking the return of 12 others whom it has officially recognized as having been abducted by North Korean agents. It also suspects North Korea's engagement in other Japanese citizens' disappearances.
Pyongyang has claimed that the abduction issue has been "already resolved," saying eight of them, including the iconic abductee Megumi Yokota, have died and the other four never entered the country.
In May 2014, when Kishida served as foreign minister, Japan and North Korea reached an accord in Stockholm on principles for negotiations toward the settlement of the abduction issue. Japan relaxed its sanctions on Pyongyang, which in turn promised a full-scale investigation into it.
But North Korea repeatedly postponed reporting the survey results. The nation then disbanded its investigation team and suspended the probe after Japan levied further sanctions in February 2016 in reaction to Pyongyang's nuclear and missile tests.
North Korea is banned from launching ballistic missiles under U.N. Security Council resolutions imposing sanctions on the nuclear-armed country.
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KYODO NEWS - Sep 15, 2021 - 13:45 | All, Japan, Coronavirus
Japan's top COVID-19 adviser Shigeru Omi on Wednesday warned against hastily easing anti-pandemic restrictions on people's lives and called for relaxing measures only after the state of emergency is lifted.
His remarks came as the government seeks to ease restrictions around November, when it aims to complete vaccinating all people who wish to be inoculated. The plan includes letting eateries provide alcohol and allowing people to travel across prefectural borders and hold big events with more attendees even if the state of emergency is still in force.
"Even though the vaccination rate has risen, there will certainly be a rebound if we suddenly ease restrictions," Omi told the House of Representatives' health committee.
"I believe the path we should take is to gradually lift them after the state of emergency expires and the number of infections comes down to a certain level," Omi added.
With the medical system still under strain from an influx of COVID-19 patients, much of Japan will remain under a state of emergency through Sept. 30. Government data shows slightly over half of Japan's population has been fully vaccinated so far against COVID-19.
Looking ahead, Omi warned that the fight against the new virus is expected to last for a long time. "It may take about two to three years until the public no longer has to worry about COVID-19, like the influenza in which we have vaccines and medications," he said.
In the same committee meeting, health minister Norihisa Tamura said the government remains on guard with an eye out for a potential "sixth wave" of infections.
"It is a fact that the number of new coronavirus cases is rapidly decreasing on a national level," Tamura said, but added that he worries about more people interacting with others in line with children going back to school this month, a drop in ventilation during winter, and an increase in socializing toward the yearend.
Over 60 percent of the population is expected to be fully vaccinated by the end of September, bringing Japan on a par with major European countries such as Britain and France, according to the government.
Japan initially lagged far behind other major economies in inoculating its population. Facing criticism, the government has made relatively fast progress since, setting up mass inoculation sites and offering workplace vaccinations.
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KYODO NEWS - Oct 1, 2021 - 00:15 | World, All
Taiwan will lodge a formal complaint with the World Trade Organization against China's suspension of imports of the self-ruled island's fruits due to pest concerns, a senior official said on Thursday.
Regarding the mainland's ban of the two kinds of apples in an apparent attempt to squeeze Taiwan's economy, deputy agriculture minister Chen Junne-jih told reporters that the island will take the matter to the sanitary and phytosanitary committee of the WTO in October if China refuses to negotiate.
Chen said Taiwan has been asking China to provide scientific evidence of the discovery of pests, adding the government still hopes to solve the issue through negotiations.
The move came after China said it was suspending imports of custard apples and wax apples from Taiwan from Sept. 20, claiming that mealybugs have been found in shipments of those fruits on multiple occasions this year, without providing further details.
Before the ban on the two fruits, imports of Taiwan's pineapples have been suspended since March. The mainland was the biggest consumer of them prior to the ban.
A spokesman of China's Taiwan Affairs Office under the State Council said on Wednesday the island's ruling Democratic Progressive Party authorities should solve the problem of the pests at its source, asking them to "stop engaging in political manipulation."
Due to the import suspension by Beijing, the export of Taiwan pineapples to other countries other than China has grown by 560 percent between January and August compared to the same period last year, according to the Council of Agriculture.
New Delhi:
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman discussed the complicity of Pakistan in Pulwama terror attack on a CRPF convoy that killed 40 personnel, during their meeting on Wednesday. The MEA said the two leaders condemned in the strongest terms the recent terrorist attack on Indian forces.
Both the leaders underlined the importance of comprehensive sanctioning of terrorists and their organisations by the United Nations, said TS Tirumurti, secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs.
On being asked if Saudi Arabia has offered to mediate between India and Pakistan, the MEA said at this point, no mediation has been offered.
The MEA also said the Saudi Crown Prince appreciated the consistent efforts made by Modi since May 2014, including his personal initiatives, to have friendly relations with Pakistan. Both sides agreed on the need for the creation of conditions necessary for resumption of the comprehensive dialogue.
Saudi Arabia also ordered the release of 850 Indian prisoners lodged in its jails after Salmans meeting with Modi. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said the decision was taken on the request of Modi. Another big deliverable! At the request of the PM, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia has ordered the release of 850 Indian prisoners lodged in Saudi jails, he said in a tweet.
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New Delhi:
This beggar woman teaches us that a richness of the heart outweighs that of a full money in the bank. An elderly woman beggar in Ajmer will donate her entire savings of Rs 6.61 lakhs to the bereaved families of the Pulwama Attack families. According to sources, the beggar identified as Nandini Sharma though had died in August 2018 had left a will stating that all her savings will be used in favour of the nation and to help society. As such, when the nation was struck with the Pulwama attack, the trustees decided to donate the money to the families of those that were martyred.
Her savings are reported to have come from her begging outside the Ambe Mata Temple at Bajrangarh in Ajmer.
It is also reported that since her demise, her trustees had been waiting for the right moment to donate the money when the Pulwama attack happened and the trustees didnt see a moment nobler than the February 14 terror attack.
The trustees came to the district administration office on Wednesday and expressed their desire to donate money to the Chief Minister Relief Fund for the attack victims. The legal cell completed the formalities following which the amount was accepted and a certificate was issued to them, said Ajmer collector Vishwa Mohan Sharma.
Special prayers will be held by the devotees at the temple for her generosity.
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New Delhi:
Jharkhand Board Examination 2019 for class 10 and 12 are all set to begin from today. Over 7 lakh students are expected to appear for the Jharkhand board examinations 2019. JAC has set up 1,137 exam centres across the state to conduct the Jharkhand Board exams.
The Jharkhand Board 10th and 12th exams will begin tomorrow and end on March 9, 2019. While the 10th board exams will be conducted in the morning session, the 12th board exam will be conducted in the afternoon session from 2:00 pm to 5:15 pm.Students will be given an extra 15 minutes time before the examination to read the question paper.
Students will not be allowed to write answers during this time. Admit cards for the Jharkhand Board exams were released on January 25, 2019. Students can check and download their admit cards by visiting the official website jac.nic.in.
Here are the steps to download the JAC 2019 Admit Card:
Step 1: First, visit the JAC official site- jac.nic.in.
Step 2: Click on Download Admit Card link.
Step 3: Enter your login credentials- registration number or roll number.
Step 4: Your admit card will appear on the screen.
Step 5: Download the card and take a print out for future use.
The pass percentage last year for Class 12 science stream was 52.35 percent, for commerce stream was 60.09 percent.
New Delhi:
Several Islamic State group jihadists and dozens of civilians, including foreigners, quit the last IS-held pocket in eastern Syria on Tuesday, US-backed forces said. Backed by air strikes by the US-led coalition, the Syrian Democratic Forces have already retaken most of the village. A convoy of trucks entered Baghouz on Tuesday to transfer jihadists and their relatives out to SDF-held territory, said SDF spokesman Adnan Afrin. IS, which in 2014 declared a cross-border "caliphate" straddling Syria and Iraq, has been expelled from all the land it held except for a patch of Baghouz village.
"Dozens of civilians and some fighters have handed themselves over to the SDF," he told reporters at nearby Al-Omar oil field.
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The spokesman said foreigners were among leaving but did not specify their nationalities or if they were civilians or fighters.
"This is the first-time civilians will make it out in four days," Afrin said.
On Monday, a bomb attack in Syria's jihadist-held city of Idlib killed 24 people, including four children, a war monitor said. The bomb was planted under a car in the main city of the Idlib region, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. A motorcycle bomb detonated after ambulances arrived at the scene of the first explosion, the Britain-based monitoring group said. Over 51 were also injured in the incident. Idlib is the last major part of Syria still outside the control of President Bashar al-Assad's regime.
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Earlier, Donald Trump surprised the world and his country as well when he suddenly announced that the US is pulling out its troops from Syria. "In Syria, Erdogan said he wants to knock out ISIS, whatever's left, the remnants of ISIS. And Saudi Arabia just came out and said they are going to pay for some economic development. Which is great, that means we don't have to pay. We are spread out all over the world. We are in countries most people haven't even heard about. Frankly, it's ridiculous," Trump added.
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New Delhi :
The National Investigating Agency (NIA) on Wednesday re-registered an FIR to probe Pulwama terror attack which claimed lives of 40 CRPF personnel. According to sources, the investigating agency in its report said that apart from RDX, several other explosives were used in the blast. The NIA said that RDX was kept in a plastic box. According to reports, NIA will also investigate the intelligence report which had given inputs about a possible terror attack.
An NIA spokesperson said the agency has "re-registered the case and a probe team has been formed to investigate the case". It has already taken samples of the explosives and evidence from the area in south Kashmir's Pulwama district.
The first case in the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) claimed attack was registered by the Jammu and Kashmir Police on the day of attack.
A team of 10 NIA officials had reached Jammu and Kashmir on Friday to probe into the terror attack in Pulwama. The decision to send the teams was taken in view of the high number of casualties in the worst terror strike in the state since the Uri attack in 2016.
At least 40 CRPF personnel were killed and five injured in one of the deadliest terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir when a Jaish suicide bomber rammed a vehicle carrying explosives into their bus in Pulwama district on February 14.
More than 2,500 Central Reserve Police Force personnel, many of them returning from leave to rejoin duty in the Valley, were travelling in the convoy of 78 vehicles when they were ambushed on the Srinagar-Jammu highway at Latoomode in Awantipora in south Kashmir.
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New Delhi:
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has always managed to win hearts with her aesthetic fashion choices and style statements. Be it her glamorous red carpet looks or her chic airport looks a Aishwaryaas sartorial choices have always left us impressed.
The actress is currently in Doha, Qatar for a bridal shoot, and her latest Instagram pictures will surely drop your jaws. In the snaps, Aishwarya looks ethereal in her red bridal suit.A She accessorised her look with golden earrings, open tresses and nude lipstick. Aishwarya's look for the event in Doha was styled by Sukriti Grover, and oh boy, she looks so darn stunning!
Check out the pictures below:
Meanwhile, talking about her next project, Aishwarya revealed, "Normally when it comes to announcing my future projects, I leave it to the prerogative of my directors and producers. I have just very recently okayed a wonderful script and idea and character. So, Iall let them make the announcement. And that is to start much later this year. Thereas is also anotherA true lifeA episode that story and Idea that I found interesting and will be hearing it soon. So, if there are announcements, you will surely get to know."
On the work front, Aishwarya was last seen inA Fanney KhanA alongside Rajkummar Rao and Anil Kapoor.
London:
Honda will shut its UK plant with the loss of 3,500 jobs, the Japanese carmaker announced Tuesday as the global auto industry faces "unprecedented changes" and the UK economy hits the skids on Brexit uncertainty. The factory in Swindon, southwest England, which is Honda's only EU plant, will shut in 2021 "at the end of the current model's production lifecycle", the company said as carmakers worldwide increasingly invest in greener electric vehicles over diesel cars.
Business Secretary Greg Clark described Honda's decision as "devastating" and "a particularly bitter blow to the thousands of skilled and dedicated staff who work at the factory, their families and all of those employed in the supply chain".
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Prime Minister Theresa May spoke to Honda's president to "express her disappointment at the decision," according to her Downing Street office.
Katsushi Inoue, Honda's chief officer for European regional operations, said the decision had "not been taken lightly".
The firm blamed "unprecedented changes in the global automotive industry" for the decision but it comes amid investment uncertainty in Britain ahead of the country's departure from the European Union next month.
Analysts said an EU-Japan trade agreement signed recently had likely also played a part in Honda's decision.
Clark said that while Honda's decision was made for "commercial" reasons, it was nonetheless "devastating... for Swindon and the UK".
He added in a statement: "The automotive industry is undergoing a rapid transition to new technology. The UK is one of the leaders in the development of these technologies and so it is deeply disappointing that this decision has been taken now."
Speaking earlier in Tokyo, Honda president Takahiro Hachigo told reporters: "I'd like you to understand this is not related to Brexit." Clark later told parliament that "we must accept" Honda's stated reasons, but added "the motor industry, Japanese investors and Honda in particular have been very clear for many months that Brexit is an additional worry at a difficult time." Nissan earlier this month axed plans to make its X-Trail SUV in the Brexit-backing UK city of Sunderland, citing "business reasons" but also uncertainty over Britain's EU departure.
Toyota, another Japanese car giant making vehicles in Britain, has meanwhile warned there would be no way to avoid a negative impact should the UK crash out of the EU without a deal.
The Bank of England earlier this month slashed its forecast for 2019 UK growth to 1.2 percent from 1.7 percent, blaming the downgrade on a global economic slowdown and "the fog of Brexit".
Honda's fellow Japanese firms Sony, Panasonic and Hitachi are also scaling back their UK operations.
Regarding Honda's decision, the company "seems to have been preparing for this for a long time", Seiji Sugiura, analyst at Tokai Tokyo Research Institute, told AFP.
"Then Brexit happened, which might have pushed the company to make the decision now." The carmaker's Swindon plant has been producing Honda's Civic model for more than 24 years, with 150,000 units rolling off the line annually.
The firm on Tuesday announced also that it would stop manufacturing the Civic model in Turkey in 2021.
In Swindon, local finance worker Sue Davis, 49, said the town is "finished without Honda".
She told AFP: "My ex-husband works there, has done for 20 years. He's going to be without a job, so I just think it's really, really bad news." Local MP Justin Tomlinson tweeted that the decision had been made "based on global trends and not Brexit as all European market production will consolidate in Japan in 2021".
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Britain's biggest union Unite said it would campaign to keep the plant open.
"We will leave no stone unturned to keep this plant going and its workforce in employment," said Des Quinn, Unite's national officer for the automotive sector.
"While Brexit is not mentioned by the company as a reason for the announcement, we believe that the uncertainty that the Tory government has created by its inept and rigid handling of the Brexit negotiations lurks in the background."
New Delhi:
The Department of Telecom has asked operators to crack down on subscribers sending offensive or obscene messages to people and set up a helpline to receive complaints against such customers. The DoT issued the order in the wake of some TV journalists filing complaints against receipt of abusive messages on their cellphones from some mobile subscribers.
The DoT said licence conditions bar carriage of objectionable obscene, unauthorised or any other content, messages or communications in any form in the network. "You are hereby directed to take immediate action against the customers/subscribers of your network for sending messages as it is also a violation of customer declaration in customer application form," the order marked to all telecom operators dated February 19 said.
Telecom operators have been asked to report compliance within 15 days. The order also suggested that telecom operators may open a dedicated call centre or helpline for receiving complaints against customers sending offensive messages to people.
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New Delhi:
Piramal Enterprises Ltd (PEL) on Thursday said its pain relief tablet brand Saridon has been exempted from the list of banned fixed-dose combinations (FDCs) by the Supreme Court. In a regulatory filing, the company said the apex court has ruled in favour of Saridon, which is a heritage brand from its healthcare product portfolio.
"In September 2018, PEL had been awarded a stay order from the Supreme Court on the ban, which allowed it to continue manufacturing, distribution and sale of the FDC," it said.
Commenting on the court order, PEL Executive Director Nandini Piramal said, "We are pleased with the Supreme Court ruling, as it is an affirmation to our commitment to provide effective and safe healthcare solutions that address unique needs of Indian consumers. We were confident that the law would prevail in our favour."
Last year in September, the government had banned 328 FDCs, which were termed 'irrational' on the basis of safety issues and lack of therapeutic justification.
Stating that Saridon is a "heritage brand trusted by customers for the last 50 years in India", Piramal said, "This exemption from the banned list of FDCs validates our intent to serve our customers with the highest levels of integrity."
Piramal further said, "We continue to expand our healthcare product portfolio with an aim to be amongst the top three over the-counter (OTC) product companies in India by 2020".
Citing a study by AC Neilson, PEL said the addressable analgesic market is Rs 6,450 crore, of which analgesic tablet market is Rs 2,050 crore as of December, 2018. The popularity of the brand is widespread with 31 tablets being sold every second.
PEL said Saridon is available across a distribution network of 9 lakh outlets in India
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New Delhi:
Mehbooba Mufti, Jammu and Kashmir's former chief minister, on Wednesday once again said that Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan deserves a chance to act against terrorists as he is a new Prime Minister. "It's true that whether it was the Pathankot attack or the Mumbai attack they (Pakistan) were given proof but they didn't take action. But because Imran Khan is a new PM and he is talking about a new start, he should be given a chance. We should give them proof and see what they do," news agency ANI quoted Mufti as saying.
In a similar statement on Tuesday, the PDP president said Pakistan was not being blamed for the Pulawama terror attack without any evidence and asked its Prime Minister Imran Khan to walk the talk. However, Mufti said Khan deserves a chance since he has recently taken over the reigns of the country.
"Disagree. Pathankot dossier was given to them (Pakistan) but no actin was taken to punish the perpetrators. Time to walk the talk," Mehbooba said in a tweet.
"But Pak PM deserves a chance since he has recently taken over. Of course the war rhetoric (in India) has more to do with the impending elections that anything else (sic)," she added.
Khan on February 19 assured India that he would act against the perpetrators of the Pulwama terror attack if New Delhi shares "actionable intelligence".
In a video message, he said Pakistan wants "stability in the region".
Khan said that he understood it was India's election year and the narrative of blaming Pakistan would make it easier to get votes from the masses but he hoped that better sense will prevail and that India would be open to dialogue.
The suicide attack by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terror group in Pulwama left 40 CRPF personnel dead.
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New Delhi:
The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear a plea seeking review of its verdict in the Rafale case. Former Union ministers Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie and senior advocate Prashant Bhushan had earlier moved the top court, seeking review of its December 14 judgment on the deal. The petitioners alleged that the court relied upon incorrect claims made by the Centre. Prashant Bhushan also sought a hearing on the plea seeking perjury prosecution of some officials for misleading the court in Rafale case.
On December 14, the apex court ruled that it found no evidence of wrongdoing in the governments decision-making process, as it rejected petitions for an investigation into the Rafale deal. The court had rejected a batch of petitions for an investigation into Indias purchase of 36 French-made Rafale fighter jets, saying it found no evidence of wrongdoing in the governments decision-making process or in the choice of Reliance Infrastructure Ltd as the Indian partner and refused to go into pricing details.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said four applications or petitions have been filed in the Rafale matter and one of them is still lying with the registry on account of the defect.
The combination (of the judges) of bench will have to be changed. It is very difficult. We will do something for it, the bench, also comprising Justices L N Rao and Sanjiv Khanna, said when Bhushan sought urgent listing of the petitions in the Rafale case.
Bhushan said that the review petition filed by AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh was defective and other petitions had no defects to be cured.
He also said that besides the review petition, an application seeking perjury prosecution against some central government employees for giving misleading information to the court has also been filed.
Besides Bhushan, Sinha and Shourie had moved the Supreme Court Monday seeking initiation of perjury proceedings against central government officials for allegedly giving false or misleading information in a sealed cover in the high-profile Rafale case.
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New Delhi:
Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Thursday accused the Congress party of trying to weaken the morale of the country at a time when several countries are passing resolutions condemning Pulwama attack, which claimed lives of 40 CRPF jawans in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir. When the whole country is one, when the country after country passing resolution condemning Pulwama Attack and standing firmly with India. At that critical moment the true face of Congress party has appeared, seeking to weaken the morale of the country, said Prasad.
His remarks came hours after Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala accused PM Modi of shooting a film in Jim Corbett National Park while the suicide attack happened.
"There is no better example than this of Modi's insult to our soldiers. At 3.10 p.m. when the Pulwama attack occurred and was all over news, the PM was shooting for a film till 6.45 pm in Corbett National Park," Surjewala had said.
Taking a dig at Congress president Rahul Gandhi for questioning surgical strikes, Prasad said that what else can be expected from his party. Rahul Gandhi asks for an evidence of the surgical strikes but does not ask for any evidence when man of a questionable character in London in the presence of Kapil Sibal questions India's elections. What can we expect from them? Prasad said while addressing a press conference in the national capital.
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New Delhi:
Supreme Court to hear the Ayodhya case on February 26, as Justice SA Bobde who is a part of five-judge Constitution bench, returned from leave. The Supreme Court had earlier cancelled the January 29 hearing in the Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid land title dispute case due to non-availability of one of the five judges of a Constitution bench.
Justice S A Bobde will not be available on January 29 due to which sitting of the Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi stands cancelled, as per a notice issued by the Supreme Court registry.
The five-judge bench was re-constituted on January 25, as Justice U U Lalit, who was a member of the original bench, had recused himself from hearing the matter. This was followed by Justice N V Ramana withdrawing citing personal reasons.
Besides the CJI, the new bench comprises justices S A Bobde, D Y Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S A Nazeer.
Earlier, in view of the proposed march by Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati for laying the foundation stine of a Ram Mandir, the district administration has clamped prohibitory orders in Ayodhya.
Additional district magistrate (law and order) P D Gupta said that taking cognisance of the announcement made by some organisations to lay the foundation stone of a Ram temple in the disputed area acquired near the Babri Masjid site, prohibitory orders under CrPC Section 144 have been issued in Ayodhya.
Entry of people to the makeshift Ram Janmabhoomi Temple will be allowed through only one road and all other thoroughfares leading to the site will be closed, according to officials. Any group of more than 15 people will not be allowed to enter the site, they said
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New Delhi:
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on India and Pakistan to take "immediate steps" to deescalate tensions. "The Secretary-General stresses the importance for both sides to exercise maximum restraint and take immediate steps to de-escalation, and his good offices are always available should both sides ask," the UN Chief's spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters here Tuesday at the daily press briefing. At least 42 CRPF personnel were killed on Thursday in one of the deadliest terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir when a Jaish suicide bomber rammed a vehicle carrying over 80 kg of explosives into their bus in Pulwama district that also left many critically wounded.
More than 2,500 Central Reserve Police Force personnel, many of them returning from leave to rejoin duty in the Valley, were travelling in the convoy of 78 vehicles when they were ambushed on the Srinagar-Jammu highway at Latoomode in Awantipora in south Kashmir.
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Dujarric was asked about a meeting Pakistan's Permanent Mission to the UN has sought with the Secretary General and also about Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi saying the UN must step in to defuse tensions between the two nations.
"...Looking at the situation in general between India and Pakistan, we're deeply concerned at the increase in tensions between the two countries in the wake of the attack on Indian security personnel on 14 February in Pulwama," Dujrraic said.
He said Pakistan's mission at the UN requested for the meeting with the Secretary-General.
"We have seen press reports of a letter having been delivered to the UN. As far as we've ascertained, none has been received as of this very minute," he added.
Last week, Guterres had "strongly" condemned the terror attack against security personnel in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district, perpetrated by Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed, calling for those behind the attack to be brought to justice.
"We strongly condemn today's attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district and express our deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and to the government and people of India," Dujarric had said at the daily press briefing last Thursday.
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New Delhi:
Less than 48 hours after crucial visit to Pakistan, Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is visiting India amid ongoing tension over the Pulwama terror attack. All eyes were on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Crown Princes joint press conference at New Delhi Hyderabad House. In what can be called a diplomatic defeat for India, the Crown Prince remained mum on the February 14 terror attack that killed 40 CRPF personnel in Jammu and Kashmir.
While the Crown Prince praised Indias IT prowess and hailed the $44 billion dollar pacts, he said zero words on the dastardly attack. However, he did say that terrorism and extremism are common concerns for both countries. He also assured that intelligence support in her fight against extremism. We'll work with everyone to ensure a brighter future for our upcoming generations, the Crown Prince said.
Meeting in the shadow of the attack, PM Modi made it clear to not only mention the attack but also talk about a need to form an alliance to dismantle forces working for terror outfits. Without naming Pakistan, PM Modi said that both India and Saudi Arabia have agreed to fight such forces.
During the visit of PM Modi to Saudi Arabia in 2016, an MoU on cooperation in exchange of intelligence related to money laundering and terrorism financing was signed. The Kingdom has shown greater understanding of Indias terrorism-related concerns and also agreed to work with India in countering this global menace. The two countries held meeting of 4th Joint Defence Cooperation Committee last month in Riyadh during which both sides explored the possibility of elevating the defence engagement with joint production and joint exercises, particularly joint naval exercises, said Tirumurti.
Indias bilateral trade with Saudi Arabia was $27.48 billion in 2017-18, making Saudi Arabia its 4th largest trading partner. Saudi Arabia is also a key pillar of Indias energy security, being a source of 17 per cent or more of crude oil and 32 per cent of LPG requirements of India.
Recently, Saudi ARAMCO in partnership with ADNOC of UAE has agreed to partner in Ratnagiri Refinery and Petro-Chemical project Ltd which is a joint venture of USD 44 billion. Indian partners are IOC, BPCL and HPCL.
(With agency inputs)
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New Delhi:
Sixteen states and Union territories on Tuesday joined a pan-India network of the single emergency helpline number 112 on which immediate assistance can be sought by people, the Home Ministry said on Monday. Home Minister Rajnath Singh launched various initiatives for women safety here on Tuesday. These include the launch of the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) in 16 states and UTs and Mumbai city; the Investigation Tracking System for Sexual Offences (ITSSO) and the safe city implementation monitoring portal.
The 16 states and UTs are Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Puducherry, Lakshadweep, Andaman, Dadar Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Jammu and Kashmir, a home ministry statement said. The ERSS is an integration of police (100), fire (101), health (108) and women (1090) helpline numbers to provide emergency services through the single number 112.
To access the emergency services, a person can dial 112 on a phone or press the power button of a smart phone three times quickly to send a panic call to the Emergency Response Centre (ERC).In case of a normal phone, a long press of the 5 or 9 key will activate the panic call function, a home ministry official said.
People can also log onto the ERSS website for the state and lodge emergency Email or send SOS alert to state ERC. They can use 112 India mobile app, which is available free on Google Playstore and Apple store.
The single number for various emergency services, which is similar to the 911 in the US, will be gradually rolled out across the country, the official said.
The home minister will also launch the Investigation Tracking System for Sexual Offences (ITSSO).
The ITSSO is meant for law enforcement agencies in the country.
The system is an online module available to law enforcement agencies at all levelsnational, state, district and police station -- and allows the state to undertake real-time monitoring and management for completion of investigation in rape cases in two months.
It leverages the existing CCTNS database, which covers nearly 15000 police stations in the country. The ITSSO would greatly strengthen States ability for analytics and prognosis for timely investigation and prosecution in rape cases. The safe city implementation monitoring (SCIM) portal will instil a sense of security in women in metro cities.
The government has identified eight cities for implementation of safe city projects in first phase at a cost of Rs 2,919 crore. The cities are Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow and Mumbai. The projects are funded under the Nirbhaya Fund scheme.
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New Delhi: Cyclone Gulab has brought rain to many parts of the country. Today, on 30th September, the possibility of entering the Arabian Sea and strengthening into a cyclonic storm has been predicted. According to the information received, the storm is now moving towards Pakistan. Yes, the cyclone Gulab has prophesied heavy rain in many parts of Gujarat. This has been recently informed by the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Last Wednesday, the low-pressure area - the rest of Cyclone Gulab - formed over the South Gujarat region and the adjoining Gulf of Khambhat.
The MET department said, "There is a great possibility that it will move west-northwestwards and emerge into the Northeast Arabian Sea and become strong under deep pressure by tomorrow.'' It is also said that the storm is expected to move west and west-northwestwards. The cyclonic storm may prevail today. The MET department has informed that rain has lashed some parts of Saurashtra and Kutch in Gujarat. Heavy rain is likely to occur at isolated places over Daman Diu, Dadar and Nagar Haveli.
The MET department has predicted heavy rain at isolated places over Maharashtra, South Gujarat, coastal Karnataka as well as Kerala, Lakshadweep, and Nicobar islands, different parts of Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal with light to moderate rainfall. Light and moderate rainfall is expected in Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, North East India, Sikkim, Bihar, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. Light rain is possible in Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, the western part of Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Rayalaseema. It is said that Delhi will be cloudy for the next two days due to the storm and it is not expected to rain. The MET department has issued an alert for heavy rain in 10 districts of Rajasthan.
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Aden: More than 130 people have lost their lives within two days in the ongoing battle between government-backed fighters and Houthi rebels. Most of the dead are rebels. This has been reported by the authorities. The latest battle is taking place over the city of Marib, which is considered strategically extremely important. About two weeks ago, 50 people were reported killed in the war. The U.S. has been making every effort to end the Yemen war that has been going on for years. But even after these efforts, the conflict is not diminishing at all.
US President Joe Biden's National Security Advisor (NSA) Jake Sullivan also visited Saudi Arabia to resolve the issue. During this time, he met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. The civil war situation in Yemen has been prevailing since 2014. At that time, Iranian-backed Houthi rebels had taken over the country's capital, Sanaa, and most of the northern part of the country.
After the Houthi occupation, Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and his government officials first fled to the northern part and then moved to Saudi Arabia. The Saudi-led coalition then entered the Yemen war in March 2015. The alliance also received US support, together they started a war against the Houthis to bring the recognized government of Mansoor Hadi here. However, Joe Biden has pulled out of the Yemen war US after becoming president of the United States.
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Nepal media regularly report many cases of medical negligence. Big and renowned hospitals have been dragged into controversies over the past few years following patients death, allegedly due to the negligence on the part of assigned doctors. Hence, what medical law in Nepal says about medical practices is interesting to discuss today.
The National Penal Code, 2017, provides laws relating to medical treatment. Below are some major provisions about medical law in Nepal.
1. Authority to conduct medical treatment
Section 230 of the National Penal Code, 2017, has prohibited any other person except those having acquired the specified educational qualification in medicine and obtained a licence from the lawful competent authority from practising medical treatment. However, a person who has gained knowledge on medical treatment from a long experience is not barred from administering, with due care, drugs of general nature, and caring for a patient suffering from a minor disease as not causing any specific adverse impact on any human organ of such patient, or conducting medical treatment by conducting the operation of a minor wound.
Any person who commits or causes to be committed the aforementioned offence shall be liable to a sentence of imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years and a fine not exceeding Rs 30,000. Further, the offender shall be liable to the sentence of imprisonment for life where any act of providing medical service, conducting surgery or administering drugs causes the death of any person, and to a sentence of imprisonment for a term not exceeding 15 years where such act causes grievous injuries.
2. Medical treatment with malicious intention and recklessness
It is prohibited to carry out treatment, with an intention of causing the death of or grievous injuries in, another person, or conduct one type of medical treatment of him or her instead of another type of treatment as required, or administer or prescribe for the administration of any drug to him or her knowingly or having a reason to believe that the administration or prescription of such drug may cause the death of, or grievous injury in, him or her or conduct surgery on one organ of the human body of him or her instead of another organ as required or make such organ dysfunctional or separate such organ from the human body, or cause the commission of any of such acts.
If anyone conducts the aforementioned act, he/she shall be liable to the following sentence:
The same sentence as imposable for murder, in the case of causing the death of any person The same sentence as imposable for grievous injuries, in the case of causing grievous injuries in any person
Further, no one is authorised under law to conduct medical treatment shall, in conducting medical treatment of anyone, conduct such treatment, administer any drug or prescribe for the administration of the drug to him or her in a reckless manner, without taking adequate care or precaution.
Anyone found committing such act is liable to a sentence of imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years and a fine not exceeding Rs 50,000 if the death or grievous injury has been caused from a reckless act and to a sentence of imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years and a fine not exceeding Rs 30,000 if the death or grievous injury has been caused from a negligent act.
3. Prohibition of adulteration of drugs or sale of adulterated drugs
No one shall knowingly sell adulterated drugs in such a manner as to void or lessen or change the efficacy of such drug or make it noxious or sell such adulterated drug or any other thing saying that it is a drug or issue such drug or thing to anyone for treatment or administer, or cause to be administered, such drug to anyone.
Any person who commits the aforementioned offence shall be liable to the following sentences:
Home Just In Nepal-China trade hasnt been smooth for years. No one knows what it takes to revive normality
On January 19, 2021, then Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Lekh Raj Bhatta said China was not being fair when it came to trade with Nepal. He even went on to say that there were factors other than geography affecting Nepal-China trade.
China is very irresponsible which is making trade difficult. We need to think and act fast because if things carry on as it is, itll be a disaster, he had said.
Onlinekhabar asked Bhatta, who has already lost his position, if things had changed since his statement. He said there had been no progress.
I did talk to the foreign minister about this and asked him to talk to the ambassador about this. China is a reason many Nepali businesses persons were at a brink of collapse during the past year, Bhatta had said then.
It has been nine months since he talked to the foreign minister, but there has been no effort to smoothen trade at various Nepal-China border points. This has left many businesses on the verge of bankruptcy as businesspersons have been frustrated at the government for not being proactive enough.
The Tatopani (Kodari) border crossing has been in operation since 1966, but the 2015 earthquake caused a lot of damage near the crossing. After that, the Rasuwagadhi border point started to be used to import and export things to and from China. Even though the Nepal-China border is 1,414 kilometres long, these are the only two border points through which trade takes place. But, the roads that aim to join Nepal to China and China to the rest of South Asia are as poor as they have ever been.
Ever-extending loss
Trucks of Silk Road Transport stuck at Tatopani border point.
Silk Road Transport, after getting a government tender, is aiming to bring over 10,000 metric tons of urea fertilisers from China. But, the business house does not know when the fertilisers that are used to produce wheat, vegetables and mustard will arrive in Nepal. In total, the company aims to bring in excess of 40,000 metric tons of fertiliser from China.
Kalyan Silwal, the companys managing director, says they need to bring in around 400 trucks to bring in the fertilisers. But, China only lets anything between eight to 10 trucks enter Nepal a day. As this has been the Chinese policy for a few years, businesses have been losing millions of rupees.
Itll take us a week maximum to get all the trucks to Nepal, but due to this policy, there are times when weve had to wait for over 40 days, sometimes even two months, to get our goods from China, says SIlwal.
Astha Automobile, a company that sells electric scooters, ordered 400 batteries from China in April. The batteries reached the border points in Kerung and Tatopani, informs the companys owner Surendra Manandhar. But the batteries never reached Nepal as many got lost at the border points.
They said it was Covid-19 protocol and told us to wait. We waited and now we have nothing. Because we didnt have batteries, we couldnt sell scooters and have suffered a lot of loss, says Manandhar.
Things were not always like this. Three years ago, an order would reach Kathmandu in less than a month. But, now businesses are refraining from ordering things from China as they fear they will lose money.
Anup Shrestha, a trader who imports decorative items for households, says he ordered a few things from China. But, Nepali traders there warned him how things were unfavourable as they could not guarantee delivery.
They told me that there was no way they would take a guarantee as they had no idea how many days these items would be stuck in Kerung or Tatopani, says Shrestha.
This has been a problem as Nepal is heavily dependent on China for everyday goods. Last fiscal year, Nepal imported goods in excess of Rs 233 billion from China. In the two months of the current fiscal year, Nepal has already imported goods worth around Rs 42.84 billion from China.
Open and shut case
The border point in Tatopani has been affected heavily after the 2015 earthquake. The Covid-19 pandemic made things even more unstable. Citing issues like landslides and floods, the border point has been open and shut multiple times since 2019. Apart from that, the Chinese side has been allowing trade to happen on their terms only, say traders.
Both Rasuwagadhi and Tatopani were shut due to the Chinese New Year in January 2020. In February, these border points were shut due to heavy snowfall. By March, Covid-19 had hit China hard and the border points were sealed. In July, landslides blocked the border point in Tatopani while China shut down Rasuwagadhi after Covid-19 started to spread in Nepal.
The Tatopani border did open in October, but a warning of glacier bursting and risk of Covid-19 meant the border was shut again. The border did open in November but was shut again as plans of making a bridge intensified in Tatopani.
The Tatopani border point did open on February 9, but the Rasuwagadhi point was closed on February 11 due to Lhosar. Post-Lhosar, the point opened but with strict preventive measures.
Export close to zero
Tatopani border point has been affected by various natural disasters since the 2015 earthquake.
It has been over two years since Nepal last exported anything to China via land. Citing Covid-19, China is only allowing Nepal to import things from the country. In the fiscal year 2018/19, Nepal had exported goods in excess of Rs 2.1 billion. In 2019/20, it decreased to Rs 1.19 billion and Rs 1.01 billion in 2020/21, according to data provided by the Department of Customs. The items include instant noodles, biscuits, handicrafts, pet food and herbs.
But, almost none of these exports have been done through Tatopani and Rasuwagadhi, says customs officials.
Besides Tatopani and Rasuwagadhi, borders points in Korala in Mustang, Yari in Humla, Lamabagar in Dolakha, Olanchungola in Taplejung, Kimathanka in Sankhuwasabha, Larke in Gorkha and Mugu Bhansar in Mugu are used for trade. But, trades that take place from these areas can be counted in ones hands. Yet, most of these points have been shut indefinitely since the pandemic began.
The Mansarovar trip has also been affected due to Yari being shut, affecting the lives of thousands of locals who depend on tourism to make ends meet. The point did open for a while, but it was shut again.
After the border point in Kimathanka was shut, the customs office called its officer back to Kathmandu as they realised that China was not going to open it anytime soon.
Lack of talks causing problems
There is a mechanism that says local units of Nepal and China near border points should hold talks every three months. These meetings are carried out under the guidance of the Home Ministry; respective chief district officers, customs officers and security personnel attend the meetings. But the Rasuwa District Administration Office says such meetings have not been held in a long time.
Deputy Chief District Officer Durga Thapa says that the Chinese officials have been avoiding them stating Covid-19 concerns. People have been restricted from crossing and a quota system has been in place for big vehicles, she says.
Our district has been fully vaccinated, yet they are not interested in holding talks. This has affected a lot of people, says Thapa.
Chinese officials from border points tell Nepali officials that nothing can be done until they get orders all the way from Bejing.
Infrastructural crisis
The Hilsa border point lacks proper infrastructure for trade.
Narayan Prasad Regmi from the Bilateral and Regional Trade Division under the Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies says they have held talks about these issues with China. Diplomatic notes have been sent to the northern neighbour by the Foreign Ministry while dialogues have been held with the Chinese ambassador as well.
Regmi says China remains positive about making trade easy between the two countries, but they do fear the rising Covid-19 cases in Nepal. He says the officials have been showing the Chinese side how effective the vaccination drive in areas, mostly around border points, have been.
He says during the talks held in Lhasa a week ago, China was positive in increasing the number of containers to enter Nepal on a daily basis.
But, former minister Lekh Raj Bhatta says China is using the coronavirus card to cause a delay in the facilitation of the border points in Nepal. He says China wants to use the border points for its political gain only.
There is politics all over this issue. Whatever they say, you cant keep blaming the pandemic for everything. This excuse has bankrupted a lot of Nepali businesspersons, says Bhatta.
But, Rupak Sapkota, an expert in Nepal-China relations, says problems have also arisen due to geographical reasons and natural disasters. He also adds that Nepals infrastructure is not that great at other border points for trade.
When one border point is shut, the other should be open, but when there is no infrastructure in these areas, what can the other country do, questions Sapkota, who says China wants Nepal to build better infrastructure as it believes Nepal is the gateway for China to move into South Asia.
This trial marks the first step taken by Actipulse Neuroscience to use a new method of neuromodulation to stop or slow Alzheimer's disease, an issue that fails to be solved by anything currently available on the market
Featured Image for Actipulse Neuroscience
Featured Image for Actipulse Neuroscience
Featured Image for Actipulse Neuroscience
BOSTON, Sept. 30, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, the results of a recent pilot clinical trial, funded by neurotech company Actipulse Neuroscience , have demonstrated that its non-invasive intervention devices, using Fast Gamma Magnetic Stimulation (FGMS), can be safely administered to patients with mild Alzheimer's disease.
Actipulse Neuroscience's proprietary transcranial neuromodulation is based on previously developed FDA-approved technology, which applies high-frequency and low-intensity magnetic pulses directly to the skull using a wearable headset.
The details of this randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled study were published in the leading industry journal Frontiers in Neurology . It states that 34 participants, with mild cognitive impairment or mild Alzheimer's disease, were split into two groups. Each of them received either active or sham FGMS over the left prefrontal dorsolateral cortex twice a day for six months. After this period, the participants were tested for adverse effects, cognitive activity, functionality, and depression.
The results show that FGMS was adequately tolerated by most of the subjects, with only five presenting any kind of adverse effects. This concludes that FGMS applied in this way is a viable intervention that can be safely used at home, without healthcare provider supervision.
Since 2003 , no new drug with clinically proven results has been approved for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, and there have been more than 400 failed clinical trials. But the success of this first pilot trial, proving the safety of this neurostimulation device, means that Actipulse Neuroscience will be able to move onto the next phase. A second trial, focusing on efficacy, will take place in the first quarter of 2022.
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This is part of Actipulse's long-term goal of providing accessible worldwide state-of-the-art technology that can be administered at home, without a healthcare provider, offering patients suffering from neurodegenerative diseases more independence over their health.
"We are extremely happy with the results from this safety trial and are eager to start the efficacy study with the hope of finding a new method to slow disease progression," said Adrien Chatillon, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Actipulse Neuroscience.
About the company
Actipulse Neuroscience is a pioneering neurotech company specialized in the research and engineering of Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation technologies for the at-home treatment of neurodegenerative disorders and conditions.
The company's mission is to be the golden standard of neuromodulation technologies in the next five years and to become an integral part of the treatment of millions of patients suffering from neurodegenerative conditions.
Contact
Name: Daniela Restrepo
Phone: +573176474813
Email: daniela.restrepo@publicize.co
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NEW YORK, Sept. 30, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bernstein Liebhard, a nationally acclaimed investor rights law firm, reminds investors of the deadline to file a lead plaintiff motion no later than November 15, 2021 in a securities class action lawsuit that has been filed on behalf of investors who purchased or acquired the securities of The Boston Beer Company, Inc. ("Boston Beer" or the "Company") (NYSE: SAM) from April 22, 2021 through September 8, 2021 (the "Class Period"). The lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York alleges violations of the Securities Act of 1934.
If you purchased Boston Beer securities, and/or would like to discuss your legal rights and options please visit The Boston Beer Company Inc Shareholder Class Action Lawsuit or contact Rujul Patel toll free at (877) 779-1414 or rpatel@bernlieb.com
According to the complaint, Boston Beer issued materially false and/or misleading statements and failed to disclose adverse facts pertaining to the Companys business, operations, and prospects. Boston Beer specifically failed to disclose to investors: (1) that Boston Beers hard seltzer sales were decelerating; (2) that, as a result, Boston Beer was reasonably likely to incur inventory write-offs; (3) that the Company was reasonably likely to incur shortfall fees payable to third party brewers; (4) that, as a result of the foregoing, Boston Beers financial results would be adversely impacted; and (5) that, as a result of the foregoing, Defendants positive statements about the Companys business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis.
On July 22, 2021 after the market closed, the Company reduced its full year 2021 guidance, expecting earnings per share between $18 and $22, down from a prior range of $22 and $26. Boston Beer cited softer-than-expected sales in the hard seltzer category and overall beer industry and also stated that it had overestimated the growth of the hard seltzer category in the second quarter.
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On this news, the price of Boston Beer shares fell $246.54, or 26%, to close at $701.00 per share on July 23, 2021, on unusually heavy trading volume.
On September 8, 2021, after the market closed, the Company withdrew its 2021 financial guidance, citing decelerating sales of hard seltzer products. The Company also stated that it expects to incur hard seltzer-related inventory write-offs, shortfall fees payable to 3rd party brewers, and other costs for the remainder of fiscal 2021.
On this news, Boston Beers share price fell $21.09, or 3.7%, to close at $538.31 per share on September 9, 2021, on unusually heavy trading volume.
If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than November 15, 2021 . A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. Your ability to share in any recovery doesnt require that you serve as lead plaintiff. If you choose to take no action, you may remain an absent class member.
If you purchased Boston Beer securities, and/or would like to discuss your legal rights and options please visit https://www.bernlieb.com/cases/thebostonbeercompanyinc-sam-shareholder-class-action-lawsuit-fraud-stock-438/apply/ or contact Rujul Patel toll free at (877) 779-1414 or rpatel@bernlieb.com
Since 1993, Bernstein Liebhard LLP has recovered over $3.5 billion for its clients. In addition to representing individual investors, the Firm has been retained by some of the largest public and private pension funds in the country to monitor their assets and pursue litigation on their behalf. As a result of its success litigating hundreds of lawsuits and class actions, the Firm has been named to The National Law Journals Plaintiffs Hot List thirteen times and listed in The Legal 500 for ten consecutive years.
ATTORNEY ADVERTISING. 2021 Bernstein Liebhard LLP. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Bernstein Liebhard LLP, 10 East 40th Street, New York, New York 10016, (212) 779-1414. The lawyer responsible for this advertisement in the State of Connecticut is Michael S. Bigin. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.
Contact Information:
Rujul Patel
Bernstein Liebhard LLP
https://www.bernlieb.com
(877) 779-1414
rpatel@bernlieb.com
Children from Around the Globe Implore World Leaders to Act More Like Children to Solve the World's Most Critical Issues of Climate Change, Education and Poverty
NEW YORK, Sept. 21, 2021 The first-ever international Children's General Assembly presented their ideas on creating a better future to the United Nation's General Assembly today, in a virtual meeting that took place between Billund, Denmark, the Capital of Children, and New York. The children's manifesto focused on climate change, education and poverty, and called on world leaders to invest more time and money in education rather than military, and invest more in green energy and technology than in monetary growth.
In their manifesto, the children point to serious issues facing their generation worldwide. "One billion children live in poverty and without access to basic necessities. 617 million children will never get a proper education. Children make up two thirds of the world's refugees. One in seven children experience mental health issues. And all children are affected by the consequences of climate change," said 15-year-old Mankgara Maime from South Africa, one of today's presenters.
The children argue for our leaders to look at the issues from a child's perspective: "We children are born creative and curious. We don't worry about rules. We play, experiment, and make up worlds that do not exist. So perhaps the leaders can learn from us and use creative and curious ways to ensure a better future for children all over the world?" added Mankgara.
The children's presentation to the UN can be seen here.
Earlier this year, children ages 10-17 from 49 different nationalities signed up to participate in the Children's General Assembly and 80 children were selected to represent countries around the globe. They spent many hours in intense, but fun, discussions and workshops online throughout the last six months aligning on world problems that matter most to them. The goal was to present to the UN as one united voice.
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The children met in person in Billund, Denmark, September 19-21, 2021, concurrently with the United Nations General Assembly in New York. At 8:00 am EST today, they presented their final manifesto virtually to world leaders including former President of the UN General Assembly, Mogens Lykketoft.
The manifesto was well received. "As adults, we often think about how to teach children democratic values and processes, but after listening to the children in Billund today, I think we can learn just as much from them as they can from us," said Mogens Lykketoft, former President of the UN General Assembly.
The children are just getting started. "We've called on the politicians to take action now and we will hold them accountable to their promises. Next year, when our Children's Assembly convenes, we will ask them, what have you accomplished?" said 13-year-old Anderson Wilkinson from Mt Dora, Florida, who also presented to the UN today.
For additional information, photos and video, please go to: capitalofchildren.com.
About Children's General Assembly:
The Children's General Assembly is developed in collaboration with the Capital of Children Panel, local organizations, and the organization Capital of Children. All children between 10-17 years old can attend the assembly regardless of gender, nationality, religion and disability. At the meeting, children of the world work together to create a manifesto to today's global problems, which they will subsequently deliver to the world leaders at the UN General Assembly in New York. The Children's General Assembly will take place in Billund, Denmark, between September 19-21, 2021.
About Capital of Children:
For almost a century, Billund has had a special focus on children and on the development of children's competencies. For a number of years, politicians, schools and nonprofit foundations have worked together with Billund's children to make Billund a city at child height. In 2020, Billund was recognized by UNICEF as Child-Friendly City and Municipality due to an extraordinary effort for children and children's rights. The ambition was - and is - to create the world's best place for children. And for the world.
The Childrens General Assembly presents their manifesto virtually to members of the UN in New York; Mogens Lykketoft, former President of the UN General Assembly, listens to the children in Billund, Denmark, the Capital of Children.
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SOURCE Capital of Children
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ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Strategic Investment Group is pleased to announce that Christopher Lvoff has joined the firm as a Co-Chief Investment Officer, working alongside our other Co-Chief Investment Officers, Eric Bendickson, Markus Krygier, and Tim O'Hara. Chris, along with the other three Co-CIOs, is responsible for all aspects of Strategic's investment process, portfolios, and performance. He will work closely with investment, research, and analytical staff in developing, integrating, and implementing investment policy for the firm's clients. Chris joins a team that has an average of 29 years of industry experience and 17 years with Strategic.
Christopher Lvoff, CFA, ASA, Strategic Investment Group
"Chris brings deep asset management knowledge and extensive investment experience of working with investors of all types, including endowments, foundations, and pensions, to support our unwavering focus on being our client's trusted and durable partner," said Brian A. Murdock, Strategic's President and CEO. "We are confident that Chris's exceptional leadership and investment skills will complement Strategic's long established reputation for client-centric investment excellence."
Chris is a graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, a CFA charterholder, and an Associate of the Society of Actuaries (ASA). He joins us from Goldman Sachs Asset Management, where he spent the past 14 years, most recently as Managing Director of their Multi-Asset Solutions team working with a variety of endowments, foundations, pensions, and sovereign institutions in designing, implementing, and overseeing multi-asset portfolios. Prior to Goldman Sachs, he worked at Towers Perrin in Philadelphia as an Actuarial Associate and consultant.
About Strategic
Strategic Investment Group, a pioneer in dedicated Outsourced CIO (OCIO) solutions since 1987, offers a comprehensive service platform for managing customized portfolios for institutional investors. Our proprietary process combines active portfolio management, rigorous risk management, and open architecture manager selection.
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Strategic functions as our clients' investment partner and co-fiduciary, effectively becoming an extension of their resources. Clients are then free to focus on their core missions, while we focus on providing the highly specialized portfolio management expertise that clients need to meet their investment goals. Depending on a client's needs and preferences, Strategic can orchestrate the management of an entire portfolio comprising multiple asset classes, focus on specific asset classes, such as alternatives (e.g., venture capital/private equity, real estate, and/or hedge funds) or international investments, or manage strategies with high potential for adding value. Customized liability-driven investing (LDI) solutions, whether through an integrated total portfolio approach or a targeted long-duration strategy, are also available, as are solutions that address mission-related investment objectives.
We strive to build enduring partnerships with our clients by strengthening their investment programs through a dynamic, value-enhancing investment process, sound governance framework, and world-class client service. Our mission is to empower investors through experience, innovation, and excellence.
Strategic had $30.8 billion in discretionary assets under management as of June 30, 2021. Staff information is as of August 10, 2021.
For further information contact:
Nikki Kraus, Chief Client Officer
703-243-4433
nkraus@strategicgroup.com
Strategic Investment Group, a pioneer in Outsourced CIO (OCIO) solutions since 1987.
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SOURCE Strategic Investment Group
By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Thursday it will review safety concerns raised by former Blue Origin employees about billionaire Jeff Bezos' space company.
Alexandra Abrams, former head of Blue Origin Employee Communications, and 20 other unnamed Blue Origin employees and former employees, said in an essay they had "seen a pattern of decision-making that often prioritizes execution speed and cost reduction over the appropriate resourcing to ensure quality."
The FAA said Thursday it "takes every safety allegation seriously, and the agency is reviewing the information." A Blue Origin spokesperson said Abrams "was dismissed for cause two years ago after repeated warnings for issues involving federal export control regulations." Abrams told CBS News, which first reported the allegations, she never received any warnings related to export control issues.
Blue Origin said it provides "numerous avenues for employees, including a 24/7 anonymous hotline, and will promptly investigate any new claims of misconduct. We stand by our safety record and believe that New Shepard is the safest space vehicle ever designed or built."
In July, Bezos soared some 66.5 miles (107 km) above the Texas desert aboard a New Shepard launch vehicle in a suborbital flight.
Bezos's flight came nine days after Richard Branson was aboard his competing space tourism venture Virgin Galactic's successful inaugural suborbital flight.
Bezos "started becoming impatient and (SpaceX's) Elon (Musk) and Branson were getting ahead," Abrams told CBS News. "And then we started to feel this increasing pressure and impatience that would definitely filter down from leadership."
The essay said a 2018 team at Blue Origin "documented more than 1,000 problem reports related to the engines that power Blue Origins rockets, which had never been addressed."
Blue Origin announced this week New Shepard's 18th mission will lift off on Oct. 12.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Aurora Ellis)
SINGAPORE, Sept. 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Fullerton Health Corporation (FHC), Asia Pacific's leading vertically integrated healthcare platform has set its sights on growth in Southeast Asia (ASEAN). ASEAN is the world's third most populous economy. By 2030, population will reach 723 million and the gross domestic product is expected to be US$4 trillion. The World Economic Forum projected that emerging ASEAN will be the engine of growth over the next decade. The demand for healthcare will rise with the rapid growth of population and economy. FHC's growth strategy includes a strong focus in ASEAN to bring more value toward healthcare systems in the region by improving access and enhancing affordability.
Fullerton Health Group Nurses and Doctors
Fullerton Health (PRNewsfoto/Intellicare Group)
Vietnam Strategic entry into Indochina
In Vietnam, FHC is acquiring 100% stake in South Asia Services Limited Liability (SAS) from Willis Tower Watson. This is part of FHC's active strategy to expand its footprint in Indochina. Besides presence in Vietnam, SAS also has clients in Cambodia and Laos. We expect to sign the agreement within the next week and envisage the transaction to be completed by end of October.
South Asia Services Limited Liability (SAS) is a leading corporate health benefits third party administration (TPA) company, providing services for healthcare claims management, customer care, and healthcare benefit support solutions to corporations in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. With the track record of servicing the health needs of workers in Vietnam since 2003, SAS has a well-entrenched network. It works with over 10 of the largest insurance brands in the country to manage and administer medical benefits for corporate employees. SAS is FHC's first entry into Vietnam. Fullerton Health will leverage on its strong medical network management capabilities, IT infrastructure and digital innovations to bring about better cost management and unlock more value for all stakeholders in the healthcare ecosystem.
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"We are excited to have Fullerton Health enter the Vietnamese market and expanding in Indochina. They have the experience and core competencies to bring TPA services in this region to the next level, generating more value for all stakeholders within the health system," shared Mr Cedric Luah, Managing Director, Head of Health and Benefits in Asia Pacific for Willis Towers Watson. Mr Ho Kuen Loon, FHC Group CEO, added, "We have been growing our presence in Indochina with our first entry last year delivering diagnostic services in Phnom Penh. Today, we are privileged to service the people of Vietnam toward better health through our acquisition of SAS."
Indonesia Serving more patients and strengthening our vertical integration footprint
In Indonesia, FHC has entered into binding agreements to acquire a majority stake in Gunung Sahari Laboratory Centre (GS Lab) in Indonesia. GS Lab has over 36 years of track record in Indonesia and is one of the most trusted names in the laboratory business amongst doctors.
GS Lab services over 100,000 patients a year and has 4 laboratories across Greater Jakarta offering more than 200 different types of tests. FHC already owns a stable of services within the Indonesian market covering healthcare provision through more than 100 medical clinics, medical assistance, and evacuation as well as third party administration (TPA) of corporate health benefits. This acquisition will give Fullerton Health and our network of services direct access into laboratories, allowing us to achieve greater operational efficiencies and savings within the group, which allows us to provide more affordable healthcare in Indonesia
Mr Ho Kuen Loon says, "This is the Asian century. Being a Singapore- headquartered company, we are excited about the growth potential nearer to home. ASEAN is brimming with opportunities and we have found strong partners with reputation, heritage and network to join us in our purpose of making healthcare affordable and accessible to all."
With the completion of both acquisitions in October 2021, FHC will have broader and deeper presence in seven ASEAN countries, namely Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. In addition, the Group has presence in Mainland China, Hong Kong SAR and Papua New Guinea.
Australia Completion of Divestiture
With a focus on ASEAN, FHC has divested its remaining interest in Fullerton Health Australia (FHA) to existing shareholder Quadrant Private Equity on 30 September 2021. During FHC's 8-year journey in Australia and New Zealand, FHA increased access to care and contributed toward the community. Since FHC's entry into Australia in 2013, FHA grew from 27 clinics and 250 employees to over 100 medical centres with 2,000 employees. FHC deeply appreciates the staff and management of FHA, in particular Managing Director Mr Steven Harvey, who have contributed significantly in building up the business over the years. FHC wishes FHA every success under the full ownership of Quadrant Private Equity, and that FHA will scale greater heights and become an even more prominent healthcare player in Australia and New Zealand.
About Fullerton Health
Fullerton Health is a leading integrated health system in the Asia Pacific region. Founded in Singapore in 2010, today the Company serves clients through over 500 healthcare facilities and a large global network of healthcare providers across 10 markets in Asia Pacific. Fullerton Health's value proposition is the integration of healthcare service offerings with customized management and advisory capabilities, in line with its purpose to deliver affordable and accessible care for all in Asia Pacific. For more information on Fullerton Health, please visit http://www.fullertonhealth.com/
SOURCE Fullerton Health Pte Ltd
NEW YORK & VIENNA, Va., September 30, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kaleyra, Inc. (NYSE: KLR) (NYSE American: KLR WS) ("Kaleyra" or the "Company"), a rapidly growing cloud communications software provider delivering a secure system of application programming interfaces (APIs) and connectivity solutions in the API/Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) market, was included as a top five global CPaaS Established Leader in the latest Competitor Leaderboard produced by Juniper Research, one of the leading independent analyst firms in the mobile and digital tech sector.
The report, which recognizes and compares the top CPaaS vendors worldwide, rated Kaleyra highly compared to its peers for its strength and depth of operator partnerships, segment coverage, and experience in the CPaaS service provision. Kaleyras integration with WhatsApp to provide the WhatsApp Business API as well as its strategic partnerships including Google, Oracle, Amazon Web Services, Facebook, Sequoia, and Zoho reinforce the Companys likelihood of attracting businesses that are keen to adopt an omnichannel presence.
The report also notes that Kaleyras latest acquisitions of mGage, the US-based mobile messaging platform, and Bandyer, an audio/video solution provider, were key steps towards increasing the Companys presence in the growing CPaaS market and boosting its service capabilities. These strengths helped Kaleyra earn the designation of Established Leader, the highest available designation in the report.
Importantly, the report made a special mention of Kaleyras innovation center, k-lab, which has already established multiple partnerships with key financial players, such as Visa and Mastercard, for communication solutions in the Latin American and Caribbean regions. The report states, "With k-lab bringing more than 30 years of combined experience in BFSI and BFSI technological systems, Kaleyra may be the only CPaaS Company offering services like this."
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"This achievement, recognizing Kaleyra as a top global CPaaS provider, reflects the progress weve made over the last few years to provide a more comprehensive platform of services," said Dario Calogero, Kaleyras Founder and Chief Executive Officer. "As we work to become the leading trusted CPaaS partner, we are continuing to implement the latest technology to co-create with our customers and meet their unique needs."
The report can be downloaded at the following URL: https://www.kaleyra.com/wp-content/uploads/Kaleyra-CPaaS-2021-Reprint.pdf
About Juniper Research
Founded in 2001, Juniper Research specializes in identifying and appraising new high-growth market sectors within the digital ecosystem. With market sizing and forecasting at the forefront, Juniper Research also offers competitive analysis, strategic assessment, and business modeling. Juniper endeavors to provide independent and impartial analysis of both current and emerging opportunities via a team of dedicated specialists - all knowledgeable, experienced and experts in their fields. For more information about Juniper Research, please see www.juniperresearch.com
About Kaleyra
Kaleyra, Inc. (NYSE: KLR) (NYSE American: KLR WS) is a global group providing mobile communication services to financial institutions, e-commerce players, OTTs, software companies, logistic enablers, healthcare providers, retailers, and other large organizations worldwide.
Kaleyra today has a customer base of 3800+ companies spread around the world. Through its proprietary platform and robust APIs, Kaleyra manages multi-channel integrated communication services, consisting of messaging, rich messaging and instant messaging, video, push notifications, e-mail, voice services, and chatbots.
Kaleyras technology makes it possible to safely and securely manage billions of messages monthly with over 1600 operator connections in 190+ countries, including all tier-1 US carriers.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210930005087/en/
Contacts
Investor Contact:
Tom Colton or Matt Glover
Gateway Investor Relations
949-574-3860
KLR@gatewayir.com
Augmenting Its Hospitality Portfolio in New York and Across the U.S., Lightstone Will Bring 519 Keys to Williamsburg and the Lower East Side, Two of New York's Most Vibrant Neighborhoods
NEW YORK, Sept. 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- National real estate investor and developer Lightstone today announced the topping out of construction of two Moxy hotels in New York City. Moxy Lower East Side and Moxy Williamsburg, set to open in late 2022, add to Lightstone's growing hospitality portfolio, which includes four open Moxy hotels: Moxy Times Square, Moxy Chelsea, and Moxy East Village in New York, and Moxy South Beach in Miami. Located at 145 Bowery Street, between Grand Street and Broome Street, Moxy Lower East Side reached its pinnacle at 18 stories. Moxy Williamsburg, located at 353 Bedford Ave, between 4th Street and 5th Streets, reached its full height at 11 stories.
Moxy Williamsburg, Credit: Lightstone
Bringing Moxy's signature style and programming to the epicenter of two of New York's most vibrant and pace-setting neighborhoods, both properties will boast design-driven bedrooms, activated public spaces, and brand-new dining and drinking concepts matching the unique character of their neighborhoods. Moxy's experiential programming conceived to integrate each hotel with its community will include live music, fashion and art pop-ups, workshops, and wellness series.
"We are excited to be expanding our New York Moxy Hotel portfolio with these two dynamic properties," said Mitchell Hochberg, President of Lightstone. "The success of our first three Moxy's in Manhattan underscores the demand for our trademark style of hospitality. The timing is also perfect, as New York City makes its dramatic comeback from the past year. We are proud to be part of the city's renaissance."
Moxy Lower East Side
Exuding downtown's grit and glamour, and situated at the intersection of the lively Lower East Side, SoHo, Little Italy, and Chinatown neighborhoods, Moxy Lower East Side will feature 303 hotel rooms, with architecture by Stonehill Taylor. London-based interior designer, Michaelis Boyd, has designed the guestrooms, lobby, cocktail bar, and lush rooftop bar, while Rockwell Group, the award-winning firm by David Rockwell, designed the restaurant and underground lounge. Moxy Lower East Side will feature touchless kiosk check-in, cleverly designed rooms, tech-savvy amenities, co-working space, a well-equipped fitness center, and three flexible meeting studios. Leeding Builders Group is managing construction of the project.
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Moxy Williamsburg
Located just over the Williamsburg Bridge, less than ten minutes from Manhattan, and in the heart of Brooklyn's vibrant culinary and nightlife destination, Moxy Williamsburg will feature 216 hotel rooms. Stonehill Taylor has carefully crafted the architecture of the building to fit in contextually with the surrounding neighborhood, while Basile Studio has designed the interiors. The hotel will be equipped with today's modern conveniences, tech-savvy amenities including touchless check-in, coworking spaces and two adjoining meetings studios, and a well-equipped fitness center. Adding to the surrounding streetscape, the hotel will also boast a main-floor bar, cafe/restaurant, and cocktail lounge. Crowning the building will be an indoor/outdoor rooftop, with an expansive terrace boasting unmatched views of the city skyline, Manhattan and the East River. Leeding Builders Group is managing construction of the project.
Moxy Lower East Side and Moxy Williamsburg are complemented by three additional New York properties including: the 612-room flagship Moxy Times Square property that opened in the Fall of 2017; the 350-room Moxy Chelsea that opened in February 2019; and the Moxy East Village, a 286-room hotel that opened in September 2019. Lightstone debuted its first Moxy property outside of New York with the opening of Moxy Miami South Beach earlier this year. Earlier this month, Lightstone celebrated the topping out of the firm's dual-branded project, Moxy Los Angeles Downtown and AC Hotel Los Angeles Downtown. Located in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles and scheduled to open in late 2022, the 37-story, 600,000-square-foot mixed-use tower will consist of a 380-room Moxy hotel and a 347-room AC hotel. By the end of 2022, the company's portfolio will feature seven Moxy properties in total. To learn more, please visit www.lightstone.com
About Lightstone
Lightstone is one of the most diversified privately held real estate companies in the United States. Active in 24 states across the country, Lightstone develops, manages and invests in all sectors of the real estate market, including residential, hospitality, commercial, and retail. With 132 existing properties nationwide, Lightstone's over $6.5 billion portfolio currently includes over 4 million square feet of industrial, retail, and commercial properties, over 15,000 residential units, and 4,300 hotel keys. Headquartered in New York City, Lightstone continues to grow its development portfolio with over $3.5 billion currently under development in the residential and hospitality sectors spread across New York City, Los Angeles, and Miami.
About Moxy Hotels
Moxy Hotels is Marriott International's new millennial-focused brand that debuted in September 2014 with the opening of the Moxy Milan. A boutique-hotel concept for the next-Gen traveler, Moxy is a fresh and innovative brand combining stylish design and approachable service at an affordable price point. With tech-enabled rooms, vibrant lobby spaces and warm, modern service, Moxy aims to surprise travelers with a thoughtful, spirited and fun guest experience.
Moxy Lower East Side, Credit: Michael Young
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SOURCE Lightstone
Ive shot a lot of film on behalf of The Phoblographer. And weve reviewed a ton of film emulsions over the years. When it comes to black and white film, I dont think Ive ever fallen for something this hard. KONO is a brand Ive believed in for years. They were among the first to really try new things. Double exposed film? Dyed film? Along with Lomography, KONO has been an innovator of sorts. With KONO Monolit 100, were astounded at the results. And trust us, you will be too.
Too Long, Didnt Read
KONO Monolit 100 is a beautiful film capable of being sharp and grainy at the same time. Want the film look with near digital sharpness? This is the film to do it. The grain is more prominent than Acros for sure, but its also not as sharp. Still, in flat lighting, KONO Monolit 100 has deep, inky blacks that you cant not like.
Gear Used
We used KONO Monolit 100 with the:
All our film was developed and scanned at 37th Ave Photo in Jackson Heights, Queens. Theyre the GOAT of the borough when it comes to developing and scanning.
Tech Specs
These specs are taken from KONOs website.
ISO 100
35mm, 36 exp., single film
Panchromatic black & white film
Classic b&w process
Any b&w lab can develop KONO! b&w films
Ease of Use
We exposed KONO Monolit 100 at box speed. Sometimes we overexposed a bit, but more often than not, we exposed as per the meter. Of course, thats with the Leicas. When using the Fujifilm Natura S, we dont have control over the film and exposure. Indeed, KONO Monolit 100 is DX coded, so it can automatically be read by a camera. However, for what its worth, the camera still nailed the exposures really well.
Some folks are kind of scared of shooting films at this low of an ISO because theyre not steady with their hands. But if youre shooting with Leica or a point and shoot, you shouldnt worry much. Its film, and the photos are going to look great anyway. Theres grain, sharpness, and an overall lovely look that you cant simulate digitally all that perfectly. Basically, even if you mess up, its going to look good. So yes, you can absolutely shoot with it in the dark.
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We didnt do our own development. To that end, we cant tell you what to do. But the folks over at 37th Ave Photo in Queens, NY are pretty fantastic at what they do. Otherwise, you can choose any developer you wish.
Image Quality
The image quality from KONO Monolit 100 is described as grainy, inky, sharp, detailed, subdued, and smooth. There are times when folks thought the lighting was really flat. But in truth, it was really just shadow coverage and a lot of random light coming through. Some of these photos were shot during an event for Photoville 2021. All I needed to do was just point a camera and shoot. The skies were reasonably clear during that day.
KONO Monolit 100 really likes light. But it also wants you to pay attention to what youre exposing for. Some of these photos were shot in dark bars, and even then, we were able to get crisp images. Overall, the image quality is a combination of the camera, the lens, and the film. In the case of the Leicas, the Leica CL had a cheap, Chinese-made lens. The Leica M6 had a Zeiss lens reformatted for Leica M-mount. And the Fuji is just a studmuffin camera.
Honestly, I cant find a single flaw with this film. 76 of 104 photos or so are keepers. Sometimes I missed the shots, while at other times the exposure was just off. But I got a ton of keepers that Im super satisfied with.
From day one, The Phoblographer has been huge on transparency. Nothing from this review is sponsored. Further, lots of folks will post reviews and show lots of editing in the photos. The problem then becomes that anyone and everyone can do the same thing. Theyre not showing what the product can do. These photos are completely unedited.
Conclusions
What is special about KONO Monolit 100? There are a few ISO 100 black and white films on the market. And weve reviewed a bunch of them. What this film does differently is offer smoother tonal render and grain while having the sharpness maintained. Its an orthochromatic film. Lots of brands will remove all grain possible from ISO 100 film. But if you do that, then it just looks digital. Film shouldnt be trying to mimic digital.
KONO Monolit 100 receives an Editors Choice award and five out of five stars. Want a roll? I recommend KONOs website or Freestyle Photo.
Middlefield Canadian Income PCC Net Asset Value
Middlefield Canadian Income PCC
Middlefield Canadian Income - GBP PC
(a protected cell company incorporated in Jersey with registration number 93546)
Legal Entity Identifier: 2138007ENW3JEJXC8658
Net Asset Value
As at the close of business on 29 September 2021 the estimated unaudited Net Asset Value per share was 129.30 pence (including accrued income).
Investments in the Companys portfolio have been valued on a closing price basis.
Enquiries:
JTC Fund Solutions (Jersey) Limited
01534 700 000
Co-development of hydrogen fueling station opportunities will support Class 8 fuel-cell electric vehicle customers
PHOENIX, Sept. 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Nikola Corporation (NASDAQ: NKLA), a global leader in zero-emissions transportation and energy infrastructure solutions, and OPAL Fuels LLC, a trusted leader in delivering renewable natural gas and renewable fueling infrastructure for heavy-duty truck fleets, have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding on the development, construction, and operation of hydrogen fueling stations in North America and the use of renewable natural gas (RNG) in hydrogen production. Under this strategic engagement, Nikola and OPAL Fuels intend to co-develop and co-market hydrogen refueling infrastructure to accelerate the adoption of heavy-duty zero-emission fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEV).
Opal Fuels logo
"This alliance with OPAL Fuels provides excellent potential synergies given their experience building and operating fueling stations," said Nikola President, Energy and Commercial Pablo Koziner. "Today marks another important step forward in Nikola's stated energy infrastructure plans and its focus on providing hydrogen fueling services to customers."
"We are very excited to be working with Nikola to help fleets realize the potential of hydrogen fuel-cell trucks with reliable, cost-effective fueling infrastructure," said Adam Comora, Co-CEO of OPAL Fuels. "Coupled with RNG as a fuel source to lower the carbon intensity of hydrogen, we see a very powerful combination for the future."
OPAL Fuels has constructed more than 350 RNG fueling station projects and has over 15 years of successful relationships with trucking fleets across the continent, reducing the carbon intensity of their fuel. Nikola's Tre FCEVs for the North American market are slated for a 2023 launch from the company's Coolidge, Arizona manufacturing facility.
The initial focus of the collaboration is on developing the infrastructure required to more safely and reliably serve the needs of large private fleets that utilize their own dedicated property fueling infrastructure "Behind the Fence." Nikola and OPAL Fuels will also identify and evaluate opportunities to establish public access hydrogen stations.
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This collaboration will combine Nikola's proposed FCEV bundled lease offer, which will include Nikola's FCEVs, vehicle service and maintenance and hydrogen fuel supply, with OPAL Fuels' significant experience in developing, constructing, and operating heavy-duty truck fueling stations to deliver a complete end-to-end solution.
In addition, both parties plan to leverage OPAL Fuels' growing portfolio of RNG supply to cost-effectively reduce the carbon intensity of hydrogen supplied by Nikola at the station, to meet customer sustainability objectives as they begin to transition to zero-emission vehicles.
Under their Memorandum of Understanding, Nikola and OPAL Fuels intend to initiate beta projects with select customers to drive engagement and accelerate development. The Parties intend to also develop best-practices and standards for hydrogen refueling station design and protocols allowing for a more safe, reliable, scalable, and low total cost of ownership for the transportation market.
ABOUT NIKOLA CORPORATION
Nikola Corporation is globally transforming the transportation industry. As a designer and manufacturer of zero-emission battery-electric and hydrogen-electric vehicles, electric vehicle drivetrains, vehicle components, energy storage systems, and hydrogen station infrastructure, Nikola is driven to revolutionize the economic and environmental impact of commerce as we know it today. Founded in 2015, Nikola Corporation is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. For more information, visit www.nikolamotor.com or Twitter @nikolamotor.
ABOUT OPAL FUELS LLC
OPAL Fuels LLC, a Fortistar portfolio company, brings together Fortistar Methane Group, Fortistar RNG, and TruStar Energy to create a vertically integrated renewable fuels platform. The company is an emerging leader in the production and distribution of renewable natural gas (RNG), a proven low carbon fuel with a decades-long track record of results that has the power to rapidly decarbonize the transportation industry now. OPAL Fuels captures harmful methane emissions at the source and recycles the trapped energy into a commercially viable, low-cost alternative to diesel fuel. OPAL Fuels also manages all RNG fueling station development and construction. As a producer and distributor of carbon-reducing fuel for heavy-duty truck fleets for over 15 years, the company delivers best-in-class, complete renewable solutions to customers and production partners. To learn more about OPAL Fuels and how it is leading the effort to capture North America's harmful methane emissions and decarbonize the transportation industry, please visit www.opalfuels.com and follow the company on LinkedIn and Twitter at @OPALFuels.
FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
Certain statements included in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally are accompanied by words such as "believe," "may," "will," "estimate," "continue," "anticipate," "intend," "expect," "should," "would," "plan," "predict," "potential," "seem," "seek," "future," "outlook," and similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the potential benefits of the announced Memorandum of Understanding; the expected benefits of the collaboration to co-develop and co-market hydrogen refueling infrastructure; the ability to leverage synergies and expertise in building and operating fueling stations; the ability to cost-effectively reduce the carbon footprint of supplied hydrogen; the parties ability to develop best-practices and standards for hydrogen refueling station design and protocols; the benefits of beta projects to drive engagement and proficiency in development; expectations regarding its business, business model and strategy, including the proposed bundled lease offering; the company's expectations for its trucks and market acceptance of electric trucks, both BEV and FCEV; and market opportunity. These statements are based on various assumptions, whether or not identified in this press release, and on the current expectations of Nikola's management and are not predictions of actual performance. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements, including but not limited to, design and manufacturing changes and delays; failure to enter into and realize the anticipated benefits of the definitive agreements; general economic, financial, legal, regulatory, political and business conditions and changes in domestic and foreign markets; the potential effects of COVID-19; the outcome of legal, regulatory and judicial proceedings to which Nikola is, or may become a party; demand for and customer acceptance of Nikola's trucks; risks associated with development and testing of fuel-cell power modules and hydrogen storage systems; risks related to the rollout of Nikola's business and the timing of expected business milestones; the effects of competition on Nikola's future business; the sources and availability of capital and future capital needs; risks associated with changes in accounting treatment or accounting standards; and the other risks detailed from time to time in Nikola's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2021 and other documents Nikola files with the SEC. If any of these risks materialize or our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof and Nikola specifically disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.
Nikola Corporation Logo (PRNewsfoto/Nikola Corporation)
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SOURCE Nikola Corporation
Irreverent Look At The Week In Business And Politics Airs Saturdays at 10 AM ET On CRN1
Weekly Show Sponsored In Part By Diamonds Direct
LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / September 29, 2021 / CRN Radio (CRN | Digital Talk Radio (crntalk.com) has added IP Frequently - one of the country's most popular business podcasts - to its weekly schedule, it was announced by Mike Horn, CEO of CRN Radio. Co-hosted by leading patent licensing executives David Pridham and Brad Shaefe, IP Frequently airs weekly on CRN1 Saturdays at 10 AM EST / 9 AM CST and 7:00 AM PST (IP Frequently (crntalk.com).
As partners and principals in the global patent licensing agency Dominion Harbor Group (http://dominionharbor.com/), Pridham and Shaefe are respected industry-wide for their company's singular ability to protect and grow the intellectual properties of their high-profile clients. Through their podcast and CRN show, the pair share their unparalleled expertise in growing businesses and expanding revenue opportunities of patents. Because politics and the inner workings of government oftentimes plays a central role in business, IP Frequently tackles the week's top news stories and pulls no punches when mixing business with politics.
"Frenetic and freewheeling, IP Frequently is a fountain of information and fun for our listeners. I quickly became a fan of the podcast and had to have David and Brad on our air," said Horn.
"We are excited to be part of the extraordinary line=up of broadcast talent appearing on CRN Radio. We look forward to bringing our show each and every week to CRN listeners," said Shaefe.
Serving as a featured sponsor throughout the upcoming holiday season is Diamonds Direct (Diamonds Direct - Engagement Rings, Jewelry, and More) the country's renowned direct diamond importer offering quality engagement rings and fine jewelry and more across the United States.
"Since 1995, Diamonds Direct has delivered a shopping experience second to none as the country's pioneering and preeminent direct diamond importer. With more than 200 diamond experts in over 20 locations, Diamonds Direct consistently provides premium service for the happiest and most memorable occasions of our lives. We are extremely proud to have Diamonds Direct as a presenting sponsor of our show," said co-host David Pridham.
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About CRN Talk Radio:
For over 30 years CRN Digital Talk Radio has served as the national platform for the hottest talent in talk radio to satellite and cable systems around the country, (including Cox Communications, Charter, Comcast Cable and others), as well as terrestrial broadcast radio stations, the Internet and a wide variety of talk radio applications, including its own CRN app available on the App Store, Google Play, Amazon and all other major app platforms.
About Co-Host David Pridham:
David Pridham serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Dominion Harbor Group, LLC. He has more than a decade of experience advising clients in the monetization and the acquisition of intellectual property and in complex patent litigation. He is nationally recognized as a leading patent licensing specialist having negotiated hundreds of intellectual property... license agreements that generated hundreds of millions of dollars for his clients. In addition, he has been lead strategy counsel on a number of major patent infringement cases that have resulted in hundreds of millions in licensing revenues for his clients and has advised clients on various aspects of intellectual property acquisition. Prior to launching Dominion Harbor, Mr. Pridham managed his own law firm where he counseled clients ranging from individual inventors to Fortune 500 Companies in intellectual property related litigation, acquisition and monetization and served as the General Counsel and Secretary for Firepond, Inc. He served as a Director of AFG Enterprises USA, Inc until March 1, 2006. Mr. Pridham holds a B.A. from Providence College and J.D. from George Mason University.
About Co-Host Brad Shaefe:
Brad Sheafe brings over two decades of experience in intellectual property, ranging from criminal investigations to patent assertion, prosecution and investment. Additionally, Brad has real-world operational experience having served in executive roles, including being the president of both public and private software companies generating IP of their own. Brad is a named inventor on several utility and design patents. Brad has successfully navigated the dynamic patent landscape managing the pre- and post-grant prosecution for portfolios earning over $200M in revenues. He led the team that successfully defended an inter partes reexamination on one patent that ended up generating over $50M in licenses. Brad also defended 11 of the earliest inter parties reviews resulting in favorable settlements and has demonstrated unparalleled success with the USPTO. Prior to joining Dominion Harbor, Brad worked as an executive vice-president at IPNav where he engaged in all aspects of IP management, including portfolio evaluation, licensing efforts and litigation strategy.
IP Frequently podcast can be heard on all major podcast providers including Apple:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ip-frequently-a-not-very-intellectual-business-podcast/id1215089809
# # #
CONTACT:
SSA Public Relations
Steve Syatt
(818) 222-4000
steve@ssapr.com
SOURCE: CRN Digital Talk Radio
View source version on accesswire.com:
https://www.accesswire.com/666215/Popular-Business-Podcast-Goes-Broadcast-As-Top-National-Programmer-CRN-Radio-Airs-IP-Frequently-With-David-Pridham-And-Brad-Shaefe
NEW YORK, Sept. 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Iterum Therapeutics plc ("Iterum" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: ITRM) and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, and docketed under 21-cv-04181, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons and entities other than Defendants that purchased or otherwise acquired Iterum securities between November 30, 2020 and July 23, 2021, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"), seeking to recover damages caused by Defendants' violations of the federal securities laws and to pursue remedies under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act") and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, against the Company and certain of its top officials.
Fighting for victims of securities fraud for more than 85 years (PRNewsfoto/Pomerantz LLP)
If you are a shareholder who purchased or otherwise acquired Iterum securities during the Class Period, you have until October 4, 2021 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at newaction@pomlaw.com or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 7980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased.
[Click here for information about joining the class action]
Iterum is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company that engages in developing anti-infectives for multi-drug resistant pathogens in Ireland and the United States. The Company is developing sulopenem, a novel anti-infective compound with oral and intravenous formulations that is in Phase III clinical trials for the treatment of, among other medical issues, uncomplicated urinary tract infections ("uUTIs").
In November 2020, Iterum submitted a New Drug Application ("NDA") to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") for sulopenem etzadroxil/probenecid (oral sulopenem) for the treatment of uUTIs in patients with a quinolone non-susceptible pathogen (the "sulopenem NDA").
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The complaint alleges that, throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company's business, operations, and compliance policies. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) the sulopenem NDA lacked sufficient data to support approval for the treatment of adult women with uUTIs caused by designated susceptible microorganisms proven or strongly suspected to be non-susceptible to a quinolone; (ii) accordingly, it was unlikely that the FDA would approve the sulopenem NDA in its current form; (iii) Defendants downplayed the severity of issues and deficiencies associated with the sulopenem NDA; and (iv) as a result, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.
On July 1, 2021, Iterum issued a press release "announc[ing] that the Company received a letter from the [FDA] stating that, as part of their ongoing review of the [sulopenem NDA], the agency has identified deficiencies that preclude the continuation of the discussion of labeling and post marketing requirements/commitments at this time." The press release further stated that "[n]o details with respect to deficiencies were disclosed by the FDA in this notification and the letter further states that the notification does not reflect a final decision on the information under review."
On this news, Iterum's ordinary share price fell $0.87 per share, or 37.99%, to close at $1.42 per share on July 2, 2021.
Then, on July 26, 2021, Iterum issued a press release announcing that it had received a Complete Response Letter from the FDA for the sulopenem NDA, "provid[ing] that the FDA has completed its review of the NDA and has determined that it cannot approve the NDA in its present form." Specifically, "the FDA determined that additional data are necessary to support approval for the treatment of adult women with [uUTIs] caused by designated susceptible microorganisms proven or strongly suspected to be non-susceptible to a quinolone[,]" while "recommend[ing] that Iterum conduct at least one additional adequate and well-controlled clinical trial, potentially using a different comparator drug[,]" and "conduct further nonclinical investigation to determine the optimal dosing regimen . . . ."
On this news, Iterum's ordinary share price fell $0.499 per share, or 44.16%, to close at $0.631 per share on July 26, 2021.
Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com.
CONTACT:
Robert S. Willoughby
Pomerantz LLP
rswilloughby@pomlaw.com
888-476-6529 ext. 7980
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SOURCE Pomerantz LLP
NEW YORK, Sept. 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Zymergen, Inc. ("Zymergen or the "Company") (NASDAQ: ZY). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at newaction@pomlaw.com or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980.
Fighting for victims of securities fraud for more than 85 years (PRNewsfoto/Pomerantz LLP)
The investigation concerns whether Zymergen and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.
[Click here for information about joining the class action]
On or around April 22, 2021, Zymergen sold approximately 16.3 million shares of stock in its initial public stock offering (the "IPO") at $31.00 per share, raising nearly $505 million in new capital. Then, on August 3, 2021, Zymergen provided a business update regarding its commercial product pipeline and financial forecast. Zymergen claimed that it recently became aware of issues with its commercial product pipeline that will impact the Company's delivery timeline and revenue projections. As a result, the Company no longer expects product revenue in 2021 and expects product revenue to be immaterial in 2022. Additionally, the Company announced the resignation of Josh Hoffman as Chief Executive Officer and a board member, effective immediately.
Following this news, Zymergen's stock price fell $26.58 per share, or 76.31%, to close at $8.25 per share on August 4, 2021.
The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com.
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CONTACT:
Robert S. Willoughby
Pomerantz LLP
rswilloughby@pomlaw.com
888-476-6529 ext. 7980
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SOURCE Pomerantz LLP
NEW YORK, Sept. 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of The Boston Beer Company, Inc. ("Boston Beer" or the "Company") (NYSE: SAM). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at newaction@pomlaw.com or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980.
Fighting for victims of securities fraud for more than 85 years (PRNewsfoto/Pomerantz LLP)
The investigation concerns whether Boston Beer and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.
[Click here for information about joining the class action]
On July 22, 2021, Boston Beer reduced its full year 2021 guidance, advising that it expected earnings per share between $18.00 and $22.00, down from a prior range of $22.00 to $26.00. The Company cited softer-than-expected sales in the hard seltzer category and overall beer industry and also stated that it had "overestimated the growth of the hard seltzer category in the second quarter."
On this news, Boston Beer's stock price fell $246.54 per share, or 26%, to close at $701.00 per share on July 12, 2021.
Then, on September 8, 2021, Boston Beer announced that it was withdrawing its 2021 financial guidance issued on July 22, 2021 as a result of a decrease in demand for its hard seltzer products. The Company further disclosed that it expects to incur hard seltzer-related inventory write-offs, shortfall fees payable to third-party brewers, and other costs associated with the drop in demand during the remainder of fiscal year 2021.
On this news, Boston Beer's stock price fell $21.09 per share, or 3.77%, to close at $538.31 per share on September 8, 2021.
Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com.
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CONTACT:
Robert S. Willoughby
Pomerantz LLP
rswilloughby@pomlaw.com
888-476-6529 ext. 7980
Cision
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SOURCE Pomerantz LLP
ATLANTA, Sept. 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- At the 2021 AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo, September 26-30, AACC was proud to welcome thousands of laboratory medicine professionals, all of whom have been on the frontlines of COVID-19 testing. The meeting gave the laboratory medicine community a much-needed opportunity to come together safely and in-person to share lessons learned from the pandemic to date, and to discover what's on the horizon for COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment.
As of Wednesday, September 29, nearly 7,500 people had registered for the meeting. Thanks to months of health and safety planning on the part of AACC's members, staff, and partners, all attendees have enjoyed the incomparable benefits of an in-person meeting, while also feeling confident that they are safe on the meeting campus. More attendees are expected today, the last day of the conference.
"I'm so thrilled to have had the opportunity of an in-person annual meeting," said Khushbu Patel, PhD, director of clinical chemistry at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "The ability to network and make meaningful connections with colleagues could only happen at such an event. I had a great time catching up with both old and new friends at the meeting."
Attendees have been treated to an amazing line-up of educational sessions, including five plenary talks presented by scientific luminaries. In the opening keynote, Regina Barzilay, PhD, winner of AACC's 2021 Wallace H. Coulter Lectureship Award, described how her experiences as a cancer patient led her to recognize the trove of patient data that isn't fully utilized, and how she is using artificial intelligence to change that.
Monday's plenary speaker, Margaret Liu, MD, DSchc, MDhs, FISV, discussed the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 and our efforts to combat it, emphasizing that COVID-19 countermeasures must continue to adapt quickly along with the changing virus. In Tuesday's plenary, Bonnie Ramsey, MD, recounted her scientific journey in developing a cystic fibrosis therapy known as CFTR modulators, and Caley Maucha cystic fibrosis survivortold attendees how these modulators have changed her life. On Wednesday, Holden Thorp, PhD, editor-in-chief of the Science family of journals, gave his unique perspective on the effects the pandemic has had on the scientific workforce and the ability to build public trust in science. And in today's closing keynote, Wilbur A. Lam, MD, PhD, discussed microsystems-based COVID-19 diagnostics, as well as his own lab's recent advances in miniaturization of diagnostic platforms.
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The 2021 AACC Clinical Lab Expo featured groundbreaking technology from all laboratory medicine disciplines. Though this year's Expo was smaller than usual, AACC was pleased that the exhibitor-to-attendee ratio was on par with previous years. Overall, the Expo proved yet again to be a valuable way for IVD companies to inform laboratory medicine professionals about the latest diagnostic technology, in areas ranging from COVID-19 testing to mass spectrometry and automation.
John Sperzel, chairman and CEO of T2Biosystems said, "Laboratory medicine and diagnostic testing have taken center stage and the AACC Annual Scientific Meeting attendees were highly engaged. We commend AACC leadership for their efforts to maintain a safe environment for all attendees."
For those who were not able to attend all the sessions they were interested in on site, the plenary and other select scientific sessions and abstracts will be available for on-demand viewing through November 1 on the AACC digital meeting platform. Press can register for digital access here, and members of the general public can register here.
"The 2021 AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo has not only been a terrific showcase of the latest diagnostic innovationsit has also been a testament to the strength and perseverance of the people behind these innovations," said AACC CEO Mark J. Golden. "It took an extraordinary amount of effort to make sure that this meeting could take place safely and in person. We at AACC are so proud of how the laboratory medicine community came together for this event, and we look forward to seeing even more of the community at next year's conference."
The 2022 AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo will be held in Chicago from July 24-28, 2022.
About the 2021 AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo
The AACC Annual Scientific Meeting offered 5 days packed with opportunities to learn about exciting science from September 26-30. Plenary sessions explored COVID-19 vaccines and virus evolution, research lessons learned from the pandemic, artificial intelligence in the clinic, miniaturization of diagnostic platforms, and improvements to treatments for cystic fibrosis.
At the AACC Clinical Lab Expo, more than 400 exhibitors filled the show floor of the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta with displays of the latest diagnostic technology, including but not limited to COVID-19 testing, artificial intelligence, mobile health, molecular diagnostics, mass spectrometry, point-of-care, and automation.
About AACC
Dedicated to achieving better health through laboratory medicine, AACC brings together more than 50,000 clinical laboratory professionals, physicians, research scientists, and business leaders from around the world focused on clinical chemistry, molecular diagnostics, mass spectrometry, translational medicine, lab management, and other areas of progressing laboratory science. Since 1948, AACC has worked to advance the common interests of the field, providing programs that advance scientific collaboration, knowledge, expertise, and innovation. For more information, visit www.aacc.org .
Christine DeLong
AACC
Senior Manager, Communications & PR
(p) 202.835.8722
cdelong@aacc.org
Molly Polen
AACC
Senior Director, Communications & PR
(p) 202.420.7612
(c) 703.598.0472
mpolen@aacc.org
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SOURCE AACC
(Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture has potentially found a vaccine to combat African Swine Fever, a disease that devastated hog herds in China and was recently detected in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, the agency said Thursday.
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The vaccine, which officials described as promising, provided immunity to one-third of swine within two weeks and full protection in all animals within four weeks, according to a study.
It could play an important role in controlling the ongoing outbreak threatening the global pork supply, said Douglas Gladue, a USDA researcher who co-authored the study.
U.S. researchers will continue to determine the safety and efficacy of the vaccine under commercial production conditions and are working with a commercial partner, Navetco National Veterinary Joint Stock Company, located in Vietnam.
African Swine Fever was first detected in 2007 in the Republic of Georgia and has caused widespread losses of hogs in Eastern and Central Europe and Asia, at times driving up pork prices worldwide. The outbreaks in the Dominican Republican and Haiti were the first detected in the Americas in recent years. The virus is not known to infect humans.
(Adds comment in paragraph three. An earlier version corrected name of the disease in paragraph one.)
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2021 Bloomberg L.P.
Workforce suppliers and distributors around the globe have found a high-quality apparel source at manufacturer-direct prices as the company continues aggressive expansion into new markets
Even during global supply disruptions Dony Garment continues to be a powerhouse uniforms, workwear and promotional clothing exporter
Workforce suppliers and distributors around the globe have found a high-quality apparel source at manufacturer-direct prices as the company continues aggressive expansion into new markets
Workforce suppliers and distributors around the globe have found a high-quality apparel source at manufacturer-direct prices as the company continues aggressive expansion into new markets
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Sept. 30, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- While international trade continues to find sure footing after a disruptive pandemic created supply chain disruptions in almost all industries, Dony Garment has continued to push ahead of competitors by providing reasonably priced, high-quality uniforms and workwear to suppliers across the globe.
"We are proud to be a top uniform provider in the Americas, Europe, and the Middle East," said Pham Quang Anh, CEO Dony Garment. "The last two years have shown how strong our connections are to international companies, and how time and time again we are the first and best choice when it comes to outfitting a workforce."
Pham attributes their sustained success in part to their location outside of the typically thought of centers of global uniforms & work apparel manufacturing.
"Many clients are now looking to diversify their supply sources, and we are ready to capitalize on that desire," he said. "As a trusted manufacturer outside of China, Bangladesh, and Thailand we can avoid many of the issues arising from trade in those areas. We are proud to operate in the heart of Vietnam, and our clients appreciate the care and attention brought to their orders by our amazing workers up and down the manufacturing process.
After clients discover the reasonably priced high-quality products we bring to the market from outside the typical locals, they see the value immediately, and they stay with us for the long term. The last few years have taught us how to capitalize on being a trusted industry partner."
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DONY manufactures almost every workwear item needed by a workforce, including, T-shirts, pants, workwear, jackets, aprons, school uniforms, cheerleading uniforms, and more for industry, for office professionals to workers in the field for wholesalers and distributors worldwide.
And with all of the items in the DONY lineup, customization options are available, ensuring the client gets a high-quality garment, but also one that can be a powerful advertisement for any organization.
We have done it all, Pham said. From coffee shop aprons to outfitting full factories with pants, shirts, windbreakers, and dresses, our clients know Dony Garment can fulfill their supply needs.
And they created workwear for almost all industries.
From corporate and enterprise to spa and resorts, with Dony Garment, your staff will look professional and comfortable at a direct price from the manufacturer, Pham said.
Along with their uniform production for industry, DONY often manufactures school uniforms for all levels of education. They are the leading uniform manufacturer for international schools in Vietnam such as Vietnamese American School (VASCHOOLS), American School (TAS), International School of North America (SNA).
While being based in Vietnam has given the company some unique advantages, Pham attributes the company's continued growth to its ability to provide products on time and with a quality guarantee.
"In business many times timing is vital, so for us getting a delivery out on time is a cornerstone of our garment operation," Pham said. "But that doesn't mean skimping on quality. We are happy to work to correct any issue our clients come across, which is already rare."
"We work with numerous clients that happily return to utilize or free sample program, low cost, and free design services. We aim to be a one-stop-shop for those business clients."
DONY has already found many of those trusted business clients in various countries worldwide, but Pham said they are always looking to grow.
"We are always happy to speak with a company about how we can be their apparel supplier, no matter where they are," he said. "Especially now with more and more countries are looking to add an antibacterial cloth face mask to their required attire. We were one of the best suppliers of reusable antibacterial face masks during the early days of the pandemic, and that continues today."
"Our face coverings can be branded and customized with a business logo, serving as an advertisement as well as offering protection against virus transmission. They are lightweight, offer three layers of protection, and are certified by health departments the world over."
"All of our workforce clothing options are of course of the highest quality, but when it comes to face mask protection, with our Dony Mask, quality is a matter of life and death and we take that privilege seriously."
By the third quarter of 2021, Dony Mask has Exclusive Distributors in Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, Malaysia, UAE, Canada, KSA, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain.
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They also maintain a presence on social media, including LinkedIn and Facebook.
A short video about the company can also be found on their official YouTube channel.
Media Contact:
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Attachment
Afghanistans Taliban militants have promised the world for years that they wouldnt allow their country to be used as a terrorist base. In an agreement with the United States last year, the Taliban pledged specifically to not allow Al-Qaeda to threaten the security of the United States and its allies from Afghan soil.
But U.S. security czars have warned just one month after the Talibans seizure of Kabul that a reconstituted Al-Qaeda with aspirations to attack the United States could become a reality within three years.
I dont see why it would take so long for Al-Qaeda to reconfigure, said Michael Semple, a former European Union and United Nations adviser in Afghanistan. It is unduly optimistic about what hurdles Al-Qaeda might face in taking advantage of the permissive environment that they now face in Afghanistan.
He pointed to the Talibans appointment of Mullah Tajmir Jawad as the deputy head of intelligence as evidence of how seamlessly Al-Qaeda can regain strength in Afghanistan, where its leaders enjoyed safe haven two decades ago while they launched a string of bombings globally against U.S. interests and orchestrated the 9/11 attacks.
Jawad is a former commander of the Haqqani network, a deadly military wing of the Taliban. Accused of planning high-profile attacks, he is now tasked with handling some of the countrys most sensitive security issues.
Until last month he was running a suicide bombers training camp -- thats how favorable an environment [Afghanistan] has become [for Al-Qaeda], Semple told RFE/RL Gandhara. The kind of people that Al-Qaeda treats as their peers or supporters are now moving straight out of the suicide-bomber training camps into running the intelligence service.
Keeping A Lower Profile
Jawad is far from the only Taliban leader accused of facilitating international terrorism. Yet experts are saying that, this time around, Al-Qaeda might seek a lower profile in Afghanistan, instead adopting a hub-and-spoke approach with regional affiliates and franchises across the Muslim world.
Semple, now a professor at Queen's University in Belfast, says the centrality of the Haqqani network within the Taliban governments security apparatus is a major boost to Al-Qaeda because relations between Haqqani family elders and Al-Qaedas Arab leaders predate the organizations formal founding in the late 1980s.
The extended Haqqani family and its loyalists now constitute a key part of the Taliban-led government. Sirajuddin Haqqani, the son of the late eponymous leader Mawlawi Jalaluddin Haqqani, and Mawlawis brother Khalil ur-Rahman Haqqani are both ministers in the Taliban cabinet, with the former heading the Interior Ministry and the latter the Refugee Affairs Ministry. Washington has designated both as global terrorists and still offers rewards of up to $10 million for information leading to their arrest.
If you are a member of Al-Qaeda trying to make arrangements to keep your leaders and key operatives safe and out of view and avoiding trouble from the local authorities, what more could you dream of than to have your well-wishers take over the Interior Ministry? Semple said.
He said Al-Qaeda regional affiliates already had a large presence in Afghanistan even before the Taliban takeover last month and foreign militants are now embedded within Taliban units. Many of these were even part of the Al-Qaedas shura, or council, in Pakistans North Waziristan region before a Pakistani military operation in June 2014 pushed them over the border into Afghanistan.
We know about the fighters from the Caucuses, from different parts of the Russian Republic; we know about the Uzbekistanis, we know about the Uyghurs, we know about the Tajikistanis, we know about significant numbers of Turks -- their presence is well-known, he said.
A Shared History
A June UN report noted that large numbers of Al-Qaeda fighters and other foreign extremist elements aligned with the Taliban are located in various parts of Afghanistan. It said the primary arbiter between the Taliban and Al-Qaeda is the Haqqani network. Ties between the two groups remain close, based on ideological alignment, relationships forged through common struggle and intermarriage.
Analysts see the alliance between the Taliban and Al-Qaeda as partly rooted in their shared history. Al-Qaeda has pledged allegiance to Taliban leaders since Osama bin Laden first pledged it to Mullah Mohammad Omar in the 1990s. Omars successors Mullah Akhatar Muhammad Mansur and Mawlawi Haibatullah Akhundzada received it, too, from their counterparts in Al-Qaeda. While the Taliban follows the conservative Deobandi subsect and most Al-Qaeda leaders and members are puritanical Salafis, both organizations have worked hard to prevent doctrinal differences from fissuring the alliance. The emergence of the Islamic State (IS) militants, an ultra-radical Salafi group, appears to have cemented their alliance in seeking to prevent IS from hijacking jihadist fronts.
Semple said its likely that Al-Qaedas Arab core leadership will relocate to Afghanistan after sheltering in neighboring Iran and Pakistan during the past two decades. I would expect more of them shifting to Afghanistan now that the U.S. counterterrorism operation has been so thoroughly disrupted and the Taliban are in control, he added.
The Taliban, however, is adamant that Al-Qaeda is not present in the country. "We do not see anyone in Afghanistan who has anything to do with Al-Qaeda, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told journalists in Kabul last week. "We are committed to the fact that, from Afghanistan, there will not be any danger to any country."
The Taliban has forcefully opposed the over the horizon attacks that U.S. officials hope they can employ against possible terrorist threats from Afghanistan. On September 28, the Taliban accused Washington of violating international laws and their February 2020 Doha agreement by operating drones in Afghan airspace.
In testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee that same day, General Mark Milley, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, declared the Taliban a terrorist organization that has not broken ties with Al-Qaeda. "A reconstituted Al-Qaeda or ISIS [Islamic State militants] with aspirations to attack the U.S. is a very real possibility, and those conditions to include activity in ungoverned spaces could present themselves in the next 12-36 months," he said.
The 'Near Enemy'
Earlier in September, David Cohen, deputy director of the CIA, said Washington is already beginning to see some of the indications of some potential movement of Al-Qaeda to Afghanistan.
Abdul Sayed, a researcher following Islamic radical groups in Afghanistan and Pakistan, however, said Al-Qaeda has little incentive to make Afghanistan its global base.
Before 9/11, Al-Qaeda wanted to spread the jihadist movement in the Muslim world by launching terrorist attacks globally, he told Radio Mashaal. But in recent years, it focused on supporting and strengthening regional jihadist networks such as returning the Taliban [to power] in Afghanistan or the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan, which it created and strengthened.
Sayed argued that unlike in the 1990s, when Al-Qaedas global jihad created problems for the Taliban and ultimately led to the demise of its regime as a result of the U.S.-led military attacks in retaliation for 9/11, the group will take a new approach. Al-Qaeda will try to keep a close contact with Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, but it would like to avoid doing anything that could create problems for the Taliban, he said.
Abdul Basit, a research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, agreed. He predicted that Al-Qaeda is unlikely to pursue any large-scale attacks.
Al-Qaeda would not like to waste the Talibans victory again but might like to use their presence in the country to strengthen their regional affiliates in the subcontinent, Yemen, Somalia, and the Sahil, he told Radio Mashaal.
Based on the recent statements of its central leadership, Basit said, Al-Qaeda is focused on a new goal.
They are eager to concentrate on the near enemy, which means they will focus on the government of some Muslim countries instead on attacking the far enemy, which is the United States, he said.
Top U.S. military officers say that the plan to draw U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan down to zero had a major impact on morale among Afghan troops, who had grown to depend on U.S. assistance for everything from intelligence and air support to training and equipment maintenance.
General Kenneth McKenzie, commander of U.S. Central Command, said in testimony before a House committee on September 29 that he had believed "for quite a while" that if the United States reduced the number of its military advisers in Afghanistan below 2,500, the Kabul government would inevitably collapse "and that the military would follow."
McKenzie said once the U.S. troop presence was pushed below 2,500 as part of President Joe Biden's decision in April to complete a total withdrawal, the unraveling of the U.S.-backed Afghan government accelerated.
Biden set August 31 as the date for the complete pullout of U.S. forces, following through on an agreement reached in 2020 in Doha, Qatar, with the Taliban by then-President Donald Trump that promised the withdrawal.
"The signing of the Doha agreement had a really pernicious effect on the government of Afghanistan and on its military -- psychological more than anything else, but we set a date-certain for when we were going to leave and when they could expect all assistance to end," McKenzie told the House committee.
He described the troop reduction ordered by Biden as "the other nail in the coffin" for the 20-year war effort because it left the U.S. military blind to conditions inside the Afghan National Army.
McKenzie, General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin testified for 4 1/2 hours on September 29 before the House Armed Services Committee. That followed nearly a day of testimony on September 28 before the Senate Armed Services Committee.
The hearings marked the start of what is likely to be an extended congressional review of the U.S. failures in Afghanistan.
Republicans have accused Biden of lying about the military commanders' recommendations and exaggerating the United States' ability to prevent Afghanistan from again becoming a safe haven for militant groups like Al-Qaeda.
In an August television interview, Biden denied his commanders had recommended keeping 2,500 troops in Afghanistan. He said then: "No. No one said that to me that I can recall."
But McKenzie told the House committee he had warned that a complete withdrawal would lead to the collapse of the Afghan military and the Afghan government, and Milley told the Senate committee that it had been his personal opinion that at least 2,500 U.S. troops were needed to guard against a collapse of the Kabul government and a return to Taliban rule.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Biden had received "split" advice about what to do in Afghanistan.
"Ultimately, it's up to the commander in chief to make a decision," Psaki said. "He made a decision that it was time to end a 20-year war."
Representative Mike Rogers (Republican-Michigan), the top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, called the withdrawal an "unmitigated disaster."
"It will go down in history as one of the greatest failures of American leadership," Rogers said.
With reporting by AP, Reuters, and AFP
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has ordered border officials to end the practice of requiring a letter of permission from the Interior Ministry for all Afghans entering Pakistan via the Torkham border crossing.
On September 30, Khans special assistant on establishment, Shehzad Arbab, posted on Twitter that the prime minister had ordered an end to the practice following complaints of illegal extortion of money from incoming Afghans.
Hundreds of Afghans with valid visas for travel to Pakistan had been stuck at the border because they had been unable to get the letter of permission.
Officials introduced the controversial requirement for the Torkham crossing following the Taliban takeover of Kabul in August, saying it was necessary to prevent the entry of militants.
No such letter was required at the Chaman border crossing or for passengers travelling from Afghanistan by air.
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Police this week arrested a man they suspect was involved in the killing of a Colorado Springs woman last fall.
Colorado Springs police obtained a warrant last Thursday charging 44-year-old Jeremy Dewayne Jones with one count of first-degree murder and one count of second-degree assault in the October 2020 killing of Chasta Rogers, 37, police said in a news release. Fountain police officers arrested Jones on Monday.
Officers found Rogers body when they responded Oct. 2, 2020, to a call about a disturbance near Hancock Expressway and Delta Drive shortly after 10 p.m., police said. They also found an injured man near Rogers body. His injuries were not life-threatening and he was not a suspect in her death, The Gazette previously reported.
Colorado Springs police in March asked for the publics assistance in identifying and locating potential witnesses to the homicide. Police say with information from the public they were able to identify a possible witness to the crime.
Jones was booked at the El Paso County jail with no bond, jail records show.
A man accused in the shooting death of a man outside a 7-Eleven convenience store will go to trial, a judge ruled Wednesday.
Prosecutors have enough evidence to prove Roberto Delgado-Cruz, 30, murdered 31-year-old Dominique Smith outside an east Colorado Springs convenience store in June, 4th Judicial District Judge David Shakes ruled Wednesday morning.
While hes waiting for his case to go to trial, Shakes ruled, hell be held in the El Paso County jail without bond. His next hearing, in which he'll make a plea to the crime, is on Nov. 5.
Smith and Delgado-Cruz were both at the 7-Eleven at East Fountain Boulevard and South Circle Drive during the early morning of June 17 when Smith reportedly approached Delgado-Cruz and started a conversation.
According to interviews with police, Delgado-Cruz falsely believed Smith had shot one of his friends.
That conversation developed into an argument, and witnesses said the two stepped outside to settle their differences. At some point, however, Smith took a step toward Delgado-Cruz, prompting Delgado-Cruz to pull out a gun and shoot Smith 10 times.
Delgado-Cruz was arrested by Colorado Springs police a day later in connection with the killing.
Delgado-Cruz's attorneys on Wednesday said he shot Smith in self defense, after Smith had threatened him. They also claimed Delgado-Cruz was afraid Smith had a gun and would use it to shoot him.
I got the gun out because I was afraid he was going to shoot me in the back, Delgado-Cruz told police in interviews after the shooting.
Prosecutors, however, cited video surveillance from the convenience store, claiming that Delgado-Cruz had paused for a moment before opening fire on Smith, who they said took a step toward Delgado-Cruz only with his hands up.
That moment, prosecutors said, was enough evidence that Delgado-Cruz planned to kill Smith before he shot him.
People who witnessed the shooting also did not hear Smith make any threats to Delgado-Cruz before he was killed, prosecutors argued.
"He had his hands up in front of him," they said Wednesday. "He was not reaching for anything."
A combination photo shows climate activists Gyuree Lee from South Korea, Hoor Ahli from the UAE, Steven Setiawan from Indonesia, Daniele Guadagnolo from Italy, Mark Muravec from Slovenia, Archana Soreng from India, Kamaal Hassan Adnan from Somaliland, Marie-Claire Graf from Switzerland, Ignacio Villarroya from Argentina, Elizabeth Wathuti from Kenya, Eduarda Zoghbi from Brazil, Jeremy Raguain from the Seychelles posing for a photo during the Youth4Climate pre-COP26 conference in Milan, Italy, September 28, 2021. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane
Haitian migrants walk toward a plane as part of an "assisted voluntary return" to Haiti by Mexican authorities, at the Carlos Rovirosa Perez International airport, in Villahermosa, Mexico September 29, 2021. Mexico's National Migration Institute/Handout via REUTERS
We hear a lot about equity, and we only know Colorado antithesizes the concept. A recent purchase by South Park creators Trey Parker and M
Smart civil infrastructure could save US billions
The United States is in need of a strategic smart-infrastructure plan that integrates digital technology into new projects because inadequately maintained systems can result in billions of dollars in lost economic productivity, according to a recent report from Harvards Ash Center for Democratic Governance & Innovation.
Most of the major civil infrastructure in the U.S. was designed and built during the 1960s; since then, the countrys population has more than doubled. With high-profile incidents such as the 2021 Texas winter power outage and the Flint water crisis grabbing headlines, there is more than enough evidence to suggest that Americas decaying infrastructure is in need of an upgrade as it extends beyond its life cycle, researchers said in Toward a Smarter Future: Building Back Better with Intelligent Civil Infrastructure.
During a Sept. 29 discussion about the report, Illuminati Infrastructure Advisors President and CEO Jill Jamieson, who also served as an author on the report, stressed that even though smart infrastructure garners broad public support there must be a shift away from todays repair and replace mindset.
To address population growth, urbanization and economic development, local governments must not only reimagine how the systems are built and designed, but also how they are operated and maintained, the report said.
Life cycle cost is an important factor in these considerations, according to Luna Lu, director of Purdue Universitys Center for Intelligent Infrastructure. Funding for maintenance projects have not kept pace with rising costs, and in some cases, civil infrastructure such as roads can cost up to four times as much to repair as expected, she said.
Concepts such as sensor-equipped smart pavement can help alleviate maintenance issues in roadways. Research from Michigan State University suggests that this technology could pinpoint the best points for preventive intervention during the life cycle of a typical asphalt pavement. For every $1 spent on preventive smart pavement maintenance, there is a savings of $4 to $10 on rehabilitation, the research found.
The smart pavement could also provide data and insights that would inform similar initiatives around the country, promoting a more proactive approach to the current repair and replace mentality. Since 2019, Lu and researchers at Purdue University have embedded internet-of-things sensors in concrete to collect data on moisture levels, strength and pH levels for the Indiana Department of Transportation, which can use the data to increase construction efficiency. Moreover, similar sensors can be used to improve safety and performance in other systems such as bridges, dams and sewers.
This preliminary data has been showing we improved 30% of the construction productivity, reduced 20% of the labor costs and related insurance and also reduced 15% of the overuse of materials, Lu said. There is a tremendous economic benefit to be regained from this.
Read the full report here.
pawanCEO wrote:
Which of the following is an assumption that the argument requires?
(A) The frame was made from wood local to the region where the picture was painted.
(B) Drechen is unlikely to have ever visited the home region of Birelle in France.
(C) Sometimes a painting so resembles others of its era that no expert is able to confidently decide who painted it.
(D) The painter of the picture chose the frame for the picture.
(E) The carving style of the picture frame is not typical of any specific region of Europe.
Show Spoiler Seventeenth-Century Painting
Incorrectly states OA as "B" in the Answer Key. The explanation states that "A" is correct, however
Step 1: Identify the Question
The word assumption in the question stem shows that this is a Find the Assumption question.
Step 2: Deconstruct the Argument
Painting might be by D or B (B sometimes painted like D)
D = Germany, B = France
Picture frame is wood from Germany D is the artist
There are two possible candidates for the creator of a particular painting. Based on where the pictures frame likely came from, the author concludes that the artist came from the same location. Must it be the case that the artist and the picture frame came from the same location ?
Step 3: Pause and State the Goal
On Assumption questions, the goal is to find an unstated fact that would have to be true in order for the logic of the argument to be reasonable. If this statement were false, the argument wouldnt make logical sense.
Step 4: Work from Wrong to Right
(A) CORRECT . This must be true in order for the authors reasoning to be sound. If the frame had instead been made from wood that originated elsewhere, the author couldnt draw any connection between the frames origin and the paintings origin .
(B) Since the painting was framed with German wood, not French, whether Drechen visited France is irrelevant. The argument already makes it clear that the painting was not framed with wood from France, regardless of who visited the area and who created the painting.
(C) This doesnt have to be true in order for the logic of the argument to be reasonable. In fact, in order to accept the argument, its necessary to assume that it is possible to determine who created this particular painting with some degree of certainty.
(D) The artist didnt necessarily have to choose the frame himself. Somebody else in the same geographic area, such as a local buyer, might have chosen the frame.
(E) Its necessary to assume that the carving style wasnt especially typical of France, or the arguments reasoning would be damaged, since it would then be more likely that the frame was created in France. However, the author didnt assume that the carving style wasnt typical of any European region. It could have been typical of Germany, or of some other region in Europe outside of both artists areas, and the conclusion would still have been reasonable.
for GMAT Review, 2015
Practice Question
Question No.: CR 8 CR10671
ID: CR10731
Page: 504 A newly discovered painting seems to be the work of one of two seventeenth-century artists, either the northern German Johannes Drechen or the Frenchman Louis Birelle, who sometimes painted in the same style as Drechen. Analysis of the carved picture frame, which has been identified as the paintings original seventeenth-century frame, showed that it is made of wood found widely in northern Germany at the time, but rare in the part of France where Birelle lived. This shows that the painting is most likely the work of Drechen.Which of the following is an assumption that the argument requires?(A) The frame was made from wood local to the region where the picture was painted.(B) Drechen is unlikely to have ever visited the home region of Birelle in France.(C) Sometimes a painting so resembles others of its era that no expert is able to confidently decide who painted it.(D) The painter of the picture chose the frame for the picture.(E) The carving style of the picture frame is not typical of any specific region of Europe.
Solution
Passage Analysis
A newly discovered painting seems to be the work of one of two seventeenth-century artists,
A painting has been recently discovered. The author tells us that the work could be (not sure) of any one of two 17th century artists.
either the northern German Johannes Drechen
The painting could be the work of a German artist, Johannes Drechen
Or the Frenchman Louis Birelle, who sometimes painted in the same style as Drechen.
Or it could be the work of a Frenchman, Louis Birelle.
The author gives us a fact: Birelle sometimes (note: not always) painted in the same style as Drechen. We are given to understand that the confusion regarding who the artist of the painting is, could be due to this occasional commonality in style.
Analysis of the carved picture frame, which has been identified as the paintings original seventeenth-century frame,
The carved picture frame was analyzed.
Fact: This picture frame is established to be the same 17th century frame in which the painting was originally framed.
showed that it is made of wood found widely in northern Germany at the time,
Fact: The frame is made of a type of wood that was abundant in Northern Germany in the 17th century.
but rare in the part of France where Birelle lived.
Fact: However, this particular type of wood was rarely found in the part of France where Birelle lived.
This shows that the painting is most likely the work of Drechen.
Conclusion: The author makes a conclusion here. Because the original frame of the painting was made of wood found abundantly in Northern German, but rarely found in Birelles part of France, the painting is believed most likely to be the work of Drechen since he was German.
Pre-thinking
Falsification Question
Birelle sometimes (note: not always) painted in the same style as Drechen
This paintings picture frame is established to be the same 17th century frame in which the painting was originally framed
The frame is made of a type of wood that was abundant in Northern Germany in the 17th century
This particular type of wood was rarely found in Birelles part of France
Thought Process
Falsification condition#1
Assumption#1
Falsification condition#2
Assumption#2
A
B
C
D
E
In what scenario Is it possible that the 17th century painting could be the work of Birelle and not Drechen?Given thatLet us look at the authors reasoning. He is unsure of who out of Birelle and Drechen is the artist of the painting. It is difficult to decide the workmanship. And the confusion is because Birelle sometimes painted in Drechens style. So now the author tries to ascertain the workmanship based on the material of the frame. It is the same frame in which the picture was originally framed. The author concludes that Drechen must have painted the piece because the wood of the frame was found abundantly in N. Germany and Drechen was also a German. Birelle was not the artist because that wood was a rarity in his part of France.What if the painting was made in a region but not framed in the same region?In that case, the painting could have been framed elsewhere and the wood of the frame could have come from that region.The painting was framed in same the region to which the artist belonged and where he painted the particular piece.What if the wood (that was not found in France) for the picture frame was imported from some other place (it was found widely in N. Germany)?In that case, the painting could have been painted by Birelle and framed in France using the wood imported from N. Germany.The wood from which the picture frame was made, had not been imported from outside the region where the picture was painted and framed.Observe our pre-thinking assumption#2. It says, The wood from which the picture-frame was made, had not been imported from outside the region where the picture was painted and framed.Or in other words, the wood from which the picture-frame was made was wood that was locally sourced from the region where the picture was painted.This is in-line with our pre-thinking and is the correct answer.Does this option need to be definitely true for our conclusion to hold true? No. Drechen might have very well visited Birelles home region but what does that prove or disprove? We just know the date of the painting not its location, and therefore this option is irrelevant to our consideration.Hence, this is not the answer.This option is anyways out of the way as it is not the basis on which the author draws the conclusion. It is more of a circular argument as the passage already says that the painting could be the work of any one of two artists where one often painted in the others style.Hence, it is not the correct choice.Once again, would my conclusion break down if this option were not true? What if someone close to the painter chose the frame for him? Does that prove who the painter was or was not? Maybe Drechens friend chose the frame for the painting. But we dont know in the first place whether Drechen painted it or not. Maybe Birelles wife chose the frame. But de we know whether Birelle painted it in the first place?Hence, this is not the correct answer.It is the material of the picture-frame that is being analyzed in order to ascertain the artist behind the painting. The carving style of the picture-frame is not the basis for the conclusion and therefore cannot be used to disprove or prove it.Hence, this is not the correct choice._________________
News_release
From tele-monitoring patients with diabetes to using artificial intelligence to prevent sepsis, the newly launched Center for Health Innovation at UC San Diego Health will seek to develop, test and commercialize technologies that make a real, measurable difference in the lives and wellbeing of patients.
Every U.S. hospital has common challenges to address in continuously improving patient experience, outcomes and safety: this is where our efforts will focus, said Patty Maysent, CEO, UC San Diego Health. Basically, were taking real-world problems, such as diabetes and hypertension, and using our insights to address these conditions with what will one day become safe patient-centered technologies.
Similar innovation centers are housed at UCSF, Washington University, Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic and New York University. The new Center for Health Innovation will be located on the La Jolla campus of UC San Diego. Collaborators will include the UC San Diego Design Lab, Qualcomm Institute and Jacobs School of Engineering.
Whats unique about our center is that we are partnering with another global institution, Techna Institute, to leverage and integrate best practices in research and patient care, said David Brenner, MD, vice chancellor, UC San Diego Health Sciences. This dedicated hub of innovation at UC San Diego Health will benefit our patients and also patients in a variety of community and academic settings.
The Center for Health Innovation is modeled after the University Health Networks (UHN) Techna Institute, jointly located within the organizations hospital sites and at the University of Toronto. In partnership with others, the institute has designed numerous products now used in hospitals and clinics, including advanced digital therapeutics that optimize the care of chronic conditions through algorithm-based decision-making, an image-guided GammaKnife for bed-side treatment and the use of human factors engineering methods to ensure not only the safety of products and services, but to also improved user experience.
Our Techna Institute has had great success in improving health outcomes, efficiency and both patient and provider experience through various projects that integrated research and technology development within our hospitals, said Kevin Smith, DrPhil, president and CEO, University Health Network, Canadas largest academic health sciences center. We are pleased to work with peer institutions to help them replicate that approach, as shortening the interval between technology development and implementation in the health system accelerates the transformation of health care in a way that better serves patients.
Doctors, nurses and medical teams know best where there are existing technology gaps in patient care. Our in-house teams of clinicians and scientists will innovate solutions that lead to things like lower blood pressure with longer term goals, like reduced number of hospitalizations and a longer life, said Christopher Longhurst, MD, chief information officer, UC San Diego Health. With our proximity to the health and biotech sector as well as the cross-border region, the number of collaborative opportunities are immense.
UC San Diego Health and TECHNA Institute first collaborated on CA Notify, a smartphone-based system built on Google-Apple exposure notification technology, to help quell the SARS-CoV-2 surge. It is estimated that 1 in 3 California residents over the age of 18 now uses CA Notify.
COVID-19 created a crisis where remote monitoring of patients, including video visits, had to become a new standard of care. The lessons learned from this time period will bring new technologies to bear for patients with both chronic and emergent conditions, said Parag Agnihotri, MD, chief medical officer, Population Health Services, UC San Diego Health.
Initial projects for the new center will focus on refining the virtual visit experience for patients with technologies like wearable sensors that can monitor chronic conditions. The goal is to focus on older adults, high-risk patients with diabetes and hypertension and patients in hard-to-reach geographies.
To learn more about the Center for Health Innovation, visit healthinnovation.ucsd.edu.
" " A young Magda is seen here before the Holocaust with her parents, Herman and Serena Mozes. Courtesy Magda Herzberger
Editor's note: Magda Herzberger passed away April 23, 2021, at the age of 95. She spent years in three Nazi German concentration camps as a teenager, including Auschwitz. She spoke out for much of her adult life about her experiences as a Holocaust survivor and inspired many people who read her books and listened to her speak. We had the pleasure of interviewing her in June 2019 multiple times for this piece and are saddened to hear of her passing.
In the waning months of World War II, Magda Herzberger's life ended, and a new one began. That second life, the one she lives now, was born out of one of the most horrific atrocities that humans ever have committed against each other.
Yet now, nearly 75 years later, that second life inspires, offering a still-steady voice of hope and of warning to anyone willing to listen. Herzberger, 93, is among the dwindling number of souls known as Holocaust survivors.
What she has to say is important. Maybe now more than ever.
"I have seen everything," Herzberger says from her home in Fountain Hills, Arizona. "I am an eyewitness, and being an eyewitness, I can never be silent."
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A Lifetime of Reliving the Holocaust
Herzberger was born in Cluj, Romania, in 1926, the only child of Herman Mozes and his wife, Serena. Herzberger was brought up in orthodox Judaism, regularly attending synagogue. Every week, her family welcomed poor neighbors into their home to share the Sabbath.
In the 1940s, as was true in much of Europe, Romania was trapped in a rapidly expanding war. When the Germans took over Hungary in 1944 (Cluj had been part of the territory that earlier had been awarded to Hungary), the Nazis forced thousands of Jews from their homes. Herzberger remembers it well.
"When we were taken out from our home, we were taken out by special Hungarian police. They were 100 percent collaborating with the Nazis. They were very brutal. Very cruel," she says. "I had a little book of mine. I had been writing short stories. I didn't have anything to take of my own except for that. My spiritual self was meaningful; part of my spiritual self was that book I had been writing in for eight years. That was all I wanted from the house.
"And this miserable brute Hungarian gendarme looked at me and said, 'What are you holding there?' And I said, 'This is my little book.' And he smiled I hadn't experienced evil in my life and said, 'Can I have a look at this?' and he took the book and he tore it into pieces in front of me. I was terrified. I felt like something was cut out from myself."
Her terror was just beginning. The Nazis herded her family onto trains to Auschwitz, the Nazi extermination camp in Poland where almost 1 million Jews were murdered. There, Herzberger saw her father for the final time. She was 18 years old.
" " Magda (in the center of the box) during roll call at Auschwitz, when prisoners had to stand still in thin clothing for hours to be counted by the block kapo. Courtesy Magda Herzberger
Over the next year or so, Herzberger made her way through three camps, including a nine-month forced-labor stay at Bremen-Farge, where German submarines were built, and a shorter stop at Bergen-Belsen, used to house, among others, prisoners of war. It was at Bergen-Belsen that Herzberger and 60,000 other sick and emaciated prisoners, barely living among thousands of dead and unburied, finally were liberated by British troops on April 15, 1945.
The stories from these places stories that Herzberger has told now hundreds of times, in talks to small groups and in front of filled auditoriums, in recorded survivor tales, in books of poetry and in her autobiography "Survival" are harrowing.
One of her duties was carrying dead bodies to mass burial spots and to the ovens for cremation. She was marched from one camp to the next and watched as others died and were killed on the journey. She saw the hopelessness of prisoners flinging themselves to their deaths onto fences around the camps. She considered suicide. She witnessed disease and starvation and unimaginable cruelty.
She remembers it all.
"At [the time before the war], we Jewish people had a good life. My grandfather was a businessman. A successful businessman. I had many aunts and uncles, cousins," she says. "My family was wiped out, almost all of us. All our little kids, and all our pregnant women, and all our old people, were gassed and cremated in the ovens.
"I have seen the flames bursting from the high chimneys of the crematories, and I have breathed the air, the odor of sweet burning flesh. I have seen the big flames belching from those chimneys.
"The Holocaust is burned into the depths of my soul," she adds. "All these horrific memories, they burn."
On her day of liberation, plucked from among the dead at Bergen-Belsen by a weeping soldier, she vowed never to forget. She wasn't able to stand for three months after her rescue, and wasn't able to speak deeply of her ordeal for years. She didn't publish her autobiography until 2005, when she was 81. "I had to be very, very far away from the Holocaust to be able to do what I did in my book," she says.
But she speaks now freely and with a sense of urgency. From Memorial, in her book of verse, "The Waltz of the Shadows":
I mourn you, innocent victims,
Members of my family,
My fellow prisoners,
Who were silenced forever
By the Nazis.
Your wailing cries
And your terrible contortions
Met deaf ears
And blind eyes.
I was destined to live,
To bear my misery.
God chose me to return,
To remind the world
Of your agony,
Erecting tombstones
In your memory
" " Prisoners of Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp are led through the camp gate in 1945. Wojtek Laski/Getty Images
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How to Pass on the Lessons of the Holocaust
Back in 1980, Herzberger spent nearly 10 hours with an archivist from the Wisconsin Historical Society, retelling her life story. In 2014, she met with the University of Southern California's Shoah Foundation, founded in 1994 by filmmaker Steven Spielberg, in order to videotape and preserve interviews with survivors and other witnesses of the Holocaust.
In January 2017, Herzberger and her daughter traveled to Atlanta as a guest of Am Yisrael Chai, a nonprofit Holocaust education and awareness program. Herzberger was the keynote speaker for a program titled "Fortitude and Endurance."
" " Now in her 90s, Magda speaks freely of the Holocaust, and with a sense of urgency. Courtesy Magda Herzberger
In her address in Atlanta, she strode confidently across the stage, hands clasped in front of her, gesturing forcefully at times and only occasionally holding a rail for support. She stared deeply into the audience she never uses notes and her voice rose as she spoke of the flames of the crematoriums and carrying corpses to mass burial. She recited her poem "Requiem" They were the victims of their faith/Sentenced to death without a sin/For worshipping the only God they believed in and played a recording of a composition she had written.
"After this, I warn you," she said with a smile, looking into the faces in front of her, "I am not through."
Almost 91 years old at the time, she spoke for more than an hour.
Herzberger caters her presentations to different audiences. She has a children's book, "Tales of the Magic Forest," which contains a story she relates to 5th and 6th graders. Mother Sea's children, water drops, are pulled up by dark clouds and taken to a place far, far away. "I don't want to scare the children so they have nightmares," Herzberger says, "but they understand very well."
In 2018, she spoke to a large group at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, sporting the same polka-dot outfit she wore in Atlanta.
"You may ask, why don't you pick something new?" she said to the crowd. "Because this represents something. It's black and white, just like the two parts of my life."
Herzberger continues to be asked to speak all over the country and is planning yet another book. She realizes that, as one of the relatively few remaining survivors of the Holocaust, hers is a voice that needs to be heard.
And given the current state of the world from the continued unrest in the Middle East to the rise of hate speech and antisemitism at home she realizes her work is far from done. Still, with all the dangers in the world, after all the horror she's seen, all the pain she's endured, all the people she's lost, her message remains one of hope.
"It's not easy to forgive, you see, especially in something in which you were really hurt badly. But you have to be able to forgive in order that you will have peace, yourself," she says. "I don't believe in hatred. Hatred doesn't lead to help. If we are hating each other, we are not going to be in peace with each other, ever.
"If we don't learn from each other, if we are in constant hostility, we become weak. Together, we are strong."
NOW THAT'S INTERESTING Herzberger never saw her father again after Auschwitz, but her mother survived and was reunited with her daughter in Cluj six months after the Word War II ended. Her mother died in 1994 at the age of 93. Magda married her husband Eugene Herzberger, a neurosurgeon, in 1946. After nine years in Israel, in 1957 they emigrated to the United States, settling in Wisconsin and, later, in Iowa. She and Eugene, now 99, raised two children and have called Arizona home since 1994.
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Originally Published: Jul 1, 2019
" " This image portrays the death of Cleopatra VII, the last pharaoh of Ptolemaic Egypt. After her reign, Egypt became a province of the Roman Empire. Culture Club/Getty Images
For being one of the most famous women in history, the real Cleopatra (69 to 30 B.C.E.) is shrouded in mystery. She ruled Egypt for 22 years, commanded riches unrivaled in the ancient world, bore children to two of the most powerful men in Rome, and yet the stories of her passed down over the centuries Cleopatra as the cunning, wanton seductress were mostly propaganda written by her enemies.
We spoke with Prudence Jones, history professor at Montclair State University and author of "Cleopatra: A Sourcebook" to get the real scoop on Cleopatra VII. Here are five facts that may shatter some myths.
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1. Cleopatra Wasn't Egyptian
Here's one thing we know for sure Cleopatra wasn't Egyptian. Cleopatra was the last in a long line of Macedonian Greek kings and queens who ruled Egypt starting with the conquest of Alexander the Great. After Alexander's death, his general Ptolemy I was installed as king of Egypt, which he ruled as a Greek from the Hellenistic capitol of Alexandria.
Although Cleopatra wasn't ethnically Egyptian, she made explicit overtures to Egyptian religion and culture, such as identifying herself with the goddess Isis. Cleopatra was also the first queen in the centuries-long Ptolemaic Dynasty to bother to learn how to speak Egyptian.
"The rest weren't very motivated," says Jones.
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2. She Wowed with Brains and Charm, Not Beauty
The Roman enemies of Egypt sought to denigrate Cleopatra by painting her as a harlot queen who bewitched great men like Julius Caesar and Marc Antony with her physical beauty alone. But even the Roman historian Plutarch, writing a century after Cleopatra's death, said there was much more to Cleopatra than her looks, which he described as "not altogether incomparable ... as to strike those who saw her."
" " Antony meets Cleopatra for the first time in this 1885 painting. Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images
"[B]ut [to] converse with her had an irresistible charm, and her presence, combined with the persuasiveness of her discourse and the character which was somehow diffused about her behaviour towards others, had something stimulating about it," wrote Plutarch. "There was sweetness also in the tones of her voice; and her tongue, like an instrument of many strings, she could readily turn to whatever language she pleased, so that in her interviews with Barbarians she very seldom had need of an interpreter."
In addition to speaking Greek and Egyptian, Cleopatra was fluent in at least six other languages. A highly educated woman, she published two known texts, one on the care of the body, and the other on weights and measures for medicine and trade.
Compared to the military-minded Antony, who was "not known for being the sharpest tack in the box," says Jones, "Cleopatra was famous for her intellect."
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3. Her 'Love Affair' With Caesar Was a Strategic Alliance
Cleopatra was not the "lascivious fury" described by the Roman poet Lucan ruled only by her promiscuous passions. She had only two romantic partners in her short, 39-year life, and both relationships were political as well as personal, says Jones.
When Cleopatra took the Egyptian throne at 18, she inherited a kingdom in decline. Rome was the ascendant power in the Mediterranean and Egypt's independence was under threat. To make matters worse, her younger brother and co-ruler (and husband it's complicated) was trying to push her out.
When Julius Caesar came to Egypt in pursuit of his rival Pompey, Cleopatra saw an opportunity to win a powerful Roman ally. According to Plutarch's famous account, a middle-aged Caesar first laid eyes on Cleopatra when she smuggled herself into his quarters and tumbled out of a carpet (or more likely, a basket of laundry).
The young Cleopatra won Caesar's affections, took back the throne, and sealed the alliance with the birth of a son, whom she not-so-subtly named Caesarion ("Little Caesar"). She now had family ties to Rome.
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4. Her Affair with Antony? Also Political
Cleopatra's later relationship with Mark Antony (second in command to Caesar) was immortalized by Shakespeare in the play "Antony and Cleopatra" as one of the most legendary and tragic love affairs in history, but it, too, primarily served a political purpose.
" " Elizabeth Taylor memorably played Cleopatra in a 1963 film of the same name, alongside Richard Burton (later her husband) as Mark Antony. API/GAMMA/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images
Egypt may have enjoyed great wealth and resources, but after Caesar's assassination, Cleopatra knew that her kingdom was still at the whim of Rome, the reigning superpower.
"Cleopatra was well aware that in order for Egypt to remain independent at all, it needed a powerful protector," says Jones.
Caesar's death had left a power vacuum in Rome and two prominent men Caesar's chosen heir Octavian, and Antony, the ambitious politician and general were fighting a civil war to fill it. Octavian had the financial backing of the Senate, but Antony desperately needed money to pay his troops. Once again, Cleopatra saw an "in."
Writing of the first meeting between Antony and Cleopatra, Plutarch paints a picture of an older, wiser Cleopatra intent on winning her prize:
"[Caesar's] acquaintance was with her when a girl, young and ignorant of the world, but she was to meet Antony in the time of life when women's beauty is most splendid, and their intellects are in full maturity. She made great preparation for her journey, of money, gifts, and ornaments of value, such as so wealthy a kingdom might afford, but she brought with her her surest hopes in her own magic arts and charms."
Cleopatra didn't need magic at all. Jones says that Antony needed money and Cleopatra was the richest woman in the world. In exchange for her financial support, Antony became Egypt's ally and defender against Roman encroachment and gave Cleopatra (whom he eventually married) three more heirs.
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5. Suicide by Snake? Come On!
The real-life double suicide of Antony and Cleopatra, as recorded by Plutarch, provided a suitably tragic ending to Shakespeare's play. But it probably didn't go down exactly as Shakespeare wrote it.
Antony, falsely believing Cleopatra to be dead after a failed sea battle against Octavian, falls on his own sword and eventually dies in her arms from the wound. Cleopatra, not willing to be paraded in the streets of Rome as a prisoner of war, has a poisonous snake smuggled into her quarters. In the final scene of the play, she hugs the snake to her breast.
"With thy sharp teeth this knot intrinsicate
Of life at once untie: poor venomous fool
Be angry, and dispatch."
In Plutarch's version, the snake (an asp, specifically) is hidden in a basket of large figs.
"It is said that the asp was brought with those figs and leaves and lay hidden beneath them, for thus Cleopatra had given orders, that the reptile might fasten itself upon her body without her being aware of it. But when she took away some of the figs and saw it, she said: 'There it is, you see,' and baring her arm she held it out for the bite."
But even Plutarch admits that there were various accounts of Cleopatra's death and that "the truth of the matter no one knows; for it was also said that she carried about poison in a hollow comb and kept the comb hidden in her hair."
Modern Cleopatra scholars say that poison would have been a much simpler and faster way to go, but that Cleopatra likely included the more dramatic snake story in her suicide note to Caesar.
Now That's Cool The epic 1963 film "Cleopatra" starring Elizabeth Taylor as the kohl-eyed heroine is still one of the most expensive movies ever made, with a final budget of $44 million (more than $350 million in 2019 dollars). Although some critics panned it, Jones say it "is actually very good."
" " Frances Kelsey worked for the FDA in the early 1960s as a drug reviewer. She was the person who was responsible for reviewing the application for thalidomide. FDA
It's official: As of Aug. 23, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave its seal of approval to Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine. This is a landmark step in the fight against the novel coronavirus, and one that many people (vaccine hesitant or otherwise) were waiting for.
FDA approval of any drug is no small matter. The process is rigorous and often lengthy and that's by design. But it wasn't always that way. Back in the day, "drugs were not developed on target," says Katherine Donovan, a senior scientist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts, "it was more like trial and error."
So what changed? Today's FDA drug approval standards, developed 60 years ago, were largely the product of a single drug and a woman who refused to give it FDA authorization.
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The Hero of the FDA
We're talking about Frances O. Kelsey. She was born Frances Oldham on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, in 1914. She developed an interest in science early in life. She earned a master's degree from McGill University in Montreal at age 20, and would go on to complete both an M.D. and Ph.D. in pharmacology at the University of Chicago.
Like many women in science at the time, Kelsey faced opposition from the overwhelmingly male scientific establishment. In fact, she suspected that her gender-neutral first name helped launch her career: The letter of acceptance for her Ph.D. program was even addressed to 'Mr. Oldham.'
"I knew that men were the preferred commodity in those days," she later wrote, "I do not know if my name had been Elizabeth or Mary Jane, whether I would have gotten that first big step up."
Nevertheless, Kelsey eventually joined the University of Chicago as a full-fledged faculty member in 1942. It was there that she met and married fellow staff member Dr. Fremont Kelsey. In 1960, the couple moved with their two daughters to Washington, D.C., where Frances accepted a position as a drug reviewer for the FDA. Little did she know, she was about to alter the course of history.
" " Phillipa Bradbourne, a child in London, was born without arms after her mother took thalidomide for morning sickness. Here she is celebrating the first anniversary of the Lady Hoare Thalidomide Appeal, which raised money for children affected by the drug. PA Images via Getty Images
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Dodging a Bullet
Just as Frances Kelsey was stepping into her new role at the FDA, a new drug was making the rounds in Europe, Africa and Asia.
Known as thalidomide, the drug was originally developed in the early 1950s as a sedative. "Back then, it was post-wartime and things were a little bit crazy," says Donovan, "so the world was in need of a decent sedative to help people sleep."
Patients taking thalidomide for anxiety quickly realized that it also worked wonders on an upset stomach, and it soon caught on as a cure for morning sickness. A few people reported tingling in their hands and feet also called neuropathy after prolonged thalidomide use. However, these negative effects wore off as soon as they stopped taking it, and so the drug was generally considered safe. By 1957, it was approved for over-the-counter sale in Germany, and available by prescription in dozens of other countries.
The FDA application for thalidomide crossed Kelsey's desk in September 1960, just seven months after she began working there. At the time, the FDA's approval process for new drugs lasted just 60 days, during which the reviewer would wade through a hodgepodge of assorted mouse trial data and other material submitted by the applicants. Given thalidomide's popularity, it seemed destined to sail through with ease.
But Kelsey had some concerns. An English study, which included some reports of neuropathy and similar nerve-related symptoms, gave her pause. She was also wary of the lack of data regarding the drug's effect on pregnancy. Without further research, she refused to approve the drug.
It was a bold move. "There was a lot of pressure from around the world to approve it," Donovan says. Still, Kelsey stayed firm. One year later, her caution was vindicated.
" " President John F. Kennedy presented Frances Kelsey with the highest award for civilian federal workers, the Distinguished Federal Civilian Service medal, for preventing the approval of thalidomide in the U.S. Bettmann Archive/Getty Images
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The Rise and Fall of Thalidomide
Around the same time thalidomide was under scrutiny for approval in the United States, Dr. William McBride of Australia and Dr. Widukund Lenz of Germany both noticed a strange pattern: an unusual number of children born with strikingly similar congenital limb anomalies, all within a relatively small geographic area. The common denominator, they discovered, was that their mothers had all taken thalidomide for morning sickness early in their pregnancies.
McBride raised the alarm with a bombshell piece published in the Lancet in 1961, sending shock waves through the medical community. Thalidomide was pulled from shelves in Germany almost immediately; other countries followed suit shortly thereafter.
Kelsey's contribution in keeping thalidomide largely out of U.S. pharmacies might have gone unnoticed by the public if not for a Washington Post article published in 1962. That same year, President John F. Kennedy awarded Kelsey the President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service and signed the Kefauver-Harris amendments into law. This key bit of legislation is the reason that drugs in the U.S. must meet strict clinical trial standards in order to be approved by the FDA.
Kelsey would go on to serve the FDA for 45 years, helping hone the organization's drug approval process all the while.
Curiously, that's not where the story of thalidomide ends. In the wake of its disastrous legacy, scientists began looking deeper into the mechanism of the drug itself to discover why it caused such unexpected side effects. They found that, unlike most drugs, which simply bind to one receptor in the body, thalidomide "actually recruits other things to bind. And that leads to those proteins being removed from the body completely," Donovan says. This can be either good or very bad, depending on which proteins get removed. But by fine-tuning thalidomide's molecular structure, researchers believed it might be possible to target specific "bad" proteins for removal.
In 2006, this research revealed the drug's potential for treating leprosy and plasma cell myeloma, an uncommon type of bone marrow cancer. Since then, two different drugs based on the structure of thalidomide have been approved for cancer treatment by the FDA.
" " After Frances Kelsey's decision not to approve the drug, John F. Kennedy signed into law sweeping changes to the FDA's drug approval process. Wikimedia/(CC BY-SA 2.0)
Now That's Interesting Part of the reason for thalidomide's wide range of effects is because it is a chiral molecule a type of molecule that exhibits "handedness." The left-handed version is an effective painkiller, while the right-handed version is toxic.
There is compelling evidence that Australias critical infrastructure faces immediate cyber threats that, a parliamentary committee has recommended, justify fast-tracking emergency powers while deferring long-promised industry consultation.
Responding to a raft of industry submissions lodged during the review of new critical infrastructure protection laws, the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) recommended splitting the Security Legislation Amendment (Critical Infrastructure) Bill 2020 (SOCI) into two separate bills.
This approach would, the PJCIS said in handing down its advisory report, enable the quick passage of laws to counter looming threats against Australias critical infrastructure, while giving businesses and government additional time to co-design the most effective regulatory framework to ensure long-term security of our critical infrastructure.
That infrastructure was vulnerable within a very serious and rapidly deteriorating cyber security environment, it advised, that demands both a swift and comprehensive response.
Industry bodies, trade unions, and critical infrastructure asset owners and operators had expressed significant disagreement about the legislation, which expands the number of industry sectors classified as critical infrastructure to 11 and imposes a range of new cybersecurity obligations.
Businesses have been concerned that the new legislation would expose them to new liability for cyber attacks, may not have avenues for appeal of penalties, wont be able to detect and report on cyber incidents quickly enough, and will struggle aligning new obligations with existing best practice.
While those concerns have been acknowledged by the Department in a general way, the PJCIS said, they have been largely sidelined by policymakers bent on minimising amendments so that the emergency powers can be passed unmodified, as quickly as possible given a small and rapidly diminishing window of opportunity to legislate.
The new, streamlined emergency powers bill would include urgent government assistance mechanisms, mandatory notification requirements, and related measures.
Details of the threat were not publicly shared although in June, Department of Home Affairs (DHA) and Australian Signals Directorate executives provided what committee chair Senator James Paterson had previously called important evidence on the scale of the cyber threat from both criminal and state actors.
Industry welcomes further consultation
Despite widespread recognition of Australias mediocre security settings, SOCIs new requirements have raised hackles amongst industry providers, on whom the proposed legislation imposes a range of positive security obligations including mandatory risk management programs, reporting obligations, and increased cybersecurity requirements for systems of national significance such as power networks and data centres.
While Australia has not suffered a catastrophic attack on critical infrastructure, we are not immune, DHA previously noted in an explanatory document that outlined the concerns about each sector and also declared that partnerships with industry sit at the foundation of this measure.
The new PJCIS recommendation reverses that commitment, delegating industry consultation to the future so the government can address unnamed looming threats against Australias critical infrastructure.
The push for emergency powers echoes the passage of the controversial Telecommunication and Other Legislation Amendment (Assistance and Access Bill) in Parliaments last sitting of 2018 to support, as was recently revealed, an extensive police sting.
Industry bodies welcomed the recommendation, with Business Council of Australia chief executive Jennifer Westacott calling it a practical way forward to keep Australia secure while maintaining our ability to attract investment, create jobs, and recover from the pandemic.
The two-stage approach is critical, she said, avoiding unintended consequences by letting business work with government on more complex changes.
The Group of Eight universities were also positive, with chief executive Vicki Thomson noting that universities undertake the overwhelming majority of Australias national security-sensitive university research.
Splitting the legislation was a sensible solution, the Go8 said, noting that we need to be very proportionate in how we regulate these types of issues so that we dont get overwhelmed with red tape.
Theres an opportunity cost in a resource-constrained environment from any kind of regulatory activity, and we want to make sure that were doing our best to get the best outcomes from these types of processes.
Faethm's uses AI to predict how technology impacts the future of work. Image: Shutterstock
Major UK education company Pearson has acquired Australian AI firm Faethm in a bid to improve its data analytics and AI capabilities.
Faethms AI is used to model how technology will affect a given workforce and will be integrated into Pearsons Workforce Skills division.
Michael Howells, President of Workforce Skills at Pearson said Faethms acquisition will help the company improve its predictions about the future of work.
Together, Faethms analytics capabilities and Pearsons learning products will help companies of all sizes understand what skills they need and how to develop them, Howells said.
In this digital age, we want to help the worlds workforce unlock its potential and ensure that companies have highly skilled employees who can work alongside new technology.
Michael Priddis (CEO) and Greg Miller (Executive Director) founded Faethm in 2017.
It graduated from ACS Harbour City Labs scale-up accelerator in July 2020 and has grown to sell its data insights in 26 countries.
Early last year, Faethm showed off its data analytics skills by preparing a report for ACS looking at the extent of technological change on different industries as technological adoption increases in Australia.
The Technology Impacts on the Australian Workforce warned that technology will impact the jobs of 7.2 million Australian workers by 2034 through either displacement or augmentation.
[L-R] Labor MP Matt Thistlethwaite, ACS President Ian Oppermann, and Faethm Chief Data Scientist Richard George holding the Technology Impacts on the Australian Workforce report last year.
Faethm has helped many organisations understand what the future of work looks like, Faethm Executive Director Greg Miller said.
The next question were often asked is: 'now that we know our workforce needs, how do we help our people upskill and adapt to the changing world?'
With Pearson, we can identify where the world's future workforce needs to be and help it get there.
Neither party has disclosed the acquisitions value.
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1. Yes. There should be absolute certainty that the election was free and fair.
2. Yes. The audit could and should lead to stronger laws governing elections in the state.
3. No. Former President Trump wants the audit to further cast doubt on the 2020 vote.
4. No. Its a waste of money, an attempt by Abbott to gain favor among Trump backers.
5. Unsure. It seems unnecessary but it may provide some worthwhile findings.
Vote
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Appeals Court Overturns Judges Order to House L.A. Skid Row Homeless
A federal appeals court today overturned a Los Angeles judges sweeping order forcing local government to offer shelter to every unhoused person on downtowns Skid Row by the middle of next month, and sent the case back to the lower court for further proceedings. A panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals determined that the district court had abused its discretion because it did not have authority to issue the preliminary injunction order based on claims not pled in the complaint brought last year by the L.A. Alliance for Human Rights, an association of downtown residents, homeless individuals and property owners seeking to compel the county and city of Los Angeles to find shelter for the thousands of people camping on city sidewalks.
U.S. District Judge David Carter issued the mandatory injunction in April, based on a finding that structural racism in the form of discriminatory lending, real estate covenants, redlining, freeway construction, exclusionary zoning and unequal access to affordable housing is the driving force behind Los Angeles homelessness crisis and its disproportionate impact on the Black community. Faulting the county and city for being unable or unwilling to devise effective solutions to the crisis, Carter determined the court was compelled to act because worsening public health issues, including the coronavirus pandemic, demanded immediate, lifesaving action.While both sides of the lawsuit took no issue with the district courts conclusion about structural racism, none of the plaintiffs claims is based on racial discrimination, and the district courts order is largely based on unpled claims and theories, Judge Jacqueline H. Nguyen wrote for the appellate court.
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Since L.A. Alliance failed to put forth evidence to establish standing, Carter impermissibly resorted to independent research and extra-
record evidence, according to the opinion. For these reasons, we vacate the preliminary injunction and remand for further proceedings, the panel concluded.
The L.A. Alliance said it was pleased to see that the 9th Circuit has identified a pathway to hold the city and county accountable for their
failed response to L.A.s homelessness crisis. The court issued a narrow ruling this morning focused on procedural steps in the case but not the underlying law, according to the coalition.
We are greatly encouraged because the issues identified can be quickly addressed and we look forward to returning to Judge Carters courtroom in the coming weeks. Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer applauded the decision, calling it an important victory that nonetheless leaves the region still in the grips of the homelessness crisis.All officials need to share Judge Carters intense sense of urgency, Feuer said. With todays ruling, the ball is now squarely in the court of elected leaders. That means deeper collaboration between the city and county, additional state and federal resources, fundamental improvements in engaging people experiencing homelessness and more (leading to) real solutions that reduce street homelessness and make our public spaces once again safe and accessible for everyone.
Skip Miller, outside counsel for Los Angeles County, also expressed gratitude for the courts opinion Thursday.
We are grateful the 9th Circuit has ruled in our favor by vacating the district courts sweeping injunction based on an abuse of judicial discretion, he said
Nevertheless, the county will continue with its massive efforts to address homeless as it has all along. We appreciate where Judge Carter is coming from and look forward to working with him to find a solution to this lawsuit.
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The judges April mandate was comprehensive, ordering the escrow of $1 billion the citys entire homelessness budget to ensure the money was
not being squandered, offers of shelter or housing to all unhoused individuals in Skid Row within 180 days, starting with single women and unaccompanied children, and numerous audits and reports.
The wholesale clearing of 50-plus blocks on Skid Row would be followed by criminal enforcement of anti-camping and related ordinances, according
to filings in Los Angeles federal court. The city and county immediately appealed. During arguments before the circuit court in July, the appellants
argued that Carters extraordinary order violates the separation of powers, takes powers away from elected officials and would interfere with local
government efforts to deal with the crisis.
Mira Hashmall, arguing for the county, said the injunction does not stand up to legal scrutiny because the plaintiffs cannot demonstrate a particular injury caused by the county. Further, Carter rewrote the case to be about racial discrimination when theres no evidence the county has engaged in any racial discrimination, she said.Federal judges are not supposed to wade into political waters such as these, Hashmall said, adding that judges cannot legislate from the bench.
Deputy City Attorney Michael Walsh said Carters court had disregarded the rule of law to impose those policy preferences through a
sweeping order rather than the decisions made by the citys elected officials which is judicial overreach of the worst sort. The shelter order simply cannot be upheld without a valid legal theory or proof of a constitutional violation, of which there are none, Walsh argued.
Circuit Judge John Owens asked whether Carters order might actually be the result, not of overreach but judicial frustration, where we have a judge who really wants to figure out a solution here and, in his opinion, theres been a dismal, dismal failure by the elected officials in Los Angeles who are supposedly charged with fixing this. So what is he supposed to do if he sees this violation going on? Owens said. Is he supposed to just sit back and watch Los Angeles continue to disintegrate in this area or should he take some action and make something happen? Asked by Owens whether stepping up settlement discussions might be a better way to resolve the case, Walsh said, Theres always the possibility.At the hearing, Nguyen indicated that at a minimum, the appeals panel probably should send the case back to Carter for further hearings Carter scheduled a Dec. 16 status conference to discuss where the case stands.
Councilmember Kevin de Leon, who represents Skid Row as part of Council District 14, said the decision does not change anything for unhoused peoplestruggling to survive on our streets. They are still victims of a litigation merry-go-round that does nothing to put a roof over their heads. Regardless of the decision, he added, Im committed to working with urgency to move people into clean and safe housing as rapidly as possible.
Councilmember Mark Ridley-Thomas said homelessness is not solved in a courtroom, but on the streets. Housing is a right, not a privilege, he
said.
Ask Dr. Jeanette Success On The Way: Purging Fear, Doubt and Indecision
Purging Fear, Doubt and Indecision
Dr. Jeanettes Purging series Part 5
Remember what James, our Lords brother said, James 1:6,7 ..when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea blown and tossed by the wind. Dont expect to receive anything from the Lord. Doubt and indecisiveness permeates our world and in our lives. Yes. We would like to know for sure in and in advance that what we do and think will yield positive fruit and productivity. But, we dont know that. However, there is a way to know we are moving in the right direction. We need wisdom and aligning ourselves to use it. The reverence and respect of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Proverbs 9:10. Wisdom and understanding can give us longer life. Leading a healthier life can be a part of that.
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Do you remember the Great Prophet Elijah? 1 Kings chapter 18 details an exciting account of Elijahs faith and obedience. King Ahab and his wife Jezebel were engrained idolaters. There was a severe famine and drought in its third year. Ahab called for Obadiah who was over the palace and to search out the land for food for the animals, horses and mules.. Elijah met Obadiah suddenly. Elijah was bold and masterful in his demand to Obadiah to go and tell Ahab that I am here. Obadiah was afraid because of his fear of death from Ahab. Ahab had been looking of Elijah, devout monotheist (serving the one true God Jehovah. Ahab called Elijah a troubler. Ahab in his anxiety over the drought and famine called together the prophets who worshipped the false gods of Baal and Israelites on Mount Carmel. Ahab challenged Elijah, who said to all the people, How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him. But, if Baal is God, follow him. This contest was to determine who is The Holy One and who is the false god. The bull for the false prophets was prepared first to avoid the appearance of fraud. They called on the name of Baal for many hours seemingly at least eight or so. They hopped around the altar that was prepared..leaping and hopping. All to no avail. Elijah There was no voice or sound of life coming from the prepared sacrifice, the bull. Elijah built a trench and an altar with stones. He dug a trench. He poured water on the wood which ran down around the altar and even filled the trench. His prayer, let it be known today that you are the only true God and turn their hearts back to you again. When God sent his holy fire down which consumed the altar. Elijah prayed and reminded God. I have done all these things as you have commanded. Elijah had the false prophets seized the four hundred fifty prophets of Baal and would not release them from their death. After these things, Elijah called for the rain to return. He false prophets would not turn their hearts to serve the one true LORD Jehovah. They would not free themselves from doubt, fear, greed. The false prophets had to be destroyed for their worshipping false gods. What do you want from the Lord? Go to him in faith, nothing doubting. Just ask.
Thanks for reading! Jeanette Grattan Parker, Founder-Superintendent Todays Fresh Start Charter School 323-293-9826 www.todaysfreshstart.org; Askdrjeanette www.askdrjeanetteparker.com [email protected] Inquiring minds want to know. All rights reserved. Ask Dr. Jeanette Scripture references:
Black Future Project Founder Sues Beverly Hills, Alleging Rights Violations
A Black activist is suing Beverly Hills, alleging his civil rights were violated during arrests while he led protests in the city following the 2020 in-custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
James Butlers Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit alleges civil rights violations, battery, false imprisonment, unlawful arrest and intentional infliction of emotional arrest. Butler seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages in the suit brought Monday.
A Beverly Hills spokesman said today that city officials have not seen the lawsuit and declined comment.
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The city of Beverly Hills has a long and well-documented history of racially profiling and discriminatory police practices against African Americans, according to the suit, which notes a number of prior lawsuits against the city.
Butler is the founder of the Black Future Project, an organization that favors defunding the police and dismantling what he and his followers deem to be structural racism.
In June 2020, after Butler organized a protest in Beverly Hills, the City Council passed an emergency ordinance limiting residential assemblies to no more than 10 people between 9 p.m. and 8 a.m., according to the suit.
In response, Butler and the Black Future Project organized a second protest in the city in late June 2020 with about 100 people who assembled on Santa Monica Boulevard after 9 p.m., and he and about 25 participants were arrested for allegedly being in violation of the emergency ordinance, the suit states.
Butler spoke out publicly regarding the arrests, including what he believed were substandard conditions in the Beverly Hills city jail, the suit states.
The city filed misdemeanor charges against Butler for taking part in the protest, but a judge later dismissed all allegations against him and the other protesters, the suit states.
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On July 23, 2020, Butler organized another demonstration that began when he spoke to his fellow protesters before they marched from Beverly Hills High School toward Santa Monica Boulevard, the suit states. The march was peaceful and occurred prior to the 9 p.m. curfew, but Butler was apprehended by multiple officers who handcuffed him, the suit states.
The BHPD officers violently slammed Butler to the ground and pushed his face into the concrete roadway while placing a knee on the back of Butlers neck, the suit alleges.
Butler was then violently slammed into a patrol car and the BHPD attempted to justify his arrest by writing fabricated police reports to the Los Angeles County District Attorneys Office in the hope that prosecutors would file felony charges for assault on a peace officer, the suit alleges.
However, after spending multiple hours in custody, Butler was released after the District Attorneys Office declined to prosecute, the suit states.
In 1995, Beverly Hills was sued by a group of Black plaintiffs who alleged that BHPD officers stopped and harassed Black drivers without reasonable suspicion at a disproportionately high rate, the suit notes.
As part of the litigations settlement, the city established a Human Relations Commission to deal with issues of racial profiling, according to the suit.
Black Lives Matter Leader Victim of Another Apparent Swatting Call
A leader of Black Lives Matter Los Angeles who was targeted in a swatting incident last year was the victim of another apparent false emergency call today.
Los Angeles Police Department officers were called to the residence of Melina Abdullah about 9:30 a.m. in the 2100 block of Wellington Road, near Washington Boulevard after receiving a call that Abdullahs young son had contacted police claiming Abdullah had overdosed on pills and requested assistance, Capt. Stacy Spell told the Los Angeles Times.
A unit and a supervisor was sent to Abdullahs home to check on her, Spell said.
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Spell told The Times officers were able to determine that she was not in any danger after a neighbor was able to contact Abdullah and notify her that police were at her door.
The responding officers ultimately determined the report was a false emergency call for service intended to elicit a large police response to the location.
Abdullah filed a lawsuit this week alleging the LAPD had acted improperly after a similar call last year to her home and said Thursdays swatting call was very suspicious as it came on the heels of her lawsuit.
The timing is not coincidental, she told The Times.
Anyone with information on the swatting call was asked to call the LAPD Major Crimes Division at 213-486-7280. Calls made during non-business hours or on weekends should be made to 877-527-3247.
Anonymous tips can be called in to Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or submitted online at lacrimestoppers.org.
By 2026, Cal Education Chief Wants Every Third Grader to Know How to Read
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond held a press conference via zoom and on Facebook last week to unveil an ambitious new education achievement plan for California. It is a campaign that has been designed to ensure, by 2026, every California third grader will know how to read.
The effort will also include a biliteracy milestone for dual-language learners.
Thurmond announced that he will be forming a task force of practitioners, advocates, researchers, foundation partners, thought leaders, students, parents, and other experts to identify key strategies that school districts and charter schools can employ to help their students achieve this bold goal.
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Education researchers point out that children are expected to be able to learn about the world through reading by third and fourth grade. This is when their math lessons are taught using word problems and reasoning skills are developed through discussing text theyve been assigned to read. Children who fall behind developing reading skills quickly find themselves struggling to keep up with their coursework.
A study by researchers at the Stanford Graduate School of Education reached the conclusion that during the pandemic inadequate reading instruction has contributed to students reading fluency in second and third grade to be approximately 30 % behind what would be expected in a typical year.
Thurmond said during his opening remarks, We already know that when students learn to read, they can read to learn anything. This is a gateway skill that can carry them to any point in their life, in their career, and in their journey. We also know that when students dont learn to read by third grade, theyre at greater risk to drop out of school, and they are greater risk to end up in the criminal justice system
On the states Smarter Balanced tests during the 2018-19 school year only 33% of Black students in grades three through 11 tested at grade level or above in English language; only 31% of third graders tested at grade level or above in English language arts.
In addition to announcing the task force formation, Thurmond revealed that Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D-Oakland) has agreed to sponsor legislation that will formally be introduced in 2022 to support the task forces recommendations.
We will bring forward legislation in the next legislative cycle that will help us to have the resources for professional learning, and the other things that well need to support our students, he said.
Thurmond expects the legislation to consider issues of readiness, chronic absenteeism, needs of students with disabilities and multilingual learners, early education, and socio-economic factors that impact a students ability to learn to read.
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I look forward to working closely with you all in the coming weeks and months on improving childhood literacy and biliteracy, said Assemblymember Bonta speaking at the press conference. I applaud Superintendent Thurmond for this targeted campaign. It is a bold, aggressive agenda. Im on board and willing to make sure that we have the ability to provide legislation that is going to be meaningful and focus on implementation and making this a reality for every single child in this state. Literacy is the key to equity.
Also present at the press conference were: E. Toby Boyd, California Teachers Association; Hedy Chang, Executive Director, Attendance Works; Dr. Francisco Escobedo, Executive Director, National Center for Urban School Transformation; Assemblymember Jim Frazier (D-Fairfield), Liaison to Advisory Commission on Special Education; Jan Gustafson-Corea, Chief Executive Officer, California Association of Bilingual Education (CABE); Matt Navo, Executive Director, California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE); Dr. Christopher J. Nellum, Executive Director, The Education TrustWest; and Jackie Thu-Huong Wong, Chief Deputy Director, First 5 California. Keith Pace, Executive Director, California School Employees Association was invited but did not participate.
Each participant shared personal stories and encouraged statewide support for literacy and biliteracy for all of Californias students.
This has been an incredibly challenging year for our students, our educators, and their families, E. Toby Boyd, President of the California Teachers Association, said. The pandemic has shined a light on the challenges that our schools and communities face in serving the six million students in our system. I, along with my 310,000 educators, are ready to work with Superintendent Thurmond, Assemblymembers Bonta and Frazier, and the members of the task force to develop thoughtful strategies and policies for our youngest learners, and also for the future of California public education.
Were extremely excited about this campaign for a number of reasons, but for me and for us this campaign launches at a time when weve all seen how drastically our education systems can change during a crisis, said Christopher Nellum, executive director of Education Trust-West. And in our opinion now is the time to act with the same sort of urgency with regard to our literacy crisis in California.
In his closing remarks Thurmond said, I thought Id have eight years to work on this in some way. The pandemic has upended, some of those efforts. But, I just have to say, as I feel about to borrow from the wonderful Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Im reclaiming my time to work on an initiative that I know is so important.
An archived broadcast of the press conference with American Sign Language interpretation service can be viewed on the CDE Facebook page.
COVIDs effects worsen Americas racial wealth gap: Blacks own 22 cents for every dollar held by whites Closing gaps would create 1.7 million jobs, add $300-450 billion to the economy
As the global pandemic continues to take lives and infect multiple generations, virtually every dimension of life is challenged. And people with the fewest financial resources before COVID-19 are being challenged more than ever before.
It is both a challenge and an opportunity for leadership in the Biden Administration, Congress, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, along with the private sector address to effect policies and practices that reverse the nations still-growing racial wealth gap. Tried and true wealth-building tools like targeted homeownership and expanded small business investments together would bring sustainable and meaningful changes to those who historically have been financially marginalized.
In an effort to better understand and solve the dual sagas wrought from centuries of racial discrimination and COVID, major universities, government agencies, public policy institutes and corporations are releasing new research that analyzes the pandemics added challenges that exacerbate historical racial inequities.
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For example, from January through March of this year, Blacks on average had 22 cents for every dollar of white family wealth, according to the St. Louis Federal Reserves Institute for Economic Equity These substantial gaps have remained largely unchanged since 1989 to the present, according to the Institute.
The gaps disparities are also reflected in findings from research conducted by Harvard University. This esteemed Ivy League institution drew a key distinction between Americas income and wealth inequalities.
Income is unequal, but wealth is even more unequal, said Alexandra Killewald, professor of sociology at Harvard, who studies inequality in the contemporary U.S.
You can think of income as water flowing into your bathtub, whereas wealth is like the water thats sitting in the bathtub, she said. If you have wealth, it can protect you if you lose your job or your house. Wealth is distinctive because it can be used as a cushion, and it can be directly passed down across generations, providing families more choices and greater opportunity in the present and the future white Americans are benefiting from legacies of advantageThe typical white American family has roughly 10 times as much wealth as the typical African American family and the typical Latino family.
While the issues raised by the Federal Reserve and Harvard may sound like variations on an old theme, a 150-year-old global financial firm, Goldman Sachs, urges targeted and sustained investment by both the public and private sectors to erase Americas racial wealth gap. While the report focuses on Black women, its projected outcomes would benefit Black men as well.
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If the improvements benefit Black women and men alike, we estimate larger increases in U.S. employment of 1.7 million jobs and in U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of 2.1%, which corresponds to $450 billion per year.
Titled, Black Womenomics: Investing in the Underinvested, the March 2021 report calls for access to capital, education, equitable earnings, health care, and housing to lay the groundwork to reverse historical disadvantages, while creating financial independence and personal wealth.
Most importantly, the report calls for the participation of Blacks and especially Black women to shape their own futures.
[A]ny efforts to effectively address the issues can only be successful if Black women are actively engaged in formulating the strategies and framing the outcomes. Moreover, addressing discrimination and bias will be fundamental to real and sustainable progressThe large wealth gap faced by single Black women is particularly important because Black women are more and increasingly likely to be single and breadwinner mothersAmong Black mothers, more than 80% are breadwinners compared to 50% of white mothers, states the report.
How existing financial disparities leave Black women more financially vulnerable is found in the reports data points:
Black women face a 90% wealth gap;
The wage gap of Black women widens through their whole work-life, and especially rapidly between ages 20 and 35;
Black women are five times more likely than white men to rely on expensive payday loans;
Black women are nearly three times more likely to forego prescription medicine, and also much more likely than white men not to see a doctor because they cannot afford it; and
The median single Black woman does not own a home, and single Black women are 24 times less likely than single white men to own a business.
Additionally, the nations shortage of affordable housing translates into 85% of Black women with families facing housing costs ranging from more than 30% to 50% of their incomes. Once the monthly rent is paid, these housing-burdened households have little left to cover utilities, food, childcare or other household needs.
Even Black families earning a median income will need 14 years just to save a 5% home down payment, according to a recent analysis by the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL).
A legacy of historically modest incomes and little inter-generational wealth available to be passed down by families leaves most Black Americans without the comparable financial advantages enjoyed by other races and ethnicities.
These and other circumstances lead many women especially women of color to turn to high-cost loans of only a few hundred dollars. Although the typical payday loan of $350 is marketed as a short-term fix to an unexpected expense, the reality for many with modest incomes is that the high-cost loan which can come with interest as high as 400% becomes yet another long-term financial burden that worsens financial strains with[every renewal.
Predatory, high-interest lenders pull people down into financial quicksand, making them more likely to experience a range of harms, such as losing their bank account, defaulting on their bills, losing their car, and declaring bankruptcy. It is low-income consumers, and disproportionately communities of color whom the lenders target that are being harmed, said Ashley Harrington, of CRL in testimony this summer before the U.S. Senate Banking Committee.
The harms of wealth inequality also extend to the broader U.S. economy, according to the Goldman Sachs report. In its view, expanding opportunities for Black women who are often on the bottom rung of the economic ladder can create a pathway to individual and national prosperity. Overcoming these adverse economic trends would make for not only a fairer, but also a richer society. We estimate that confronting the earnings gap for Black women could create 1.2-1.7 million U.S. jobs and raise the level of annual U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) by 1.4-2.1% each year, or $300-450 billion in current dollars.
The sum of these findings underscores the frustration felt by much of Black America. The Civil War ended slavery and promised the emancipated 40 acres and a mule. The civil rights laws of the 1960s promised to eliminate discrimination in voting, housing, and public accommodations. Next, the affirmative action programs of the 1970s promised equal opportunity employment in fields that had been previously barred to Blacks and other people of color.
It is time for this nation to make good on its age-old promises. Creating neighborhoods of opportunity from poverty pockets would strengthen cities and suburbs alike. If corporate leadership would join with the Administration and Congress to ensure that Black America and other people of color share in the nations prosperity, everyone would be better off.
No person and certainly no community will ever beg its way out of poverty. But down payment assistance for first generation, mortgage-ready homebuyers would build family wealth. Similarly, creating an equity investment fund targeted to struggling small Black businesses would preserve neighborhood opportunities, including more permanent jobs. .
In the timeless words of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., All we say to America is, Be true to what you said on paper.
Charlene Crowell is a senior fellow with the Center for Responsible Lending. She can be reached at [email protected].
Fighting wave of misinfo, YouTube bans false vaccine claims
YouTube announced a sweeping crackdown of vaccine misinformation Wednesday that booted popular anti-vaccine influencers from its site and deleted false claims that have been made about a range of immunizations.
The video-sharing platform said it will no longer allow users to baselessly speculate that approved vaccines, like the ones given to prevent the flu or measles, are dangerous or cause diseases.
YouTubes latest attempt to stem a tide of vaccine misinformation comes as countries around the globe struggle to convince a somewhat vaccine hesitant public to accept the free immunizations that scientists say will end the COVID-19 pandemic that began 20 months ago. The tech platform, which is owned by Google, already tried to ban COVID-19 vaccine misinformation last year, at the height of the pandemic.
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Weve steadily seen false claims about the coronavirus vaccines spill over into misinformation about vaccines in general, and were now at a point where its more important than ever to expand the work we started with COVID-19 to other vaccines, YouTube said in a blog post.
Up until Wednesday, anti-vaccine influencers, who have thousands of subscribers, had used YouTube to stoke fears around vaccines that health experts point out have been safely administered for decades. The YouTube channel of an organization run by environmental activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was one of several popular anti-vaccine accounts that was gone by Wednesday morning.
In an emailed statement to The Associated Press, Kennedy criticized the ban: There is no instance in history when censorship and secrecy have advanced either democracy or public health.
YouTube declined to provide details on how many accounts were removed in the crackdown.
Under its new policy, YouTube says it will remove misinformation about any vaccine that has been approved by health authorities, such as the World Health Organization, and is currently being administered. False claims that those vaccines are dangerous or cause health issues, like cancer, infertility or autism theories that scientists have discredited for decades but have endured on the internet should also be removed.
The concept that vaccines harm instead of help is at the foundation of a lot of misinformation, said Jeanine Guidry, a media and public health professor at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine.
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She added that, if enforced properly, the new rules could stop bad information from influencing a new parent who is using the internet to research whether or not to vaccinate their child, for example.
But, as is common when tech platforms announce stricter rules, loopholes remain for anti-vaccine misinformation to spread on YouTube.
Claims about vaccines that are being tested will still be allowed. Personal stories about reactions to the vaccine will also be permitted, as long as they do not come from an account that has a history of promoting vaccine misinformation.
Despite tech companies announcing a string of new rules around COVID-19 and vaccine misinformation during the pandemic, falsehoods have still found big audiences on the platforms.
In March, Twitter began labelling content that made misleading claims about COVID-19 vaccines and said it would ban accounts that repeatedly share such posts. Facebook, which also owns Instagram, had already prohibited posts claiming COVID-19 vaccines cause infertility or contain tracking microchips, and in February announced it would similarly remove claims that vaccines are toxic or can cause health problems such as autism.
Yet popular anti-vaccine influencers remain live on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, where they actively use the platforms to sell books or videos. On Facebook and Instagram alone, a handful of anti-vaccine influencers still have a combined 6.4 million followers, according to social media watchdog group the Center for Countering Digital Hate. And COVID-19 vaccine misinformation has been so pervasive on Facebook that President Joe Biden in July accused influencers on the platform of killing people with falsehoods about the COVID-19 vaccine.
Other platforms have taken a harder line. Pinterest, for example, prohibited any kind of vaccine misinformation even before the pandemic began. Now, if users search for content about vaccines on the site, they are directed to visit authoritative websites operated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the WHO. ___
Associated Press writers David Klepper in Providence, Rhode Island, and Barbara Ortutay in Oakland, California, contributed to this report.
L.A. County Board Looks to Watchdog Agency to Take On Deputy Cliques
Responding to a RAND Corp. report finding that deputy cliques accused of gang-like behavior still exist with the sheriffs department, the Board of Supervisors today tasked the Civilian Oversight Commission with developing a plan to eradicate these groups.
Supervisors Hilda Solis and Holly Mitchell co-authored the motion, which was not part of the planned agenda and was read in toward the end of the meeting.
Solis noted that the study by the Santa Monica-based think tank, commissioned in 2019 and released this month, found that a majority of deputies still believe the subgroups are a positive force in the department and only 37% support banning them altogether.
The RAND study confirmed what weve known for many years, that deputy gangs exist, even if the sheriff says there are not any or tries to minimize their existence, Solis said. Those that know best are the residents of our county, especially those families who have suffered at the hands of deputy misconduct.
There shouldnt be a need for these actions, but unfortunately we have no choice when deputy gang members continue to engage in harm, intimidation and harassment.
Sheriff Alex Villanueva blasted the report last week, insisting that his administration has cracked down on such groups.
With all the negative press associated with the deputy subgroups, with the efforts that Ive done, my administration has done putting in the policy, enforcing the policy, creating a video that every single member of the department had to see, they had to sign an attestation form, none of this was mentioned in the RAND study, Villanueva said.
RAND researchers concluded that department leadership can best discourage involvement in deputy subgroups a neutral term adopted by researchers by clarifying policy language and delivering strong and consistent messages to its staff.
Villanueva said the RAND report essentially made 37 recommendations for addressing the issue of deputy cliques, and 30 of them are already in place. Department policy prohibits behavior that violates the rights of others.
Questioned about this claim today, a RAND presenter said the sheriffs policy amounts to a first step and more needs to be done to change the culture. That includes clear guidance for command staff particularly captains about expectations and appropriate responses for dealing with the secretive subgroups.
RAND researchers interviewed both civilians and department members, who offered starkly different views of these groups.
Civilians shared stories of harassment and intimidation.
(I) watched (deputies) torment a girl whose son got killed by a ricochet bullet, one resident told researchers. They were outside in front doing doughnuts in their sheriffs cars trying to intimidate us and make us leave.
Another said the groups perpetrate an us versus them attitude.
You have to be willing to do certain things beat people up, use excessive force, shoot people. A lot of illegal things. Its not like joining the Boy Scouts if youre celebrating people getting killed with tattoos, its out of hand, another shared.
Some deputies agreed that these groups encourage hardened attitudes about the community. But others said they were the result of a bond that occurs with people who face death together and a way to know that others have your back while doing a dangerous job.
The RAND report found that subgroups vary significantly. Some are drinking groups. Others are closer to cliques or, as one respondent called them, `popular kids. And some encourage a culture of aggressive policing.
Responses received from deputies about the cliques ranged from those who belong to a subgroup hold themselves and each other to a higherstandard and are the best LASD has to deputies who believed they [subgroups] have destroyed many honest and hard-working deputies lives and careers.
The names alone which over the years have included the Banditos, Buffalo Soldiers, Cavemen, Cowboys, Executioners, Grim Reapers, Jump Out Boys, Little Red Devils, Pirates, Rattlesnakes, and Wayside Whities are enough to raise concerns.
Mitchell said it was tragic that the needs of deputies were ignored to the point that the way some chose to manage stress and feel safely supported by colleagues was to join a group like the Jump Out Boys and the Executioners.
The board, RAND researchers and the sheriff agree on one thing: this problem has existed for decades, long before Villanueva was sworn in in 2018.
Its clear this is a systemic issue that costs lives, public trust and millions of dollars, Mitchell said. We must assess the recommendations within this study to make the necessary changes to end the culture that allows for these gangs to exist within our law enforcement.
County counsel estimates that the county has spent $55 million to settle lawsuits related to deputy gangs since 1990.
Every single one of my predecessors has kicked the can down the road saying they either didnt exist or did nothing about it, Villanueva said last week.
The board directed the COC to work in consultation with the Office of Inspector General, County Counsel, the District Attorneys Office, Office of the Public Defender, Office of the Alternate Public Defender, the Sheriffs Department and members of the public to come up with a specific plan for implementation.
A RAND researcher told the board that any plan to eliminate such groups is likely to be divisive.
He also warned that increasing scrutiny may make groups more secretive and acknowledged the need for some form of camaraderie when deputies feel under attack by the public.
As with other board efforts to dictate what Villanueva may or may not do, this effort may run into the limits of the boards authority in dealing with an elected official and potential legal challenges. The motion calls for the COC to consider policies that the board itself could impose in the context of existing state and local laws.
A report is expected back in 90 days.
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LA Police Commission President Blasts Officers Refusing COVID Vaccine
The president of the civilian Los Angeles Police Commission today called on the departments personnel to get vaccinated,
calling it extremely dubious that more than 2,000 of them are planning to seek religious exemptions from the citys vaccination mandate for municipal employees.
I personally find it appalling that the personnel of a department charged with public safety would willfully, intentionally and brazenly endanger the lives of those they have taken an oath to protect, Commission President William Briggs said.
Im talking about those individuals who openly disregard the solemn promise they made to protect the citizens of Los Angeles by refusing to be vaccinated. Briggs said he was speaking in response to written letters submitted to the commission by the public expressing concern that officers arent vaccinated. Nearly 11% of Los Angeles 57,476 city employees have stated their intent to seek a religious or medical exemption from the citys mandate that employees get vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data released by the city on Sept. 14.
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About half of those come from the Los Angeles Police Department, which has 2,651 employees planning to file for religious exemptions and 368 planning to file for medical exemptions. The department has a total of 12,315 employees, of whom about 54% had received at least one dose of the vaccine as of Sept. 14.On Aug. 18, the Los Angeles City Council approved an ordinance to require non-exempt employees to be fully inoculated by Oct. 5.
Exemption requests will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. People qualify for an exemption if they have a medical condition or sincerely held religious beliefs, practices or observances that prevent them from receiving the vaccine.
Leader of Pharmacy Robbery Crew Sentenced to Prison
A Lynwood man was sentenced today to 20 years behind bars for running a crew that committed 15 armed robberies of independent, mom-and-pop pharmacies across Southern California, with the intent of illegally selling the stolen prescription medication. Tyrome Boobie Lewis, 26, was found guilty in June of all eight felony charges he faced. Lewis has been in federal custody since his arrest in July 2019, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office.
In a ruling issued following a two-day bench trial, U.S. District Judge John A. Kronstadt found Lewis guilty of one count each of conspiracy to
interfere with commerce by robbery and conspiracy to distribute oxycodone, and two counts each of interference with commerce by robbery, possession with
intent to distribute oxycodone and knowingly using and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.
Prosecutors said Lewis conspired with others to commit 15 armed robberies from May 2018 to July 2019. He selected the pharmacies to be robbed, targeting smaller pharmacies to steal oxycodone and other prescription painkillers, prosecutors said.
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Lewis also assigned the roles of the crew members, and then served as a lookout while they committed the robberies, according to the U.S. Attorneys
Office. Following the pharmacy robberies, Lewis and others would sell the stolen prescription drugs on the black market.
The Lewis-led crew dubbed the Oxy Bandits by law enforcement robbed pharmacies in Glendale, Bellflower, Paramount, Cerritos, Hawthorne, South Los Angeles, Pico Rivera, Huntington Park, Claremont, Westminster, Fullerton, Anaheim and Riverside, according to prosecutors.
Each of the robberies shared a common practice, including targeting smaller pharmacies, placing the stolen prescription drugs into the pharmacys trash bags or trash cans, using a black semi-automatic handgun to threaten and intimidate store employees, and forcing employees to open the medication vault, prosecutors said.
The guilty verdict stemmed from a broader investigation by the FBI and the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department of armed pharmacy robberies. As a result, the U.S. Attorneys Office has charged 21 individuals for their roles in various drug store heists. Since the investigation began in 2019, 19 individuals, including Lewis, have been convicted for their participation in pharmacy robberies, while two defendants await trial, prosecutors said.
Minority owned businesses in LA to receive financial boost
JPMorgan Chase and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) launched a $2.65 million commitment to provide capital and resources to entrepreneurs of color in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles has the largest small business economy in the U.S., with over 250,000 small businesses.
However, theres a shortage of capital available for these small businesses, and entrepreneurs of color are disproportionately affected.
Earlier this month, the Entrepreneurs of Color Fund (EOCF) program was launched in Los Angeles to address this shortage. With $2.65 million in funding to support historically disadvantaged small business owners in Los Angeles, the fund is designed to help increase the availability of capital and business resources to strengthen small businesses owned by underserved entrepreneurs.
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Our goal is to build an inclusive economy, said Jenn Piepszak, Co-CEO of Consumer & Community Banking at JPMorgan Chase at the funds launch event at Chases Community Center branch in the Crenshaw District.
She added, we know that for too long Black and Latino Americans, especially, have missed out on our countrys growth and prosperity.
EOCF is a national collaboration with the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), a network of Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), JPMorgan Chase and additional funders.
To date, the EOCF has provided over 1,200 loans and deployed more than $43 million in capital to entrepreneurs of color nationally, in cities including Detroit, the Bay Area, South Bronx, Chicago and the Greater Washington area.
Los Angeles is now the sixth city served by the program and according to JPMorgan Chase while Black and Latino residents make up 8% and 49% of Los Angeles Countys population, they only own 2% and 11% of all businesses, respectively.
Speaking at the event, Diedra Porche, a Managing Director at Chase who leads the banks Small Business Banking Operations in California, explained that loan capital in Los Angeles has historically been concentrated in micro-loans of under $100,000 or loans larger than $250,000, creating a missing middle for many small businesses. She noted that the program will help address this critical need.
According to additional figures provided by JPMorgan Chase, the Los Angeles County small business capital landscape is characterized by a significant shortage of capital to meet small business needs and disproportionately low rates of traditional lending in neighborhoods with high concentrations of Black and Latino residents. As a result there is an unmet demand of $60 billion for small businesses in Los Angeles County annually.
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When we started our business, we used our own money, our own credit cards, not knowing that there were financial tools and products out there that would have helped our business grow. Programs like this will help businesses of color be smarter, scale and become bigger, said Joe Ward-Wallace, co-owner of South LA, who also spoke at the event.
The $2.65 million funding for EOCF Los Angeles program comes as a grant from JPMorgan Chase to support five diverse-led CDFI organizations working in collaboration who will administer and execute the program with local small business borrowers.
The Local Initiatives Support Corporations Los Angeles office (LISC LA), Accion Opportunity Fund (AOF), and Inclusive Action for the City (IAC) will each provide complementary lending capital to meet the needs of EOCF LA borrowers.
The other two organizations involved, Vermont Slauson Local Development Corporation (Vermont Slauson) and Pacific Asian Consortium in Employment (PACE) will provide technical assistance and business advising services to EOCF Los Angeles borrowers.
The EOCF LA is a key component of the inclusive lending model that we have for entrepreneurs that have been left behind, said Tunua Thrash-Ntuk, Executive Director, LISC LA, who also spoke at the event.
Thrash-Ntuk added, Partnerships like this one will enable many community stakeholders to get the resources to support small business owners as they look to rebuild, improve their credit, grow their financial stability and hopefully by the end of the journey are thriving sustainable businesses.
The funding for EOCF Los Angeles is part of JPMorgan Chases $30 billion racial equity commitment that is providing economic opportunity to underserved communities, especially the Black and Latino communities, and driving an inclusive economic recovery by focusing on areas like small business growth and financial health.
We know there is great opportunity to infuse more capital into businesses by partnering closely with local community organizations, said Porche. It is going to be difficult to rebuild our Main Streets after the pandemic but one of the best ways that we will be able to start rebuilding will be through programs like this.
New Skate Park Opens At Trinity Recreation Center In Historic South-Central
A new skate park has opened at the Trinity Recreation Center.
Los Angeles City Councilman Curren Price and the Department of Recreation and Parks hosted South-Central community members Saturday with food, music and prizes to celebrate the opening.
One of my offices top priorities is to continue to invest in our local parks, which bring much joy to families and help keep communities fit and healthy, said Price said. Since coming into office, we have now successfully opened our second skate park in District Nine. Trinity Skate Park will serve as a place where families and youth will be able to come together and enjoy what their community has to offer in their own backyard.
The 3,000-square-foot skate park has ramps and rails to include all levels of skaters, and the park has underwent general improvements such as benches, security lighting, new turf, landscape upgrades, a sustainable irrigation system, hydration station and more than a dozen trees to provide shade.
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This facility serves as an anchor and gathering place for the community, and this skate park gives youth a place to meet with people who have the same interest, said Mike Shull, general manager for the Department of Recreation and Parks. We hope that this amenity allows athletes to grow in the sport and begin anticipating the arrival of the 2028 Olympic games coming to L.A.
The skate park is located on the south side of the recreation center, adjacent to East 25th Street. It is the 29th skate park managed by the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks.
Redistricting, Outreach and Public Policy
As mandated by the U.S. Constitution, America has recently completed the 2020 Census which has to be taken every 10 years. Since 1790, its purpose has been to determine representation in the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Senate. The reason being that the number of seats in the U.S. Congress is fixed at 435 and the seats in the Senate allocate two senators for each state, regardless of population.
Redistricting means that electoral districts in each state should have equal numbers, so that representation is proportional to the number of people in the state.
Clearly, such a process as mandated by the U.S. Constitution is meant to involve all the people covered by the Census count and people living in the areas being counted.
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These elements then require outreach to ensure the inclusion of all people. This legal obligation then becomes a matter of Public Policy, not one of selective inclusion of portions of the population. This is why the Census uses the language of communities of inclusion or COI.
This inclusion of the people carries with it public comment which is the opportunity for the people to comment on that which is being proposed by elements or agencies of the government that have been given delegated authority. Those who carry out delegated duties are limited to actions under their delegated authority. This is because they are not elected themselves by the people who elect the legislators.
Following the logic and the California Constitution, as well as Federal Statutes, outreach in redefining the electoral districts at the State, County and local levels has not been inclusive of the people of California, but rather a hand picked few purporting to be representatives of the people. California Statutes require newspapers of general circulation as instruments of public notice or outreach. This has not been done.
Rather, a decision has been made that social media and the internet is sufficient to substitute for the legal requirements. This is a lawsuit waiting to happen.
Now that Redistricting Commissions at the State, County, and local levels have been made aware of their failure to follow the law, the only issue is will they do anything to correct the problem in the time remaining. After maps are drawn and submitted it will be too late to make changes.
Something to think about.
St. Brigid Kicks-Off Century of Service By Helping the Homeless
Kicking off a century of service, the members of St. Brigid Catholic Church celebrated their 100th anniversary by assisting people less fortunate in their South Los Angeles neighborhood.
The daylong event held on September 18 at Chesterfield Square Park, offered hot meals, clothing, personal grooming and more to both homeless individuals and others down-on-their-luck.
Thanks to a collaboration between St. Brigid and local businesses, nonprofits and the office of Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson, scores of people received aid to improve their quality of life.
Surprised by crowds seeking help, St. Brigid Pastor Kenneth Keke remarked, I really underestimated this [response], but when the people started coming up [for assistance], I was really amazed.
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As he greeted people in the park, Keke noted, This is the best way to preach the Gospel. Preaching from the pulpit is not the solution to our problem. This is Practical Gospel and Im so happy.
Lavonne Anderson, event chairperson, was equally pleased with the generosity of the donors and volunteers; however, the number of people needing a helping hand did not surprise her. A native of the area, Anderson said that she noticed the growing encampment as she drove past the park on Sundays on her way to church.
I could see the tents starting to pop up. I was like, We need to do something over there, and this is my way of doing that, Anderson said. One of our parishioners called today, The Miracle on 54th Street. Im happy to be a part of that miracle.
As a result of Andersons invitation, several members volunteered time, talents and treasures to the occasion. The contributions included new and gently used clothes and shoes along with new underwear, hygiene/toiletry bags, roomy backpacks, and disposable diapers.
Also, NYMK Not Your Mamas Kitchen distributed more than 150 barbeque, string beans and potato salad dinners, Nails by SaVerne provided about 30 manicures, 10 people used the mobile showers courtesy of LavamaeX, and 54th Street Seventh-Day Adventist Church passed out 88 bags of groceries.
Guests could obtain COVID-19 testing and vaccinations as well from a booth sponsored by Harris-Dawsons office. Additional stalls provided free housing and shelter information, mental health counseling, and educational resources.
We had Good Freds Barbershop here and they have been giving free haircuts and facial grooming all day, said Donna Horton, who staffed the free clothing booth with other parishioners. Good Freds is from the community on 54th Street and theyve been around since the 1960s.
Jacquelyn Glover, a barber at Good Freds, was on hand along with her son, Kieshon Smith, and colleague, Cameron Ellis, who is the grandson of barbershops owner, Steve Ellis. They all expressed appreciation for the opportunity to aid other people.
We come out and give back to our community with free cuts, linings and hairstyles to make the homeless in the community feel good about themselves. One thing Ive learned is when you give, it comes back to you fourfold. Im a believer in God and put Him first in everything that I do, insisted Glover.
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Ellis commented that donating services was common practice for the Good Freds team. We tend to give back to the community quite often. We partnered with a group called Brown Bag Lady and every first of the month; we are downtown cutting as well. Whenever we have a chance to give back, we do, Ellis said.
The concept of giving wasnt lost on Smith, a young college student who is also a freelance photographer. Describing the event as pretty cool, Smith admitted, I have definitely enjoyed being here. Its been great just seeing people making other people happy as far as the music, getting your nails done, getting your hair cut, and giving out clothes and food. And it wasnt just homeless people, it was all types of people from everywhere!
Several others groups either donated or sponsored booths at the event including Reena Shah of Chado Tea Rooms, Chirag Shah of Tulsi Indian Eatery, Elizabeth Weinberg of NLSLA, and Joan Forbes of Our Children Our Future, Inc. Other participants were KJLH Radio Street Team, National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI), Biscuits and Gravy disc jockeys, and Assurant, which gave out free cell phones and tablets.
St. Brigid plans more festivities to mark the parishs 100th anniversary. On December 4, the Los Angeles City Council will designate the corner of 52nd and Western as St. Brigid Square and on December 5, a special 100th anniversary Mass will take place.
In 2022, well have the 100th anniversary concert and a gala at the Skirball Center, added Chairperson Anderson. Were excited about the future, but, also happy about today, too. St. Brigid has always been a beacon in the community and about giving back to the community. This was a day of service and it was something that we needed to do.
At this years United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York, several leaders voiced their approval of reparations.
They gave their support to a system of payments from countries with historical links to slavery and colonialism. Officials from South Africa, Cameroon, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Cuba and Malaysia urged the creation of a reparations system.
But large countries like the United States, Britain and Germany mainly did not comment about the issue.
Philip J. Pierre is the prime minister of Saint Lucia. He said, Caribbean countries like ours, which were exploited and underdeveloped to finance the development of Europe, have put forward a case for reparations for slavery and native genocide. He added that he wanted the problem to be treated seriously and with urgency.
But reparations payments have not been among the issues discussed by major world powers.
U.S. President Joe Biden did not talk about reparations in his speech to the U.N. But earlier this year, the Biden administration said it supported studying reparations for Black Americans. The office of the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who is African American, did not comment on the recent reparations discussions to The Associated Press.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa did discuss the issue. He called the time of slavery one of the darkest periods in the history of humankind.
Slavery in what would become the United States started more than 400 years ago in some of the British colonies. In the U.S., slavery was outlawed during the U.S. Civil War which ended in 1865.
The debate about reparations has continued for many years. It has not gained much interest in the past 30 years. However, reparations have gained support in some cities and local governments since the 2020 death of George Floyd, a Black man, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Carla Ferstman is an international law expert who studies reparations at the University of Essex in Britain. She said the U.N. talks are a big step forward for the reparations movement around the world.
Reparations could come in many forms. There could be direct financial payments to individuals. Development aid could be offered to countries. Colonized land, art and cultural objects could be returned. The correction of policies and laws that continue to discriminate could also be carried out. And apologies that include wiping away national heroes who are no longer in favor are other possibilities.
"One needs to be sensitive to what is important and how to best rectify, Ferstman said.
The Durban Declaration against racism
The latest discussions on reparations came as the U.N. honored the 2001 conference against racism in South Africa. It produced what is called the Durban Declaration.
Last week, a U.N. group approved a resolution that said there had been some progress on the issue. But it also said there had been a rise in discrimination and violence towards people of African ancestry. Other groups facing mistreatment included refugees, the displaced, those with disabilities, the Roma in Europe, the young and the old.
The resolution said there should be a way for descendants to seek fair reparation or satisfaction for any damage suffered. But the resolution stopped short of demanding that nations must pay reparations to countries their governments have harmed.
The United States, Britain and Germany were among several countries that did not attend the meeting honoring the Durban Declaration. The U.S. boycotted the meeting 20 years ago over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Germanys president, in his General Assembly address, also did not talk about reparations. But Germany is one of the few countries that have offered to pay money to make up for its past actions.
Earlier this year, Germany officially recognized the killing of tens of thousands of people in Namibia as genocide. It offered to provide 1.1 billion euros over 30 years for projects involving the people affected. But Germany did not call the payments reparations.
Im Dan Novak.
Sally Ho reported this story for The Associated Press. Dan Novak adapted it for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor.
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Words in This Story
descendant n. someone who is related to a person or group of people who lived in the past
exploit v. to use in a way that helps you unfairly
sensitive adj. understanding the feelings of other people
rectify v. to correct something that is wrong
Japans ruling Liberal Democratic Party elected former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida as its new leader Wednesday.
The move means Kishida will likely become the countrys next prime minister soon. The Liberal Democratic Party, or LDP, controls both houses in Japans parliament.
The decision by current Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to step down led to Wednesdays results.
None of the four main candidates gained a majority in the first vote, which also included Taro Kono, Sanae Takaichi and Seiko Noda. Kishida easily won the second ballot 257 to 170. In that vote, he faced only Kono, the official overseeing Japans coronavirus vaccination effort.
General elections are to take place no later than November 28. Some LDP officials said parliament is likely to be dismissed in October in preparation for elections in the first half of November.
A win for the establishment
It remains unclear how Kishidas leadership will affect the LDPs performance in upcoming elections. Kono was considered the more popular candidate. Suga became unpopular for his decision to hold the 2020 Olympic Games this year in Tokyo even though many Japanese protested the move.
Yukio Edano is the head of the Constitutional Democratic Party, the largest opposition party. He criticized the choice of Kishida. The results showed that LDP does not and cannot change, he said.
Kishida is considered a moderate who seeks agreement but is less popular with the public than some other politicians.
In his victory speech, Kishida promised to deal with national crises including the COVID-19 pandemic, the struggling economy and the countrys falling birthrate. He also said he would deal with important issues related to Japans future. One of those issues is a free and open Indo-Pacific that balances Chinas influence, he said.
Kishida has promised spending more than $270 billion dollars on projects to help the economy. During his candidacy, he said a new kind of capitalism was needed to ease the division between rich and poor. We cant have strong growth if wealth is concentrated in the hands of a small group of people, he said.
In foreign policy, Kishida is unlikely to propose big changes. He has agreed with the need to improve Japans defenses. This includes strengthening ties with allies like the United States and the QUAD, which also includes India and Australia.
Keeping trade ties with China also remains important. Chinese English-language broadcaster CGTV said that, among the candidates, Kishida was the best possible option for Beijing.
However, Kishida supports increasing the countrys coast guard and approving a resolution condemning Chinas treatment of Uyghur ethnic minorities.
Three generations of the Kishida family have served as lawmakers. Kishida was first elected to office in 1993.
A supporter of nuclear disarmament, he welcomed former U.S. President Barack Obama during his 2016 visit to Hiroshima, where Kishida is from. The city is where the first atomic bomb was dropped.
Kishida served as foreign minister under former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. In 2015, he helped negotiate an agreement with South Korea over Korean women who said they suffered sexual abuse by the Japanese during World War II. The issue continues to cause tensions between the two countries.
Im Mario Ritter, Jr.
reported this story for Radio Free Asia. Mario Ritter Jr. adapted it for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor.
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Words in This Story
stability n. the quality or state of something that is not easily changed or likely to change
concentrated adj. something that is in a specific place and is mainly found in that place
option n. a choice or possibility; something that can be chosen
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North Korea claimed Wednesday that it successfully tested a new hypersonic missile. The advanced weapon system could be harder to defend and continues to expand the countrys military power.
The state-run Korean Central News Agency, or KCNA, posted a picture of a test launch of a hypersonic missile called Hwasong-8. It said Tuesday's launch was successful and met the technical requirements of a detached hypersonic gliding warhead. It means the warhead could come off the rocket and move in flight toward a target.
A hypersonic missile, also known as a Hypersonic Glide Vehicle, can fly much faster than the speed of sound. It can fly very low making it harder for current missile defense systems to recognize. It can also be controlled in flight, which means it can move away from other missiles making it harder to defend.
Adam Mount is an expert at the Federation of American Scientists. He said the hypersonic missile is designed to get through defense systems like the one operated by South Korea and the U.S.
South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff, however, estimated the North Korean missile to be at an early stage of development. It said North Korea would need considerable time to be able to deploy the missile.
Missile tests return
North Korea started testing missiles again in 2019 after talks with the United States failed.
The launch of the hypersonic missile was North Koreas third round of missile tests this month. It took place shortly before a North Korean diplomat at the United Nations General Assembly accused the United States of hostility and demanded an end to joint military exercises with South Korea.
The missile is similar to a short-range missile that North Korea tested two years ago called the KN-23. However, the new missile has a warhead that can come off the rocket and continue toward a target. This kind of warhead could be attached to a more powerful rocket and strike a target on another continent.
Vipin Narang is a nuclear security and political science expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He said this kind of missile would present a big problem for the U.S. He added it could be hard to find and the warhead could be difficult to defend.
North Korea also claimed that it used a faster and more stable process to add rocket fuel. The process places rocket fuel in containers for storage and could be quickly added to the rocket before launch. In the past, North Korean rockets needed to be fueled at the launch site which took more time and opened the launch to attack.
North Koreas missile tests also include weapons that could be launched from vehicles, trains, and possibly even submarines. As a result, the missiles will be harder to find and destroy in the event of a war.
Mount said the U.S. and South Korea alliance will have to be ready for anything in a crisis. He noted that North Korea showed some weapons but they may not yet be fully tested.
Im Dan Friedell.
Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on reports by VOAs William Gallo and The Associated Press. Hai Do was the editor.
What would you do about the missile tests in North Korea? Tell us in the Comments Section and visit our Facebook page. ___________________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
glide v. to fly without engine power
flight n. the act of flying : the act of moving through the air by the use of wings
stage n. a particular point or period in the growth or development of something
stable adj. having a chemical structure or physical state that does not change easily
site n. a place that is used for a particular activity
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Cancer centers and/or health care systems that prioritize coordination and communication provide higher-quality end-of-life care for cancer patients who are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid, University of Michigan researchers found.
Such "dual-eligible" people are more likely than those covered only by Medicare to experience aggressive treatment, like admission to the intensive care unit, shortly before they die. If, however, they receive care at a health care facility like a cancer center that values educating patients about their options and understanding their preferences about their end-of-life care, their chance of experiences that promote quality of life, like enrolling in hospice and dying in a setting other than the hospital, jumps significantly.
"We learned that health care systems can play a role in improving quality at the end of life for dual-eligible patients," said Lindsey Herrel, M.D., an assistant professor of urology at the University of Michigan Medical School and the first author of the study. "Where you receive care does matter to some degree. But there's certainly opportunity for better communication and shared-decision making at the end of life across the board for this population."
About a fifth of people over the age of 65 who receive their health insurance through Medicare also qualify for Medicaid because of low income and minimal savingsand are considered dual-eligible as a result. That means Medicaid pays this population's monthly Medicare premiums as well as their copays.
However, dual-eligible Americans often face barriers to accessing health care outside of the cost of a doctor's visit. As primarily female people of color who have not attained a high school degree, many of them must manage systemic biases as well as socioeconomic disadvantages.
"We're talking about whether you can afford to put food on the table, whether you have the money to drive back and forth to the hospital," Herrel said. "All those things are real issues that people who are this low-income face."
Because of these hurdles, Herrel and her team hypothesized that well-coordinated care might be helpful for the dual-eligible populationespecially at the end of life, when patients must make difficult decisionsand that where they received their care could affect its quality.
The researchers turned to several different datasetsincluding the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program, a common source of national cancer statistics, as well as health insurance claims from Medicareto analyze close to 22,000 dual-eligible patients over the age of 65 who died of cancer.
They used seven metrics to measure whether quality of life seemed to be a priority for these patients and their medical teams, including whether they spent time in the hospital, the ICU or the emergency department in their last month of life and if and how long they were enrolled in hospice before dying (national organizations that issue guidelines around end-of-life care, including the American Society of Clinical Oncology, consider treatment that focuses on elevating quality of life versus curing disease, appropriate for patients with a prognosis of less than six months to live, and these measures reflect that perspective.)
When comparing designated cancer centers and integrated delivery networkshealth care systems that emphasize education, communication, treatment planning and decision makingwith health care facilities that don't fall into one of those two categories, the researchers found that dual-eligible patients received end-of-life care that emphasized quality of life at the former, across the majority of measures.
Herrel says a possible explanation for the differences between types of health care systems could be that cancer centers and integrated delivery networks provide access to resources and an infrastructure that are better able to assess patient preferences when it comes to care at the end of life.
Going forward, though, a crucial step will be facilitating more of these conversations, regardless of the setting.
"It's really a matter of what does the individual patient and their family who's in front of youwhat do they want? What do they need?" Herrel said. "They are difficult conversations to have from a provider standpoint to balance expectations and elicit patient preferences. But being a well-rounded clinician means you have to be able to have these discussions with patients and their families. Because without you helping them, they have to find other resources or are unable to get the information they want and need. So building ways we can foster communication is going to be the next best step."
Explore further Seniors with Medicare and Medicaid fare worse functionally after ICU
More information: Lindsey A. Herrel et al, Intensity of endoflife care for dualeligible beneficiaries with cancer and the impact of delivery system affiliation, Cancer (2021). Journal information: Cancer Lindsey A. Herrel et al, Intensity of endoflife care for dualeligible beneficiaries with cancer and the impact of delivery system affiliation,(2021). DOI: 10.1002/cncr.33874
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Unvaccinated pregnant women are increasingly being hospitalized with COVID-19 during a nationwide surge of the Delta variant, according to research from UT Southwestern Medical Center.
The studywhich covers more than 1,500 cases in the Dallas area since May 2020offers a snapshot of what doctors believe is happening in communities across the country. The research shows the proportion of pregnant COVID-19 patients requiring hospitalization increased to 10 to 15% in late August and early September, more than double the percentage of last year before the emergence of the Delta variant.
"This is a concerning trend, and we're primarily seeing these cases in unvaccinated women," said Emily Adhikari, M.D., Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and a lead author of the study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Dr. Adhikari said the findings offer the first objective evidence that the case number and severity of illness in pregnant women rose with a spike in the Delta variant. The study included 1,515 pregnant women diagnosed with COVID-19 who received care from Parkland Health & Hospital SystemDallas County's public hospitalfrom May 2020 through Sept. 4, 2021.
Overall, 82 patients had severe or critical illness, including 10 requiring ventilators, and two deaths. The proportion of severe or critical cases was around 5% until after the new year, and were then largely nonexistent in February and most of March.
However, the rise of the Delta variant coincided with a new wave of hospitalizations that peaked this August and early September, including more than a third of COVID-19 cases the week of Aug. 29. By this time, genetic sequencing conducted at UT Southwestern showed nearly all the local variants sequenced were the Delta B.1.617.2 strain.
Of the 82 patients hospitalized since May 2020, all but one were unvaccinated.
Dr. Adhikari acknowledged that some women fear the vaccine may not be safe to take during pregnancy, but said research has debunked those concerns. She co-authored a JAMA article earlier this year that elaborated on the issue of vaccines and pregnancy.
Dr. Adhikari said pregnant women are at greater risk for complications with any type of severe respiratory infection, so these findings further emphasize the need for pregnant and lactating women in all communities to get vaccinated for COVID-19.
"If they are exposed and infected, they run a higher risk of severe illness from this most recent Delta variant," said Dr. Adhikari, Medical Director of Perinatal Infectious Diseases at Parkland. "Pregnant women should get immunized as soon as possible."
The genomic sequencing that revealed nearly all the local SARS-CoV-2 variants were Delta was performed in the McDermott Center Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) Core with analysis performed by the McDermott Bioinformatics Lab, both under the supervision of Helen H. Hobbs, M.D., a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator and Professor of Internal Medicine and Molecular Genetics, who directs the Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development at UT Southwestern. Jeffrey SoRelle, M.D., Assistant Professor of Pathology and a co-author on the study, is collaborating with Dr. Hobbs by providing all positive COVID-19 samples tested at UT Southwestern and interpreting sequencing results with support from a rapid, focused PCR-based test. The collaboration with the McDermott Center Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) Core at UT Southwestern allows whole genome whole sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 virus in a state-of-the-art facility that performs NGS coupled with bioinformatic analysis.
Explore further COVID Queries: Delta breakthrough infections
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Just two percent of the population, or less, have been fully vaccinated against coronavirus in half of the countries in Africa, the World Health Organization said on Thursday,
Fifteen of the continent's 54 nations have managed to vaccinate at least 10 percent of their people, achieving the global goal for September 30, set in May by the World Health Assembly, the world's highest health policy-setting body.
"The latest data shows modest gains but there is still a long way to go to reach the WHO target of fully vaccinating 40 percent of the population by the end of the year," said Richard Mihigo, the World Health Organization's vaccination coordinator in Africa.
Shipments of the vaccine have been increasing "but opaque delivery plans are still the number one nuisance that hold Africa back," said Mihigo.
A total of 23 million vaccine doses arrived in Africa in September, a 10-fold increase from June.
Half of the 52 African countries that have received COVID-19 vaccines have fully vaccinated just two percent or less of their populations, the WHO said.
Most of the African countries that have met, or bettered the 10 percent goal have relatively small populations.
The islands of Mauritius and the Seychelles have managed to fully vaccinate over 60 percent of their populations, according to the WHO data.
In Morocco, 48 percent of the population have received two COVID-19 jabs while the figures are above 20 percent in Tunisia, Comoros and Cape Verde.
"All these countries have enjoyed sufficient supplies of vaccines, and many could access doses from separate sources in addition to those delivered through the global Covax facility," the WHO said.
COVID-19 case numbers in Africa dropped by 35 percent to just over 74,000 in the week to September 26.
Almost 1,800 deaths were reported across 34 African countries in the same period.
"Despite the declining case numbers we must all remain vigilant and continue to adhere to the proven public health and safety measures that we know save lives, such as wearing a mask, washing our hands regularly and physical distancing, especially while vaccination rates remain low," Mihigo told a virtual press conference.
2021 AFP
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New research being presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), held online this year, shows that there are marked socio-economic inequalities in the prevalence of (the proportion of people with) type 2 diabetes (T2D) in Scotlandand the gap is widening.
When research on socio-economic inequality and the prevalence of T2D in Scotland was last published in 2007, it showed that the proportion of people with type 2 diabetes was about 60% and 90% higher in men and women respectively in the most deprived fifth (20%) of the population, compared to the least deprived fifth.
Health inequalities in general in the UK have widened since then, prompting Professor Sarah Wild and colleagues at the University of Edinburgh to produce up-to-date figures.
Professor Wild says: "Describing inequalities in health is the first step in informing policies to address them, for example as part of a 'levelling up' agenda."
Mid-year population estimates for 2019 (the most recent year available) and a February 2021 extract from the Scottish register of diagnosed cases of diabetes were used to estimate the prevalence of T2D in 35 to 84-year-olds, the age group in which T2D is most common.
To make fair comparison across time and populations, differences in age patterns were taken into account.
The Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) was used to divide the study population into quintiles or fifths, from the most deprived (Q1) to least deprived (Q5).
Data on age, sex and SIMD was available for 255,674 peoplealmost 99% of those aged 35 to 84 who had been diagnosed with T2D.
The overall prevalence of T2D in this age group was 8.3% (one in 12). This compares with 7.3% in 2007.
Prevalence of T2D was lowest in women aged 35-39 years from Q5 (0.5%) and highest in men aged 75-79 years from Q2 (22.4%), illustrating the expected patterns of increasing prevalence with age and higher prevalence in men than women
The most deprived men and women were, respectively, almost 2.0 and 2.5 times as likely to be diagnosed with diabetes as the least deprived, indicating that socio-economic inequalities have widened over time. (The 2007 figures were 1.58 times for men and 2 times for women.)
Professor Wild says: "Further research is required to find out whether similar patterns have been observed in other parts of the UK and other high-income countries around the world and to investigate the effect of the pandemic and its consequences on diabetes prevalence.
"Effective approaches at a societal level are required to reduce inequalities in key risk factors for diabetes in individuals including physical inactivity and obesity.
"It is also important to find out whether the implementation of large-scale prevention programmes affects inequalities in diabetes prevalence."
Explore further Study finds prescription of antidepressant and antipsychotic drugs common ahead of type 2 diabetes diagnosis
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A new study has found that a child's reading speed can be improved by simply increasing the space between letters within a piece of text.
The research, led by Dr. Steven Stagg of Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), examined the benefits of letter spacing and colored overlays amongst a group of dyslexic and non-dyslexic children. It is the first study to investigate how these adaptations can help to reduce specific reading errors.
Published in the journal Research in Developmental Disabilities, the study discovered that text with increased space between each letter provided a benefit to both groups of children. On average, the dyslexia group showed a 13% increase in reading speed, while the comparison group of non-dyslexic children showed a 5% increase in reading speed.
The study involved 59 children aged between 11-15, 32 of whom had a statement of dyslexia, with 27 non-dyslexic children forming a control group. The participants were recruited from six UK schools in Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and London.
Participants read four texts with either standard or extra-large letter spacing, both with and without a colored overlay. The children were instructed to read the text out loud while being recorded. The recording was used to measure the number of errors they madespecifically missed words, added words, wrong words, and pronunciationas well as the participants' reading time.
In addition to improved reading speed for both children with dyslexia and the non-dyslexic group, the larger letter spacing also resulted in a significant reduction in the number of words being missed by the children with dyslexia. However, the study found that colored overlays had no significant impact on reading speed or the reduction of errors for either group of children.
Dr. Stagg, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), said: "We found that extra-large letter spacing increases the reading speed of children both with and without dyslexia, and significantly reduces the number of words that dyslexic children skip when reading.
"We believe that extra-large letter spacing works by reducing what is known as the 'crowding effect', which can hamper the recognition of letters and reduce reading speed.
"When viewed in the context of previous research, our findings strongly suggest that teaching professionals can be confident that all children would be helped by increased letter spacing in reading materials. As well as being a relatively simple change to make when producing handouts and worksheets, it means that children with dyslexia need not feel singled out by the introduction of specially adapted reading materials, as this is something that everyone can benefit from.
"While we found that color overlays provided little benefit, we suggest that children should be encouraged to use overlays if they find these help their reading. Color overlays may not increase reading speeds, but they may extend reading stamina. Previous research suggests their benefits may not become apparent if reading time is less than 10 minutes and the short reading duration of the tests in our study may have put color overlays at a disadvantage."
Explore further Brains are most amenable to reading development in the first two years of primary education
More information: Room to read: the effect of extra-large letter spacing, Research in Developmental Disabilities (2021). Journal information: Research in Developmental Disabilities Room to read: the effect of extra-large letter spacing,(2021).
Banking Method at Tweed Heads, 1919. The method used by the manager of the E.S. and A. Bank at Tweed Heads do business with customers at Coolangatta. The depositor puts his cheques, notes, etc. in the cigar box (image on the right), which is drawn across the bridge over the border by means of a string. The manager receives the money, and returns the deposit slip or bank note the same way. Credit: John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland, 203579
While the word "unprecedented" has become part of the rhetoric around COVID-19, this isn't the first pandemic to hit the world, even in recent times. In fact, there are many similarities between the COVID-19 pandemic, and its management, and others throughout history, UNSW historians say.
Researchers from the UNSW Laureate Centre for History & Population are investigating the laws and regulations that have restricted people's movement within Australia during epidemics and pandemics over the past 120 years in an ARC Special Initiative Project, Rethinking Medico-Legal Borders: from international to internal histories. UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture Professor Alison Bashford, ARC Laureate and Director of the Centre undertaking the project, and UNSW Law & Justice Scientia Professor Jane McAdam, Director of the Andrew & Renata Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, are leading the initiative.
Compliance with public health
Anti-lockdown protests and sporadic breaches of COVID-19 restrictions have been widely covered by mediaand the researchers say history tells us people have flouted public health rules in previous pandemics, too.
"Mask non-compliance was certainly a feature of the 191819 influenza pandemic, but one important difference between this behavior in 1919 and during the COVID-19 pandemic is the way that information is disseminated," says Ph.D. student Tiarne Barratt.
"In 1919, public health information was spread via daily newspapers and word of mouth, unlike today, where we are experiencing an overload of information and misinformation via social and online media that is enabling anti-mask messaging to reach a significantly larger platform."
Dr. Chi Chi Huang, Postdoctoral Fellow, says that the post-war context of World War I also contributed to messaging and compliance in 1919, as governments used the rhetoric of a collective effort to great success.
"Troops were still returning home, and civilians were emerging out of a war mentality where there was already a heightened sense of 'doing your part.'"
Regulating movements
Attempts to regulate movement like social distancing, isolation, lockdowns today are also comparable to measures in the past. The 191819 influenza pandemic is perhaps the easiest comparison to COVID-19 internal border control in Australian history.
"[We] saw the closure of state borders and the regulation of intra-state borders to protect regional communities from city outbreaks. Beyond this, there were highly localized measures designed to regulate movement at a district level, such as the refusal of hoteliers to provide accommodation to travelers," Ms Barratt says.
"However, all attempts to regulate internal movement ceased by August 1919, where in contrast, we are now more than 18 months into the COVID-19 pandemic episode and still seeing highly regulated inter and intra state movement."
When it comes to current international border controls, Professor McAdam says: "There is now a strong argument that travel caps are arbitrarily depriving Australians' of the right to return home, especially since contact tracing has improved, vaccinations have become widespread, community transmission of COVID-19 (not breaches of hotel quarantine) is the primary source of infection, and people who are infected in the community are allowed to self-isolate at home."
Messages from history
The researchers say when it comes to public health messaging, there are previous successful examples we could look to draw upon.
"Public health messaging was phenomenally successful in the Australian response to HIV/AIDS. The risk-reduction philosophy that drove the Australian response was highly successful, and globally heralded," Professor Bashford says. "Especially with regard to the vaccination program, currently underway, this moment in Australian public health messaging might be remembered and utilized."
However, the source of the public health messaging and the extent to which people trust or distrust that source is something that has been important both historically and today. For example, there generally is a correlation between general trust in government and levels of public health compliance, Ms Barratt says.
Social resilience
While we tend to date pandemics by the year they first emerged, each pandemic lasted decades, and their impacts lasted even longer, says Dr. Huang.
"The occurrence of pandemics is an inevitability and dealing with the immediate crisis of a pandemic is, of course, important. But it is a long-term experience as we learn to continually respond to pandemics where public health is at the crux of ensuring a stable globalized society and economy."
In terms of social resilience, there was a strong culture of volunteerism in Australia throughout the 1919 influenza pandemic. Indeed, Australia is remembered for demonstrating particularly positive attitudes and high levels of localized community support during the influenza pandemic, says Ms Barratt.
"For example, during home isolation, people were entirely reliant on their local community for survival, as no member of an afflicted household was allowed to leave the house. That meant many households around the country were dependent on their neighbors for food and other essentials such as firewood."
Post-pandemic boom
Recent commentary has speculated about a post-COVID boom like the roaring twenties following the 191819 Flu Pandemic. However, the post-pandemic boom was compounded by the end of World War I, which saw a re-envisioning of the international spirit.
"The boom of the roaring twenties was also not evenly distributed within nations and across nations, where working class people did not share in the prosperity of that decade as memorialized in popular culture," says Dr. Huang.
"Perhaps this is something that history can tell us about any potential post-pandemic boomthat it will be uneven."
Pandemic episodes of the past have also highlighted existing pressure points and social inequalities, revealing failing social infrastructures more starkly, Ms Barratt says.
"In the same way that experiences of the pandemic will be vastly different, for example between those who have been able to pivot to work-from-home setups, and those who have been faced with long periods of involuntary unemployment, so will any experiences of a post-pandemic boom."
Explore further What can we learn from the past to help shape the future of public health in Canada?
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If immigrants to the United States formed their own country, their pre-COVID-19 life expectancies would exceed or match those of the world's leaders in longevitySwiss men and Japanese women. A new study by USC and Princeton researchers estimates that immigration adds 1.4 to 1.5 years to U.S. life expectancy at birth. In 2017, foreign-born life expectancy reached 81.4 and 85.7 years for men and women, respectively. That's about 7 and 6.2 years longer than the average lifespan of their U.S.-born counterparts.
"Demographers knew that immigrants lived longer. The main question that we set out to answer was, 'How much is this really contributing to national life expectancy trends?'" said Arun Hendi, the lead author of the study and an assistant professor of sociology and public affairs at Princeton University. "Our results show that they're making an outsized contribution to national life expectancy.
The study was published in the September 2021 issue of SSM Population Health, by Hendi and Jessica Ho, an assistant professor of gerontology and sociology at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. Their work provides new insights on how immigrants contributed to national life expectancy trends over nearly three decades, from 1990 to 2017.
The research suggests that immigrants are responsible for approximately half of the recent U.S. gains in life expectancy. Moreover, the gap in life expectancy between foreign-born and native-born residents is widening.
In fact, the researchers say, Americans' life expectancy would steeply decline if it weren't for immigrants and their children. Under that scenario, U.S. life expectancy in 2017 would have reverted to levels last seen in 200374.4 years for men and 79.5 years for womenmore closely resembling the average lifespans of Tunisia and Ecuador.
Study shows diverging trends during the last decade
Prior research has shown that between 2010 and 2017, overall U.S. life expectancies saw an unprecedented stagnation. The plateau has been largely attributed to drug overdose deaths among adults in their prime working ages and slowdowns in the rate of improvement in cardiovascular disease mortality. But this new study shows that immigrants experienced life expectancy gains during this period, while the U.S.-born population experienced declines.
"If it weren't for immigrants, our national life expectancy stagnation that we experienced since 2010 would instead be a national decline in life expectancy," Ho said. "For them to have that large an impact is unexpected because they represent a relatively small proportion of the U.S. population."
In addition, while the immigrant advantage was already present in 1990, the research shows that the difference between immigrants and the U.S.-born has widened substantially over time, with the ratio of American-born to foreign-born mortality rates nearly doubling by 2017.
"When compared to immigrants' life expectancy, the U.S.-born are doing poorly. Much of this is related to their very high mortality at the prime adult ages," said Ho, an expert in the social determinants of health and mortality. "Low mortality among prime-aged immigrants doesn't just help the foreign-bornit helps the U.S.-born too. Prime-aged adults are likely to be in the labor force and raising children. This means that they contribute to higher tax revenues and slower population aging."
Hendi says this is particularly relevant today because those prime adult ages are where the country is losing years of life due to drug overdose mortality and other preventable causes of death.
"The fact that immigrants are doing well suggests that there is a capacity to thrive in the U.S., but the U.S.-born aren't fulfilling that potential," he said.
Immigrants are a small but influential share of the U.S. population
Immigrants make up under 15% of the U.S. population, up from around 8% in 1990 but still a small percentage of the total. Hendi and Ho cite healthy behaviors and the changing selectivity of the immigrant population as factors that may contribute to their influence on total life expectancy.
"Immigrants tend to be healthier in part due to the selective migration of those who have the health, resources and stamina to migrate to the U.S., and this selectivity may have grown stronger," Ho said.
The researchers highlight the role of increases in high-skilled immigration, which is partly reflected in changes in countries of origin as immigrant streams shift from Mexico to places like India and China. They also note that there may be pro-longevity characteristics of immigrant populations, regardless of country of origin, including a lower propensity to drink, smoke and use drugs than U.S.-born residents.
"Many of America's immigrants come from lower-income, less-developed nations, leading some to worry that these immigrants bring their home countries' high-mortality conditions with them and thus drag down America's national average longevity," Hendi said. "But the results say just the opposite. Far from dragging down the national average, immigrants are bolstering American life expectancy. A big part of the story appears to be that immigrants take fewer risks when it comes to their health."
The study additionally found that the children of foreign-born residents retain some life expectancy advantage but do not fare as well as their parents.
Hendi and Ho used data from the National Vital Statistics System and the U.S. Census Bureau to estimate life expectancy levels among foreign-born, U.S.-born and total populations between 1990 and 2017.
The team plans to examine COVID-19's impact on immigrant life expectancies. A January 2021 study by USC and Princeton researchers found the COVID-19 pandemic had significantly affected life expectancy, with stark declines in life expectancy among Black and Latino populations. A separate USC study last July of a large diverse group of Medicaid enrollees found Latino patients had starkly higher odds than whites of testing positive for COVID-19 as well as higher odds of hospitalization and death.
More information: Arun S. Hendi et al, Immigration and improvements in American life expectancy, SSM - Population Health (2021). Arun S. Hendi et al, Immigration and improvements in American life expectancy,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2021.100914
Provided by Princeton School of Public and International Affairs
(HealthDay)Kids who are gay, bisexual or questioning their sexuality may be vulnerable to contemplating suicide at a tender age, a new U.S. government study finds.
It has long been known that teenagers who are part of sexual minorities have a higher risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors, compared to their heterosexual peers. That includes kids who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning.
Experts said the new findingspublished online Sept. 27 in the journal Pediatricsadd another layer: Those kids also start to grapple with suicidal thoughts at a younger agewith an increased risk appearing as early as age 10.
What's more, they typically progressed more quickly from the "thinking" stage to actually planning for suicide.
None of that means LGBTQ kids are destined for poor mental well-being, stressed Brian Mustanski, director of the Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing at Northwestern University in Chicago.
"They are at relatively higher risk of suicidality, but the majority of LGBTQ youth do well," said Mustanski, who was not involved in the study.
That said, it's important to recognize the increased risk, and that it begins early, according to Mustanski.
In general, he said, kids first realize their sexual attractions around the age of puberty. For kids attracted to their own sex, or both, those blooming feelings may be accompanied by distress if they have been exposed to "anti-gay" messages during childhood, Mustanski said.
So it's vital that children understand from a young age that those attractions are normal, he said.
"The process of coming out is not easy for LGBQ youth," said Jeremy Luk, lead researcher on the study.
But the "good news," he said, is that based on other research, LGBTQ teenagers who report high levels of acceptance from either their parents or peers have a reduced risk of attempting suicide.
"In other words, acceptance goes a long way," said Luk, a clinical psychologist who was with the U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at the study's outset.
The findings are based on 1,771 U.S. high school students who were part of a larger project tracking their health and well-being.
Around 6% said they were attracted to their own sex, both sexes or were "questioning." (The survey did not ask about gender identity.)
Overall, 26% of sexual minority teens said they'd thought about suicidedouble the rate of their heterosexual peers. Similarly, almost 17% had made a suicide plan, versus roughly 5% of their peers. In all, 12% had attempted suicide, compared with 5% of heterosexual students.
The students were also asked how old they were when their suicidal thoughts first emerged. And the increased risk among gay, bisexual and questioning kids was already apparent at age 10.
It all underscores the importance of detecting suicidal behavior early, and getting kids the help they need, said Dr. Pamela Murray, from Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
Current guidelines say all teenagers should be screened for depression yearly, starting at age 12.
But depression screening does not always catch increased suicide risk, said Murray, co-author of an editorial published with the study.
"We've come to realize that depression does not tell the whole story, and we may need to specifically ask about suicidality," she said.
There's also the question of when and how to ask kids about their sexual attractions, to help identify those who may be particularly vulnerable. Some doctors already do that, Murray said, but there are no general guidelines on it.
And of course, once kids with suicidal thoughts and behaviors are identified, "we have to be able to offer them help," Murray said.
That can be a challenge for various reasons, including the dearth of mental health providers for kids and teens. The demand has always overwhelmed the supply, Murray said, and the problem has worsened during the pandemic.
Then there's the fact that many kids suffering from suicidality don't have parents who support them.
Murray noted that sexual minority kids are "over-represented" among the homeless population specifically because their families rejected them.
In his own research, Mustanski has found that bullying may increase the risk of suicidal behavior and self-harm among LGBTQ kids. So school anti-bullying programs could be one important part of prevention.
And while parents' support is critical, so is that from the other people in kids' lives, Mustanski said. Support from friends and romantic partners, he noted, can buoy the mental health of LGBTQ young people.
As for families, Murray pointed to resources like PFLAG, a national nonprofit that offers parents education on how to support their LGBTQ children.
Explore further Fewer LGBTQ teens plagued by suicidal thoughts, but rates still high
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New research being presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), held online this year, found that men who are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (T2D) at a young age are more likely to develop retinopathy than those diagnosed aged 50-plus.
Men diagnosed with T2D before the age of 40 were 72% more likely to have retinopathy than males who had T2D for the same amount of time but were diagnosed at the more typical age of 50 or over.
Retinopathy is a common complication of diabetes in which damage to the blood vessels of the retina can lead to blindness.
T2D, the most common form of diabetes, usually occurs in middle-aged and older people. However, onset at a younger age is becoming more common globally.
Dr. Katrina Tibballs and colleagues at the University of Oslo, Norway, analysed data from the GP records of 10,242 people with T2D to find out the prevalence of young-onset diabetes in Norway and to explore the relationship between age at diagnosis and complications.
The dataset was representative for Norway and the average age of diagnosis with T2D among all the participants was 56.
980 (10.2%) had young-onset diabetes (diagnosis under the age of 40) and their average age of diagnosis was 33.3 years old. This group had T2D for 11.4 years, on average, at the time of the study, and was 55.6% male. 15.5% had retinopathy.
Their risk of retinopathy and coronary heart disease, another complication of T2D, was compared with a group of 6,627 people who were diagnosed with T2D aged 50-plus (normal onset T2D).
The average age of diagnosis in this group was 62.7. This group had T2D for 7.8 years, on average, at the time of the study, and was 53.4% male. 5.9% had retinopathy.
Those diagnosed before the age of 40 had, on average, a higher HbA1c (average blood sugar level) at diagnosis than those diagnosed after 50 (7.6% versus 6.9%).
In those with young-onset T2D, HbA1c levels were higher already from the point of diabetes diagnosis but also increased more rapidly with time. In other words, if two people had T2D for the same length of time, HbA1c levels would likely be higher in the one diagnosed at a younger age.
Risk of coronary heart disease was more strongly linked to age in both groups than to diabetes duration. Risk of retinopathy, however, increased with diabetes duration, with the risk increasing particularly sharply in those with young-onset T2D.
When other relevant factors including diabetes duration, HbA1c, current age, BMI and blood pressure were considered and adjusted for, men with young-onset diabetes were 72% more likely to have retinopathy than those with normal-onset T2D.
In contrast to men with young-onset T2D, women with young-onset T2D weren't at significantly higher risk of retinopathy than those with normal-onset T2D, after taking all the above-mentioned factors into account.
The analysis also showed that retinopathy developed sooner after diagnosis in men, but not women, with young-onset T2D than in normal-onset T2D.
The study's authors say that diagnosis may be more likely to be delayed in males, who tend to visit their GP less often than females. This would mean their T2D was uncontrolled for longer, raising their risk of complications.
In addition, young-onset T2D may be a more aggressive form of the condition. T2D occurs when beta cells in the pancreas can't make enough insulin (a hormone which helps turn the sugar in food into energy) or the insulin it makes doesn't work properly (a phenomenon known as "insulin resistance").
The researchers say that the higher average blood sugar levels found in those with young-onset T2D could be a sign of more rapid deterioration of the insulin-producing cells and therefore a more severe form of the condition.
Dr. Tibballs, a GP and Ph.D. student, concludes: "It is important that young-onset type 2 diabetes is detected early enough and treated adequately to reduce the likelihood of retinopathy and other complications.
"The current guidelines on diabetes prevention and treatment should be updated to reflect the higher risk of complications in those with young-onset diabetes, particularly the elevated risk of retinopathy in men."
Explore further Younger onset of T2DM tied to poorer initial glycemic control
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A combination of factors including the current corporate tax rate makes pharmaceutical production in the United States more attractive now than investing in either China or India. And adopting advanced technologies such as Continuous Manufacturing (CM) further positions the United States to recapture a prominent position in pharmaceutical manufacturing.
This finding comes in a new Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Health and Human Services-funded study by risk management expert Clifford Rossi, professor-of-the-practice and executive-in-residence at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business.
Such repositioning will require policy measures to effectively reduce U.S. consumer exposure in an industry currently with more than 100 FDA-listed shortages of basic drugs, as more than half of finished dosages are produced by manufacturers in foreign markets and where, collectively, 74% of all registered facilities producing active pharmaceutical ingredients are overseas, writes Rossi in "A Comparative Risk & Financial Analysis of Batch and Continuous Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Technologies," which was funded through the University of Maryland's Center of Excellence in Regulatory Science and Innovation (CERSI).
The Biden Administration's inclusion of pharmaceuticals in its Executive Order on America's Supply Chains suggests a start, Rossi says. This follows COVID-19 exposing shortages of 45 drugs critical against the virus and the 2018 valsartan recall that caused doctors to quickly find alternative blood pressure and heart medications for millions of patients due to impurities found in the active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) used in making valsartan.
Continuous vs. Batch
Rossi used simulation analysis to generate 10,000 different investment outcomes from 156 domestic and foreign manufacturing scenarios. The findings "showed, in the U.S., continuous management (CM) processes in nearly all scenarios were more economical than current batch processing, he says. "Further, under current U.S. corporate tax rates, U.S. batch and CM processing was more economical than the batch processing of pharmaceutical products in China or India."
However, a "bifurcated market between brand and generic drugs" shapes the present dependence on foreign, batch processed drugs, Rossi explains. "The development of many blockbuster and other important drugs provides a period of exclusivity for brand manufacturers that enables companies to recapture huge R&D investment costs made early in the product life cycle. But once this protection window against generic competition closes, the market becomes highly competitive, less profitable and more cost centric."
The CM process can be a positive disruptor here as it takes place in one facility, start to finish, without hold times. Comparatively, decades-old batch manufacturing involves multiple steps with varying stop and start times. In some situations, materials are shipped between locations and production time can take weeks or months.
Policy Lag, Enduring Biases
Even though other industries such as commodity chemicals and food processing have for decades relied on continuous manufacturing processes, "very little investment in CM-based pharmaceutical manufacturing has taken place thus far, and most of that investment has been by large brand companies," Rossi says. "Further, there is no indication the industry has refocused much of their manufacturing investments toward the U.S."
Rossi identifies key factors driving this lack of investment:
Lack of solid data on CM investment and operating costs that raises investment uncertainty
Potential management bias toward proven technology
Market factors that favor greater focus on R&D investment over manufacturing investment
Global regulatory uncertainty regarding product approval leveraging advanced manufacturing processes
More stringent environmental regulations in the U.S.
Differential corporate tax rates between the U.S. and other countries
Large percentage of API manufacturing outside the U.S. that can, due to supply chain logistics, affect finished dosage form end products
"Crafting public policies to address such industry barriers and risks to domestic and advanced technology pharmaceutical manufacturing investment will be essential in ultimately stimulating such investments," Rossi says.
Expanding tech-sharing, public/private partnerships is another means to leverage CM technology and spur domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing, Rossi says. "This would go a long way toward strengthening the U.S. pharmaceutical supply chain and mitigate a variety of risks to ongoing drug product supply and quality from an increasingly unsteady geopolitical environment."
Explore further Drug companies warm up to continuous manufacturing
Credit: National Institutes of Health
"We need a spray bottle, to spray her like a bad cat," one of the emergency department workers said as Tolulope Afolabi protested that she was too woozy from pain medication to be hustled out of the hospital.
Afolabi, a 29-year-old Philadelphia nursing student, had come to Roxborough Memorial Hospital hours earlier that night by ambulance, delirious with a body-breaking pain that she described as like an SUV rolling over her back. She was met by emergency room staff who, after treating her with IV pain medication, tried to discharge her before she was even able to walk straight.
By the time of this March 2019 encounter, Afolabi had had so many similar encounters in hospitals that she discreetly captured it on an Instagram livestream, so friends would know how to find her if she needed help and so no one could say it hadn't happened. She shared it with The Inquirer.
In the recording, staff can be heard ordering Afolabi to sit down in a chair"What is so hard about you sitting in a chair?" one chidesand laughing when she struggles to explain she is nauseated and in pain.
"There is a lot going on when I move that brings up the pain," she says, her voice raw from screaming in agony earlier that evening, each word enunciated carefully to cut through the medication fog.
Afolabi was born with sickle cell disease, a blood disorder which affects every organ of the body and leads to unpredictable pain crises. Despite some 100,000 people in the U.S. living with sickle cell disease, the conditionwhich is most common in but not exclusive to people of sub-Saharan African ancestryis under-resourced and misunderstood.
"I've been called dramatic. If you felt half of what I've felt, you'd never call me dramatic," Afolabi said. "I can't do anything but cry and scream because I have no release for the pain."
Until infant screening for the disease became routine in the 1980s, few people born with the disorder lived past childhood. With early diagnosis and treatment, patients are increasingly living into adulthood, but when they age out of the pediatric system, they encounter a system that can be so harsh and unsupportive, some do all they can to avoid seeking care until their pain is unbearable.
They struggle to book appointments with the few sickle cell specialists for adults, and are often accused of seeking opioids when they get emergency care.
Sickle cell patients and advocates say their suffering is largely the result of the systemic racism in society generally and health care specifically that the coronavirus pandemic has cast in sharp relief. And with a social justice movement sparked by George Floyd's murder gaining momentum, advocates say now is the time to fix the system.
"This journey is not unique to the sickle cell population," said Kim Smith-Whitley, director of the Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "Given the sociopolitical environment in the U.S., I think we know this is a population that has not gotten what they need. This is our opportune time to correct it."
First recognized in the U.S. in the early 1900s, sickle cell disease was among the first group of conditions understood to be the result of a genetic mutation, a discovery that contributed to the foundation of genetic and molecular biology.
About 1 out of every 365 Black babies are born with sickle cell disease, which occurs when round red blood cells take on the C-shape of a farming sickle and grow hard and sticky, making them unable to carry adequate oxygen to vital organs. Another 1 in 13 carry the sickle cell trait. The diseaseactually a group of four diseases that include sickle cell anemiacan only occur when both parents carry the trait.
Episodes of extreme pain, called a sickle cell crisis, require hospital treatment and are the hallmark of the disease. But many people with the disease are in constant pain or discomfort. Young adults often need joint replacements to repair bone deteriorated by the disease.
Internal organ destruction can be so swift that, decades ago, few patients lived to adulthood. Children began living longer when, in the 1970s, a national awareness campaign prompted the federal government to spend more on research and care. One resulting study found that penicillin taken twice daily could protect children from overwhelming infection, prompting widespread newborn screening in the late 1980s.
With early diagnosis, blood transfusions and close management have helped the vast majority of individuals with the disease live to adulthood. People born today with sickle cell disease can expect to live into their 50s, up from their mid-30s just a couple decades ago.
CHOP's sickle cell program, the largest pediatric program in the Philadelphia area, has grown from about 325 patients in the early 1990s, before universal newborn screening, to over 1,000 patients. The sickle cell program's hematologists work with primary care providers, social workers and specialists in eye, lung and heart careorgans most commonly affected by the disease.
When a child arrives in CHOP's emergency department in crisis, staff know to alert the sickle cell team.
St. Christopher's Hospital for Children also has a robust, though smaller, sickle cell program. Most pediatric sickle cell patients in the Philadelphia area are treated by one of the two programs, Smith-Whitley said.
The key to their success, Smith-Whitley said, is recognizing that "sickle cell doesn't just occur in the context of a hospital visit, but in a life."
But after childhood, sickle cell patients feel like they're stepping into a health care void.
Or, as the director of Penn Medicine's sickle cell program, Farzana Sayani, puts it, "And then everything falls apart when they become adults."
Young adults may begin to experience different symptoms as they mature. They may be learning how to manage their health, without help from parents. At the same time, they are transitioning into an adult health care system that lacks wraparound services such as social workers and nurses who check in periodically, just to see how they're doing.
Shanika Walls, 26, of Philadelphia, was diagnosed with sickle cell disease when she was 3, and stayed with her CHOP care team as long as she could. One doctor came home from vacation early to be with her when she needed emergency surgery to remove her appendixa simple childhood event made traumatic by sickle cell.
Her inevitable move to an adult care team was like a baby bird being shoved from its nest into a hailstorm.
Even her first appointment felt rushed and impersonal. The doctor took her vitals and wrote a prescription for a medication Walls told the doctor was not part of her maintenance routine.
She remembers someone telling her, "This isn't Children's Hospital. This is an adult hospital."
"It was very shocking to me," she said. "From there I've just tried to do what I have to do at home, rather than going in."
Her doctor wants to see her every six months, but Walls usually cancels the appointments because she does not feel that the doctors are listening to her. She takes ibuprofen and drinks lots of water to control inflammation, but worries about what will happen when she has a pain crisis and doesn't have a doctor she trusts.
After months of searching, Terri Booker, 37, found a hematologist she likes, and has a good care plan. But even so, she has constant pain in her legs, like they're being squeezed by someone with an unrelenting grip. When the sensation climbs up her arms and her body starts to feel heavy, she knows a pain crisis is coming.
Booker, a Philadelphia lawyer, waits until she can bear it no longer to go to the emergency department. Too often providers don't believe her, don't listen, and don't know the right way to help, she said.
Research shows that Black people are more likely to report feeling ignored or not believed when they talk to doctors. Other studies have shown Black patients receive less pain medication at hospitals, largely rooted in the false beliefwhich until recently was actually taught in some American medical schoolsthat they feel less pain than white people.
"It's the physical, but also the mental anguish of knowing people don't want to treat you, they don't care what happens to you. The mental toll it takes on your mind and body is devastating," Booker said. "Stress for a sickle cell patient is another trigger. If you're constantly stressed out, you can't get better and then it makes you sicker."
Booker has more mild symptoms than other people she knows, she said, but the disease has taken a personal and professional toll.
One small study among sickle cell patients in Virginia estimated that only a third of people with sickle cell disease are employed, and those with jobs miss an average of seven weeks of work due to pain.
Days after passing the Pennsylvania bar exam in 2012, Booker had a pain crisis that landed her in the hospital for a month and required another six months of recovery. She felt compelled to explain to prospective employers why her job search had been delayed and worried that divulging her medical condition might bias firms against her.
Earlier this year, Booker was laid off from her job when she was in the hospital for five days during a pain crisis. Even worse, she also lost her employer-sponsored health insurance.
"The first thing I did, I didn't try to collect unemployment, I didn't look for a new job, I applied for Medicaid," she said. "Not having health insurance as a sickle cell patient is unimaginable. It's not an option."
Sayani joined Penn in 2013 to build up a comprehensive program for adult sickle cell patients. The program added 40 patients last year, about half of whom transitioned from pediatric care. The other half were adults in the community who were not regularly seeing a doctor, which she said speaks to the demand for more support.
One important change Sayani pushed for was an ER protocol, so that the sickle cell team is alerted when one of their patients comes to the emergency department. The approach has helped, but only works when a Penn sickle cell patient goes to a Penn hospital. The new protocol have raised awareness about sickle cell in the health system's emergency departments, but patients may still encounter skepticism if they go to a hospital that doesn't know them.
In 2018, Penn opened an infusion center, where people with chronic sickle cell pain episodes can come for help before the pain gets so bad they have to be admitted to the hospital for IV pain medication.
"It's a safe space," said Booker, who turns to the clinic when the pain becomes more than she can manage at home. "I feel comfortable going there. I don't have to explain anything, they know."
Infusion centers have been shown to reduce the number of ER admissions for people with sickle cell disease and the patients who use Penn's center like it, Sayani said. But it has attracted only about 250 regular patients. Specialists estimate there are about 3,000 adults living with sickle cell disease in the Philadelphia area.
Transportation, child care and work obligations may be barriers for some to use the infusion center, which is open only on weekdays. Plus, it can take hours to complete an infusion.
Sayani said a lack of trust in doctors is also keeping people away.
"There is a lot of PTSD, there is a lot of trauma these patients face every time they go to the emergency department because of some negative experience," she said. "The people who have bad disease and who have been in emergency departments and even in ICUs and close to deaththey're the individuals who have the hardest time trusting and sometimes that hinders their care."
Patients who feel their doctors understand them and treat them with respect are far more likely than those who feel disregarded to follow through on medical orders, take the drugs they need and seek follow-up care when they need it, said Mary Catherine Beach, a professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins' Berman Institute of Bioethics.
"That's true in health care and that's just true with authority," she said. "If you've been treated badly in schools and by the police and in stores, why wouldn't you think you were going to be treated badly by someone in the health system? You carry that forward."
Improving sickle cell programs could be a starting place for health systems to make measurable change in addressing health disparities and racism, said Alexandra Power-Hays, a pediatrician in Chicago who specializes in sickle cell disease and has written about health disparities.
"It's really hard to 'study' racial disparities because a lot of the things are nebulous, but because sickle cell disease is a diagnosis there are objective measures," such as how long patients wait for pain medication, she said. "It can be a good starting point to help shine that light overall on racism in medicine."
Patients say that any change should start with doctors listening more closely to them.
In Afolabi's 14-minute recording, emergency room staff repeatedly tell her she can sit down and accuse her of insubordination. When they realize she is live-streaming the encounter, they accuse her of "doing this for attention."
She pushes back when they try to help her to the chair again, yelling, "Time out! No!"
Someone laughs.
"You're smiling while you're being aggressive," she croaks.
"Because you're funny," a man responds. "This is hilarious and you know it."
They threaten to discharge her, calling out to whomever is watching her livestream to come to the hospital.
Finally, exhausted and falling asleep on her feet, ER workers ease Afolabi into a wheelchair. They wheel her into another room and leave her there, snoring, while Dateline airs in the background.
Back at home, Afolabi reported her mistreatment to hospital administrators. She received an apology letter shortly after the incident and earlier this year was invited to meet with the hospital's leadership and board of directors.
"The pain is excruciating. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy," she recalled telling them. "But sometimes I do wish people in the medical field could experience it, just to know what it's really like."
In a statement, a spokesperson for Roxborough Hospital said Afolabi's remarks had helped administrators better understand sickle cell disease.
"Everyone experiences pain differently, requiring an individualized approach to treatment," Michelle Aliprantis said in an email. "Hearing from patients like Ms. Afolabi help hospitals like ours remove any barriers that could negatively impact the patient experience."
Speaking to a couple dozen executives, most of whom were white, Afolabi said, was empowering but also felt like not enough.
As she read stories about the disproportionate toll the COVID-19 pandemic has had on Black individuals, and watched news footage of protests following the killing of George Floyd, Afolabi was inspired to speak out about her own experienceone she knows will resonate with so many other people who've been mistreated.
This fall, she will have heart surgery to stabilize an arterya major procedure to correct an issue that, while not directly caused by sickle cell disease, is complicated by it. Recovery will be harder and longer than it is for patients without the blood condition, and the procedure's timing could be derailed by a pain crisis, which she has at least once a month.
Still, Afolabi is determined to make her pain meaningful. She expects to finish her bachelor's degree in nursing by the end of the year and wants to specialize in hematology. Her dream is to open a clinic for people with sickle cell disease, where she'll take away patients' pain and fear with battle-worn compassion.
What is sickle cell disease?
Sickle cell disease is a group of inherited blood disorders in which red blood cells become stiff and crescent shaped, which prevents them from delivering enough oxygen to the body. Sickle cell anemia is the most severe form of the disease, while other people have milder symptoms.
How do people get sickle cell disease and how is it diagnosed?
Sickle cell disease is inherited, which means both parents must have the disease or be carriers of the sickle cell trait. All babies are screened for sickle cell when they're born through a routine blood test.
What is a sickle cell crisis?
A sickle cell crisis is when abnormally shaped red blood cells block blood vessels, preventing blood and oxygen from flowing properly. People with sickle cell disease commonly report a constant low-level pain, but a crisis is when the pain becomes extreme. It may affect a particular part of the body, such as a leg or arm, or full-body pain. Pain feels different for everyone. Some people describe sharp, stabbing pain, while others experience intense pressure, as if there is something heavy on their chest. Frequency and duration of crises varysome people experience a crisis weekly while others go years without a major episode. Each crisis can last hours or even days.
How is sickle cell disease treated?
Eating healthy, drinking lots of water, exercising and limiting stress can reduce the likelihood of a pain crisis. To help cope with painwhich can be unpredictable and occur even with a healthy lifestylepatients can take over-the-counter pain medication, use a heating pad and rest. For some, blood transfusions can help avoid pain crises. Hydroxyurea is a chemotherapy drug approved for use among sickle cell patients. Taken orally daily, it can help keep red blood cells round. Pain that becomes too intense to manage at home is treated with IV pain medication at an infusion clinic or hospital. Clinical trials are testing the possibility of using gene therapy to reverse the disease.
What resources are available for people with sickle cell disease?
The Sickle Cell Disease Association of America's Philadelphia/Delaware Valley chapter (www.sicklecelldisorder.com) helps people living with the disease navigate the health care system, find the right doctors and connect with other patients. The group advocates for patients and helps individuals learn how to advocate for themselves. Being a self-advocate is especially important for people with sickle cell disease because they often encounter discrimination and a lack of understanding of their illness.
"The power of being a self-advocate is so important," said Zemoria Brandon, a social worker with the local chapter.
The organization has also been working with hospitals to educate administrators and doctors about sickle cell disease, the wide range of symptoms patients experience and how best to care for them in the emergency department.
Explore further Understanding sickle cell disease
2021 The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC.
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Russia on Thursday reported its highest coronavirus death toll for a third day in a row, as infections spike driven by the contagious Delta variant and slow vaccination rates.
A government tally reported 867 fatalities over the past 24 hours and 23,888 new cases.
The new figure brings the country's total deaths from COVID-19 to 207,255the highest in Europe.
Independent experts have accused authorities of downplaying the severity of the outbreak.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia's vaccination rate was "still insufficient".
"We need to more actively continue to explain that the only thing that saves lives is the vaccine," Peskov told reporters on Thursday.
The world's fifth worst-hit country with more than seven million infections, Russia has seen cases climb over the past month as vaccinations stalled.
Moscow, the epicentre of the outbreak, has experienced a recent spike with authorities warning of rising hospital admissions.
Moscow and a host of other regions introduced mandatory jabs in the summer, but the vaccination drive has since stalled.
Under a broader definition for deaths linked to the coronavirus, statistics agency Rosstat reported in August that Russia had seen more than 350,000 fatalities.
Several Russian vaccines have been available for months, but authorities have struggled to inoculate a vaccine-sceptic population.
As of Thursday, just under 29 percent of the population had been fully vaccinated, according to the Gogov website, which tallies COVID data from the regions.
Explore further Russia reports record virus deaths for second day
2021 AFP
(HealthDay)Despite the troubling findings of a congressional report released earlier this year on toxins in baby foods, a new report finds even more manufacturers are selling baby foods that contain potentially unsafe levels of heavy metals.
The toxins in question include dangerous levels of arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury, among others.
"No level of toxic heavy metals and exposure to them is safe for a baby," said Illinois Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, chairman of the House Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy, which authored the latest report.
Named in the findings are some high-profile companies, including Gerber, Plum Organics and Beech-Nut.
In citing Gerber, congressional investigators said the company's infant rice cereal contained inorganic arsenic levels that exceeded the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's limit and "failed to recall" them, CBS News reported.
Responding to a request for comment, Gerber said it "follows a consistent and rigorous testing plan which includes regular testing of finished products" and increases testing "for products that have a history of naturally occurring level[s] of heavy metals."
The subcommittee report also noted that some samples of Beech-Nut products contained more inorganic arsenic than allowed. A recall issued in June was too narrow, it said.
Beech-Nut countered by saying it "proactively withdrew all those rice cereal products from supermarket shelves." The company said it also decided to stop selling infant rice products because it "is concerned about being able to consistently obtain rice flour well below the FDA guidance level."
The report also said most Plum Organics products, including Super Puffs snacks, contained heavy metals.
Krishnamoorthi called for stronger federal standards, including moving up timelines of the FDA's "closer to zero" program, which will set federal levels for some heavy metals in 2024.
"They haven't so far shown either the capacity or the willingness to regulate themselves. You need a federal regulator in the form of FDA to be regulating them closely," Krishnamoorthi told CBS News.
Explore further Arsenic levels trigger recall of beech-nut infant cereal
More information: The American Academy of Pediatrics has more information on The American Academy of Pediatrics has more information on heavy metals in baby food
Copyright 2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
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For decades, recipients of liver transplants have been inexplicably vulnerable to MRSA infection after their lifesaving surgeries, but the molecular mechanisms underlying that risk had remained stubbornly mystifying, at least until now.
In the hunt for a culprit at the core of a naggingand sometimes deadlysusceptibility, a multidisciplinary team of physicians, surgeons and scientists in China and the United States zeroed in on an answer. Their finding holds implications globally because the MRSA risk has been documented among liver transplant patients worldwide.
Patients who receive organ transplants of all kinds must take immune-suppressing drugs to prevent rejection, treatments that also leaves them vulnerable to infections. But as doctors and scientists searched for an answer to a full-blown medical mystery, they soon discovered that taking immune-suppressing medications didn't fully explain the worldwide susceptibility to MRSA infections in liver transplant patients. That conclusion seemed to defy logic.
MRSA is one of the world's biggest drug resistance threats, a bacterial species capable of thwarting multiple antibiotics. Additionally, MRSAmethicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureusis a noteworthy cause of nosocomial infections, frequently afflicting patients in hospital settings around the globe.
Yet, the problem among liver transplant patients stood out as especially vexing. About 23% of liver transplant patients develop MRSA infections, according to the World Health Organization. And among these patients an estimated 21% perish within 30 days after transplantation. The reason? MRSA.
Dr. Hao Li from the department of general surgery at Shanghai General Hospital and a team of U.S. investigators found that the problem isn't the result of something that is biologically amiss among transplant recipients. Li and colleagues discovered that the problem exists in the "healthy livers" from donors. Some donor organs invariablysurprisinglyare low in the expression of a gene that leads to the production of a specific protein and the paucity of that protein explains the increased susceptibility to MRSA infection after transplant, Li and colleagues say.
"We found that genetic predisposition to low pannexin 1 expression in donor livers was associated with MRSA infection in human liver transplantation recipients," asserted Li, whose report on the finding is published in Science Translational Medicine.
The Pannexin-1 gene, also known by the shorthand, PANX1, leads to the production of the PANX1 channel protein ubiquitously present in many mammalian tissues. PANX1 was first described in 2000 as part of a family of integral membrane proteins. In addition to PANX1, there are two others: PANX2 and PANX3.
While PANX1 is largely involved in releasing energy to tissues in the form of adenosine triphophateATPit has many other roles, according to research by Dr. Silvia Penuela and colleagues at the University of Western Ontario. They describe PANX1 as having a sweeping array of functions and particularly cite it for its key role in the release of "find-me" signals for apoptoticdead cellclearance.
Additionally, Penuela and her collaborators underscore that PANX1's functions are diverse. The channel protein is linked with the propagation of calcium waves in the regulation of vascular tone and also is involved in mucociliary clearance of debris from the lungs. The protein apparently plays a role in taste-bud function and has been shown to act as a tumor suppressor in the brain cancers known as gliomas.
PANX1 channels, nevertheless, can be detrimental, according to Penuela, noting they contribute to cell death and seizures under ischemic or epileptic conditions and even facilitate HIV-1 viral infection. Given the dark side of this channel protein, it comes as no surprise that PANX1 might be a suspect in the unexplained MRSA susceptibility following liver transplantation.
For Li and a large team of researchers throughout Shanghai, as well as Louisiana, Michigan and Pennsylvania, arriving at an explanation for MRSA vulnerability was part laboratory science, part surgical experience and part infectious disease sleuthing. On the whole, the research helped explain why MRSA infections seemed disproportionately to impact liver transplant recipients.
To understand why, the investigators analyzed gene expression patterns in 64 samples from transplant donor livers. They discovered that patients who received livers with low activity of the PANX1 gene were at higher risk of developing MRSA infections.
Experiments involving PANX1 and Il-33-knockout mice (bred as models for liver transplantation studies) revealed that a lack of the PANX1 protein in donor livers stunted the release of the immune-stimulating molecule interleukin-33 (IL-33). This, in turn, lowered the recruitment of immune cells and left the mice vulnerable to colonization by MRSA.
"We found that decreased PANX1 expression in the liver led to reduced release of ATP from hepatocytes, which further reduced the activation of P2X2, an ATP-activating P2X receptor," Li wrote in Science Translational Medicine. "Reduced P2X2 function further decreased the NLRP3-mediated release of IL-33, reducing hepatic recruitment of macrophages and neutrophils."
Explore further Researchers uncover gene that regulates fat accumulation and obesity
More information: Hao Li et al, Reduced pannexin 1IL-33 axis function in donor livers increases risk of MRSA infection in liver transplant recipients, Science Translational Medicine (2021). Journal information: Science Translational Medicine Hao Li et al, Reduced pannexin 1IL-33 axis function in donor livers increases risk of MRSA infection in liver transplant recipients,(2021). DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aaz6169
2021 Science X Network
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain
"Masks are for sissies!" "Where's your mask, know-it-all?" This fall, add comments like these to the list of childhood taunts heard on the playground and in the classroom.
Long a polarizing issue among adults, masks have become a source of contention among children and, unfortunately, a perfect set-up for bullying, with children taking many of their cues from things they hear their parents say at home.
"What creates a bullying situation? Anything that sets a child apart from their peers or makes them appear weak, anxious or not able to defend themselves," said Dr. Ramnarine Boodoo, child psychiatrist at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. "When you layer in political and social views, it becomes even more challenging for kids to navigate all this."
Evolving information about the effectiveness of masksnow essentially proven as more scientific evidence is availableunfortunately helped fuel the idea some still hold that masks don't work, Boodoo said. "We now have a large body of evidence that shows wearing a mask isn't harmful to health and is very effective at preventing transmission," he said. "However, not everyone believes this."
Pennsylvania's mask mandate actually may help mitigate bullying since most students are required to wear a mask at school, Boodoo said, but it still leaves open to ridicule those students who can't wear a mask for medical reasons and those who opt to wear a mask when not required, such as at playdates and group activities outside of school.
"Maybe that child has someone in their household who is more vulnerable, so that's why they always wear a mask, but other kids might see that child as being afraid of catching an illness or trying to isolate from the group," Boodoo said. "This can leave children feeling anxious, guilty and vulnerable."
Here are a few things that parents can do to mitigate the risk for bullying, he said.
Equip your child with tools that will help him stand up to a bully. "If you're the parent of a child whom you want masked continuously, make sure your child knows the reasons why and can articulate it to anyone who ridicules him," Boodoo said.
Have a conversation with the parents of your child's friends. Explain why you choose to have your child mask even outside school ("My wife is on chemotherapy," "My elderly mother lives with us") and ask, "Can you please work with us on this?"
Cultivate an atmosphere of acceptance and understanding. "The spirit of rugged individualism has become such a large part of the American ethos that we may have reached a point where we can't even tolerate each other anymore," Boodoo said. "Instead of writing people off as uneducated or ignorant, reach out and ask them to explain their stance so you can build understanding."
Talk with school officials if you see irregularities in how the mask policy is administered. "If the teacher isn't on board with masking and turns a blind eye to kids who don't wear their masks properly, that can set up a situation where those kids can swagger and feel empowered to bully other kids," Boodoo said.
When bullying occurs, the child must be held accountable, and that discussion should include the importance of respecting others, he said. School officials should evaluate what might be behind the bullying. "Is the child being bullied at home or are there are other troubling factors about their home life?" Boodoo said.
Above all, parents need to remember that they are their child's greatest role model.
"What you do, your children will do. Your views will become their views," Boodoo said. "This can be a real teaching moment where you can explain your views and why others may think differently."
In the end, we live in a free country and, when not mandated, it's a personal choice whether or not to maskand that choice must be respected, he said.
"This is another teaching moment about democracy, which is not about everybody getting their way," Boodoo said. "We must teach our children that everyone is free to advocate for their own choice, but it must be done in a way that is non-violent and doesn't adversely affect our neighbors."
In other words, no bullying.
Explore further Why it is important to teach your kids to wear a face mask
Police officers remove a barricade in Vung Tau, Vietnam Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021. Vietnam will lift a lockdown order in its largest city on Friday, ending almost three months of strict movement restrictions to curb a coronavirus surge. Credit: AP Photo/Hau Dinh
Vietnam will lift the lockdown in its largest city on Friday, ending nearly three months of restrictions on movement to curb a coronavirus surge.
People in Ho Chi Minh City, a metropolis of 10 million, will be able to leave their homes, restaurants can serve take-away meals and other essential businesses can open, the city said on its website Thursday.
A social distancing order, however, will still be enforced. Schools are closed, public transport remains suspended, travel in and out of the city will be controlled and public gatherings of more than 10 people outside is banned.
People who wish to attend social activities will have to show proof of vaccination to be admitted to establishments, authorities said.
Ho Chi Minh City along with 18 southern provinces went into lockdown in mid-July when cases started to surge.
In the past three months, the delta variant of the virus has infected 770,000 people and killed over 19,000, according to the health ministry. Most of Vietnam's COVID-19 deaths occurred in this wave, with Ho Chi Minh City accounting for the majority of them.
Other southern cities have also eased lockdown restrictions, gradually resuming activities as infections decline.
Police officers remove barricades in Vung Tau, Vietnam Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021. Vietnam will lift a lockdown order in its largest city on Friday, ending almost three months of strict movement restrictions to curb a coronavirus surge. Credit: AP Photo/Hau Dinh
In the past week, Vietnam's average new cases dropped by a third compared to earlier in the month when 14,000 were being recorded daily, the health ministry said.
In Vung Tau city, 70 kilometers (45 miles) from Ho Chi Minh city, barricades set up on the streets to control traffic during the lockdown were taken down as local residents cheered.
"We will have to celebrate this day, that the city is removing the barricades so we can go out again and get back to our normal lives," local resident Pham Van Thanh said as he helped officers remove a barricade on his street.
Vietnam is speeding up vaccinations in order to reopen the country, with priority for big cities and vulnerable locations such as industrial zones.
Ho Chi Minh City's health authority last week approved shortening the interval between two shots of AstraZeneca to six weeks, against the recommended eight to 12 weeks by the manufacturers, in order to fully vaccinate people quickly.
People remove a barricade in Vung Tau, Vietnam Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021. Vietnam will lift a lockdown order in its largest city on Friday, ending almost three months of strict movement restrictions to curb a coronavirus surge. Credit: AP Photo/Hau Dinh
The health ministry says 98.5% of the city's adults have been inoculated and 48% of them have received both shots.
However, Vietnam's overall vaccination rate remain low with only 9.3% of its 98 million people fully vaccinated. The authority said short supply is the reason for the delay of virus inoculation.
Explore further Vietnam speeds up Hanoi vaccine drive; 1M jabs over weekend
2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
P.J Devereaux and Michael McGillion, co-principal investigators. Credit: McMaster University
Patients using take-home technology following non-elective surgery resulted in significantly greater detection and correction of drug errors, and reduction in patients' pain, says a national study led by Hamilton researchers.
The study looked at patient outcomes from virtual care and remote automated monitoring (RAM) video calls with nurses and doctors, and self-monitoring of vital signs using wearable devices.
The research also raised the possibility of a reduction in acute-hospital care as the result of virtual care and RAM.
"We began the study in the first months of the pandemic, when hospitals were challenged to drastically reduce non-emergency care," said P.J. Devereaux, co-principal investigator of the study.
He is a senior scientist at the Population Health Research Institute (PHRI), professor and director of the division of perioperative care at McMaster University, and a cardiologist and perioperative care physician at Hamilton Health Sciences.
"Our study provides proof of concept that virtual care with RAM can improve outcomes after discharge following non-elective surgeryoutcomes that are important to patients," he said.
Half of 905 post-surgery patients at nine sites in Hamilton, Kingston, London, Ottawa and Edmonton in Canada were randomized to use technology at homea cellular tablet and RAM equipment to measure their heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, respiration rate, body temperature and weightfor 30 days after they left the hospital.
These patients also took photos of any surgical wounds, and all data was sent via cellular connection back to the health care team. Patients in this group also had virtual access to a nurse or doctor 24 hours a day and seven days a week.
The other half of patients received standard care, which is to see a health care provider usually in-person within 30 days of hospital discharge, with the impetus on patients to reach out to their surgeon with any concerns about medications or symptoms during that time.
The study found fewer patients with the take-home technology had to return to the hospital for care22 percent compared to 27 percent of those with standard care.
It also found that more patients in the virtual care group compared to the standard care group had a medication error detected (30% versus 6%, respectively) and corrected (28% versus 4%, respectively).
As well, fewer of the virtual care patientsa difference of 10 to 14 percent lower reported pain at different points during the month compared to the standard care group.
"The pandemic is just the tip of the iceberg, in terms of virtual care's potential, and how healthcare can be transformed," said the study's co-principal investigator, Michael McGillion, a PHRI scientist and an associate professor of McMaster's School of Nursing.
"Frontline nurses have the opportunity to lead the charge in terms of virtual care from hospital to home, in collaboration with physicians and allied health colleagues," he added.
Analyses suggested that virtual care and RAM reduced the frequency of hospital re-admission, emergency department or urgent-care centre visits when the patient received high escalation of virtual care, such as frequent involvement of a doctor by the nurse in the patient's care, but not in cases with lower levels of escalation.
The study results were published online today in the British Medical Journal (BMJ).
The authors note in the paper that further trials are needed to improve efficiency, such as not all patients need to interact with a nurse on days 1-15 and every other day from days 16-30 after hospital discharge, and the cost effectiveness of virtual care with RAM.
Explore further Virtual reality reduces anxiety in children during PIVC placement
More information: Post-discharge after surgery Virtual Care with Remote Automated Monitoring-1 (PVC-RAM-1) technology versus standard care: randomised controlled trial, British Medical Journal (2021). Journal information: British Medical Journal (BMJ) Post-discharge after surgery Virtual Care with Remote Automated Monitoring-1 (PVC-RAM-1) technology versus standard care: randomised controlled trial,(2021). DOI: 10.1136/bmj.n2209
Ambassador of Belarus A.Molchan meets the Minister of Industry and National Production of Venezuela
On September 28, 2021, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Belarus to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Andrei Molchan met with Minister of Industry and National Production of Venezuela Jorge Arreaza.
During the talks, the sides discussed the state of trade and economic cooperation of Belarus and Venezuela and noted the necessity to give it a new impetus through the activization of joint ventures for the production of Belarusian tractors and other complex technical products.
The interlocutors also considered the possibility of establishing a joint working group aimed to study new forms of cooperation of the two countries in the industrial sector.
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Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus M.Barysevich meets Ambassadors of Indonesia, Malaysia and Tunisia
On September 29, 2021, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus Mikalai Barysevich received copies of Credentials from Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Malaysia to the Republic of Belarus concurrently Bala Chandran Tharman, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Indonesia to the Republic of Belarus concurrently Jose Antonio Morato Tavares and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Tunisian Republic to the Republic of Belarus concurrently Tarek Ben Salem.
During the meeting of the Deputy Minister with the Ambassador of Indonesia, the sides discussed the Belarusian-Indonesian agenda, including plans to hold joint events and upcoming visits, as well as ways to deepen trade and economic cooperation.
During the conversation with the Ambassador of Malaysia, topical issues of Belarusian-Malaysian cooperation, including the intensification of political dialogue, assistance in the development of business contacts and interaction in international organizations were discussed.
Within the framework of the meeting of M.Barysevich with the Ambassador of Tunisia, the parties exchanged views on the prospects for the development of political dialogue, trade and economic cooperation, as well as the bilateral legal framework.
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Editor
Zaldy Dandan is the recipient of the Best Editorial Writer Award of the Society of Professional Journalists, and the CNMI Humanities Award for Outstanding Contributions to Journalism. His three books are available on amazon.com
Amazon has been leveraging South African talent in its workforce for some time now, having announced it was hiring for 3,000 customer service jobs in June 2020.
Currently, the company is advertising more than 130 positions in its Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) divisions.
The positions are aimed at recent graduates, early career professionals, and advanced career professionals in South Africa, with varying technical qualifications required.
Amazons history in the country dates back to 2004 when South African Chris Pinkhams team began the development of EC2 the foundation of AWS.
AWS opened offices in Johannesburg in 2015, and Amazon has plans to build a new headquarters in River Club, Cape Town.
The AWS and EC2 jobs advertised are permanent positions, excluding the internship and graduate programmes, and are located in Cape Town and Johannesburg.
Several vacancies within AWS were published as recently as last week and included Associate Profession Services Consultant, Software Development Engineer EC2 API Border, and Associate Solutions Architect positions.
Some of the most recent positions at AWS are summarised in the table below. You can find all Amazon vacancies in South Africa here.
The positions are divided by job category within AWS, and the number of vacancies for each is shown in brackets.
Google will start adding details and context about topics and sources to search-engine results, a move to help U.S. users become more literate about the origins of online material and to combat misinformation.
The Alphabet Inc. company will add descriptions about listed websites in its own words, reviews of sites from other parties, and information about topics from third-party sources, Google said during its Search On event Wednesday.
These details will be findable in the existing About This Result panel, accessed by clicking the three dots beside search results.
Theres a lot of information in the world from different sources, some unfamiliar, said Harris Cohen, a product manager on Googles consumer trust team. Lots of people are concerned about mis- and disinformation. Across lots of areas, this tool really helps them with that journey.
Google, which processes billions of searches per day, has sought ways to fight the scourge of online falsehoods in a time of Covid-19, polarized U.S. politics and state-sponsored disinformation campaigns.
Its algorithm already prioritizes websites known to be authoritative and factual, but in recent months, the company has bolstered its efforts to give users more information on the context of the results theyre seeing.
The company launched the About This Result panel in July.
In another addition to its search tools, the internet giant said that one of its new artificial intelligence models, called Multitask Unified Model or MUM, will now be used in some Google Lens image-recognition results.
The more powerful tool will allow users to add textual questions to a visual search.
For instance, someone can take a picture of a patterned curtain and ask Google if it can find armchairs that look similar.
Google said the use of MUM would enable further advancements in the next few months, including the ability to refine or broaden a search, and the company is making it easier to browse visual-results pages.
In the coming weeks, MUM will also help users identify related topics in a video, even if they arent explicitly mentioned.
Separately, the company said it will continue its work helping people gain street addresses if their homes werent assigned one by the government in countries such as India, South Africa, Kenya and the U.S.
Having an address will make it easier for them to vote, open a bank account or apply for a job. Google said it will expand its roster of partners in that effort.
The Mountain View, California-based company is also adding a wildfire layer to its Maps service that shows areas burned, as well as emergency websites, phone numbers and evacuation information from local governments.
Now read: YouTube will begin removing content questioning any approved medical vaccine
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) The city of San Jose was once home to one of the largest Chinatowns in California. In the heart of downtown, it was the center of life for Chinese immigrants who worked on nearby farms and orchards.
More than a century after arsonists burned it to the ground in 1887, the San Jose City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a resolution to apologize to Chinese immigrants and their descendants for the role the city played in systemic and institutional racism, xenophobia, and discrimination.
San Jose, with a population over 1 million, is the largest city in the country to formally apologize to the Chinese community for its treatment of their ancestors. In May, the city of Antioch apologized for its mistreatment of Chinese immigrants, who built tunnels to get home from work because they were banned from walking the streets after sundown.
Its important for members of the Chinese American community to know that they are seen and that the difficult conversations around race and historic inequities include the oppression that their ancestors suffered, San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo said.
REDDING, Calif. (AP) Officials have lifted all evacuation orders after crews made great progress corralling a wildfire that was started by a woman last week and has destroyed dozens of homes near Shasta Lake in Northern California, authorities said Wednesday.
The Fawn Fire was 75% contained after destroying 185 homes and other buildings in an unincorporated area north of the city of Redding, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said.
Alexandra Souverneva, 30, is being held at Shasta County Jail after being charged with felony arson to wildland with an enhancement because of a declared state of emergency in California, prosecutors said. Souverneva pleaded not guilty.
The Fawn Fire has charred more than 13 square miles (34 square kilometers) of heavy timber.
Its the latest destructive blaze to send Californians fleeing this year. Fires have burned more than 3,075 square miles (7,964 square kilometers) so far in 2021, destroying more than 3,000 homes, commercial properties and other structures.
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) Serbia and Kosovo have reached an agreement to deescalate tensions on their mutual border that have been triggered by a dispute over vehicle license plates, a European Union mediator announced Thursday.
We have a deal! After two days of intense negotiations, an agreement on de-escalation and the way forward has just been reached, EU mediator Miroslav Lajcak tweeted.
Last week, Kosovos government deployed special police forces to the border crossings to impose a new rule of removing Serb license plates from cars coming into the country, saying that a 10-year-old deal had expired. Pristina said they were replicating what Serbia had done for the past decade.
Protesting the new Kosovo rule, Kosovo Serbs blocked the border with trucks, and people could only cross on foot. Serbian military jets and helicopters have been flying close to the border with Kosovo in an apparent show of force.
Lajcak tweeted the agreed three-point plan that calls for the withdrawal of special Kosovo police unit from the border crossings as well as the lifting of the Kosovo Serb blockades.
The NATO-led peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, or KFOR, will be deployed to the border to maintain a safe and secure environment and the freedom of movement, the agreement says.
For many of us who live in Napa County and have observed the steady erosion of our environment due to the proliferation of more vineyards and wineries, the hue and cry of "when is enough, enough?" has increased substantially over recent months. The effects of changing climate conditions, a severe drought, weakening water resources and relentless wildfires have irrevocably changed life as we once knew it in this beautiful valley.
The Napa County Board of Supervisors, charged with being stewards of our land and natural resources, have time and again provided their "rubber-stamp" of approval for further invasion into our hillside watersheds and oak woodlands. By their complicit approval of the conversion of oak woodlands situated in our watersheds into more vineyards and larger wineries, the county's decisions have unwittingly strained sustainability of our natural resources nearly beyond the breaking point.
Digest: Russia offers 3+3 Caucasus regional platform, more on COVID-19 vaccination in Armenia
Armenia MOD receives Diaspora Armenian benefactors
Armenia Ambassador presents credentials to Turkmenistan President
Armenia Parliament Deputy Speaker and Russia Ambassador: We are interested in expansion of cooperation
Armenia finance ministry-European Investment Bank cooperation development directions discussed
One dollar drops below AMD 480 in Armenia
Hague court announces dates for considering petition for Armenian captives return, urgent measures against Azerbaijan
Armenia minister, Rosatom representative discuss cooperation in new sectors for infrastructure development
Armenia PM underscores need for effective investigation of criminal cases on 44-day war circumstances
Armenia MFA: Servants, followers of Armenian Church should have unimpeded access to cathedral in Artsakhs Shushi
Armenia opposition With Honor Faction lawmaker: MPs can be part of any parliamentary delegation
Turkish Armed Forces' 3rd army corps commander visits Nakhchivan
Sergey Markedonov: Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is not over
Opposition 'Armenia' faction: There is always a threat of war, but it is less likely in the near future
Armenian and Greek competition protection authorities sign Memorandum of Cooperation
Georgia FM comments on possibility of his country joining 3 + 3 format proposal including Armenia
Ruling power MP: Armenia needs to consider, grasp opportunities of 3 + 3 negotiation format
12 new cases of coronavirus reported in Karabakh
FM meets with Sweden ambassador, stresses need for return of all Armenian POWs in Azerbaijan
Ukraine MP who penned Armenian Genocide recognition draft decision dies
Azerbaijan organizes another visit to occupied Shushi of Artsakh
Ombudsman in Rome, presents Armenian captives issue to international media
ANCA calls on US Congress to investigate State Department failures related to Armenia, Artsakh
Armenia opposition MP: Tatev bypass road will not resolve all our problems in current situation (PHOTOS)
1,202 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia
Opposition Armenia bloc challenges, at Constitutional Court, community enlargement law package
Armenia Central Bank chief in Rome, meets with Italy PM
Russia peacekeepers, philanthropists hand warm clothes to Artsakh families
State Department: US, Russia do not want to allow Iran to have nuclear weapons
Newspaper: Armenia state to no longer cover treatment expenses of patients not vaccinated against coronavirus?
Newspaper: Armenia judicial system to be in volatile situation in short time
UN Human Rights Council agrees to appoint special rapporteur on Afghanistan
Russia citizen driver, 52, dies on the spot after his car crashes into truck in Armenia
Launch of Armenian Studies Program announced during Armenia President's visit to Sapienza University
Will Turks be able to enter 26 countries of Schengen Area without visas?
Dinner served in honor of Armenia President and his wife in Italy
Armenian parliamentary standing committee chairman meets with Russia Ambassador
Armenia Ombudsman submits to Pope Francis reports on tortures of Armenian POWs in Azerbaijan
Customs Attache: There hasn't been and there is no bias against Armenian drivers at Upper Lars checkpoint
Greece-France defense agreement will allow them to help each other in case of third country's attack
Treatment of coronavirus-infected but unvaccinated people to become paid service in Armenia as of December?
Turkish FM: Turkey's position on supporting Ukraine's "integrity and sovereignty" remains unchanged
Russian peacekeeping forces, charitable organizations provide assistance to boarding school in Karabakh
Zakharova: Moscow proceeds from priority to ensure geopolitical stability in South Caucasus
Armenia President pays tribute at Altar of the Homeland monument at Venice Square in Rome
Turkey, Iran to hold political consultations
Karabakh FM expresses condolences over death of Vigen Chitechyan
Armenia territorial administration and infrastructure minister has new deputy
Armenia Deputy PM Mher Grigoryan receives US Ambassador
Armenia Security Council Secretary, Netherlands Ambassador attach importance to fight against corruption
Digest: Armenian POW returned from Azerbaijan, PACE speaks on mandatory COVID-19 vaccination risks
Armenia and Italy are deepening cooperation in justice sector
Apprehended ARF-D members are released
Armenia high-tech industry minister receives Russia Ambassador
Armenia Embassy in Russia hosts delegation led by Armenian parliamentary speaker
Decisions to arrest Armenia ex-defense minister, arms supplier are appealed
Dollar continues going down in Armenia
Artsakh President to Putin: Your role in process of peaceful, final settlement of Karabakh conflict is invaluable
Amir-Abdollahian: We consider inadmissible Zionist regime provocative movement in our region from Azerbaijan territory
Iran FM announces readiness to visit Armenia, Azerbaijan
US ambassador to Armenia attends unveiling of new x-ray machine donated to Ashtarak city hospital (PHOTOS)
Putin: Russia attaches great importance to close cooperation with strategic ally Armenia
Police disrupt ARF youths protest outside Armenia government building
Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople meets with the Pope, in the Vatican
UK envoy to Armenia does not comment on Armenian-Azerbaijani relations, Karabakh situation
Iran Supreme Leaders representative leaves Azerbaijan
Armenias Pashinyan to Russias Putin: We are grateful for your efforts to establish peace in South Caucasus
Putin, Aliyev confer on situation in South Caucasus
Putin, Erdogan discuss regional issues
4 new cases of coronavirus reported in Artsakh
PACE new resolution urges to ensure that COVID-19 vaccination is not mandatory
Zelensky sacks Ukraine ambassador to Armenia
PM: Armenia, Armenian people are grateful to Japan
Armenia PM: We have made decision regarding local elections
Armenia, Italy presidents farewell ceremony held in Rome (PHOTOS)
Sarkissian to Putin: Armenia highly values your contribution to maintenance of peace, stability in region
Having legal system is important for business development in fair environment, says UK ambassador to Armenia
Armenia President, Italy PM meeting in Rome (PHOTOS)
Baku not ruling out another meeting between Armenia, Azerbaijan FMs
Armenia President meets with Rome mayor
1,309 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia
Biden approval rating hits new low in latest poll
Armenia ombudsman in Italy parliament, presents evidence of Azerbaijan torture of Armenian captives
World oil prices dropping
Serial killer in US lured by social media is sentenced to 160 years in prison
Newspaper: Armenia authorities face new problems in setting up parliament committee of inquiry into 44-day war
Newspaper: Opposition Armenia bloc plans to hold forums, rally
Armenia PM admits that in 2018 he could have disclosed Karabakh negotiation process content
Armenia health minister: Out of 2,446 hospital beds for coronavirus patients, 2,300 are occupied
China-Taiwan military escalation reaches peak in past four decades
Armenia President: We welcome pro-Artsakh documents adopted by nearly 50 regional and city councils of Italy
Armen Sarkissian meets with President of Italian Senate
Nikol Pashinyan: Armenia to build new nuclear power plant, negotiations have been launched
Italy's Quirinal Palace hosts exhibition featuring works of Aivazovsky, Saryan and other Armenian painters
Armen Sarkissian meets with President of Italy's Chamber of Deputies Roberto Fico
Catholicos of All Armenians meets with Pope Francis at the Vatican
Armenia ex-Ambassador to The Netherlands Vigen Chitechyan dies
Armenia PM again says he is guilty for all the failures of the Armenian side during last year's war
FM: Discussion on occupied territories of former NKAO will create new threats to Armenia
Karabakh emergency situations service: Rescue squad finds remains of another Armenian soldier in Jrakan
The government of the South Korea is beginning to prepare for stable contacts with North Korea after its leader Kim Jong-un announced plans to restore inter-Korean communication channels in early October, a representative of the South Korean ministry of association told reporters.
As soon as the channels are restored, Seoul plans to repeat the proposal to create a system of meetings of separated families in the format of videoconference, and then exchange views on the main issues of inter-Korean relations, the official said.
Earlier, Kim Jong-un announced his readiness to restore communication lines with South Korea in early October. According to him, such actions will help improve relations and establish peace on the Korean Peninsula.
North Korea on June 9 last year blocked all communication lines with South Korea in response to the unauthorized dispatch of balloons with campaign leaflets by activists of a South Korean non-governmental organization across the border. Pyongyang viewed these actions as a hostile act violating bilateral peace agreements. In retaliation, all telephones at the permanent inter-Korean liaison office were cut off, including the military-to-military communications channel.
Later, North Korea blew up a building in the border town of Kaesong, where the inter-Korean liaison office was located.
Today Armenia is facing difficult challenges, the catastrophic economic, social and security consequences and challenges of the pandemic and the 44-day war have not yet been overcome. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated this Thursday, presentingat Thursdays Cabinet meeting of the government of the Republic of Armenia (RA)his message on the draft state budget for 2022. Pashinyan noted as follows, in particular:
"The 2021 NA [(National Assembly)] elections overcame the internal political crisis and created quite a solid foundation for consolidation and the aspiration of the Armenian people to look to the future. In August, we presented the Action Plan for 2021-2026, which shall lay the groundwork for the peaceful, sustainable, and inclusive development of Armenia in the medium term.
Our goals, which are expressed in the 2022 budget and action plan, are ambitious and realistic. We acknowledge that their implementation requires not only economic intervention by the government, but also social and cultural transformations. First of all, we attach importance to increasing the efficiency of the public administration system and the transformation and development of the work culture. Most important, perhaps, is the culture of planning and implementation, the processes of implementation of programs, the imperfection of which leads to under-execution of capital expenditures, thus slowing down the implementation of government-set goals and hampering economic growth.
In this regard, the increasing of the capacity of the private sector plays an important role, and the government's efforts to this end have begun to bear fruit, in the form of companies that make investments to become competitive in the state capital construction sector, thus striving to implement projects with quality and timeliness.
The government will continue the policy of stimulating investments in this sphere, using three main tools for that. First, transparency of the public procurement system, 2. Increasing the amount of tenders for bidding, 3. Legislative innovations aimed at simplifying relations with reliable companies.
The next important issue is the development of analytical skills, which will enable to increase the effectiveness of expenditures, investments, the targeting of social programs, which is one of the key issues. As a result, the confidence of the RA citizens that their taxes are spent more efficiently and targeted will increase. Every day, the RA citizens shall sense on their lives the impact of the measures taken by the government. An important component of this is the engagement of the general public at various stages of budgeting and implementation, towards which many steps have already been taken over the past three years.
The 2022 budget is based on three main priorities:
1) Security system reform
2) Infrastructure development
3) Modernization of education and science.
We will pay great attention to security, without which it will not be possible to achieve long-term development goals. In this sense, it is important not only to modernize the army's defense capabilities, but also to create a favorable external environment around RA, to consistently implement the agenda of opening a peaceful era for Armenia, Artsakh [(Nagorno-Karabakh)], and the region.
In this sense, the reopening and development of regional economic and transport infrastructure is also important, which can qualitatively change the content and structure of Armenias economy, become an additional impetus for the development of domestic Armenian infrastructure, ensure long-term inclusive economic growth, creating equal conditions for RA citizens to engage in economic activity, considerably increase the appeal of our country for foreign direct investment.
In this context, too, the development of education is of key importance to Armenia, so access to education, inclusive development, and substantive reform is our long-term priority. ().
We are confident that the government's program will have a successful implementation to ensure the security, well-being, and dignified life of the citizens of Armenia.
Armenian News - NEWS.am presents the daily digest of Armenia-related top news as of 30.09.21:
Ex-defense minister of Armenia Davit Tonoyan, as well as David Galstyan, the director of an arms supplying company, were detained on Wednesday on suspicion of large-scale embezzlement.
On the same day, they were included as defendants in embezzling AMD 2,277,323,840 (approx. US$4,624,380), as well as committing falsifications and publicly dangerous actions, and petitions were filed with the court to remand them in custody.
Criminal proceedings have been instituted also against several former and current high-ranking members of the armed forces and for abusing power and committing official falsifications.
Presidents of Russia and Turkey Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed the current situations in Syria, Afghanistan, Libya, and Nagorno-Karabakh, Putins spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
According to him, the parties particularly focused on regional issues. He added that Putin emphasized that the parties to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict need compromised solutions.
The Russian side emphasized that the parties need to find compromised solutions with regard to the development of transport infrastructures and the demarcation of borders, Peskov added.
The ground forces of the Iranian army on Friday will start military exercises in the northwestern part of the country, said the commander of the ground forces, General Kioumars Heydari.
According to him, the howitzers, drones, helicopters, and armored vehicles of the Iranian armed forces will be used during these exercises.
Earlier, in an interview with Anadolu news agency, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev had commented on the Iranian military exercises on the border with Azerbaijan, calling them an unexpected event.
To-be Ambassador of the United States to Turkey Jeff Flake has announced his intention to recognize the Armenian Genocide.
Chairman of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Bob Menendez asked him about his stance on applying the Countering Americas Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) against Turkey, to which Flake said Ankaras use of the Russian missile systems will entail new sanctions.
During a question-and-answer session, Flake said he intends to recognize the Armenian Genocide and attend the ceremonies dedicated to the tragic events of April 24th. This is the first case when a US Ambassador to Turkey initially makes such an announcement. However, as a former Congressman, Flake has never voted in favor of Armenian Genocide recognition.
Armenian ex-Deputy PM Tigran Avinyan has visited the Syunik Province.
"This week, board member of Civil Contract Party Arman Boshyan and I visited Syunik Province and met with our teams in Meghri, Tegh, Tatev and Kapan. This is what board member of Civil Contract Party," former Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan wrote on his Facebook page.
"We expressed our support to all the candidates running for head of community or member of council of elders in the local self-government elections," he added.
7 people, 3 of them minors, have been taken to Yerevan hospitals with poisoning.
The 911 emergency hotline received a call from the ambulance service informing that they had taken seven peoplewith symptoms of poisoningfrom a residential building to several hospitals in Yerevan.
The information was passed to the police, and the latter are investigating the circumstances under which these persons were poisoned.
As of Thursday morning, 1,022 new cases of the coronavirus were confirmed in Armenia, and the total number of these cases has reached 261,697 in the country.
Also, 20 more deaths from COVID-19 were registered, making the respective total 5,319 cases.
During his visit to Paris to attend the event dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Henri Verneuil, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Armenia Vahram Dumanyan had a meeting with Director-General of UNESCO Audrey Azulay.
During the meeting, the minister expressed gratitude for the ongoing and effective cooperation with UNESCO.
The parties touched upon the cooperation for preservation of the cultural heritage of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) and the UNESCOs technical mission to Artsakh and the adjacent territories. Dumanyan reaffirmed Armenias full support to the implementation of the mission and extended thanks for the proper attention to the issue.
During the meeting, the parties also discussed the cooperation with regard to the Revive the Spirit of Mosul initiative and attached importance to the protection and preservation of cultural heritage, especially in zones affected by conflicts. The minister stated that a delegation of experts involved in the restoration of the old manuscripts of Mosul were in Armenia last week and voiced hope that the cooperation will be ongoing, adding that Armenia can make its contribution to the major task for preservation of world culture through exchange of the best practice.
Newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France to Armenia Anne Louyot today presented her credentials to President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian.
I am glad to represent France in a country with which my country has special relations. I will do everything I can for further development of the bilateral relations, the newly appointed Ambassador stated and transmitted the warm greetings of President of France Emmanuel Macron to President Sarkissian.
President Sarkissian congratulated the Ambassador on assuming office, wished her success and voiced hope that the already extensive Armenian-French agenda will be enriched with new ideas and initiatives through combined efforts. The head of state also said Armenia values the support and solidarity of President of France Emmanuel Macron and the French people to and with Armenians during the days that were difficult for the country.
The interlocutors touched upon various sectors of the Armenian-French cooperation. President Sarkissian viewed partnership in the field of latest technologies as prospective and presented the ATOM (Advanced Tomorrow) presidential initiative, which is a future-oriented initiative and the focus of which will be on the development of science, technology and education. Sarkissian stated that there are already initial agreements on cooperation with a number of large French technology corporations.
The parties also talked about the implementation of pretentious programs for expansion of cooperation in the areas of education, culture and healthcare and, as the Ambassador stated, France is ready to invest its experience in Armenia.
Story Highlights Ratings of many key federal agencies are down significantly from 2019
CDC job ratings down the most, led by steep Republican drop
NASA, U.S. Postal Service rated most positively
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Americans' job evaluations of eight prominent federal government agencies have fallen by double digits since 2019. The largest drop is for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with 40% now saying it is doing an excellent or good job, down from 64% in 2019. None of the 13 agencies measured in both 2019 and 2021 showed an increase in positive job ratings.
Changes in Americans' Job Ratings of Federal Government Agencies and Departments, 2019-2021 How would you rate the job being done by ...? Would you say it is doing an excellent, good, only fair or poor job? 2019 2021 Change % % pct. pts. NASA 60 60 0 U.S. Postal Service 74 57 -17 Secret Service 69 55 -14 Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA 52 49 -3 The Department of Defense n/a 46 n/a Federal Reserve Board 48 44 -4 Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI 57 44 -13 The Department of Homeland Security 55 42 -13 Central Intelligence Agency, CIA 60 41 -19 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC 64 40 -24 Food and Drug Administration, FDA 44 40 -4 Internal Revenue Service, IRS 50 37 -13 Veterans Administration, VA 39 36 -3 Environmental Protection Agency, EPA 43 33 -10 The State Department n/a 32 n/a Figures are the percentage excellent/good; items sorted by 2021 rating Gallup
Gallup periodically asks Americans to assess how some of the more newsmaking federal agencies and departments are doing. Gallup first asked about NASA in 1990, and then expanded the list to a larger number of agencies in 2003.
Fifteen agencies are included in Gallup's annual Governance survey this year, conducted Sept. 1-17. The prior measures are from April 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic and when the U.S. economy was generally strong.
The CDC's ratings have suffered the most as the nation has struggled to deal with the pandemic among other challenging issues. The leading health agency has been criticized for changing its messages about the best ways for Americans to protect themselves from the coronavirus, particularly regarding the use of face masks.
But the CDC is not alone in suffering a decline in public trust, with the CIA, the U.S. Postal Service, the Secret Service, the FBI, the IRS, the Department of Homeland Security and the Environmental Protection Agency all showing declines in job ratings of at least 10 percentage points.
Many of these agencies have been involved in controversies, including cutbacks and delays in mail delivery for the Postal Service, the influx of migrants at the U.S. Southern border for Homeland Security, and the CIA's assessments of how quickly the Taliban would take over Afghanistan after the U.S. military left the country.
The declines in agency rating may also reflect the negative effects of the pandemic on Americans' views of society and governance, a broader decline in trust in government this year, as well as the recent slide in President Joe Biden's job approval rating.
NASA Has Highest Rating; State Department, EPA Get Lowest Ratings
Americans' ratings of NASA are the highest for any agency, at 60%, and it is the only agency not to show at least a minimal decline in performance ratings since 2019. The U.S. Postal Service (57%) and the Secret Service (55%) -- which were the top-rated agencies in 2019 -- are rated next best, even after large declines for each this year.
These three are the only agencies of 15 tested in the new poll that receive majority positive ratings. In 2019, nine of the 13 agencies tested had majority positive evaluations.
The State Department, measured for the first time in the current survey, ranks lowest, with 32% giving it an excellent or good job rating, essentially tied with the EPA (33%). The poll was conducted shortly after the United States' chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. The State Department was criticized for its struggles in coordinating the evacuation of Americans and U.S. allies living there.
The Defense Department, another key government actor in the Afghanistan withdrawal, was also included in the survey for the first time and received positive ratings from 46% of U.S. adults.
CDC Among Several Agencies at a New Low
Americans have generally been positive about the way the CDC has done its job historically, across the seven times Gallup has measured its performance. Typically, at least six in 10 U.S. adults say the CDC is doing an excellent or good job. The current 40% is thus a significant departure from the norm, though it is not the only such instance. In addition to the current COVID-19-era measure, ratings also were lower in 2014 (50%), during the Ebola virus outbreak in the U.S.
Line graph. Trend in Excellent/Good ratings of the job the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is doing. Sixty-six percent said the CDC was doing an excellent or good job the first time Gallup asked about it in 2003. Readings taken in 2009, 2013, 2017 and 2019 ranged between 60% and 66%. The two ratings below 60% were 50% in 2014 and 40% in 2021.
In addition to the CDC, the Department of Homeland Security, FBI, EPA and U.S. Postal Service are at new lows in Gallup's trend. For the full trends on each agency, click on the linked PDF at the bottom of the article.
Republicans Show Biggest Drop in Ratings of Most Agencies
Both Republicans and independents are less positive toward all 13 of the agencies measured in both 2019 and 2021. In contrast, Democrats are more positive toward most of them. The partisan differences to a large degree are a response to the change from the Donald Trump administration to the Joe Biden administration between the two surveys among Democratic and Republican Party supporters.
Republicans generally show the largest declines in agency ratings, most notably for the CDC (down 57 points), but also for Homeland Security (down 41 points), the CIA (down 34 points), the Secret Service and the EPA (each down 29 points). Across the 13 agencies, Republicans' ratings are down an average of 25 points.
Bar graph. Changes in Republicans' opinions of the job federal government agencies and departments are doing between 2019 and 2021. Republicans are less likely in 2021 than in 2019 to say all 13 agencies measured in both years are doing an excellent or good job. These include a 57-point drop from 71% to 14% for the CDC, a 41-point drop from 65% to 24% for Homeland Security, a 29-point drop from 54% to 25% for the EPA, and a 29-point drop from 74% to 45% for the Secret Service. The smallest drop was three points for NASA, from 61% to 58%.
The largest decline among independents is also for the CDC, down 28 points. Independents' ratings of the Postal Service have dropped 21 points, a larger decline for the USPS than among the other party groups. On average across the 13 agencies and departments, independents' scores are down 14 points.
Bar graph. Changes in independents' opinions of the job federal government agencies and departments are doing between 2019 and 2021. Independents are less likely in 2021 than in 2019 to say all 13 agencies measured in both years are doing an excellent or good job. These include a 28-point drop from 64% to 36% for the CDC, a 21-point drop from 77% to 56% for U.S. Postal Service, and an 18-point drop from 58% to 40% for the Department of Homeland Security. The smallest drop was six points for NASA, from 60% to 54%.
Unlike the other party groups, Democrats are more positive toward the CDC now, with 72% saying it is doing an excellent or good job, up from 61% in 2019. Democrats' job assessments of the FDA, FEMA, Federal Reserve and Homeland Security increased even more, by between 19 and 25 points.
The only agency for which Democrats' opinions have deteriorated significantly is the Postal Service, down 16 points.
On average, Democrats' job evaluation improved eight points for the various agencies -- a much smaller change than the decline in average ratings seen among Republicans.
Bar graph. Changes in Democrats' opinions of the job federal government agencies and departments are doing between 2019 and 2021. Democrats are more likely to say nine of 13 agencies measured in both years are doing an excellent or good job. These include a 25-point increase from 37% to 62% for the FDA, a 23-point increase from 38% to 61% for FEMA, a 19-point increase from 42% to 61% for the Department of Homeland Security, and a 19-point increase from 45% to 64% for the Federal Reserve Board. Democrats' ratings of the U.S. Postal Service, CIA and IRS are less positive in 2021 than in 2019.
Bottom Line
Americans' increasingly pessimistic job ratings of the president, Congress and the Supreme Court that were also measured in Gallup's September poll extend to other parts of the federal government, namely the various federal agencies and Cabinet departments that make up the executive branch of the government. Nearly all agencies Gallup tested are rated worse now than two years ago, and many are at record lows in the 2003-2021 trend.
These declines come during a period that has been trying for the U.S. Among the challenges, the coronavirus pandemic and how to mitigate it may be paramount, but the pullout from Afghanistan, increased crime and violence, a surge of migrants at the Southern border, and improving social justice have all sparked discord in Washington and around the country.
The diminished federal government agency ratings also come at a time when Republicans' trust in the federal government to handle international and domestic problems is the lowest Gallup has measured for any party group historically.
To stay up to date with the latest Gallup News insights and updates, follow us on Twitter.
Learn more about how the Gallup Poll Social Series works.
View complete question responses and trends (PDF download).
President Xi Jinping leads Martyrs' Day ceremony
President Xi Jinping leads Martyrs' Day ceremony
President Xi Jinping paid his respects at a solemn commemoration Thursday to those who died in the struggle to establish Communist Party rule.
President Xi and the six other members of the Politburo Standing Committee led aged veterans and government and military leaders in paying their respects at the Monument to the Peoples Heroes in the centre of Tiananmen Square while a military band played.
This year's ceremony follows commemorations of the centenary of the founding of the party in 1921.
Tiananmen Square and surrounding roads were closed off for the ceremony, which began with a trumpet fanfare, the singing of the national anthem and a minute of silence.
Martyrs' Day is commemorated on the eve of China's National Day. (AP)
Sealed petrol and diesel pumps at a fuel station in London. Richard Baker / In Pictures via Getty Images
Most British people think Brexit is going badly, according to a YouGov poll.
Sentiment towards Brexit has worsened in recent months, the poll said.
Some commentators have suggested shortages in fuel and other goods are due to Brexit.
See more stories on Insider's business page.
A majority of British people think Brexit is going badly, a poll has suggested, after a summer of supply-chain issues making life difficult for many in the UK.
The YouGov poll, conducted and published on Wednesday, is the first to suggest a majority of Brits believe Brexit is going badly since the polling company started asking in January, the end of a transition period after the UK left the EU.
Its backdrop was rolling supply-chain issues that have seen empty shelves in some supermarkets and widespread shortages at gas stations.
Some commentators have blamed the issues on Brexit, but the rest of Europe is also facing a shortage in truck drivers, the BBC noted.
YouGov surveyed 6,546 adults from Great Britain. It found that 18% of those polled thought Brexit has been going well since the start of the year.
The previous poll, conducted on June 21, suggested only 38% of British people thought Brexit is going badly.
The intervening months have seen supply chain issues exacerbated by the effects of the pandemic, as supermarkets and fuel suppliers struggle with a shortage of truck drivers, often called heavy goods vehicle (HGV) drivers in the UK.
The shortage of HGV drivers has not been helped by Brexit making it harder for European drivers to transport goods in the UK.
But the shortage is mainly driven by the pandemic limiting HGV driver training, changes to tax rules, and shifts in the economy as former drivers find new jobs, the BBC reported.
None of the YouGov polls survey people from Northern Ireland, which is suffering from serious supply-chain failures in supermarkets as a result of the Northern Ireland protocol.
Northern Ireland continues to follow EU rules on product standards to avoid checks on the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, but this has led to customs checks on some products from England, Scotland, and Wales.
Unionist parties, which support the relationship between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, have called for the reform of the Northern Ireland protocol.
Read the original article on Business Insider
Swiss company ABB, which supplies EV chargers to Ionity and Electrify America, has unveiled what it calls the "world's fastest electric car charger," Reuters has reported. As its name suggests, the Terra 360 has a 360 kW capacity, meaning it could fully charge a (theoretical) EV in 15 minutes. More realistically, it can charge four vehicles simultaneously, saving space at charging stations.
The Terra 360 isn't the most powerful charger by much, as companies like Electrify America, Ionity and EVGo have been using 350 kW chargers manufactured by ABB and others since at least 2018. However, it's the "only charger designed explicitly to charge up to four vehicles at once," the company said. "This gives owners the flexibility to charge up to four vehicles overnight or to give a quick refill to their EVs in the day." They also have a relatively small footprint, allowing installation in small depots or parking lots.
There aren't a lot of EVs that can handle that kind of charge. The only two approaching it are Porsche's Taycan, with 270 kW of charging capacity and the new Lucid Air, which allows for up to 300 kW fast-charging. Tesla's Model 3 and Model Y EVs can charge at up to 250 kW, while Hyundai's Ioniq 5 is rated for 232 kW DC fast charging.
Such high charging levels aren't necessarily great for an EV's battery. Porsche, for instance, has a battery preservation setting on its Plug & Charge Taycan feature that lowers power to 200 kW from the maximum 270 kW allowed so it's essentially acknowledging that faster charging degrades the battery. On top of that, extreme charging levels don't necessarily save you much time, as Car and Driver found. Tesla recently promised to upgrade its own Supercharger V3 network from 250kW to 300kW.
ABB's new chargers will be able to add 100 km (62 miles) of range in less than three minutes. They'll arrive in Europe by the end of the year and start rolling out in the US and elsewhere in 2022.
Update 9/30/2021 4:08 PM ET: The post originally stated that the Hyundai Ioniq had fast-charging capacity of 350 kW, but the correct number is 232 kW. The post has been updated with the correct information.
(Reuters) -Amazon.com Inc and the U.S. National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) said on Wednesday the company had reached a settlement with two former employees who alleged they were fired last year for criticizing the working conditions at the e-commerce giant's warehouses.
Amazon had terminated the employment of Emily Cunningham and Maren Costa, who had accused the company of enforcing policies in a discriminatory fashion and instituting rules that "chill and restrain" the staff from exercising rights, according to their charge filed in October.
The NLRB found in April that Amazon illegally fired them after they advocated for better working conditions during the pandemic.
"Amazon will be required to pay us our lost wages and post a notice to all of its tech and warehouse workers nationwide that Amazon can't fire workers for organizing and exercising their rights," Cunningham and Costa said in a joint statement on Wednesday.
The U.S. agency said the company had reached a non-board settlement, a private agreement between parties in which terms were not disclosed, with the former employees.
The NLRB regional director, however, is required to review and approve the settlement agreement before allowing the charges to be withdrawn.
"We have reached a mutual agreement that resolves the legal issues in this case and welcome the resolution of this matter," an Amazon spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
CNBC first reported about the settlement.
Cunningham and Costa gained prominence for pushing the e-commerce giant to do more on climate change, questioned Amazon's pandemic safety protocols and worked to raise money for warehouse staff at risk of contracting COVID-19.
(Reporting by Sabahatjahan Contractor, Nishit Jogi and Niket Nishant in Bengaluru;Editing by Vinay Dwivedi and Ramakrishnan M.)
The Daily Beast
Dallas County Sheriff's OfficeA bizarre saga in Missouri involving a missing woman who was seen being held captive in a cage has taken a baffling turn as the house where she was apparently kept burned to the groundimmediately after authorities discovered it had been boobytrapped.The Dallas County Sheriffs Office said the fire at the home in Windyville, an unincorporated Ozarks community about 160 miles from Kansas City, occurred Monday night, according to the Springfield News-Leader. Thats mo
An early morning fire at a Maine community church may have been intentionally set, with leaders fearing the building that displayed a Black Lives Matter sign was targeted.
We dont know if it was a protest or somebody was trying to tell us something, Portland New Church Pastor Lorraine Kardash told WMTW. The BLM sign that hung outside the front window was also missing, she said.
Crews responded to the fire just before 2 a.m. Sunday, WGME reported, citing Portland fire officials. Kardash said a group of neighbors helped douse the flames until firefighters arrived.
Apparently neighbors, I believe that were right across the street, had seen it and started throwing buckets of water on it, she told the news station.
Tarp now covers the charred remains of the area where the BLM sign previously hung, photos posted on the churchs Facebook page show. While the official cause of the fire hasnt been confirmed, the Portland Press Herald reported that authorities said theyre investigating it as suspected arson.
McClatchy News reached out to the Portland Police Department on Thursday and is awaiting a response. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives is also investigating.
The building, constructed in 1910, doubles as a house of worship and community center, WMTW reported. The Portland New Church serves an interfaith community and has about a dozen members.
In a statement, church leaders said their suspicions about the building being targeted are fueled by the fact that the Black Lives Matter sign that was hanging outside by the door is now gone.
This humble church has served as a meeting space for many people, the church added. We are saddened and angered by this hateful act.
The missing sign was later found underneath a bush, Kardash told WCSH.
The pastor said the church is now focused on rebuilding, though shes glad the damage wasnt worse.
I was actually relieved when I got here and saw it was fixable in many ways, Kardash told WGME.
Story continues
Fight over a gun inside church ends with two parishioners shot, Alabama police say
Noise concerns or anti-Muslim bias? Mississippi city mosque rejection raises eyebrows
Fire that gutted century-old church was intentionally set, Georgia officials say
President Joe Bidens top health advisers are split over the role booster shots should play in the next phase of the pandemic, setting up key fault lines to close in the coming weeks as they try to ward off further surges this fall and winter.
Their disagreement centers on whether the U.S. should eventually offer an additional shot to every vaccinated adult in hopes of preventing even mild and moderate symptomatic breakthrough infections, according to three senior health officials and two people familiar with the governments internal discussions.
The Biden teams deliberations have intensified in recent days, as officials scrutinize the incomplete and sometimes conflicting data on vaccines performance. One group, including some scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration, argues that boosters arent capable of blocking all infection, the sources said. They think additional vaccine doses should be given only as needed to reduce cases of severe illness and death. Another group including Bidens chief medical adviser, Anthony Fauci says the government should not rule out using boosters to help stave off even mild Covid-19 infections that can keep people out of work for weeks.
Whatever decisions health officials make will have major implications for the course of the pandemic in the coming months, when the combination of colder weather and holiday gatherings is poised to fuel the virus spread. The growing tension among the presidents top Covid-19 advisers raises questions about whether the goals of the nations vaccination campaign are changing, and the degree to which breakthrough infections may be inevitable. It comes as many scientists warn that while the pandemic will eventually end, the virus itself will remain a significant presence for years to come.
We are in a vulnerable position, said Eric Topol, a professor of molecular medicine at Scripps Research. Were very much under-vaccinated. We're also one of the countries that whatever vaccination rate we achieve, we got most of it early, so a lot of those people are now becoming vulnerable. That doesn't portend a nice descent ramp from Delta.
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The White House, CDC and the Department of Health and Human Services declined to comment. A senior administration official pointed to recent comments by Fauci and CDC Director Rochelle Walensky endorsing the idea that even mild breakthrough infections are of concern.
For months, administration officials have grappled with how to interpret and respond to domestic and international data that suggest available vaccines effectiveness against infection, and in some cases hospitalization, is beginning to wane.
Bidens team originally aimed to offer boosters to all adults starting the week of Sept. 20. But the administration scaled back its vision amid pushback from scientists at the FDA and CDC and on the agencies outside advisory committees. They objected because of the limited CDC studies on vaccine performance did not prove definitively that large portions of the country were in immediate need of a booster or how long the benefit from a booster would last.
For now, the FDA and the CDC recommend boosters only for certain people who originally received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine including those 65 and older, and people over 18 with underlying health conditions or jobs that increase their risk of severe Covid-19. But federal officials are already weighing which groups might be next in line for boosters this fall and winter as cold weather drives people to spend more time indoors.
The current conversations about how to prepare for the potential rise in cases come at a tenuous time for the administration and its pandemic response.
The highly contagious Delta variant continues to spread across the country. Health experts are warning that the country could see another surge, especially if vaccine efficacy falls off dramatically over the next several months as it did in Israel. But federal officials do not have solid data, particularly domestic data, that spells out exactly how long boosters last and which populations would benefit. That muddies any risk-benefit calculations.
But waiting for definitive findings before making the shots widely available could have its own cost, said Leana Wen, an emergency physician and public health professor at George Washington University.
I don't think that the federal government should be in the business of telling people what is valuable to them. I don't need the federal government telling me that I shouldn't care about infecting my young, vulnerable family members, she said. That's why the CDC meeting last week was so frustrating because they were basically saying, We know better than you do about preventing or about what's important to you.
And the difficulty of forecasting how the U.S. outbreak will behave over the next several months increases the policy challenge facing the Biden administration. Senior federal officials are essentially trying to predict the unknowable. The big question for many members of Bidens Covid team is whether the U.S. should give boosters to otherwise healthy Americans to help reduce transmission and infection, limit boosters until most of the world receives its first dose or try to do both at once. The answers vary widely.
I dont think anything is an open-and-shut case right now. I think things are suggestive, said Craig Spencer, an emergency medicine doctor at New York University, of vaccine efficacy data. Will [boosters] be justified? I think that depends on what you think we should be doing with our vaccines. We're sitting on hundreds of millions of doses that could immediately be used in places to stop the spread and stop people from dying from a largely vaccine-preventable illness.
The Biden administration faced immediate backlash in August when it announced that it would begin offering booster shots in September. Health experts and international officials said the U.S. should do more to help vaccinate the rest of the world before it moved forward with an additional dose for Americans. Medical and public-health experts with connections to the White House, including former Biden transition team members, also argued that available data showed vaccines still did a good job preventing severe disease and death, even if their power to prevent mild infection was waning.
That criticism kicked off a series of conversations within the White House and among Biden Covid-19 officials about how best to get ahead of a potential surge as the pandemic nears the end of its second year.
Scientists at the CDC and the FDA, and the agencies external advisers, made clear in recent presentations that boosters would not necessarily prevent mild infection. They argued that the shots should be used to protect the elderly and other groups for whom vaccination was becoming less effective at warding off hospitalization and death.
Through it all, Fauci has been vocal about his thinking on boosters, saying Israeli data is clear: Vaccine efficacy against mild and moderate illness is decreasing, and boosters are the solution. He argues that the U.S. should not reserve third shots as protection against severe disease, bucking the FDA and CDCs latest recommendations.
It seems like [the advisory groups] were saying it is okay as long as you dont wind up in the hospital and die, Fauci said in a recent interview with conservative radio talk-show host Hugh Hewitt. I dont feel that way. I feel we need to protect not only from getting people in the hospital ... but we dont want people to get sick. You can also get pretty sick and not necessarily have to go to the hospital.
Fauci added that his approach was not in conflict with Bidens goal of helping to vaccinate the world, noting that the administration is committed to be doing even more on that front.
Walensky has also noted the importance of finding a way to deal with mild breakthrough infections, even though her agency decided in May to track only cases that resulted in hospitalization. If a health care worker calls in sick with a breakthrough infection that could be an ICU bed that cant be filled because they dont have workforce, she said recently at the Atlantic Ideas Festival.
But Walensky also said last week at a press conference that getting booster shots is a walk, dont run, situation, stressing that driving up the overall vaccination rate is also a powerful method to protect the vulnerable.
The administrations internal struggle over boosters continues to spill out into public view as experts search for ways to prevent a repeat of last winters devastating surge.
There's a reluctance to use the third jabs in this country, even though they could help a lot to basically get all those people who are early vaccinated to get them back to fully protected, Topol said. We're starting to negate the importance of infections. And that's not good. The other thing that I think is discounted is the long-Covid story. The only prevention of long Covid is to prevent the infection.
For others like Spencer, the emergency room doctor from New York City, any move to dole out boosters broadly now would gloss over the fact that the U.S. still does not have good data on the shot's benefits and potential risks.
Are we ever going to be able to boost people enough so that they have sterilizing immunity, meaning they can't get infected? Spencer said. For someone like myself or someone younger ... we don't know what the risk is of a third dose of a vaccine. What is the impact on myocarditis? We don't know. I prefer we know that before we may roll broad policy recommendations, which could ultimately undermine our push to expand vaccines.
The administration has begun to discuss what other strategies it can recommend or encourage to prevent a spike in infections during the coming holiday season. Possible approaches include revising guidelines for mask wearing and increasing access to rapid Covid-19 testing.
If we all were doing rapid antigen tests every day or every other day, we would know that but here we have a blind guide to getting those out there to help navigate through this, Topol said.
Rapid tests are still relatively expensive in the U.S. and are not widely available. Without wide use of strict public health measures like frequent testing, and in light of the countrys relatively low vaccination rate, officials said they are still struggling to develop a long-term pandemic strategy.
The question for society is what is the level of death we are willing to accept? And what's the price that we're willing to pay? Wen said. I think there are some people who might say, 'Hey, it's a win if we can make Covid to be like a flu.' But even then, we're talking about double the flu. Then the question becomes, what is the price we're willing to pay to reduce the level of Covid? Do we actually want to reduce the burden of suffering even more if that requires wearing masks every winter? Are people willing to take on that price?
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this report misstated the medical condition mentioned by Craig Spencer. It is myocarditis, not arthritis.
Virginia Dardens full-time MBA Class of 2021 reported historic highs in salaries and bonuses, as well as percent employed by graduation. Darden photo
MBA employment report season is upon us earlier than last year, when business schools were less eager to trumpet their customarily gaudy salary figures. Last week, Chicago Booth School of Business released its preliminary report; this week Virginia Darden School of Business has teased its numbers without divulging the full slate of stats. What both reports show is what both business schools are happy for everyone to see: More than mere resiliency in troubled times, Booth and Darden are advertising continued excellence amid historic uncertainty and chaos.
Historic is the word Virginia Darden uses to describe its latest numbers, and thats true in a few ways. Salary reached new heights for a third consecutive year, and bonuses climbed to a new record, rebounding from last year when they actually dropped slightly.
But MBA salaries always go up. (OK, they usually go up.) Placement numbers may be the most impressive thing for Darden this fall, with a school record for the highest percentage of students employed at graduation and stellar numbers for international students at 90 days post-graduation.
SALARIES GROW 3.6%, BONUSES JUMP 6.7%
Jeff McNish, assistant dean of career development at Darden
The average base starting salary for Virginia Dardens Class of 2020 MBAs was $139,945, up about $4,800 from the Class of 2019s $135,168 average, or 3.5%. In 2021, Dardens average salary grew $4,988 to $144,933, a 3.6% increase. Over the past five years, average base salaries for Darden MBAs have risen by over $22,000.
Bonuses reported by Darden graduates also reached record highs. Average bonus was $33,266 last year, down slightly from the previous years $33,458. In 2021, 88% of the class reported an average signing bonus of $35,488 up more than $2,200, or 6.7%.
For Darden, less steady than salary amid the recent historic disruption has been placement rate, which dipped last year to 84% at graduation and 91% three months later. But 2021 brought the bounce-back: This year, the school set a record with 91% employed at graduation, which is nearly 11 percentage points higher than 2016s job acceptances reported by graduation. By 90 days after graduation, 97% of the Class of 2021 had received a full-time offer better than any top-25 school last year and in league with Wharton and Kellogg numbers from 2019 and 95% had accepted a full-time job offer, up from 93% and 91%, respectively.
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Darden had been one of the hardest-hit schools in the pandemic in terms of placement rates. Always the hardest hit among any struggling cohort: internationals. Last year 91% of internationals received a job offer after 90 days, but Darden has pushed that number up to 93% and bested the average of the last six years, which has been around 90%.
These terrific employment outcomes for Dardens most recent Full-Time MBA graduates demonstrate the hard work our students do to secure great job opportunities, says Jeff McNish, assistant dean of Dardens Career Center. Despite the challenges of the past 18 months, students, faculty, alumni and staff came together to ensure the same excellent employment opportunities that Darden students earn year after year.
DARDEN MBAs FLOCK TO THE NORTHEAST
Darden MBAs are definitely spread out, finding work at 141 companies in 73 cities across six countries and 28 U.S. states. By U.S. region, Darden graduates began their post-MBA roles in the Northeast (29%), Mid-Atlantic (21%), West (18%), Midwest (11%), South (11%) and Southwest (8%).
McKinsey and Boston Consulting Group are the top two employers no surprise for a class where consulting accounted for nearly one-third (32%) of all accepted jobs. (Thats down from last years record of 41%.) Next on the employer list are Microsoft and Amazon, accounting for the majority of 19% of the class who went to work in tech. Financial services, meanwhile, saw a rebound, to 26% from 19% in 2020, with this years class more than three times as likely to begin their post-MBA careers in private equity and venture capital than in the last five years, on average an increase Darden credits to the launch of the Darden Venture Capital Initiative, which provides curricular, co-curricular, and professional development opportunities for students looking for work in private market investing.
Healthcare, where just 2% of the Class of 2020 found work, also saw a jump, to 6%, with Bayer, Cigna, Johnson & Johnson, and Pfizer among the top hiring companies.
Dardens full MBA employment report is due in a few weeks.
DONT MISS DARDEN 2020 MBAs REPORT MAKING MORE MONEY AMID SCARCER WORK and THE 2020 JOB SEARCH: PLACEMENT RATES DOWN ACROSS THE TOP SCHOOLS
The post The Bounce-Back Year: Record Pay & Placement In Dardens MBA Class Of 2021 appeared first on Poets&Quants.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation on Thursday that will ban certain police holds and create a system to decertify police officers for serious misconduct.
Why it matters: The state has aimed to reform policing with a slate of bills since George Floyd's death last year in Minneapolis.
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Details: With the bill's signage, the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training will institute a system for investigating and revoking or suspending certification in cases of "serious misconduct, including excessive force, sexual assault, demonstration of bias and dishonesty," per a release from Newsom's office.
A separate bill increases the transparency of misconduct records related to "findings of unreasonable or excessive use of force, discriminatory or prejudiced behavior, failure to intervene when witnessing excessive use of force by a peace officer, or participation in unlawful searches and arrests."
The Democratic governor also signed the Angelo Quinto Act, which bars certain life-threatening face-down holds that can lead to asphyxia.
What he's saying: "Today marks another step toward healing and justice for all," Newsom said in a statement. "Too many lives have been lost due to racial profiling and excessive use of force."
"We cannot change what is past, but we can build accountability, root out racial injustice and fight systemic racism. We are all indebted to the families who have persevered through their grief to continue this fight and work toward a more just future."
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Associated Press
A former neighbor of a U.S. Postal Service worker in Pennsylvania confessed to authorities that he fatally shot him because he believed the mail carrier previously poisoned him and his family with cyanide, a federal official said. Eric Kortz, 53, turned himself in Thursday for the shooting death of Louis Vignone while Vignone was on his route in Collier Township, acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania Stephen Kaufman said in a statement. Vignone was shot around 10 a.m. Thursday while he was delivering mail, news outlets reported.
(Bloomberg) -- Activity in Chinas vast factory sector contracted in September for the first time since the pandemic began, the latest sign of deceleration in the worlds second-largest economy.
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The drop in the official manufacturing purchasing managers index below the 50-mark, which signals a decline in output, shows the damage a widespread electricity crunch is having on growth.
Alongside tough measures to rein in the property market, the latest developments have led economists to pare back full-year growth predictions below 8% and warn that Beijing could be willing to tolerate a sharper slowdown as it tries to reform its economic model.
The problem for the economy is that manufacturing and property investment have been the main drivers of growth since the pandemic hit, while consumption growth remains relatively weak with households still cautious about travel and eating out.
Electricity shortages, which have caused power cuts across China this week, combined with property curbs are a double whammy on the key drivers of growth this year, said Bo Zhuang, China economist at Loomis Sayles Investments Asia. A further growth slowdown is inevitable.
Beijing is focused on preventing instability: the central bank told financial institutions to prevent fallout from the property slowdown which has exacerbated a debt crisis at China Evergrande Group, and targeted financial easing aimed at the manufacturing sector may be likely.
But economists see little prospect of relaxation on tough policy, such as curbs on housing purchases and energy use limits, until December, when President Xi Jinping and top officials meet to set economic priorities.
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What Bloomberg Economics Says...
Additional policy support will need to come soon to avert a sharp deceleration in growth. The economys near-term outlook is highly challenging and uncertain. Headwinds include softening external demand, continued virus risks and a lack of fast, ready solutions for the energy shortages. Regulatory tightening is also a significant drag.
Chang Shu and David Qu
For the full report, click here.
When the government set its growth target at above 6% in March, economists saw it as modest against their own predictions of 8%-plus. Many are now rethinking their views, with major banks from Goldman Sachs Group Inc. to Nomura Holdings Ltd. downgrading their forecasts in recent weeks to as low as 7.7%.
Heres a deeper look at the challenges facing Chinas economy:
Power Crunch
Chinese factories in 21 provinces have been hit by power cuts in recent weeks, largely driven by a spike in coal prices that made it unprofitable for power plants to sell electricity at fixed-prices. The impact was in the official manufacturing purchasing managers index, which declined to 49.6 from 50.1 in August, below the 50 median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists.
Beijing has scrambled to solve the problem by allowing power companies to raise prices and trying to funnel more coal to the sector. Those efforts could get production going again in many factories, but that relief might not come for weeks.
Beyond that, Beijing is signaling that it wants highly energy-intensive producers, like steel and chemical factories, to reduce output for the rest of the year, as it tries to meet environmental targets. Chinas aim to reduce energy intensity, or how much power is needed to drive output, by around 3% in 2021 could drag down full-year growth by 0.3 to 0.6 percentage points, according to Ming Ming, head of fixed income research at Citic Securities Co.
A rollback of energy intensity targets before the end of the year is unlikely, according to Chen Long, a partner at consulting firm Plenum.
This years target is above 6%, so growth is not really a concern, he said, adding that the economy could expand by less than 4% in the fourth quarter.
Property Slowdown
Evergrande is facing a debt crisis thats roiled financial markets and drawn global attention. The company only accounts for about 4% of Chinas property sales, so economists are more worried about a broader slowdown in real-estate investment prompted by the governments efforts to slow the pace of mortgage lending and curb financing for property developers.
Chinas central bank told financial institutions this week to cooperate with governments to stabilize the property market, repeating a call for healthy development of the real-estate sector. That may signal a marginal adjustment of real-estate credit policy to ensure people who need housing can access loans, according to a report Thursday on a social media account of the official Securities Times.
Beijing wants to avoid a crash in the market, but has vowed not to use the property sector to stimulate growth and so is unlikely to shift to easing restrictions significantly. Real-estate investment could fall by 2% to 3% year-on-year in the second half of the year, according to a baseline estimate by UBS Group AG. In the worst-case scenario, property investment could plunge by 10%, dragging down Chinas economic growth by 1 to 2 percentage points in the next few months, according to UBS economists led by Wang Tao.
Weak consumption
China has been tested by coronavirus clusters in southeastern and northern regions in recent weeks. The nations zero-tolerance approach to the virus means stringent curbs will impede an already-slow recovery in consumption. The slowdown is most visible in Chinas car sales, which fell nearly 15% year-on-year in August.
The latest outbreaks led to lackluster tourism revenue over a national holiday period last week. Thats likely to be repeated over the seven-day National Day holiday at the beginning of October, with Chinese health authorities advising the public to avoid unnecessary travel.
Commodity Prices
Surging prices of coal and other commodities have strangled profit growth for downstream manufacturers in sectors like electronics and automobiles, who were already dealing with challenges such as record shipping costs and a microchip shortage. Industrial profit growth already decelerated to its slowest level in almost a year in August.
Some factories are cutting back on production, meeting only the most profitable orders. Raising electricity prices might be the solution to power cuts, but will add to their cost burden.
While the disruption should be cleared at some point, high energy prices will nonetheless weigh on activity, Craig Botham, chief China economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, said in a report Wednesday.
(Updates with additional details.)
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(Bloomberg) -- Chinas central government officials ordered the countrys top state-owned energy companies -- from coal to electricity and oil -- to secure supplies for this winter at all costs, according to people familiar with the matter.
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The order came directly from Vice Premier Han Zheng, who supervises the nations energy sector and industrial production, and was delivered during an emergency meeting earlier this week with officials from Beijings state-owned assets regulator and economic planning agency, the people said, asking not to be named discussing a private matter. Blackouts wont be tolerated, the people said.
West Texas Intermediate crude extended gains Friday after erasing losses on the news Thursday. Natural gas futures in New York jumped, and shares of U.S. gas exporter Cheniere Energy Inc. rose. Chinese coal futures on Thursday surged to a record as the country grapples with shortages of the fuel ahead of a week-long holiday. Prices have more than doubled this year amid soaring electricity demand from factories and slow output growth from mines.
The emergency meeting underscores the critical situation in China. A severe energy crisis has gripped the country, and several regions have had to curtail power to the industrial sector, while some residential areas have even faced sudden blackouts. Chinas power crunch is unleashing turmoil in the global commodities markets, fueling rallies in everything from fertilizer to silicon.
Calls to the state council went unanswered outside business hours.
Government-owned power giants State Power Investment Corp. and China Energy Investment Corp. echoed Hans words in WeChat statements Thursday night, promising to do all they can to ensure coal and electricity supply for the winter.
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We will go all-out to fight the tough battle of energy supply, the nations top coal miner CEIC said in its statement.
Volatility in the energy markets is poised to intensify on the order from the central government, said Bjarne Schieldrop, chief commodities analyst at SEB.
Chinas statement to me implies that we are in no way on a verge of a cool-off. Rather it looks like it is going get even more crazy, he said. They will bid whatever it takes to win a bidding war for a cargo of coal or liquefied natural gas.
In a sign of how worried Chinese officials are, Premier Li Keqiang has vowed that every effort will be taken to maintain economic growth. China will ensure the needs of basic livelihoods are met and will keep industrial and supply chains stable, Li was cited as saying by China National radio during a meeting with foreign diplomats Thursday.
Chinas move brings security of supply back on the forefront, said Leslie Palti-Guzman, president of New York-based consultancy Gas Vista LLC. This is bad news for European governments and consumers who will deal with elevated gas and electricity prices for the rest of the winter as they compete with China for supply.
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Corey Lewandowski is leaving his role as the head of a pro-Trump super PAC, just hours after allegations emerged he made unwanted sexual advances toward a GOP donor.
Lewandowski, one of Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign managers, will be replaced by former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi in leading MAGA Action, a Trump spokesman said Wednesday evening.
Pam Bondi, the very talented and honorable frmr AG of FL, has our complete faith and confidence in taking over MAGA Action. Corey Lewandowski will be going on to other endeavors and we very much want to thank him for his service. He will no longer be associated with Trump World," said Taylor Budowich, the Trump spokesman.
Lewandowski was named in a Politico report on Wednesday containing allegations by a female Trump donor, Trashelle Odom, that he made unwanted sexual advances at a Las Vegas charity event on Sept. 26. Odom said he "stalked" her that evening, and her attorney said Lewandowski repeatedly touched Odom, including on her leg and buttocks. He also spoke to her in sexually explicit terms, including the size of his genitalia and his sexual performance while showing off his hotel room key.
"Accusations and rumors appear to be morphing by the minute and we will not dignify them with a further response," David Chesnoff, a Las Vegas attorney representing Lewandowski, told the Washington Examiner in a statement.
Also on Wednesday, conservative website American Greatness reported sources who claimed South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is having an extramarital affair with her informal adviser, Lewandowski.
FORMER TOP NOEM STAFFER: LEWANDOWSKI 'HORRIBLE' AND 'A BUM,' BUT NO WAY DID GOVERNOR CHEAT ON HUSBAND
Pam Bondi, the very talented and honorable frmr AG of FL, has our complete faith and confidence in taking over MAGA Action. Corey Lewandowski will be going on to other endeavors and we very much want to thank him for his service. He will no longer be associated with Trump World. Taylor Budowich (@TayFromCA) September 30, 2021
Although she did not address the report directly, Noem denied what she described as "total garbage" and untrue rumors. "These rumors are total garbage and a disgusting lie. These old, tired attacks on conservative women are based on a falsehood that we can't achieve anything without a man's help," Noem said in a tweet.
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In the second part of Noem's tweet, she referenced her husband, Bryon Noem.
"I love Bryon. I'm proud of the God-fearing family we've raised together. Now I'm getting back to work," the GOP governor said.
Lewandowski has faced accusations of sexual misconduct in the past.
During the 2016 campaign, Lewandowski was charged with misdemeanor battery after then-Breitbart reporter, Michelle Fields, filed a report to local Florida authorities alleging he grabbed her at a Trump event. Lewandowski was arrested, but the charge was eventually dropped in April 2016 after investigators said there was not enough evidence to convict him.
Trump fired his then-campaign manager in June of that year. However, it was not long before Lewandowski made his way back into Trump's orbit.
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Joy Villa, a singer-songwriter and outspoken Trump supporter, also filed a sexual assault complaint against Lewandowski in December 2017, accusing him of slapping her buttocks.
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Tags: News, Corey Lewandowski, Kristi Noem, Donald Trump
Original Author: Kaelan Deese
Original Location: Corey Lewandowski cut from 'Trumpworld' after GOP donor accuses him of unwanted sexual advances
Sep. 30A pair of Dalton police officers who prevented a possible suicide were commended for their efforts during Tuesday's meeting of the Dalton Public Safety Commission.
"It appeared she was going to jump" from the Benny J. Dunn Honorary Bridge on Waugh Street, but Officers Coleman Jenkins and Keidric Johnson "led to a very good outcome on a case that could've been very bad," said Chris Crossen, assistant chief of the Dalton Police Department.
Jenkins utilized his "skills and compassion to engage the young woman in conversation," and when Johnson arrived, they "teamed up" to keep her attention while moving closer, eventually pulling her to safety.
Jenkins received the department's Award of Merit, "one of our highest awards," for "bringing honor to the department with his selfless acts," while Johnson received the Award of Valor for "putting himself at great risk" by pulling the woman to safety, Crossen said. "They used tactics taught in training, but also their compassion as human beings," acting with "very little regard" for their safety.
Jenkins had been through Crisis Intervention Training, and "I think that's one reason he was able to keep (the woman) on an even keel," said Police Chief Cliff Cason. "I'm very, very impressed by the actions of both officers."
Dalton Fire Department Engineer Jared Burns was also commended during the meeting for his actions while off-duty Sept. 5.
A multi-vehicle wreck occurred in front of his house, and "he jumped to duty, (doing) what he's trained to do," said Fire Chief Todd Pangle. Burns helped people in a pair of vehicles, including two who were trapped, and helped extricate them.
The department's commendation is "one of our highest awards," Pangle said. Burns was "a good representative of our department, our city and our training."
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"We have so many brave first responders, and the city of Dalton is lucky to have you guys," said Terry Mathis, chairman of the Public Safety Commission. "We couldn't be prouder of you guys."
Also Tuesday, commissioners approved 5-0 the promotion of Terry Michael Bowen to sergeant.
This promotion is "a long time coming" for the Southeast Whitfield High School and Georgia Northwestern Technical College alumnus who spent 13 years with the Dalton Police Department before "doing some ministry," Cason said. Bowen returned to the police force in 2018, and he's been in the patrol division, as well as serving as a training officer.
He's "always performed admirably, and his character cannot be matched by many in our society," Cason said. He's "a truly talented officer, and his skills will translate to being a supervisor on the patrol shift."
The commissioners also approved 5-0 a new hire for the police department, 30-year-old Jordan Owens.
Owens is a graduate of Ringgold High School and Brigham Young University-Idaho, Cason said.
"We're very excited about having a new cadet who just graduated out of the academy last week."
By Jarrett Renshaw and Trevor Hunnicutt
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Kyrsten Sinema is the recent recipient of an honor that U.S. Senate colleagues more loyal to President Joe Biden's agenda have never received - three invitations to the White House in just one day.
The Arizona Democrat's private huddling this week with Biden and his aides comes as her opposition to the size of a $3.5 trillion social spending proposal has become a key obstacle to Democratic efforts to lock down support for one of the pillars of the president's domestic agenda.
The spending bill seeks to reduce inequality by enhancing access to healthcare and education, while taking steps to tackle climate change. Democrats propose paying for it by raising taxes on big corporations and wealthy Americans.
But Sinema and fellow Democratic Senate moderate Joe Manchin of West Virginia say the bill's price tag is too high, imperiling its prospects in the evenly split chamber where Democrats are trying to pass it through a "reconciliation" process that would not require Republican support.
A spokesperson for Sinema did not respond to multiple requests for comment. In a statement in July, Sinema said: "I do not support a bill that costs $3.5 trillion," promising to "work in good faith to develop this legislation" with her colleagues and the administration.
On Wednesday, the White House would only go so far as to say that "our sense is she does" want a bill to pass.
Asked for more specifics, such as how much Sinema was willing to spend, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said she would not detail negotiations publicly.
Still, Sinema may be the best chance the White House has at striking a deal, administration officials and allies said.
The 45-year-old first-term senator and former social worker was a key figure in reviving talks over Biden's $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill. Once presumed dead, that deal passed the Senate last month with 19 Republicans voting yes.
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Its passage in the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives is now complicated by disputes between moderates and progressives over the larger package.
Sinema's seat in the Senate is not up for grabs until 2024, the same year Biden might seek re-election. Still, several liberal groups have already suggested they would back a primary challenge against her for not backing their priorities.
The Arizona state Democratic Party overwhelmingly passed a resolution on Saturday that criticized Sinema for her opposition to eliminating the filibuster to more easily pass legislation blocked by Republicans and for her stance on the Biden spending bill.
Adam Kinsey, a director at Uplift Campaigns, an Arizona-based progressive Democratic consulting firm, said Sinema does not care about the state party reprimanding her.
"She really believes that she can be a dealmaker," he said.
ANOTHER MAVERICK?
In Arizona, which went for Biden in 2020 after backing Republican former President Donald Trump in 2016, independence is prized, local political operatives said. Its former longtime senator, the late John McCain, was a self-styled maverick Republican.
"She is concerned that if she joins this massive spending bill, she will face serious opposition from a Republican," said Charles Coughlin, chief executive of the Arizona political strategy firm Highground. "She actually polls better among Republicans than Democrats, which is very odd but helps explain her motivations."
Based on a GovTrack analysis https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/kyrsten_sinema/412509 of her 2020 voting track record, Sinema is the most conservative-leaning of any Democratic senator, and further to the right than independent Angus King of Maine, who caucuses with the Democrats.
Sinema has also reaped campaign donations from her pushback on Biden.
In April, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the largest business lobby group in the country, said it was donating to Sinema and Manchin because they were working with Republicans and opposing some of Biden's policies.
MIDTERM WORRIES
Biden's legislative difficulties may be deeper, however, than any one senator.
A larger group of Democratic caucus members has privately expressed concern to senior Democratic lawmakers and the White House about the 2022 congressional elections in which the party's control of both chambers is at stake, according to people familiar with the matter.
Many of those members expect it will be hard to sell a spending package back home that is so big and unwieldy, even if its individual components are highly popular.
Nodding to such concerns, Building Back Together, a group started with the White House's blessing to push Biden's agenda, released polling on Wednesday reassuring Democrats in 48 battleground districts that voters would reward them for backing a "robust" legislative package that lowers the cost of essentials like healthcare, while raising taxes on corporations and the rich.
Democrats who served when Barack Obama was president recall that the 2010 Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare, included components favored by most Americans but was initially unpopular in the face of solid Republican opposition.
Later that year, Democrats lost their House majority. Biden was Obama's vice president.
A deal with Sinema does not guarantee success for Democrats. Reducing the overall ambition of the spending package would leave a bad taste for liberal Democrats and could derail House passage of the infrastructure bill, expected to come up for a vote on Thursday.
"We knew it would be a compromise, and that's exactly what it is," said Psaki. "We don't have the luxury to be frustrated around here."
(Reporting by Jarrett Renshaw and Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Heather Timmons and Peter Cooney)
Former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick passes protesters as he leaves the Dedham courthouse after pleading not guilty during his first appearance for sexual assault charges on on September 3, 2021 in Dedham, Massachusetts. Scott Eisen/Getty Images
McCarrick pleaded not guilty to three counts of child sex assault, according to the Washington Post.
McCarrick is accused of abusing a 16-year-old boy in the 1970s at his brother's wedding, the Post reported.
Crowds of onlookers yelled "Shame on you!" as McCarrick entered the courtroom, according to the report.
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Disgraced ex-cardinal Theodore McCarrick pleaded not guilty on Friday to charges that he sexually assaulted a teen in the 1970s, the Washington Post reported.
Demonstrators outside a suburban Massachusetts courthouse shouted "Shame on you!" at the disgraced former Catholic leader, according to the report.
McCarrick entered his not guilty plea in Dedham District Court. Friday's court appearance was the first public sighting of the former Catholic archbishop since he was hit with sex abuse allegations in 2018, the Post said.
After pleading not guilty, McCarrick was ordered to turn over his passport and stay away from people under the age of 18, according to the Post.
The sexual assault charges stem from an incident in which McCarrick is accused of abusing a 16-year-old boy in the 1970s, at the boy's brother's wedding. More than a dozen people have now publicly accused McCarrick of sexual abuse or harassment, the Post reported.
The man whose abuse allegations led to charges against McCarrick is now in his 60s. He was present in the courtroom on Friday, the Post said.
"We want to see McCarrick looking at us. The look on his face. That's why I'm driving. That's why it's a big deal," Karen, a sister of the accuser, told the Post. The newspaper did not name the accuser, or give the last name of the accuser's sister, in order to protect his identity.
According to the Post, the accuser comes from a large Catholic family and his grandparents were close friends of McCarrick. His sister said that he was baptized by McCarrick, and then later abused for several years.
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The accuser's sister told the Post that she and other family members drove to Dedham to witness the trial because they consider it historic.
"You can go through all these other processes [including civil suits and Vatican probes] but they never face their victims. I think it's a big deal," she said.
Read the original article on Insider
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In the six years since he left The Daily Show, Jon Stewart has made more appearances than anyone could have predicted on the network he once blamed for all of Americas ills, Fox News. As an advocate for causes like the health benefits of 9/11 first responders and veterans exposed to burn pits, he is always on-message, remarkably disciplined, and almost never funny.
So, as he geared up for what he has insisted is not a comeback on Apple TV+, the big question is which Stewart viewers would be getting. The hilariously scathing comedian who spent a decade and a half eviscerating his political adversaries with jokes? Or the wise elder statesman who would rather find common ground with ideological opponents for the greater good?
The titles of the first two episodes of his new showWar and Freedommight be the first clue.
Immediately, viewers are thrust into a deadly serious writers room conversation about what America owes its service men and women who are sick as a result of foreign conflicts. We are behind the scenes as Stewart makes his pitch to the notably diverse room, most of whom have never worked on a comedy show, as showrunner and former CBS Evening News producer Brinda Adhikari explained recently.
Taylor Tomlinson Got Canceled by Church. Then Her Comedy Career Exploded.
After an opening credits sequence that cheekily runs through some alternate titlesThe Money Grab with Jon Stewart stands outthe actual title is unveiled: The Problem With Jon Stewart. The double meaning is no doubt intentional and reveals a knowingness on his part about the challenge of building on a legacy that has bred similarly ambitious comedy shows like John Olivers Last Week Tonight, Samantha Bees Full Frontal, and Hasan Minhajs Patriot Act.
There he is, sitting behind a desk once again. A uniform of gray stubble and bomber jacket over T-shirt have replaced the clean-shaven, suited news-anchor look. When his first joke receives an awkward silence from a small, COVID-friendly audience, Stewart smiles and cracks, I guess that answers whether the show will be funny or not.
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After a few more self-deprecating digs at his grizzled appearance, Stewart eases in with his first bipartisan and non-controversial topic: veterans. As he pioneered on his Daily Show, Stewart uses tight news clip montages to make his point about how America claims to support the troops without actually delivering on that promise.
Yes, we love our vets, he says. But you know the old saying: If you love someone, let them go fuck themselves. That punchline is met with what can only be described as a sad chuckle.
Stewarts single-topic format owes more than a little to the bespectacled Brit who was once seen as his natural successor on The Daily Show before Trevor Noah took the reins. But while Oliver uses fast-paced fury on his weekly HBO show to make seemingly unfunny issues like prison reform or the opioid crisis come alive, Stewarts more deliberate and sincere version is a much bigger ask for viewers. Its no surprise that the premiere doesnt get any funnier when Stewart spends his second segment chatting with a group of veterans who have suffered the consequences of breathing in burn pit fumes.
Things noticeably pick up when Stewart sits down with President Bidens Secretary of Veteran Affairs Denis McDonough, evoking some of his toughest and most substantive interviews from the Daily Show days. At one point, he goads McDonough into admitting, I dont give a shit what you think, before adding, I care what the veterans think. The fact that its not punctuated by outbursts of righteous audience applause makes the conversation less viscerally thrilling but potentially more consequential. Lets hope he gets more chances to face off with bigger political villains.
The old Stewart of The Daily Show comes through a bit more in the series second episode when he takes on the freedom isnt free crowd, who refuse to wear masks or get vaccinated while at the same time comparing reasonable COVID restrictions to the Holocaust.
This leads to a genuinely funny segment called Whats! More! Hitler! in which the host argues that the virus itself is much more like the Nazi dictator than the methods to stop it are. Hitler had tremendous territorial ambition. COVID is fucking everywhere! Stewart jokes. Masks and vaccines have barely made it to Florida. Point, COVID.
From there, comedy takes a backseat once again for a roundtable discussion with activists and former political prisoners, including the Egyptian Jon Stewart, Bassem Youssef. At times, it all starts to feel more like something you might see at The New Yorker Festival as opposed to what is ostensibly a political comedy show.
When the new series name was revealed earlier this year, Daily Show alum Wyatt Cenac pointedly called out Stewart for appropriating both the title and concept of his canceled HBO show Problem Areas. But the irony is that both shows struggle in their own ways to find the balance between deadly serious issues and the need to deliver laughs. Turns out its not as easy as John Oliver and his 15 Emmys make it look.
The premiere episode ends with yet another writers room outtake in which Stewart frets that its gonna be a fucking nightmare when he next shows up at the Comedy Cellar table in New York because his comedian friends will make fun of him by saying, Oh look, Mother Teresa just came in. Its a legitimate concern.
Daily Shows Jordan Klepper Embarrasses Anti-Mask Parents
What made Stewart such a sensation on The Daily Show was his unique ability to mine hard laughs out of increasingly dark news cycles. Now that his many disciples are doing their own versions of that trick across network, cable and streaming TV, the bar has been raised and you can feel Stewart straining to reach over it in these first couple of episodes.
In a 2008 interview, Tina Fey was asked if she prefers applause or laughter. Laughter. You can prompt applause with a sign, she replied. Noting that her friend Seth Meyers coined the term clapter, which is when you do a political joke and people go, Woo-hoo, she added, It means they sort of approve but didnt really like it that much. You hear a lot of that on [whispers] The Daily Show.
Watching The Problem With Jon Stewart, you get the impression that Stewart took that criticism to heart, but perhaps learned the wrong lesson. Hes no longer going for applause lines, but hes too often leaving the humor out altogether. There are a handful of moments when he reminds us of his O.G. status in the genre he more or less created. If he can stay both relevant andjust as importantlyfunny, he just might have a must-watch show on his hands again.
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Special Counsel John Durham, the attorney tapped by the Trump administration to audit the Russia investigation, has reportedly handed down a new set of subpoenas, including to a law firm with ties to Hillary Clintons 2016 campaign.
The grand jury subpoenas for documents were issued earlier this month, according to CNN, after Durham charged Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann for allegedly knowingly making a false statement to the FBI.
Investigators from the special counsels office are seeking additional documents from Sussmanns former law firm, Perkins Coie, an indication that Durham may be looking to add to Sussmanns charges or to bring cases against other defendants.
Durham was reportedly investigating whether Sussmann lied to the FBI regarding who if anyone he was representing when he told the Bureau about communications between the Trump Organization and the Kremlin-connected Russian bank Alfa Bank.
The indictment against Sussmann states that the former federal prosecutor lied to top FBI lawyer James Baker in a meeting on September 19, 2016. At that time, Sussmann presented data and analysis from cybersecurity researchers who suspected the Trump Organization was using a secret server to communicate with Alfa Bank.
The secret server theory was ultimately dismissed and never appeared in Special Counsel Robert Muellers final report.
Durham uncovered discrepancies between Sussmanns congressional testimony and his September interview with Baker. Before Congress, Sussmann testified that he was working on the Alfa Bank project for an unnamed cybersecurity expert, a contradiction of his claims to Baker that he wasnt working for any specific client.
Meanwhile, Perkins Coies internal billing records obtained by Durham show that Sussmann billed hours spent on the Alfa Bank project to Clintons 2016 campaign.
The law firms clients at the time included the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee. Perkins Coie also hired, on behalf of the campaign, a research company that commissioned the dossier from former British spy Christopher Steele that claimed former President Trump was compromised by Russia.
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While working for the firm, Sussmann also represented a cybersecurity expert who worked with researchers to collect internet data about the Trump Organization that Sussmann took to the FBI. The previously unnamed expert, Rodney Joffe, is referred to in Durhams indictment as Tech Executive-1.
Attorneys for Sussmann have argued that he was being honest when he said he was working on behalf of a cybersecurity expert and have claimed the Clinton billing records dont tell the whole story and that the lawyer only joined his Alfa Bank work with the campaign for documentation purposes.
More from National Review
Extremists on the far-right have built a network of podcasts critical to spreading white supremacist propaganda, building an audience for extremism, and organizing events like the deadly 2017 Unite The Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, a new study from the Southern Poverty Law Center shows.
Encouraged by the intimate nature of audio broadcasting, low barriers to entry and lax oversight from podcasting platforms, extremist podcasting has grown from a niche of the far-right to a sprawling web of white supremacists who regularly appear on one anothers shows, the report reveals.
Just ask white nationalist Richard Spencer, who came to fame in the first two years of the Trump presidency as the leader of the so-called alt-right movement. He co-hosts a podcast every month.
I like podcasting for this very reason, Spencer said, describing the cozy atmosphere as "friendship nationalism."
Friendship nationalism," he said, "is basically this network of podcasts where people are talking about current events and theyre just kind of hanging out.
White nationalist Richard Spencer (center) and his supporters clash with Virginia State Police in Emancipation Park after the "Unite the Right" rally was declared an unlawful gathering Aug. 12, 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia. Hundreds of white nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the "alt-right" clashed with anti-fascist protesters and police as they attempted to hold a rally in Emancipation Park, where a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee was slated to be removed.
TikTok's 'hatescape': It's not just Facebook and Twitter. TikTok is 'hatescape' for racism and white supremacy, study says
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While some extremist podcasters took a break after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, which sent many of the countrys white supremacists into hiding, experts said there are indications the network is reawakening.
As in its heyday between 2015 and 2020, far-right podcasting has the potential to quietly spread hate without attracting as much attention as social media or video streaming platforms, experts said.
Podcasting is a huge deal, said Megan Squire, an extremism researcher, professor and one of the authors of the report. Listening to extreme, right-wing radio is a clandestine activity, and being able to have these recordings that you can play on a personal device through your earbuds is so important to these groups.
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Audio extremist propaganda
Using audio broadcasting to spread hateful messages is as old as propaganda itself.
During World War II, Joseph Goebbels, Adolf Hitlers propaganda minister, developed a radio network to deliver polished Nazi propaganda to German homes.
In the United States, conservative talk radio boomed after the Federal Communications Commission abolished the Fairness Doctrine in 1987, which required broadcasters to present balanced arguments on contentious subjects.
A cadre of controversial, right-wing radio personalities like Rush Limbaugh soon gained huge audiences in a country increasingly divided on political matters like LGBTQ rights, abortion and race.
Rush Limbaugh talks on a phone as House Speaker Newt Gingrich gestures during a break in taping of NBC's "Meet the Press" on Nov. 12, 1995 in Washington. The topic of the news show was showdown and shutdown in regards to the federal budget.
In March 2005, the earliest example Squire and co-author Hannah Gais could find, a new generation of ultraconservative shock jocks found a home in the burgeoning world of podcasting. They were soon joined by avowed neo-Nazis and other white supremacists, who recognized the power of the medium to stealthily spread racist propaganda.
Extremist podcasting peaked just before and during the Trump administration. By 2016, according to the report, a core network had developed of explicitly white supremacist podcasters and hosts who identified as part of the alt-right, a term coined by Spencer in 2008 to denote a new school of thought centered around age-old racist tropes.
Researchers tracked 18 shows between 2005 and 2020. Shows included podcasts on the network The Right Stuff, which became the most popular collaborative for white supremacist podcasters, and Identity Dixie, which focused on neo-Confederate programming.
How podcasts bring people down the rabbit hole
Podcasts act like a backbone for white supremacist recruiting, researchers concluded.
Experts in extremism have long described the process of radicalization as a pipeline or a rabbit hole that susceptible individuals fall into. Extremist leaders and influencers use edgy humor and pseudo-intellectual arguments to draw recruits into their movement.
Podcasting provides an ideal platform for spreading these ideas, said Daniel Harper, a host of the podcast I Dont Speak German, who has spent years studying and listening to extremist podcasts.
You almost cant overstate the importance of far-right podcasting in terms of the growth of the movement, Harper said. People listen to a podcast long-term because they like the host; they feel like theyre in the room having a conversation with their friends.
Podcasting is a uniquely effective medium for this type of messaging, said Bridget Todd, host of the podcast "There Are No Girls on the Internet," a podcast that highlights marginalized voices on the internet.
Podcasting is such an intimate medium," she said. "Ill put my earbuds in and Ill fall asleep listening to my favorite podcasters voice. You can really see how that could be exploited to lure people into extremist ideology.
Organizing events and rewriting history
The SPLC researchers found that podcasts were instrumental in spreading word of major extremist events, most notably the 2017 Charlottesville rally, where anti-racist activist Heather Heyer was killed by an extremist who drove his car into a crowd of counter-protesters.
Rescue workers move victims on stretchers after a car plowed through a crowd of counter-demonstrators marching through downtown Charlottesville, Virginia, on Aug. 12, 2017. The car plowed through the crowd following the shutdown of the "Unite the Right" rally by police after white nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the "alt-right" clashed with counter-protesters near Emancipation Park, where a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee was slated to be removed.
They found other examples of real-life organizing, including by neo-Nazi podcaster Robert Ray, who goes by Azzmador. He helped fellow neo-Nazi Andrew Anglin create a series of meet-ups that the organizers called Pool parties.
Extremist podcasters have attempted to change the narrative after events that portrayed the extreme right in a bad light, the study found. After Charlottesville, for example, podcast hosts tried to recast the protest as a patriotic, peaceful march that was hijacked by counter-protesters.
That's happening now in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 insurrection, Harper said. Hosts have pushed the false narrative that the protests at the Capitol were peaceful and that Trump supporters did nothing wrong, he said.
Rioters attack the Capitol on Jan. 6 in Washington.
A resurgence for extremist podcasts?
Extremist podcasting may have peaked.
Today, Americas extremists are most active on the encrypted messaging service Telegram, an alternative to Twitter. Some have turned to livestreamed video on platforms that tolerate extremist content or havent yet deplatformed creators who violate their rules, such as Bitchute or Trovo.
But Harper, who listens to hours of extremist podcasts every week, said far-right podcasting is thriving. And he said there are signs the community is regrouping.
After Charlottesville, and again after the Jan. 6 insurrection, there was a lot of infighting in the extremist community, Harper said. That seems to be dissipating.
Podcast hosts are starting to invite one another onto their shows, Harper said. And podcasters such as hosts of shows from The Right Stuff network are still making enough money to work as full-time podcasters, he said.
They adjusted to the circumstances," Harper said. Theyre not able to be on major platforms; theyre not able to get the word out on Twitter; theyre not able to do public events like marches and rallies, but they can do podcasts.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: White supremacists use network of podcasts for hate speech, propaganda
Argentina hardly looked any less stronger after making five changes to its lineup facing Australia in the Rugby Championship this weekend without the availability of six players who broke coronavirus protocols.
Coach Mario Ledesma preferred not to talk about the six players and two staff who crossed the state border into New South Wales on Wednesday and were stopped from returning to their Queensland base, unaware that border restrictions were reset earlier that day allowing crossings only to essential workers. Tourists were blocked.
That affected former captain Pablo Matera, prop Santiago Medrano and backup hooker Santiago Socino from the Pumas side which lost to Australia 27-8 last weekend. The other players were Felipe Ezcurra, Joaquin Diaz Bonilla and Sebastian Cancelliere, along with manager Lucas Chioccarelli and video analyst Rodrigo Martinez.
Governing body SANZAAR put the onus on the Pumas and said they still had enough players to fulfil the fixture on Saturday at Robina Stadium on the Gold Coast.
Reacting to the Pumas' fifth straight loss and the ineligible players, Ledesma on Thursday chose props Rodrigo Martinez and Enrique Pieretto as starters after being reserves last weekend, and recalled Guido Petti at lock for Matias Alemanno. Rodrigo Bruni, out injured last weekend, was at No. 8 for Matera.
The only change in the backline was on the right wing, where Matias Moroni returned for Santiago Cordero.
In the reserves were uncapped prop Thomas Gallo and one-cap prop Eduardo Bello.
Ledesma was keener to talk about trying to post a first win from their last match of the championship.
All adversities forge bonds, they forge character as well, he said. "This team never makes excuses, never takes shortcuts.
I am very proud of how this team commits itself, the determination it has. Sometimes it leads to results, sometimes it doesn't.
Captain Julian Montoya also didn't want to talk about the health breach.
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We have no excuses about what happened, Montoya said. "We are thinking about the game. We want to play our best possible game.
Australia coach Dave Rennie's selection was a lot more surprising, with the return of Japan-based back-rower Sean McMahon and 38-year-old prop Greg Holmes in the reserves. If Holmes runs on, he will be the oldest player to appear for the Wallabies since World War II.
McMahon last played for the Wallabies in November 2017, after which he has been playing for Suntory in Japan's Top League. He's contracted in Japan until the start of 2023, but he could yet also make the squad for the four-test northern tour in October and November to Japan and Britain.
Lock Darcy Swain and flanker Pete Samu were elevated to the starting lineup after strong performances off the bench last weekend.
Powerhouse winger Marika Koroibete will miss the Gold Coast test after being permitted to return to Melbourne to spend extra time with his family, including a newborn, before the Wallabies head overseas.
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Lineups:
Australia: Reece Hodge, Jordan Petaia, Len Ikitau, Samu Kerevi, Andrew Kellaway, Quade Cooper, Nic White; Rob Valetini, Michael Hooper (captain), Pete Samu, Darcy Swain, Izack Rodda, Taniela Tupou, Folau Faingaa, James Slipper. Reserves: Lachlan Lonergan, Angus Bell, Greg Holmes, Matt Philip, Sean McMahon, Jake Gordon, James OConnor, Tom Wright.
Argentina: Juan Cruz Mallia, Matias Moroni, Lucio Cinti, Santiago Chocabores, Emiliano Boffelli, Santiago Carreras, Gonzalo Bertranou; Rodrigo Bruni, Marcos Kremer, Juan Martin Gonzalez, Tomas Lavanini, Guido Petti, Enrique Pieretto, Julian Montoya (captain), Rodrigo Martinez. Reserves: Facundo Bosch, Thomas Gallo, Eduardo Bello, Matias Alemanno, Francisco Gorrissen, Gonzalo Garcia, Domingo Miotti, Mateo Carreras.
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Sep. 29The BDN Editorial Board operates independently from the newsroom, and does not set policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com
Brinkmanship is the new normal in Congress. Like college students (and, frankly, sometimes journalists too) with an assignment due, the real work often doesn't start until the pressure of a deadline hits.
It's not the best way to produce a paper or a story, and it certainly is not the best way to govern.
Yet, here we are again, with a big dose of political maneuvering thrown into the mix.
If Congress does not pass a spending measure by Thursday, much of the federal government would be forced to shut down. For those who might say "good, the federal government is a waste of money anyway," remember the government provides vital services and it is made up of our neighbors, friends and family who work for a myriad of government agencies. When these workers aren't paid and these services aren't provided, there are ripple effects throughout our economy.
Also, if Congress doesn't vote to raise the debt ceiling by mid-October, the U.S. government may not be able to pay its bills on time, again sending big ripples through our economy. These loans, by the way, cover past government spending. Raising the debt ceiling is about ensuring the U.S. can continue to pay off debt it has already accrued; it is not about approving future spending (that is a separate fight).
Rather than moving ahead expeditiously to address both of these looming problems, leaders in Congress remain intent on scoring political points, essentially blaming the other political party for failing to take action.
Simply put, Congress needs to pass a spending plan, called a continuing resolution, to fund the government going forward. As an aside, Congress should really be passing appropriations bills through so-called regular order. But, Congress is so dysfunctional that the full budgeting process has largely been sidelined in favor of continuing resolutions, which continue existing funding for a set period of time.
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Congress also needs to raise the debt ceiling, as it has done 17 times in the past 20 years, with Democrats and Republicans in charge of the House and Senate, and White House.
A bill to do both passed the House last week on a party-line 220-211 vote, with Democrats in favor and Republicans opposed. The bill, which would extend government funding through Dec. 3 and raise the debt limit through the end of 2022, also includes more than $6 billion to aid in resettling Afghan refugees in America and more than $28 billion for communities hit by recent natural disasters.
The bill failed to advance in the Senate on Monday when all the chamber's Republicans voted against beginning consideration of the measure. Republicans argue that Democrats alone should raise the debt ceiling, with the fallacious argument that Democrats are responsible for the rise in the U.S. debt. During its four years, the Trump administration added nearly $8 trillion to the debt, much of it from the 2017 tax cuts. That's the third biggest increase, relative to the size of the economy, of any president.
This debate is further clouded by Republicans tying the debt limit increase to the Democrats' proposal for $3.5 trillion in spending on a host of initiatives, including reducing child care, college costs and health care costs and boosting clean energy and workforce training. This Build Back Better plan warrants a lot of debate, but it is not the reason for the needed debt ceiling increase.
There is further political posturing behind the Republican move to push Democrats to raise the debt ceiling on their own. If a debt ceiling increase is done as part of a budget measure that requires only 50 votes (plus one from the vice president) for passage, budget rules require that the debt ceiling must be raised to a specific number say $40 trillion (the national debt is currently a little over $28 trillion) not to a specific date. You can imagine the ads Republicans would create to blast Democrats for approving this much debt. Hence, Democrats' efforts to make sure Republicans share the blame for growth in debt, which is warranted.
The easy answer to this impasse is to break the measure in two, with a quick vote on a continuing resolution by Thursday. The debate on the debt ceiling would be pushed until next month. That won't take the politics out of it, but it gives lawmakers a chance to do their jobs before going over the brink. Twice.
Ethiopia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Thursday it will expel seven United Nations officials after a senior UN official warned that thousands of people in war-torn Tigray were likely experiencing government-caused famine, according to Reuters.
Why it matters: The ministry accused the seven officials, including the head of the UN's Children's Fund and the head of its Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Office, of "meddling" in internal affairs and said they have 72 hours to leave the country.
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Conditions in Tigray have greatly deteriorated since fighting broke out between Ethiopia's government and forces aligned with the Tigray People's Liberation Front around 10 months ago.
Thousands have died throughout the conflict and millions have been displaced.
What they're saying: On Tuesday, the UN's aid chief Martin Griffiths heavily criticized Ethiopia's government for intentionally restricting aid to the region in an interview with Reuters.
"We predicted that there were 400,000 people in famine-like conditions, at risk of famine, and the supposition was that if no aid got to them adequately they would slip into famine," Griffiths said, referring to a UN assessment from June.
"I have to assume that something like that is happening," he added.
The latest: The U.S. government condemns in the strongest possible terms the government of Ethiopia's unprecedented action to expel the leadership of all of the United Nations organizations involved in ongoing humanitarian operations, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said during a briefing Thursday.
"Were deeply concerned that this action continues pattern by the Ethiopian Ethiopian government of restricting the delivery of food, medicine and other life saving supplies that most to those most in need," Psaki added.
The other side: Ethiopia's UN delegation said that the UN's claims of a blockade were "baseless" and that aid wasn't reaching the region because of a shortage of trucks and fuel, according to Reuters.
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However, the UN has reported that drivers going into Tigray have twice been shot at and that others have been arrested in neighboring regions.
The big picture: The Biden administration threatened earlier this month to impose new sanctions on Ethiopian officials "responsible for, or complicit in, prolonging the conflict" in the Tigray region.
Go deeper: Tensions between Sudan and Ethiopia escalate over war in Tigray
Editors note: This post was updated to add comments from White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.
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China Evergrande Group's carmaking unit is struggling to keep its production plan alive, after a capital crunch forced it to suspend part of its electric vehicle (EV) projects.
Hong Kong-listed China Evergrande New Energy Vehicle Group, also known as Evergrande Auto, is making an all-out effort to kick off production of its Hengchi-branded cars, trying to keep talent and looking for new funding even as its operations have been walloped by the debt woes of its parent, according to two sources with ties to the carmaker.
The carmaker, which briefly topped the century-old Ford Motor in market capitalisation in February after raising HK$10 billion in a top-up stock sale in Hong Kong a month earlier, is yet to deliver a single car. Nevertheless, it is still hopeful that it could obtain fresh funds from new investors soon because of the bullish outlook of China's EV sector. While it has stopped paying nearly all suppliers and some of its employees because of the cash squeeze, existing staff have been told to get the assembly line ready to produce its first model.
Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.
"Evergrande's EV assets remain valuable," said Gao Shen, an independent analyst in Shanghai. "It has potential investors but one of the sticking points now is how to price the assets."
Evergrande Auto's shares have lost 96 per cent in value since their February high, wiping out US$88 billion in capitalisation. The stock jumped 44.4 per cent to HK$3.35 on Wednesday, on expectations that a white knight investor could come to its rescue. The company did not reply to a request for comment.
At Evergrande Auto's factory in Songjiang district outside Shanghai, a gigantic plant stretching for half a kilometre, appeared to be complete, while several buildings nearby stood half built. A few workers milled around, but there was otherwise little activity in what was to be Evergrande's grand entry into China's bare-knuckle industry of making electric cars.
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That is hardly surprising as the carmaker said in an exchange filing last week that it halted some of its EV projects after failing to pay its suppliers.
A sign board at China Evergrande New Energy Vehicle Group's factory in Shanghai's Songjiang district warns visitors to stay away and to not take photographs, on September 28, 2021. Photo: Thomas Wang alt=A sign board at China Evergrande New Energy Vehicle Group's factory in Shanghai's Songjiang district warns visitors to stay away and to not take photographs, on September 28, 2021. Photo: Thomas Wang
Evergrande NEV also reported a 4.8 billion yuan (US$742 million) loss for the six months to June 30, confirming a profit warning from the parent company. Acknowledging challenges on cash flow, the EV start-up said it faced risks of defaulting on its loans and disputes outside normal business. It will continue efforts to discuss the sale of assets with potential investors and closely monitor the capital expenditure of the EV business.
The start-up had 12.5 billion yuan of cash buffer at the end of June, compared with 13.3 billion yuan of borrowings and 73 billion yuan of trade payables due within a year.
On September 21, the company announced that a total of 323.72 million share options were granted to three independent non-executive directors and around 3,180 employees. The company is using options as an incentive to retain engineers and technicians as the capital crunch is likely to result in a delayed salary payment over the coming months, the sources said.
In August when Evergrande was reportedly in talks with smartphone maker Xiaomi over the sale of a stake in the EV unit, two prototypes of its Hengchi cars were seen by the South China Morning Post at the plant when they were conducting a road test.
Evergrande Auto aimed to build a million electric vehicles a year by 2025 and had ambitions of becoming the world's largest EV maker. Earlier this year, it set a goal of delivering 100,000 units in 2022.
A yet to be opened showroom of Evergrande Auto in Shanghai. Photo: Bloomberg alt=A yet to be opened showroom of Evergrande Auto in Shanghai. Photo: Bloomberg
In August 2020, the company unveiled six Hengchi-branded EV models followed by another three in February this year. However, none of the nine models have reached the assembly stage yet, with the company saying they would hit the market either in the second half of this year, or the first half of 2022.
At the beginning of this month, Evergrande Auto said a fleet of 53 cars comprising the Hengchi 1, 3, 5, 6 and 7 models had completed a 70-day road test covering 500,000km. The announcement came three days after the carmaker warned in its interim earnings report that production might be delayed because of a cash squeeze.
Its debt-ridden parent China Evergrande Group, controlled by tycoon Hui Ka-yan, currently has US$300 billion in liabilities, compared with 2.38 trillion yuan (US$368 billion) in assets.
Hui is desperate to save his property empire from collapsing via asset sales after Evergrande missed several interest payments this month to contractors, suppliers and lenders. More deadlines are approaching on its local and offshore bond obligations.
This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright 2021 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
Copyright (c) 2021. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
When the pandemic struck, the shift to online learning marked an inauspicious turning point for Mia Miron, an English learner in Pomona, California.
Previously, she had almost never missed school. A doctors appointment here, a sick day there, but save for those rare occasions, she was always in class.
Her parents, immigrants from Mexico, had instilled in her a belief in the value of education as a path to a better life.
Yosadara Carbajal, front left, and her daughter Mia Miron, front right. (Yosadara Carbajal)
School was one of my priorities, the California teenager, now in eighth grade, told The 74.
But when COVID-19 forced instruction to move online, her absences began to rack up sometimes due to a faulty laptop charger and sometimes due to her teachers failing to mark her present even when she had logged in, Miron said. Her grades fell from Bs and Cs to Ds and Fs.
Mirons mother, Yosadara Carbajal, speaking through a translator, told The 74 that other families had experienced similar attendance problems, but when she raised the issue to school leaders in November 2020, they did not resolve the discrepancies. Pomona Unified School District, however, insisted that they maintained a lenient policy through remote learning toward parents vouching for their childrens attendance on Zoom and initiated multiple measures to re-engage disconnected students, including door-knocking and free one-on-one tutoring, which, as of this school year, Miron now receives.
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Across the country, the obstacles posed by remote learning may have triggered a disproportionate jump in absenteeism among English learners like Miron, new data indicate, despite the 5 million student group having sported some of the highest rates of attendance nationwide before the pandemic compared to other learners.
Ten out of 11 school systems that provided data in response to public record requests filed by The 74 reported surges in chronic absenteeism among English learners in the 2020-21 school year. In all but one district, the percent change in absenteeism was higher among ELs than the overall student population.
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For example:
Chronic absenteeism among all 197,000 students in Houston increased 88 percent over the average rates for 2017-18 and 2018-19, but more than doubled climbing 158 percent among English learners.
In Centennial School District in Pennsylvania, the overall absenteeism rate barely nudged upward, increasing just 2.8 percent, while the share of English learners missing a critical mass of classes jumped 42 percent.
In an especially severe case, the rate of chronic absenteeism among all students in Huntsville School District in Arkansas dropped off slightly while the rate for English learners increased more than four fold.
The pandemic hit immigrant families very, very hard, Xilonin Cruz-Gonzalez, deputy director of Californians Together, a coalition that advocates for English learners in the Golden State, told The 74.
When the restaurant where Mirons father worked closed due to COVID last year, her family was without its primary source of income. They launched a business selling sweet breads over Instagram as a way to bring in some cash.
[School] was no longer our primary concern. We had to do anything to survive to pay bills, rent, everything, before anything else, said Carbajal.
But despite the disruption, the middle schooler was lucky: She had the WiFi and devices that she needed for remote learning, save for a finicky charger. She also speaks English confidently, although her school has not yet re-classified her out of English learner courses.
Many other English learners over the past 18 months, however, have lacked devices, juggled child care duties and struggled to navigate English-only instructions for platforms like Google Classroom or Zoom, according to reports through the pandemic. Still, COVID-19s full impact on this vulnerable population has remained blurry.
With finalized nationwide counts of chronic absenteeism from last year still not expected for up to three months, these new figures offer a sneak peak into long-awaited data that helps bring the picture into clearer focus.
Students are typically defined as chronically absent when they miss more than 10 percent of school days, a benchmark for the typical 180-day school year that researchers say determines whether students have lost so much instruction that they may be academically at risk. Missed school days predict academic difficulties such as trouble reading in third grade, lower grades in middle school and higher dropout rates in high school.
Related: Jordan: Chronic Absenteeism in the Time of Coronavirus What Happens to Admissions, Promotion and Accountability?
The 74 requested absenteeism data from 30 districts nationwide, including the largest school systems and a sample of randomly selected suburban and rural districts. Some, such as New York City and Douglas County, Colorado, had not yet finished compiling absences and a handful, including Hillsborough County, Florida, were non-responsive. But 13 districts fulfilled the request, including 11 that delivered data disaggregated by factors including race, income, disability and English learner status.
The increased share of English learners missing class may reflect a breakdown in schools communication with non-English speaking families through the pandemic, said Melissa Castillo, Arizona associate state superintendent of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
When we shut schools down, the challenge in communicating was taken to another whole level, she told The 74.
The immigrant families Castillo works with are resilient and believe strongly in the value of education, she said. But with many lacking internet and devices, remote learning was very difficult.
Schools werent equipped, she added. It was a structural issue.
In the two rural districts in the sample, jumps in chronic absenteeism among English learners were especially pronounced, more than doubling in Firebaugh-Las Deltas, a rural district between Fresno and Salinas, California and more than quadrupling in Huntsville, Arkansas likely reflecting a double disadvantage created by simultaneous linguistic and digital divides.
The Arkansas district did not have an explanation for the troubling pattern. Superintendent Audra Kimball wrote to The 74, I dont feel like I have enough knowledge to give you an accurate answer. She did not answer whether the district was aware of the high levels of absenteeism among English learners in the district before The 74s inquiries.
Neither Houston ISD nor Centennial School District responded to The 74s requests for comment on their disproportionate increases in English learners missing class.
Related: 12 Months After Pandemic Closed Schools, 12 Million Students Still Lack Reliable Internet
Contrary to initial reports on absenteeism through the pandemic that have found stark increases in the share of students missing class, the numbers delivered to The 74 tell a story thats less clean cut. Five out of the 13 districts actually reported small drops in overall chronic absence, but often with glaring differences between sub-groups. On top of jumps in the rate of English learners missing class, Black and low-income students tended to also have greater increases in absenteeism. White and Asian students often saw less severe jumps and sometimes dips in their rates.
Students with disabilities, who had some of the highest rates of chronic absenteeism nationwide before the pandemic, saw 2020-21 rates that remained elevated, but did not represent as large of a proportional increase as that of English learners or low-income students. In fact, five out of 11 districts reported drops in the share of students with disabilities persistently missing class.
A student with ADHD might have found it easier to focus (during online learning) or a student with autism might have found it easier to interact with their educators, Lindsay Jones, president and CEO of the National Center for Learning Disabilities, wrote in an email to The 74. Now, we need to better understand what worked for the students who found remote learning easier or more engaging.
Further patterns included elevated rates of absenteeism among younger learners. Although persistently missing school was much more common among high schoolers before the pandemic, some districts saw the pattern shift to younger grades during remote school, perhaps due to elementary schoolers struggling with Zoom when they lacked proper supervision.
In Miami-Dade County Schools, for example, which did not disaggregate their data by student group but did break down results by age, chronic absenteeism increased 6 percentage points among the districts 110,000 elementary school students and 11 percentage points among its nearly 52,000 middle school students. It also increased 7 percentage points among its 101,000 high school students, but that jump represented a proportionally smaller increase due to higher pre-pandemic absence rates.
Inconsistencies in how schools took attendance through the pandemic confound direct district-to-district comparisons. Some schools, like Huntsville High School, told The 74 they did not track daily attendance among virtual learners because instruction was asynchronous, effectively lowering the pool of students who could be considered chronically absent, while others, like Olathe Public Schools in Kansas, said they took note of exactly how many online learners had missed class each day.
Chandler Unified School District in Arizona, the only school system in the dataset where proportional increases in chronic absenteeism were higher among the overall student body than among English learners, said differences in how attendance was coded for online versus in-person learners may have impacted the numbers. Districts also differed in whether they counted quarantined students as absent, whether they relied on families to proactively mark their kids present and whether webcams were a requirement for online learning.
A lot fell through the cracks in attendance counts last year, Paige Kowalski, executive vice president of the Data Quality Campaign, told The 74.
In districts where students missed less class last year than before the pandemic, Attendance Works Executive Director Hedy Chang worries that the numbers might tell a misleading story. During remote learning, it was often hard to tell whether students were truly engaged in class, especially when cameras were off.
The data from last year masked, often, a loss of instructional time, she told The 74.
In Gwinnett County Public Schools outside Atlanta, where about half of all 181,000 students learned remotely last year and chronic absenteeism fell roughly 1 percentage point below pre-pandemic levels, the reasons for the drop and exactly what that reduction represents remain unclear.
We would just be guessing at this point, admitted district spokesperson Bernard Watson. He did point out, however, that teachers worked hard to engage students, driving through young peoples neighborhoods during lockdown for socially distanced greetings.
But even in Gwinnett, as overall absenteeism trended downward, days of missed schooling among English learners ticked up. To re-engage those students, experts say schools need to be proactive in connecting with their families.
Reach out in 10 different ways: texts, phone calls, home visits, flyers, direct mail all the ways you can think of, suggested Conor Williams, senior fellow at The Century Foundation and a frequent contributor at The 74. Then once you make contact, ask Whats the best way to [stay] in touch with you?
A recent U.S. Department of Education study from Providence, Rhode Island supports this approach, finding that texts, calls and mentorship could chip away at absenteeism, although the data were collected before the pandemic. And last year, sending teachers door-to-door proved an effective if labor-intensive strategy to coax students back to class in districts across the country.
Related Texas Teachers Go Door to Door as Kids Disappear From Remote Classes
To mark the start of National Hispanic Heritage Month, a category to which more than three-quarters of English learners belong, the White House on Sept. 13 launched an all-new Hispanic education initiative to address the systemic causes of barriers to Latino achievement. Its not yet clear how much the initiative will focus on English learners, who make up only about a quarter of the wider Latino student population in the U.S.
The U.S. Department of Education granted waivers for states 2019-20 federal data reporting requirements, but for 2020-21, the its requiring all states to publicly report disaggregated chronic absenteeism figures. Those numbers will likely be available by spring 2022, a department spokesperson told The 74.
As the Biden administration underscores the importance of a safe return to in-person school, many families of English learners feel trepidation about sending their children back into classrooms, said Rosario Quiroz Villarreal, policy director at The New Teacher Project. They, like any family, want to understand schools COVID safety protocols, especially because many live with older relatives, she explained, but oftentimes schools translation of these protocols can be lacking.
Its exclusion by omission, the specialist on immigrant education told The 74.
Rosario Quiroz Villarreal (Next100)
In a school year already riddled by tens of thousands of student and staff quarantines, and as students no longer have the convenience of rolling out of bed and clicking into Zoom, researchers are worried there may be even more students missing class in 2021-22 and not just English learners.
Were hearing about huge increases in chronic absenteeism in many of the districts that were speaking to, said Chang, of Attendance Works. Oakland, California, for example, which publishes real-time data, has already seen the share of persistently missing students jump from 20 percent in 2020-21 to 33 percent so far this year.
Were going to have to really expand our personalized outreach and supports to families to make sure that their kids can get access to make up for whatever they lost, said Chang.
Miron, in Pomona, is among the students who went back to in-person learning this fall, and her case underscores the importance of returning English learners to classrooms. Last year, she said, she wasnt really learning anything online. But now that she has returned in person, its a complete change for the better, her mother reports. The teenager agrees.
I feel like Im actually learning something right now, she said.
Editorial Fellow Marianna McMurdock contributed to this report.
Lead image: New data exclusive to The 74 show that English learners saw disproportionate surges in the rate at which they missed class during the pandemic. (John Moore/Getty Images)
The Daily Beast
The Washington Post via Getty ImagesMost of Trumps meetings with foreign business leaders that I attended were, like the episode in Kensington Palace, more about holding court than holding forth on issues of concern for American workers. Sometimes the president took bizarre turns into rambling monologues completely lacking in substance. It was becoming clear that this was how the man who had ridden into the White House on the grievances of ordinary Americans was going to fritter away his time i
By Krisztina Than
BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Murad Sharifi, a refugee from Afghanistan, works at a kebab place and lives in a shelter for the homeless in Budapest's outskirts. His tiny room is filled with dozens of paintings depicting a colourful but ominous world, of Afghan women clad in long black burqa gowns, surrounded by hostile men.
Sharifi, who fled to Hungary during the 2015 migration wave with tens of thousands of other asylum-seekers, says it is his "obligation" to show the oppression faced by women in his home country, worsening since the Taliban takeover in August.
He was drawn to paint "to express women's pain, and my own feelings", he said in his bare-walled room, where his canvasses jostle for space with two small beds, two chairs and a table.
Some of his more joyful works depict couples among leafy trees. But most feature starker scenes. In one, which he describes as an illustration of women's oppression, a woman is shown in a meat grinder with a bearded man squeezing her neck and pushing her down. In another, a woman, with her long hair freely floating, has faces of men running down the side of her green robe and a queue of them eyeing her suspiciously.
"In a country where men rule over women, women are deprived of their right to speak freely," he says.
Under the Taliban, who took power in August, he expects women will slowly "disappear" behind the walls of their homes, as they were forced to do when the Taliban last ruled 20 years ago and banned them from work and school.
While the Taliban have promised to allow women more freedoms this time, they have so far reopened schools and most workplaces only to men and boys.
Sharifi is from the mainly Shi'ite Muslim Hazara community, which was repressed under the severe Sunni rule of the Taliban. He arrived in Hungary with the massive wave of hundreds of thousands of migrants that entered Europe in 2015.
His paintings are now exhibited at a hall in Budapest along with artwork of three other refugees.
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Refugees often deal with traumas through artwork, and seeing their paintings could have a "therapeutic" influence on the public, too, said Marta Pardavi, Co-chair of the Helsinki Committee, an NGO that helped organise the exhibition.
"Because this artwork can convey the traumas, and can make them far more understandable," she said.
(Reporting by Krisztina Than; Editing by Peter Graff)
(Removes extraneous word in lede)
By Gleb Stolyarov and Alexander Marrow
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian authorities on Thursday warned social media giant Facebook it faces a fine of up to 10% of its annual turnover in the country unless it deletes content Moscow deems illegal.
Upping the ante in its standoff with U.S. Big Tech, state communications regulator Roskomnadzor told Reuters it was planning to send Facebook's representatives in Russia an official notification saying it had repeatedly failed to remove banned information.
That, it said, could lead to a fine of 5% or 10% of Facebook's annual Russian turnover unless the situation is remedied.
Facebook's violations include failing to remove posts containing child pornography, drug abuse and extremist content, the Vedomosti daily reported separately.
Facebook had no immediate comment.
Moscow has increased pressure on foreign tech companies over the last year as part of a long-running push to assert greater sovereignty over its segment of the internet, including efforts to make companies store Russians' personal data on its territory.
On Wednesday, Russia threatened to block YouTube, owned by Alphabet Inc., after the video-hosting giant removed Russian state-backed broadcaster RT's German-language channels from its site.
Earlier this year, Roskomnadzor wrote to Facebook and other social media firms demanding they remove posts containing calls for minors to participate in anti-government protests after the arrest of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.
Vedomosti cited experts who estimated Facebook's annual Russian turnover at around 12 billion roubles ($165 million).
Reuters could not immediately verify that estimate.
Roskomnadzor has opened 17 different administrative cases against Facebook this year for failing to delete banned content, court documents showed, with 64 million roubles owed in fines or pending.
A turnover fine would dwarf those levied so far.
"Facebook's administration has not paid the fines," Vedomosti cited Roskomnadzor as saying.
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($1 = 72.5975 roubles)
(This story corrects to remove extraneous word in lede)
(Editing by Barbara Lewis, Elaine Hardcastle, Kirsten Donovan)
By Sheila Dang and Paresh Dave
(Reuters) - U.S. senators on Thursday grilled Facebook Inc on its plans to better protect young users on its apps, drawing on leaked internal research that showed the social media giant was aware of how its Instagram app harmed the mental health of teens.
The hearing in front of the Senate consumer protection subcommittee was called after the Wall Street Journal published several stories earlier this month about how Facebook knew Instagram caused some teen girls in particular to feel badly about their self-image. After growing opposition to the project, Facebook put plans for Instagram Kids, aimed at pre-teens, on hold this week.
Antigone Davis, Facebook's global head of safety, disputed the committee and WSJ's conclusions of the research documents throughout the hearing, and said the company was working to release additional internal studies in an effort to be more transparent about its findings.
"This research is a bombshell," said Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat, during the hearing. "It is powerful, gripping, riveting evidence that Facebook knows of the harmful effects of its site on children, and that it has concealed those facts and findings."
"IG stands for Instagram, but it also stands for Insta-greed," said Senator Edward Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts.
The senators pressed Davis on several major themes, including what identifiable data Facebook collects on users under the age of 13, to what extent the company views young users as a growth area and to confirm whether it knew that Instagram led some children to consider suicide.
Davis reiterated that kids under 13 were not allowed on Facebook, adding 0.5% of teens in the company's research connected their "suicidal ideation" to Instagram, lower than the figures the Journal had reported.
"You've cherry-picked part of the research that you think helps your spin right now," said Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, demanding Facebook commit to releasing its full research on the links between Instagram and youth suicide.
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A second hearing is planned for Tuesday and will feature a Facebook whistleblower. The whistleblower is expected to reveal their identity on Sunday in a recorded interview for TV news program "60 Minutes," which in a preview described the woman as a former Facebook employee who left with tens of thousands of pages of research.
Davis said Thursday that Facebook would not retaliate against the whistleblower for sharing confidential documents with the senators.
(Reporting by Sheila Dang in Dallas and Paresh Dave in San Francisco; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
ABC
In this April 25, 2019 file photo, Anna Delvey, who claimed to be a German heiress named Anna Sorokin, sits at the defense table during jury deliberations in her trial at New York State Supreme Court, in New York. Richard Drew/AP
Anna Sorokin, who pretended to be a fake heiress named Anna Delvey, told ABC News that she isn't a "dumb, greedy person."
She says she opted to go to trial instead of taking a plea deal because "it was the only way to tell my story."
After being released from prison in February, Sorokin was taken into ICE custody.
Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
Anna Sorokin, the German national who pretended to be a fake heiress with the name Anna Delvey, has opened up about her actions in an interview set to air on ABC News' "20/20" on Friday.
"I would like to show the world that I'm not this dumb, greedy person that they portrayed me to be," Sorokin said in a preview for the interview that was first taped after her release in February.
But Sorokin told ABC News senior national affairs correspondent Deborah Roberts that she opted to take her case to trial instead of taking a plea deal because she felt "it was the only way to tell my story."
"I never had a fraudulent intent," Sorokin told ABC News. "And I guess that's what should really count."
Sorokin was convicted in April 2019 on several counts of larceny and theft tied to a scheme in which she swindled banks and other institutions out of thousands of dollars while she lived in Manhattan.
She was sentenced to 12 years in prison, fined $24,000, and ordered to pay $200,000 in restitution.
Ultimately, she was released from prison after four years on good behavior in February, but was taken into ICE custody in March.
Sorokin's lawyer didn't immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.
Read the original article on Insider
A Florida-based company, Cyber Ninjas, has presented results of their vote audit in Arizona's Maricopa County, which affirmed that President Joe Biden won the election. But a falsified document is now circulating on QAnon circles, claiming that Trump won. Matt York/AP Photo
A fake version of the Cyber Ninjas Arizona audit report is circulating in QAnon Telegram groups.
The report falsely claims Trump won the election and declares the "reported results are not reliable."
The document was debunked by Cyber Ninjas CEO Doug Logan, who said the report was "absolutely false."
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Earlier this month, an audit report from Cyber Ninjas - the group behind Arizona's election audit - validated President Joe Biden's victory in Maricopa County, Arizona. Now, a fake version of that report, which contains the baseless claim that Trump won the 2020 election in Arizona, is making the rounds in QAnon Telegram groups.
According to Vice, the fake audit document was first posted by Ann Vandersteel, a QAnon influencer who runs a Telegram channel with more than 30,000 followers. Vandersteel shared the fake audit document, called "Executive Summary," on her QAnon telegram channel on September 25. She also posted a comment about Doug Logan, the CEO of the Cyber Ninjas and a Trump supporter.
"THIS IS the REAL MARICOPA AUDIT. THEY THREATENED DOUG LOGAN and his family if he put it out. SHARE EVERYWHERE," Vandersteel wrote. She did not specify who she meant by "they" or what alleged threats were leveled at Logan.
The false document has since been further circulated in Telegram groups linked to QAnon, a baseless far-right conspiracy group that claims former President Donald Trump is secretly fighting a "deep state" cabal of satanic pedophiles and cannibals.
Logan, who has been known to tout election conspiracy theories in favor of former President Donald Trump, issued a statement clarifying that the fake audit document is "absolutely false."
"There is a false version of the Executive Summary of the Maricopa County Forensic Election Audit report that is circulating," Logan said in a statement to Vice on September 29. "This false version claims to be an earlier version of the Cyber Ninjas Executive Summary, but because of supposed threats from the (Arizona State) Senate, it was not used. This is absolutely false."
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The GOP-led audit of the vote count in Maricopa County confirmed President Joe Biden won the election and resulted in Trump losing 261 votes. However, the former president has continued to falsely claim the GOP audit uncovered "undeniable evidence" of fraud.
At press time, the fake document circulated by Vandersteel had been downloaded over 130,000 times.
The origins of the fake report are unclear
Cyber Ninjas owner Doug Logan talks about overseeing a 2020 election ballot audit ordered by the Republican lead Arizona Senate at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, during a news conference Thursday, April 22, 2021, in Phoenix. Ross D. Franklin/AP Photo
The fake audit document mimics the overall structure of the Cyber Ninjas' report, which can be downloaded on the Arizona State Senate's website. Among the discrepancies in the fake audit report is a line of text that says, "The election should not be certified, and the reported results are not reliable."
Logan told local outlet AZ Central he has no knowledge of the false draft report's origins. He said it could have been created by "someone who was contributing to the report at some point in time."
"The fact some language is shared means they likely reviewed the Executive Summary I wrote," Logan told AZ Central. "No copy of the Executive Summary written by me ever directly stated the election should not be certified or should be de-certified."
"I personally don't think it's my role to make that call or even that suggestion. That is something that should be determined by the legislature. My job was to relay the facts found during the audit and to provide advice on legislative reform," Logan added in his interview with AZ Central.
Vandersteel and Logan did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.
Read the original article on Insider
Filipino heritage, food and fun are on the menu this weekend at Mount Trashmore.
October is Filipino American History Month and Fil Fest USA 2021 kicks off Saturday with a pageant and Filipino folk dancing. Mayor Bobby Dyer will welcome the crowd at noon.
Virginia Beach has the highest Filipino population in Hampton Roads and is home to the Philippine Cultural Center of Virginia in Kempsville.
Chicago comedian Erick Esteban and hip-hop artists S.N.R.G. (Some Never Really Get) from Northern Virginia will entertain on Saturday. Guests will also learn more about a historical highway marker in Virginia Beach that will honor the legacy of U.S. Navy service members from the Philippines who have settled in Hampton Roads.
Buko Resto-Bar food truck will serve Filipino street food. Bambu and Maria & Isabels will offer desserts.
Local churches will lead events Sunday morning. Shadowlawn Eats restaurant will bring a mountain of lumpia, also known as Filipino egg rolls, for the Lumpia eating contest. The winners name will be inscribed on a champion belt.
For more information and the schedule, visit facebook.com/filfestusa.
Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, stacy.parker@pilotonline.com
More intense storms, fueled by climate change, are battering shorelines and cities throughout the Great Lakes, pulling the land right out from under some homes.
"Cities like Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, Cleveland, they all have to adapt to this," said Melissa Scanlan, director of the Center for Water Policy at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.
Milwaukee sits on Lake Michigan, which has swung from record-low water levels in 2013 to record highs the past few years.
"The highs are getting higher and the lows are getting lower," Scanlan said. "I'm most concerned about flooding and sewage contaminating the drinking water supply for millions of people."
Sewage can get dumped into Lake Michigan when intense storms overwhelm Milwaukee's stormwater systems. The area's sewerage district is replacing concrete channels built in the 1960s with more natural creeks to try to prevent future flooding.
Marquette, Michigan, spent $3 million to rebuild a shattered stretch of road 300 feet away from its increasingly unpredictable neighbor, Lake Superior.
"Lake erosion really got the best of it," said Dennis Stachewicz, who is planning director for the city. "Ultimately it failed because nature caught up with us."
But with access to so much fresh water and without the hurricanes and wildfires ravaging other parts of the country, the Great Lakes region is still considered somewhat of a climate haven.
With the right solutions, Stachewicz said, they hope to weather the storm. "Change is occurring and we probably need to be prepared for it," he said.
Congress passes last-minute bill avoiding government shutdown
An Afghan baby's harrowing escape to the U.S.
Hawaiis Kilauea volcano erupts
Photo Illustration by Kelly Caminero/The Daily Beast/Getty
Mitch McConnell won another round in his quest for world domination when he blocked Democrats effort to act responsibly and step up to the thankless task of raising the debt limit. This went beyond his already irresponsible threat not to lift a finger to help Democrats lift it. Now hes actively stopping them from doing the right thing on their own.
There are lots of things you can say about Cocaine Mitch, but you cant say he broke his vow to make stopping Biden 100 percent of his focus. His willingness to imperil the full faith and credit of the United States to do so is more proof than the country can stand.
This isnt about future spending or Democrats plans; its about refusing to pay debts weve already incurred. In less than three weeks, the bill for the Trump-McConnell tax cut for the elites they both pretend to hate, along with everything else the country has spent money on in recent years, comes due. Pay it and the parties go on to fight another day. Dont pay it, and all hell breaks loose.
McConnell says that Democrats can lift the debt ceiling without any Republican support, buteven setting aside that theyd be doing so to pay the tab Trump ran upits not clear they can, given McConnell killing their effort on Tuesday and time running short.
Republicans Don't Want a Debt DefaultJust Democratic Chaos
Living up to the promise to pay what we owe isnt an issue that registers in opinion polls; Democrats have failed miserably to label the bills at the center of this debate the Trump-McConnell debt or to describe just how ludicrous the GOP position is. Imagine telling your credit card company that you meant to pay your bill but your spouse wouldnt raise your debt ceiling.
On behalf of America, thats the grift McConnell is pulling. If successful, hell leave the country unable to pay its bills for the first time in 245 years. He will be cutting off Americas nose to spite liberals faces. It makes no sense.
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We got an inkling of what could happen in 2011, when then-House Speaker John Boehner went to the absolute last minute before raising the ceiling as a way to torment Barack Obama. As it dragged on, Standard & Poors downgraded Americas debt, meaning taxpayers had to pay $1.3 billion more to borrow money. Global markets trembled and there was a market sell-off here. Veterans and Social Security recipients feared their checks would stop arriving.
McConnell is threatening to take us to the edge again, or over it this time, in the hopes that he can convince the country that Democrats are not fit to govern. But theres no excuse at all for refusing to pay back debts America has already incurred, and its been Republicans whove done the most to run up that tab. Of the 57-percentage-point increase in the debt to GDP ratio since 1960, 52 of them came when a Republican sat in the Oval Office.
Running last year, McConnell said If Im still the majority leader in the Senate, think of me as the Grim Reaper. None of that stuff is going to pass." Thanks in part to Trumps seditious temper tantrum after his own loss, Democrats won both special elections in Georgia and with them control of the Senate but even as minority leader McConnell is doing his damnedest to kill Democrats dreamseven when their dream is to pay our bills and keep Americas economy and the foundation of the world economy intact.
Heres how Obamas speechwriter Jon Favreau described the stakes in 2011, before Boehner yielded at the 11th hour:
With each passing day, making our debt payments to businesses and governments around the world would become more and more difficult. When the world stopped seeing the United States as a safe and reliable place to invest, the cost of borrowing money would skyrocket for every single Americanwhether its a home mortgage or a personal credit card. And those high borrowing costs, coupled with billions in delayed income for seniors, soldiers, small-business owners, and their employees, almost surely would send our economy, and the worlds, into a crisis even deeper and more dramatic than the Great Recession of 2009.
House Republican Hostage Takers Are Unfit to Govern
This is the fire that McConnell is playing with now as hes ceded control of the party to Trump, who couldnt win himself but is now actively punishing Republicans willing to call out his craziness with primaries. Desperate to hang on the MAGA nuts he needs to show up at the polls to retake the senate,, McConnell looks the other way when Trump keeps raving about how the election was supposedly stolen from him.
And where Trump claims his victims by shouting, McConnell uses a soporific, unsmiling certainty that lulls people into a state of passivity thats hard to crack. What the Turtle is doing with the debt limit could be every bit as destructive to the economy as the Donalds Big Lie is to our democracy. When Chicken Little said the sky was falling, folks at least looked upward. Try explaining that the debt ceiling is for bills run up by those now refusing to own up to them and I can attest that everyone suddenly has to hang up and take another call.
We think we can get through any ordeal because weve gotten through so many. But its hard to think of a worse time to call into question the reliability of America. We have one of the worst death rates from the pandemictwice as high as might have been seen under a stable president. Treaties were broken; Putin became a confidant, our allies the enemy. We sloughed off floods, fires, melting ice caps, and temperatures of 120 degrees as flukes man cant control.
The country is recovering from the worst pandemic since 1917 but its new and fragile and subject to relapse. Who will look to America to lead if McConnell helps send not just our own economy, but those of our allies and enemies, into free fall?
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WASHINGTON (AP) The Supreme Court on Thursday added five new cases to its calendar for the term that begins next week, among them a challenge to federal election law brought by Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas.
Cruzs challenge involves rules about repaying a candidate for federal office who loans his or her campaign money. Under the law, a campaign can repay the candidate up to $250,000 with money collected after the election.
Cruz argues that the current rules deter candidates from loaning money to their campaigns in violation of the Constitution. A three-judge panel unanimously sided with Cruz, and the Biden administration asked the court to take the case.
Cruz, a former Supreme Court clerk, loaned his campaign $260,000 during his successful 2018 bid for reelection, when he defeated Beto ORourke. Cruz was ultimately repaid all but $10,000. The express purpose of the loan was to challenge the law.
The court also agreed to hear an appeal from the heirs of a German Jewish woman and a San Diego Jewish organization in their quest to recover a valuable painting by Camille Pissarro that was initially taken by the Nazis and now hangs in an art museum in Madrid.
In another case, the justices will review a Christian organizations plea to have its flag displayed on a flag pole at Bostons City Hall.
The high court has been on its summer break since early July. When it begins its new term Monday the justices will be hearing arguments in their marble courtroom for the first time in more than a year and a half, though the public will not be allowed to attend. The justices have been hearing arguments by telephone because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Live audio of the arguments will continue to be available to the public through at least December, the court has said, though one change is that members of the public will be able to go directly to the court's website to hear it instead of needing to find it through media outlets.
On Friday, the court will hold a ceremonial swearing-in for Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who was confirmed in October 2000 following the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The ceremony was delayed because of the pandemic.
Bravo
Kathy Hilton is building a fabulous new home from the ground up, but she has no intention of living in it when it's done. "This is one of my projects," The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills newcomer explained to Sutton Stracke in the preview clip above from the show's October 6 episode. "I am going to sell this." Although Kathy once planned to move into the home with her husband, Rick Hilton, she decided to take it on as a project when Rick expressed that he wanted to stay in their current Bel-Ai
Storyful
A sneaky shark circled an alligator and nibbled on its foot while it was minding its own business near a dock in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.Cory Conlon filmed a video that shows a shark and an alligator appear near the surface of the ocean. Onlookers throw pieces of fish into the water to feed the two before the shark decides to get close to the alligator to bite its foot. The alligator reacts and charges in the sharks direction, while the shark continues to swim beneath the gator.I was surprised to see this so I filmed it with my phone to show family and friends, Conlon told Storyful. Credit: Cory Conlon via Storyful
The White House is circling the wagons around President Joe Biden and his top military advisers after two testified they advised the president against withdrawing troops from Afghanistan.
Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Gen. Frank McKenzie, commander of U.S. Central Command, both told the House and Senate armed services committees on Tuesday and Wednesday that they initially recommended Biden keep 2,500 troops in Afghanistan to prevent the collapse of the Afghan government. Milley and McKenzie later added that following the Taliban's rapid takeover of Kabul, they and the rest of the president's military advisers reached a consensus that keeping troops in the country at that point would likely lead to an escalation of violence.
WHITE HOUSE CONFIRMS BIDEN TURNED DOWN GENERALS' ADVICE ON TROOP WITHDRAWAL
A number of White House officials expressed frustration to the Washington Examiner Wednesday regarding news coverage of Milley's and McKenzie's testimonies, disputing reports that the statements proved Biden lied during an interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulos.
"It's twisting his words," one official vented. "If you actually watch the video instead of just reading the transcript, the spirit of the president's point is clear."
White House press secretary Jen Psaki voiced similar concerns over press coverage at her Tuesday briefing, insinuating that reporters cherry-picked lines from Biden's interview and pulled them out of context.
"Well, let me give you a full a couple of specifics from the actual [ABC] transcript because I know it's been shorthanded a bit, no mal-intent," she told reporters at the top of the briefing. "But the question asked by George Stephanopoulos was, 'But your top military advisers warned against withdrawing on this timeline. They wanted you to keep about 2,500 troops.' The president said, 'No, they didn't. It was split. That wasn't true. That wasn't true.' 'It was split' I think that's a pretty key part of that phrasing there."
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"So, what should everybody take from that?" Psaki continued, referencing Milley's and McKenzie's testimonies. "There was a range of viewpoints, as was evidenced by their testimony today, that were presented to the president, that were presented to his national security team as would be expected, as he asked for. He asked for a clear, a clear-eyed ... asked them not to sugarcoat it what their recommendations were."
Mike Gwin, the White House's rapid response director, also defended the president against lying claims by repeatedly citing testimony from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who appeared beside Milley and McKenzie at the hearings.
"Worth reiterating given the intentionally obtuse takes today," he tweeted. "[Austin] said leaving 2,500 troops would not have stabilized the situation in Afghanistan, given the Taliban offensive, and reinforcements (more troops) would have been needed. Which is exactly what @POTUS told @ABC."
It's worth noting that none of the White House officials who spoke with the Washington Examiner privately blamed Milley or McKenzie for what they classified as an "unfair" media narrative.
One pointed back to comments Psaki made during Tuesday's briefing about how their counsel with Biden illustrates a core democratic hallmark.
"The generals delivered what they thought was an important piece of advice to the president," that official explained. "The president heard their counsel but still thought that ending the war in Afghanistan was the nation's No. 1 priority. After he made his decision, those men carried out his orders to the T. That's democracy."
Furthermore, Psaki informed reporters that Biden also bears no hard feelings toward his top military advisers.
"I would say he absolutely has confidence in Chairman Milley," she said during the briefing. "He has worked side by side with him across the last nine months through some difficult times, difficult decisions in his presidency.
"He has a different relationship with Chairman Milley than I expect President Trump did," the top White House spokeswoman continued. "I can't speak to that relationship, but he does have trust in him."
However, John Ullyot, a spokesman for former President Donald Trump's National Security Council, took major issue with the Pentagon leaders' testimonies.
He told the Washington Examiner in a Wednesday interview that Milley's statements in particular were "absolutely devastating both days."
"They directly contradicted the president," Ullyot said. "I'd say Gen. Milley gave a big reason why he should resign, which is that he talked about his previous administration and the counsel he gave to President Trump directly with three authors of books that were tell-all books about the administration."
He additionally criticized the media's double standard in "treating how they're covering Trump and Biden when it comes to listening to the generals."
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
"The big difference is that President Trump was going to have a very measured and businesslike approach to our withdrawal from the country instead of the absolute chaos that Biden's decisions generated," Ullyot concluded. "It's a complete double standard that the media was criticizing President Trump for not listening to his generals when he had an absolute conditions-based plan, and Biden, in ignoring his generals, revealed he had no plan. There's nothing from the media about the disastrous results of Biden's policies."
Washington Examiner Videos
Tags: News, White House, Joe Biden, Mark Milley, Jen Psaki, Afghanistan, Lloyd Austin
Original Author: Christian Datoc
Original Location: 'Intentionally obtuse takes': White House goes on offense to defend Biden and top generals
DUBAI (Reuters) -Bahrain hosted the Israeli foreign minister on Thursday for the highest-level visit since the countries established ties last year and which included a tour of a U.S. naval headquarters to signal common cause against Iran.
Landing in Manama on a plane daubed with an olive branch painting, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid met King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
"His Majesty's leadership and inspiration have led to true cooperation and our meeting outlined the path forward for our relationship," Lapid said on Twitter.
Bahrain and Gulf neighbour United Arab Emirates normalised relations with Israel last year in a U.S.-brokered deal known as the Abraham Accords that built on common commercial interests and worries about Iran. Sudan and Morocco followed suit.
"Our opportunities are shared. Our threats are also shared, and they aren't far from here," Lapid said in remarks to reporters, apparently alluding to Gulf power Iran.
Touring the Bahrain headquarters of the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, which has faced off Iranian vessels amid tensions over Tehran's regional aims, Lapid said: "Our three countries work together because we have similar interests in the region."
"When we speak about peace, we need to remember that peace must be protected from those who would harm it," he added, according to his office.
The Fleet said on Twitter that Lapid and his hosts discussed regional maritime security cooperation.
The Sunni-ruled kingdom accuses Iran of stoking unrest in Bahrain, a charge that Tehran denies.
The island state, which quashed an uprising led mostly by Shi'ite Muslim members of its population in 2011, saw some sporadic acts of protest after the Abraham Accords were signed.
On Thursday, Bahraini activists circulated on social media images of what appeared to be small protests in Bahrain. Reuters was unable to independently verify these.
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The accords have been denounced by Palestinians as abandoning a unified position under which Arab states would make peace only if Israel gave up occupied land.
In Gaza, the Islamist Hamas group criticised Bahrain for hosting Lapid, who returns to Israel on Thursday evening. Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said this represented "an encouragement" of what he described as Israeli "crimes against our people".
Lapid's office said he and his Bahraini counterpart signed deals on cooperation in medicine, healthcare, sports, and on water and environmental conservation. Lapid also inaugurated Israel's embassy in Manama.
Separately, the first Gulf Air commercial flight touched down in Tel Aviv, launching a twice-weekly direct connection.
(Reporting by Dan Williams, Jeffrey Heller, Nidal Al Mughrabi and Lisa Barrington; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise, William Maclean and Toby Chopra)
Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos's aerospace company, pushed back against accusations of fostering a sexist workplace that allows for the harassment of employees.
Alexandra Abrams, the company's former head of employee communications, penned an essay, published Thursday, outlining claims by 20 unnamed current and past employees.
"Workforce gender gaps are common in the space industry, but at Blue Origin they also manifest in a particular brand of sexism," the essay alleged.
AMAZON'S AI CAMERAS IN DELIVERY VEHICLES HAVE SOME DRIVERS CRYING FOUL
Senior leaders at the company have been "consistently inappropriate with women," it continued.
An executive within the inner circle of CEO Bob Smith has allegedly been reported to human resources more than once for sexual harassment complaints, according to the essay.
Rather than reprimanding the executive, Smith appointed the executive to the hiring committee of the human resources department, the essay stated.
Another former executive is alleged to have treated women with a "condescending and demeaning manner," the essay read, adding that he is accused of calling women names such as "baby girl" and inquiring about their dating lives.
Until the man was forced out for groping a lower-level female employee, the executive never faced any consequences due to his "close personal relationship with Bezos," according to the essay.
"Blue Origin has no tolerance for discrimination or harassment of any kind," a spokesperson for Blue Origin told the Washington Examiner. "We provide numerous avenues for employees, including a 24/7 anonymous hotline, and will promptly investigate any new claims of misconduct."
Abrams was also dismissed for "cause two years ago after repeated warnings for issues involving federal export control regulations," the spokesperson continued.
Abrams denied the allegation and said she was shocked when she was let go.
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CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
"I've gotten far enough away from it that I'm not afraid enough to let them silence me anymore," she said.
Washington Examiner Videos
Tags: News, Jeff Bezos, Space, sexism, Sexual Harassment
Original Author: Luke Gentile
Original Location: Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin pushes back amid allegations of fostering a sexist workplace
A judge in Jackson County has denied a motion by the Missouri Attorney Generals Office seeking additional fingerprint testing in the murder case that landed Kevin Strickland in prison.
Judge Kevin Harrell denied the request that sought testing of unexamined fingerprint cards, saying there had been more than sufficient time and opportunity for the attorney general to have asked for the analysis.
Jackson County prosecutors, who are seeking to exonerate and free Strickland, said the Kansas City Police Department told the attorney generals office about the fingerprint cards in August and that a full comparison of them would take two months. The attorney generals office did not seek testing then and said it was ready to defend Stricklands conviction, local prosecutors said.
The critical fingerprints those on the murder weapon have already been tested and they exclude Kevin Strickland, lawyers in Prosecutor Jean Peters Bakers office wrote, arguing the motion was nothing but a delay tactic to deny Strickland his day in court.
In making the request, the attorney generals office accused Bakers office of not testing the remaining fingerprints which local prosecutors say are from unknown locations for apparently strategic reasons.
Additional fingerprint testing, the judge said in his order, would frustrate participants in resolving the case promptly.
Harrell said the denial does not prevent the attorney general from meaningfully participating in Stricklands Tuesday evidentiary hearing, during which Jackson County prosecutors will argue he has been wrongly imprisoned for more than 40 years.
More than 140 days ago, Strickland received rare public support from Baker, who said her office had concluded Strickland, who was 18 when he was arrested and is now 62, is factually innocent in the April 25, 1978, shooting at 6934 S. Benton Avenue in Kansas City.
The gunfire took the lives of John Walker, 20, Sherrie Black, 22, and Larry Ingram, 21.
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The attorney generals office, under Eric Schmitt, contends Strickland is guilty and that he received a fair trial in 1979.
Prosecutors at trial claimed Strickland carried a shotgun during the murders and elicited testimony that no fingerprints on the weapon could be compared. But forensic testing done this year shows a fingerprint found on the gun is not Stricklands.
In another recent decision, Harrell granted the attorney generals request to compel discovery from Bakers office, ordering prosecutors to produce their notes taken during an interview with Eric Wesson, publisher of The Call newspaper in Kansas City.
Wesson was friends with the lone eyewitness to the murders. She died in 2015, but Wesson told The Star she tried to recant her identification of Strickland the most incriminating evidence at his trial twice to The Call.
Last week, Schmitts office appealed Harrells decision to not recuse himself and disqualify other judges in Jackson County from hearing Bakers office argue Strickland is innocent. It contended there is an appearance of bias in the 16th Circuit Court.
The Missouri Supreme Court had not ruled on that appeal as of Thursday afternoon.
A lawyer for an inmate at North Carolinas Avery-Mitchell Correctional Institution warned prison officials that they were violating the law by retaliating against the female inmate for telling The News & Observer that she felt unsafe being held at a mens prison.
Ashlee Inscoe, 40, an intersex, transgender woman, is being held in the Spruce Pines mens prison on a nearly 20-year sentence after calling a television station and admitting to a series of bank robberies.
Inscoe told The N&O that she grew up believing she was a male because of a mistake a doctor made at her birth. It wasnt until she reached puberty that she realized she was genetically female, but her parents continued to raise her as a boy.
The N.C. Department of Public Safety lists her under her birth name but also has Ashlee Inscoe as a searchable alias.
On Sept. 14, The N&O reported that Inscoe said she faced daily harassment, both verbal and physical, and sexual assault at the prison. Emancipate NC had begun a petition to pressure DPS officials to move Inscoe to a womens prison. The group was also threatening legal action.
On Thursday, Emancipate NC lawyer Elizabeth Simpson, who represents Inscoe, told The N&O that after publication, prison officials confronted Inscoe with the article in hand and asked her to sign an incident report saying she felt safe.
Simpson confronted prison officials about the incident in an email to their general counsel.
Simpson provided to The N&O the back-and-forth between herself and the counselors.
Ms. Inscoe reported that she was afraid of being sent to protective custody, if she did not comply, where she would lose all property and privileges, and be subjected to inhumane solitary confinement conditions, Simpson wrote. Thus, she felt coerced into writing that she is safe, even though she is not safe in that facility.
These actions constitute retaliation and they are unlawful under the Prison Rape Elimination Act, Simpson wrote.
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Prison system denies retaliation
Simpson received an email response from Jodi Harrison, general counsel for DPS. She said Simpsons emails contained many inaccuracies.
Warden Honeycutt did not confront Inscoe regarding the news article and in fact has not spoken to her at all since before the article was published, Harrison wrote. He asked his PREA Compliance Officer to speak with her to ensure that she had no safety concerns that the facility would need to address, and Ms. Inscoe assured the PCO that she did not.
PREA stands for the Prison Rape Elimination Act.
Harrison went on to say that if Inscoe does not feel safe she needs to let the facility know and that prison officials would not rely on Simpsons word about how Inscoe is feeling.
We cannot reasonably place her in protective custody over her own objections, and I have no doubt you would find that action, were we to undertake it, equally if not more objectionable, Harrison said. Ms. Inscoe has not been coerced to do anything, nor has she been retaliated against in any way.
Harrison told Simpson that the prison officials would continue to talk directly with Inscoe about her safety concerns and make arrangements based on Inscoes responses.
Simpson followed up by saying that Inscoe had been petitioning the prison officials to move her to a womens facility for her safety.
Your repeated conclusory statements will not be sufficient assurance that she is safe from harm and not subject to coercion and retaliation, while she continues to be a woman incarcerated in a mens prison, Simpson wrote.
Both Simpson and Harrison used female pronouns to describe Inscoe, who remains in the mens prison.
Lawsuit filed against state
Simpson also filed legal action Thursday asking a judge to compel Prison Commissioner Todd Ishee to move Inscoe into a womens prison.
John Bull, spokesperson for the N.C. prisons, said he was looking into both the lawsuit and the allegations from Inscoes lawyer, but that a response would not immediately be available Thursday.
In April 2020, Inscoe asked the Facility Transgender Accommodations Request Committee to reassign her.
The committee had Inscoe seen by an endocrinologist after she made the transfer request in April 2020, according to the lawsuit.
The court documents tell the judge that two doctors have confirmed to the prison that Inscoe is biologically female. They both recommended Inscoe be transferred.
They also said she needed surgery to remove undeveloped reproductive tissue that could be fatal if it remains in place. A surgery has not yet been agreed upon or scheduled.
And last November, the committee denied the request to move Inscoe against the doctors recommendations, the lawsuit alleges.
Simpson wrote in the lawsuit that she learned about Inscoes case in July and on Aug. 10 requested through Ishee that Inscoe be transferred.
After back-and-forth correspondence with the general counsels office it is clear that Respondent Ishee does not intend to transfer Ms. Inscoe to a womens facility, Simpson wrote.
Simpson said asking the courts to compel Ishee to move Inscoe was the only available remedy left.
Under the Dome
On The News & Observer's Under the Dome podcast, were unpacking legislation and issues that matter, keeping you updated on whats happening in North Carolina politics twice a week on Monday and Friday mornings. Check us out here and sign up for our weekly Under the Dome newsletter for more political news.
EV startup Lordstown Motors made headlines when it purchased a 6.2 million-square-foot factory from General Motors in 2019. Now, it looks like the strapped-for-cash startup will likely sell that facility to Taiwans Foxconn Technology Group.
The news was first reported by Bloomberg, who said unnamed sources suggested the deal could close as early as this week. Lordstown executives had said during a second-quarter earnings call that the company was in serious discussions with partners to lease the northeast Ohio facility to other companies, so news of the sale isnt a total surprise.
While financial details of the transaction were not disclosed, Lordstown would reportedly operate in the facility in parallel with Foxconn -- an arrangement that could, in the end, be a net benefit for the beleaguered EV maker, which would receive both a cash injection and Foxconns mass-manufacturing expertise.
Foxconn, though best known for manufacturing Apples iPhone, has made major strides to enter the electric vehicle manufacturing market over the past few years. The company has inked deals with EV startup Fisker to co-develop and manufacture a new electric vehicle, and Foxconn will also start manufacturing up to 50,000 vehicles at a Thailand factory in partnership with Thai oil supplier PTT PLC.
Foxconns ambitions dont end there: the manufacturer envisions itself as becoming a contract manufacturer for automakers, and it formed a joint venture with Chinese automaker Zhejiang Geely Holding Group to provide design, R&D and manufacturing to OEMs looking to sell EVs.
Lordstown is aiming to deliver the first models of its flagship electric truck "Endurance" to a small group of customers early next year. The company named a new chief executive in August, after former CEO Steve Burns resigned following concerns over the companys coffers. CEO Dan Ninivaggi was instated scarcely a year after Lordstown announced its $1.6 billion SPAC merger.
At their 52-week highs, Lordstown shares hit $31.80 apiece. Theyre now trading at $7.88.
TechCrunch has reached out to Lordstown and Foxconn for comment and will update the story if they respond.
Unvaccinated people in Los Angeles could soon be banned from entering most businesses.
Next week, Los Angeles officials will vote on an emergency ordinance which would require proof of vaccination to enter restaurants, bars, gyms, and other indoor spaces.
Political leaders across the United States, led by President Joe Biden, have raised pressure on the unvaccinated in recent weeks. Laws requiring proof of vaccinations are deeply controversial, with many Americans criticizing them as government overreach.
All but one of the City Council members said they supported the proposal. If it is approved, Los Angeles would join San Francisco and New York among major U.S. cities with widespread vaccination mandates. The new rule would take effect in November.
The Dublin Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California. Anda Chu/MediaNews Group/The Mercury News via Getty Images
Ray J. Garcia is charged with sexually abusing a woman at a prison he guarded in California.
The DOJ cited a complaint alleging he "digitally penetrated the victim on multiple occasions."
Garcia faces 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if found guilty, the DOJ said.
Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
The male warden of an all-female federal prison in California has been charged with sexually abusing a woman who was being held there, the Department of Justice said Wednesday.
Ray J. Garcia, 54, was working as an associate warden at the Federal Correctional Institute in the city of Dublin, near San Francisco, at the time of the allegations, the DOJ said. He was placed on administrative leave in July, the department said.
The DOJ cited a complaint alleging that he "digitally penetrated the victim on multiple occasions." The woman was not named.
In one instance, the DOJ said, Garcia is accused of first assaulting the woman and then moving her hand onto his genitals when she pushed his hand away.
Garcia is also accused of taking photos of the woman naked and showing her photos of his penis on his phone.
The DOJ said the complaint went on to accuse Garcia of trying to stop the woman from reporting him by telling her that he couldn't be fired because he was "close friends" with the person tasked with investigating inmate allegations.
As part of his prison duties, Garcia had led sexual-assault training for the staff in 2019 and 2020, the DOJ said.
Garcia, who has been charged with one count of sexual abuse of a ward, made his first court appearance Wednesday and is next due in court on November 12, the DOJ said.
He faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if found guilty, the DOJ said.
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A man who wasn't feeling well decided to wing it, passing through an emergency exit and jumping onto the exterior of a plane that had landed, according to new reports.
Christian Segura, 33, was taken into police custody after he opened the emergency door and walked onto the wing of an American Airlines plane that had just landed in Miami on Wednesday evening, according to Local10 News. Segura reportedly opened the emergency exit as the plane was pulling into its gate at the Miami International Airport from Cali, Colombia, the report added.
Police from the Miami-Dade Police Department said that Segura said he wasn't feeling well following the flight, and they took him to a local hospital, where it was discovered that he had high blood pressure.
AMERICAN AIRLINES EXTENDS ALCOHOL BAN AFTER BLOODY ALTERCATION ON SOUTHWEST FLIGHT
Prior to the arrival of the police, Segura had been detained by agents from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
"We are aware of an incident involving a passenger on American Airlines flight 920 from Cali, Colombia (CLO) to Miami (MIA)," American Airlines said in a statement. "While customers were exiting the plane at the gate, a passenger opened the over-wing emergency exit and jumped onto the ramp. The customer was immediately detained by law enforcement officials. All other customers deplaned normally. We thank our team members for their professionalism and apologize to our customers for the inconvenience."
As of Thursday morning, Segura had yet to be released from the hospital, the report said. Upon being released, he will reportedly be booked into jail, the outlet added.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
It is unclear whether Segura will face any charges.
The Washington Examiner reached out to American Airlines and the Miami-Dade Police Department for further comment regarding the incident.
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Original Author: Elizabeth Faddis
Original Location: Man detained after opening emergency door and jumping onto wing of plane
Gov. Larry Hogan on Thursday urged Marylanders to get coronavirus vaccine booster shots if theyre eligible.
Despite limited, confusing and contradictory guidance from the federal government, Hogan said, hundreds of thousands of Maryland residents who received the vaccine are eligible to get a booster dose.
Already, 78,000 people in Maryland have gotten a booster vaccine, the Republican governor said at a State House news conference in Annapolis.
The rules for boosters vary based on the type of vaccine received.
Those eligible for Pfizer/BioNTech boosters must be at least six months out from their second shot of the two-dose regimen. They also must meet one of the following criteria: Be 65 or older, have an underlying condition such as asthma or diabetes, or work in a high-risk setting such as health care or food service.
If youre in one of these categories, you should strongly consider getting a COVID-19 booster shot immediately, Hogan said.
For those who received the two-dose Moderna vaccine, boosters are available only for people who have health conditions that affect their immune system.
Booster shots have not been approved for those who received the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
If youre confused about boosters, youre not alone, Hogan said.
Marylands coronavirus call center has begun contacting residents eligible for booster doses to let them know they can get the extra shot. The state will advertise on television, radio and social media to encourage booster shots, too.
Hogan and top state health officials urged those who are not vaccinated to consider getting the shot. And Hogan expressed hope that vaccines would be approved soon for those younger than 12 who currently cannot be vaccinated.
And when people do test positive for the coronavirus, Hogan said they should ask their doctors if theyre a candidate for monoclonal antibody treatment. While the treatment is running low in some states, Hogan said Maryland has abundant supply.
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As of Thursday, 797 people were being treated for the coronavirus in Maryland hospitals, according to state data.
Hogan touted the hospitalization rate as being a 60% lower than the states peak during the pandemic. While that is correct there were nearly 2,000 people hospitalized at the peak in January the current level of hospital patients also represents an eightfold increase from early July. Back then, fewer than 100 people were being treated in the hospital.
Dr. Ted Delbridge, director of the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems, said the patient load in hospitals has been pretty steady around 800 for the past three weeks.
We hope that signals a peak in the current COVID-19 surge, Delbridge said.
All told, more than 530,000 people have tested positive for the virus since March 2020 and 10,212 Marylanders have died.
Meet the Barrons: the winners of the Parents magazine Americas Kindest Families contest.
"As soon as we heard their story, we knew they had to be the winners," TODAY 3rd Hour co-hosts and contest judges Dylan Dreyer, Sheinelle Jones, Craig Melvin and Al Roker told Parents.
Luke and Holly Barron, who live in Oklahoma, lost their 8-year-old son, Keaton, to acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 2018. Ever since, the couple and their children, Reid, 7, Holden, 5, and Conley, 2, have worked tirelessly to continue Keatons legacy by helping others through their foundation, the K Club.
The foundation, which was Keatons idea, primarily helps children fighting cancer and their families. It is also committed to doing random acts of kindness. While in the hospital, founding member Keaton wrote that the club's mission is "to be kind to others, be courageous, compassionate, and caring.
The November cover of Parents magazine celebrates kindness with the winners of its first-ever Kindest Family in America contest. (Melanie Acevedo/PARENTS)
Even though he lived a life of suffering, he looked out for other people first, Holly told TODAY. That was Keaton.
The K Club holds several fundraisers a year to raise money for cancer research. The foundation's kindness efforts include collecting supplies for a pregnancy resource center and making hygiene packs for those struggling with homelessness. Holly and Luke have also created K Cares to help pay for funerals. The list of good deeds goes on and on.
Its an honor to provide a tiny bit of hope or peace in the most unimaginable time in a familys life, Holly told Parents. We feel for every parent who may lose a child and will do anything we can to be there for them.
Related: After losing her daughter, this mom found a way to ease the pain for others.
Every month, the Barrons host a party at Oklahoma Childrens Hospital, where Keaton was treated. Marie Janne Lopez, who nominated the Barrons for Americas Kindest Family, recalled how Keaton would often choose a toy for his younger sibling instead of himself.
He realized his brothers life had been turned upside down by his his treatment. How many 6-year-olds do that kind of thing? Lopez asked.
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Keatons mom summed it up perfectly.
He was a saint on earth from the moment he was born, she said.
For more on the Barrons, pick up the new issue of Parents.
SheKnows
Adele is officially back and what better way to make her grand return than with not one, but two historic Vogue covers showcasing the singers new era in full? For the first time in Vogues over-100 years running, the same star will cover both American Vogue and British Vogue for November 2021, and that star is London-born Adele, taking her first interviews []
(Reuters) - Myanmar's ongoing economic problems were caused by "outside factors" and two waves of COVID-19 infections, but the military government takes full responsibility and is working hard to address them, a spokesman said on Thursday.
Speaking after the kyat currency hit new lows this week, the ruling military council's spokesman Zaw Min Tun said the central bank had been unable to meet local demand for dollars.
Myanmar's currency has lost more than 60% of its value since the beginning of September, driving up food and fuel prices in an economy that has tanked since a Feb. 1 military coup.
"The government is working its best to solve this situation as best as possible," Zaw Min Tun told a regular news conference.
"As it is happened under this government, the current government will have to take responsibility."
Many gold shops and money exchanges have closed in Myanmar due to the turmoil, while the slumping kyat has been a hot topic on social media networks, where users on Thursday posted images of panic-buying of fuel, or gas stations closing due to shortages.
Rising prices of goods and fuel have posed major challenges to previous military governments in Myanmar, with the cost of cooking gas among the triggers of a monk-led "Saffron Revolution" in 2007.
Zaw Min Tun said the economy had worsened due to outside factors as well as the coronavirus, but did not specify what those were.
"We have responsibility to build it back," he said of the economy.
The World Bank predicted on Monday the economy would slump 18% this year and Myanmar would see Southeast Asia's biggest contraction in employment.
In August, the Central Bank of Myanmar tried tethering the kyat 0.8% either side of its reference rate against the dollar, but abandoned that earlier this month as pressure on the exchange rate mounted.
(Reporting by Reuters Staff; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Ed Davies)
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) Gunmen shot and killed a member of Pakistan's minority Sikh community in an attack Thursday in the deeply conservative northwestern city of Peshawar, police said.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack in Peshawar, the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan. The gunmen fled the scene, according to the police and a community leader.
Nauman Khan, a local police official said it wasn't clear if the attack on Satnam Singh, 45, was a targeted killing. Singh, a herbalist, had been living in the city for the past 20 years and ran a small clinic selling herbal medicine.
The assailants opened fire at Singh inside the clinic, said Sardar Harpal Singh, a local community leader. He denounced the incident and demanded the arrest of those involved in the killing. The herbalist and the community leader are not related.
The majority of Sikhs migrated to neighboring India in 1947, the year British rule of the subcontinent ended and Pakistan was created as a homeland for Muslims in the region. Thousands of them stayed in Pakistan, where they generally live peacefully. But isolated attacks on minority Sikhs, Christians and members of the Ahmadi sect have continued.
Panama foreign minister Erika Mouynes expressed frustration to Axios that the Biden administration seemed caught off guard by the Haitian migrant crisis because "we sounded the alarm when we should have."
Why it matters: The worst may still be coming. Mouynes said there are as many as 60,000 migrants mostly Haitian poised to make their way north to the U.S.-Mexico border.
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Panama is expecting more migrants to cross through the dangerous jungles of the Darien Gap this month than in all of 2019 nearly 27,000, according to Panamanian government estimates provided to Axios.
Mouynes is calling on the U.S. to help enforce a plan coordinated with countries in the region, saying, ultimately, "Let's recognize that they all are heading toward the U.S."
The foreign minister wrapped up meetings Monday and Tuesday in Washington with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and members of Congress, among others.
Mouynes expressed her exasperation to Axios after spending months warning leaders across the hemisphere of the impeding Haitian wave.
"We've engaged with every single authority that we can think of, that we can come across, to say, 'Please, let's pay attention to this,'" Mouynes said.
A Homeland Security spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
By the numbers: More than 85,000 migrants have passed through Panama since January most of them Haitians.
Roughly 20,000 to 25,000 Haitians have already made the trek to the U.S.-Mexico border, with most being allowed to enter the United States.
Beyond those already admitted or deported back to Haiti, another 60,000 are most likely still on their way north, the minister said.
The big picture: Panama is often the first country to provide medical help, food and shelter to northbound migrants despite their travels through multiple South American countries like Colombia and Peru.
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"When we receive them on the Panamanian side, they're malnourished. The children are in terrible condition, so even getting them up to a healthy state takes time," the minister said.
Panama and its neighbors are already working on solutions.
In August, top immigration officials and attorneys general from South American governments, Mexico, Canada and the U.S. met to discuss the issue of irregular migration.
It was the first time such a high-level discussion had occurred, which was "shocking" to Mouynes.
In task force meetings that month, Latin American officials developed a plan to prevent charter planes from landing in countries with migrants and to impose quotas at borders to maintain manageable numbers of migrants in transit countries.
"If you can control migration, you can support it," Mouynes said.
Panama has a quota system with Costa Rica and has started one with Colombia. It "needs to turn back toward their other neighbors to Peru, to Brazil" to set up similar systems.
Colombia is currently holding back 30,000 migrants who want to cross into Panama and has become "frustrated" Panama can not take more in, the minister said.
What they're saying: "We all have a role to play in this issue, and the regional approach is the correct approach," Mouynes said. "It is impossible for Panama to solve it on its own."
She wants Mayorkas or a similar very high level official to attend a follow-up meeting with cabinet-level leaders from the region to show commitment and pressure nations to follow through on migration plans.
There needs to be better engagement with Haiti, as well, rather than pretending the situation will solve on its own, Mouynes said.
What to watch: Pro-migration messaging from the U.S. and some South American nations has played a role in the uptick in people moving north.
It's unclear whether the Biden administration's recent emphasis on deportations of thousands of Haitians, and Mayorkas' own warnings about not being admitted to the United States, will change anything.
Mouynes said Mayorkas asked for her assessment of that messaging during their meeting this week.
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By Karen Lema
MANILA (Reuters) - China has opposed a Philippines-led push for a review of its 70-year-old defence treaty with the United States, Manila's defence minister said on Thursday, concerned that it could be seen in Beijing as an effort to contain its rise.
The Philippines is keen to amend the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) to make clear the extent to which the United States would protect and defend its ally should it come under attack.
At an event to mark the MDT's 70th anniversary, Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said he had been urged by a former Chinese diplomat to back off.
"While the U.S. welcomes the idea of revisiting the MDT, an outside party does not," he said.
"The former Chinese ambassador came to me and said: 'Please do not touch the MDT. Leave it as it is,'" said Lorenzana.
He later clarified the conversation took place in 2018.
"It did surprise me. I asked him why? He said any attempt to revise the MDT would be construed by the Chinese government as act to contain the rise of China," Lorenzana told Reuters.
Asked how he responded, Lorenzana said: "I just looked at him and smiled".
There was no immediate comment from the Chinese embassy in Manila.
The push for clarity on Washington's commitment comes amid a rapid buildup of Chinese maritime assets in contested areas of the South China Sea, including what the Philippines says is a militia disguised as a massive fishing fleet near Beijing's militarised manmade islands.
The Philippines has filed dozens of diplomatic protests about the militia and announced it would send another on Thursday.
The Philippine-U.S. alliance has existed for decades, with a rotating presence of U.S. troops for joint exercises, intelligence exchanges and hardware transfers.
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Lorenzana said it was clear that strengthening the MDT was not in China's interests.
"The Chinese, having embedded themselves with their artificial islands, are not in a hurry for any resolution," he told the forum.
"It knew that any aggression it takes will trigger the MDT."
(Reporting by Karen Lema; Editing by Martin Petty)
Police gained control of an Ecuador prison Thursday where rioting has left at least 118 inmates dead, some of them decapitated, as rival drug gangs went to war armed with guns and grenades.
Another 86 inmates were wounded, six of them critically, according to Ecuador's prisons authority, in one of the deadliest prison battles in South American history.
The riot broke out Tuesday at a prison complex in the port city of Guayaquil between prisoners believed to have links to Mexican drug gangs -- mainly the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels.
By late Thursday police commander General Tannya Varela told reporters that the inmates "no longer have control of the cell blocks," adding that the prisoners were now back in their cells and "everything is calm."
The restored order came after a massive security operation involving some 900 officers and members of tactical units engaged in what the police service said was a "mega-operation" to regain control.
On Wednesday at least two officers were injured when rioting inmates, armed with guns, attacked police sent in to retake control of the facility.
Soldiers and tanks were also stationed outside the jail, where hundreds of worried family members have gathered, desperate for news from the men locked up inside.
"It is a very painful thing.... They say people have had their heads taken off," said Juana Pinto, who was seeking news about her inmate son.
Ermes Duarte, 71, who came from the nearby rural town of Salitre, said his son "was only 15 days away from being released. I came because I saw a video, sent to me by cell phone, where I recognized his head."
- 'A war' -
According to local news site Primicias, the violence erupted when prisoners from one gang celebrated the birthday of one of their leaders and bragged about their control of the prison, sparking the fury of rival groups elsewhere in the facility.
Tuesday's violence was the latest in a series of bloody prison clashes that have claimed the lives of more than 230 inmates in Ecuador so far this year.
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At least six victims were beheaded, according to the national prosecutor's office.
In response to the riot, the government decreed a state of emergency allowing it to suspend prisoners' civil rights and to use public force -- including the military -- to restore order. President Guillermo Lasso visited Guayaquil on Wednesday.
Ecuador's prison system has 65 facilities designed for about 30,000 inmates but actually houses 39,000, watched over by 1,500 guards -- a shortfall of about 3,000, according to experts.
Corruption is rife and inmates are able to acquire arms and ammunition.
On February 23, simultaneous riots at four jails including Guayaquil left 79 inmates dead, several of them also beheaded.
Last week police confiscated two pistols, a revolver, some 500 rounds of ammunition, a hand grenade, several knives, two sticks of dynamite and homemade explosives at one of the city's prisons.
Two weeks ago, Guayaquil's Prison Number 4 was attacked by drones, part of "a war between international cartels," prison authorities said. There were no casualties in that attack.
- 'Collapsed' prison system -
The country's human rights ombudsman said there were 103 prison killings in 2020.
Criminal groups "have taken over the country's prisons and are trying to send a message to the state that they are stronger than the rule of law," said Itania Villarreal, a former director of the agency in charge of prisoner rehabilitation.
"The prison system has collapsed," she said.
Security expert Freddy Rivera of the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences in Quito said many prisoners had ties not only to Mexican cartels, but to gangs in neighboring Colombia.
Ecuador's prisons have become "criminal central command centers" from which illicit activities are planned and ordered, he told AFP, adding that the country's prison massacres in recent years have exceeded those of Brazil and Venezuela.
Located between Colombia and Peru, the world's leading cocaine producers, Ecuador is a key transit for drug shipments to the United States and Europe.
Guayaquil is Ecuador's most populous city and its main port.
sp/lbc/mr/mlr/sst/bfm/mlm
American Airlines planes at the gates at Miami International Airport on August 1. DANIEL SLIM/AFP via Getty Images
The police detained an American Airlines passenger accused of walking on a plane's wing in Miami.
American Airlines said the passenger was on Flight 920 with service from Cali, Colombia.
Authorities said all other passengers were able to deplane without incident.
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Officials say they have detained an American Airlines passenger accused of opening an emergency door and walking onto the wing of a plane that had landed at Miami International Airport, according to local news reports.
The Miami-Dade Police Department said the passenger walked on the plane wing at about 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday as the aircraft was taxiing, CBS 4 Miami reported. The police said the plane arrived from Cali, Colombia.
The police said the passenger jumped off the wing when officers arrived and was apprehended, WPLG Local 10 News reported. Authorities told the outlet the incident did not cause delays and the rest of the passengers were able to disembark from the plane.
The suspect's name has not been released, per CBS 4 Miami.
In a statement, American Airlines confirmed a passenger aboard Flight 920 with service from Cali exited the airplane via an emergency exit.
"The customer was immediately detained by law enforcement," the airline said. "We thank our team members and law enforcement for their professionalism and quick action."
The Miami-Dade Police Department told Insider on Thursday that it has assumed the lead role in the investigation.
A police spokesperson said the suspect was apprehended by Custom and Border Protection after he walked on the wing of the plane.
He was placed under arrest, but needed medical attention when he arrived at Turner Gilford Knight Detention Center. The suspect was then admitted to Jackson Memorial Hospital and remains in the emergency room, added the spokesperson.
The police department will release more details on the arrest after the suspect is booked into the detention center, they said.
Read the original article on Insider
By Jonathan Landay
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Stacia George hired buses to take hundreds of Afghans, including many who worked for the U.S. government, to the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif after the Taliban seized Kabul. She planned for charter jets to whisk them to new lives outside Afghanistan.
But a month later, the former U.S. government aid official said, some 300 remain stranded because the Taliban have allowed only a few charter flights and restricted departures to foreign nationals and Afghans with authorization from other countries.
Vague U.S. security vetting procedures for Afghans seeking to leave also are contributing to the delays that George said are bleeding her organization of tens of thousands of dollars a day.
"Money we would have used to buy seats on a plane is now going to housing and feeding people," said George. "Every hour that passes is money."
Her organization, Afghanistan Transit Initiative, which says on its website it has raised $1.4 million of its $10 million goal, is not the only private group helping Afghans that is worried about a funding crunch.
Money concerns are growing among other non-profit groups supporting thousands of vulnerable Afghans seeking evacuation from Taliban rule amid reports the Islamist militants are conducting house searches, reprisal killings and other abuses.
Organizers of Human First Coalition, a non-profit run by military veterans and former U.S. officials, have supplemented donations with $6 million from their own 401k retirement accounts, said Joy Shanaberger, the group's fundraising director.
"We have about a $2 million a week burn rate," said Shanaberger. "We still have 10,000 people in our care and many more on the wait list."
HELPING THOSE IN HIDING
The non-profit groups emerged from ad hoc networks formed by current and former U.S. officials, veterans and others to bolster what they saw as a shambolic U.S. rescue operation that ended the 20-year U.S.-led war in Afghanistan in August.
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Through ties forged in combat or aid programs, social media and encrypted communications, the groups are running on-the-ground networks that arrange shelter, food and medical care for vulnerable Afghans who were not evacuated.
Many Afghans being cared for by the groups are in hiding. They have little or no money for rent, medical care or food, the costs of which have soared amid shortages and a drought.
"These are people who can't go out or they get killed," said Zac Lois, a retired U.S. special forces captain who oversees operations for Task Force Pineapple, one of the largest volunteer evacuation group.
But donations are diminishing "because once the news cycle moves on, the focus moves with it," he said. "We are burning through capital at an exorbitant rate."
If the groups run out funding, "then the question becomes what do we do now because we are committed to our friends," Lois said. "You don't leave people behind."
Organizers declined to disclose how they get money to their networks, concerned the cash-strapped Taliban will find out. But, they said they strictly comply with U.S. laws, including seeking humanitarian licenses from the U.S. Treasury to avoid running afoul of U.S. sanctions against the Islamists.
The groups say there are tens of thousands of vulnerable Afghans seeking evacuation. They include some 20,000 who worked for the U.S. government and applied for U.S. Special Immigration Visas, who with their families could total some 90,000 people.
'GOOD INTENTIONS'
Group organizers are in regular contact with the U.S. government, which they said should take over funding private charter flights and negotiate landing rights in countries where evacuees could wait while their applications for U.S. visas or humanitarian parole into the United States are processed.
"This is certainly the role the government or international agencies should be executing," said Jesse Jensen, a retired U.S. Army Ranger and an organizer of Task Force Argo, a volunteer group trying to evacuate Americans and Afghans who served the U.S. government. "We can't do this indefinitely."
President Joe Biden's administration is working to arrange evacuations of remaining U.S. citizens, green card holders and SIV holders and their families. But it has not agreed to pick up the costs of private charter flights, the private groups said.
A State Department spokesperson said that despite the groups' "good intentions," every flight they chartered during and after the 17-day U.S. evacuation operation in Kabul had problems ranging from passengers without passports or falsified documents to unaccompanied minors.
"Because of these complications and associated security risks, we are reevaluating our support for these privately organized charter flights to determine how best to ensure the fidelity of the manifests," the spokesperson said.
Private organizers push back on the idea that the people on their manifests are not properly vetted.
"Most of these are people we know and served with," said Lois of Task Force Pineapple.
Still, Human First Coalition spokesman Alex Plitsas said he understood the State Department's concerns because "a lot of random people" have contacted private groups seeking evacuation.
(Reporting by Jonathan Landay; Editing by Ross Colvin and Daniel Wallis)
On Thursday, the House Oversight and Reform Committee held a hearing on abortion access in the country, discussing in particular the recent six-week abortion ban enacted in Texas. Numerous individuals provided testimony, including Democratic Representative Cori Bush; Gloria Steinem; the co-founder of the Reproductive Justice Movement, Loretta Ross; We Testify abortion storyteller and Texas Equal Access Fund worker, Maleeha Aziz; Dr Ghazaleh Moayedi, a Texas OB-GYN and abortion provider; and Dr Ingrid Skop, a member of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
And surprise, surprise: The anti-choice doctor told a story littered with inaccuracies.
It would have been easy to fixate on Dr Skops wildly odd habit of gendering a fetus as male. That alone warrants some considerable pause. But what she said about the safety of abortion care, both surgical and medical, as well as how people feel before and after their abortions, and who is qualified to provide abortion care were, to my mind, outrageous.
One of Dr Skops claims was that medication abortion is inherently dangerous and can result in a number of complications, especially if its a self-managed medication abortion. Yet a recent 2020 study found that no-test medication abortions provided via telemedicine are effective, safe, acceptable, and improve access to care.
Dr Skop then claimed that there is a lack of accurate data regarding abortion complications which is simply not true. To be clear, abortion is incredibly safe safer than getting a tonsillectomy or your wisdom teeth removed; safer than a colonoscopy; fourteen times safer than childbirth. In addition to its proven safety, scores of data on abortion-related risks and complications exist and are readily available for anyone Dr Skop included who cares to look.
Dr Moayedi even felt compelled to remind Dr Skop, when answering questions during the hearing, that spreading medical [misinformation] can result in the loss of board certification.
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It is incorrect that this data is not tracked appropriately, Dr Moayedi continued. In our state of Texas, this data is tracked at a clinic level and it is legally required that, every single day, we report to the state how many people have had abortions and if there were any complications. She added that she even has to report heath conditions that are not related to abortion care, but occur up to 20 years later in the life of a person who has had an abortion in the past.
Dr Skop went on to say that people who have abortions later in pregnancy have late abortions because they just got tired of saying, No, I want to keep the baby. That feels like an affront to every person who has had an abortion later in pregnancy, and its also not backed up by research. People have abortions later in their pregnancies for two factual reasons: a fetal abnormality was detected that has made their pregnancy not compatible with life, or they have faced numerous barriers to healthcare that made it impossible for them to access an abortion earlier. As a recent example of this, when Governor Greg Abbott banned abortion care under the guise of public safety during the Covid-19 pandemic, Texas clinics that provide abortion care saw an increase in people seeking abortions later in pregnancy once those clinics were allowed to re-open.
If all of that wasnt enough, Dr Skop also claimed that people who have abortions come to her distraught; that their mental health suffers as a result of obtaining abortion care; and that many women kill themselves after having an abortion. Now for the truth: An all-encompassing Turnaway Study found that people who have abortions report feeling relieved, and five years later were steadfast in their belief that their decision to have an abortion was the right one. We found no evidence of emerging negative emotions or abortion decision regret; both positive and negative emotions declined over the first two years and plateaued thereafter, and decision rightness remained high and steady, the researchers wrote in an article for Social Science & Medicine. At five years post-abortion, relief remained the most commonly felt emotion among all women.
The same study found that denying abortion care is what causes harm, not obtaining it. People who were unable to have a wanted abortion were more likely to experience serious pregnancy complications, more likely to stay tethered to abusive partners, more likely to suffer anxiety and the loss of self-esteem, and more likely to experience chronic pain. Additionally, the children they already have were more likely to experience developmental delays.
Given her hardline views, its perhaps no surprise that Dr Skop refused to answer as to whether or not she would force her own daughter to carry a pregnancy that resulted from a rape. As the committee member who asked her that very question pointed out, answering honestly could highlight the hypocrisy of the anti-abortion movement: What they would do for themselves and their families are the very things they seek to deny others.
Dr Skop would not answer as to whether or not she supported SB8, though she did say that she may have submitted written testimony in support of the law. Instead, she stated that she supported a states right to regulate abortion care in accordance with the will of the people.
If its true that she cares so deeply about the will of the people, however, Dr Skop should emphatically and unapologetically support access to abortion care because the vast majority of people in this country support it.
Read More
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Reuters
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Turkey has made a request to the U.S. to buy 40 Lockheed Martin-made F-16 fighter jets and nearly 80 modernization kits for its existing warplanes, as the NATO ally looks to modernize its Air Force after the purchase of F-35 jets fell through, sources familiar with the matter said. The deal, worth billions, is still working its way through the Foreign Military Sales process which is subject to approval by the U.S. State Department as well as the U.S. Congress which can block deals. "As a matter of policy, the Department does not confirm or comment on proposed defense sales or transfers until they have been formally notified to Congress," a spokesperson for the State Department said.
Margot Robbie as Sharon Tate in "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood." Sony Pictures Releasing
Quentin Tarantino's movies famously feature a lot of female feet.
Margot Robbie, Uma Thurman, and Diane Kruger have all had bare feet scenes in his movies.
Tarantino defended showing so many feet, saying other directors like Alfred Hitchcock did it, too.
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Quentin Tarantino's movies are filled with Tarantino-isms that instantly signify whose film you are watched: crackling, pop-culture filled dialogue, eclectic soundtracks, cartoonish uber violence, and feet.
The Oscar-winning director of "Pulp Fiction" and "Django Unchained" has often been accused of including far too many gratuitous shots of women's feet in his movies, with his latest film "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" reaching new heights in the number of feet shots.
Now, Tarantino has defended his penchant for showing feet in his film's, comparing his habit to directors like Luis Bunuel and Alfred Hitchcock.
In an interview with GQ, Tarantino said: "I don't take it seriously. There's a lot of feet in a lot of good directors' movies. That's just good direction. Like, before me, the person foot fetishism was defined by was Luis Bunuel, another film director. And Hitchcock was accused of it and Sofia Coppola has been accused of it."
Nearly every Tarantino movie features feet in some capacity, beginning with Uma Thurman's barefoot walk and dance scene in "Pulp Fiction" and continuing through to an over-abundance of shots of Margot Robbie and Margaret Qualley's bare feet in "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood."
Those scenes were so noticeable that the star of that movie, Brad Pitt, jokingly thanked Robbie and Qualley's feet in his SAG acceptance speech for best supporting actor.
In between those movies, "Kill Bill: Vol 1" featured an entire scene of Uma Thurman trying to wiggle her big toe, while "Inglourious Basterds" had a scene of Christoph Waltz slipping a shoe onto Diane Kruger's foot in what seemed like a nod to "Cinderella."
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Tarantino also got in on the foot action himself: in 1996's "From Dusk Till Dawn," Tarantino appears in a scene where he licks the feet of Salma Hayek's character.
Some actresses have spoken about having their feet displayed so much in Tarantino's movies. Robbie said that she enjoyed walking around barefoot, while Kruger said that Tarantino made sure she got a pedicure before her scene, and Qualley was very reluctant to get her feet out for the camera.
"I genuinely was like, 'Quentin, this is a bad idea. I don't have good feet,'" Qualley told IndieWire. "We had a big debate about it, me, Quentin, and Brad, with them trying to be like, 'You're fine,' and me being like, 'No, guys, really, look, these are not good.'"
Read the original article on Insider
HONG KONG A Sri Lankan couple that sheltered former U.S. National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden when he fled to Hong Kong in 2013 have been granted asylum in Canada along with their two children, a nonprofit group said.
Supun Thilina Kellapatha and Nadeeka Dilrukshi Nonis arrived in Toronto on Tuesday with their children, Sethumdi and Dinath, according to For the Refugees, the group that sponsored their asylum application. They will travel to Montreal and settle there as permanent residents, the group said.
The family had been in limbo for years after being denied asylum in Hong Kong in 2017. For the Refugees had long lobbied Canada to accept them, saying they faced persecution and deportation in Hong Kong, a Chinese territory with about 10,000 refugees from all over the world.
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We are thrilled beyond measure to see this long ordeal finally come to an end for Supun, Nadeeka and their children, Marc-Andre Seguin, president of For the Refugees, said in a statement.
After over a decade in limbo they can now begin to build new lives in Canada, reunited with the rest of their family and free of the constant fear and worry that marked their existence as high-profile asylum seekers in Hong Kong, he added.
Snowden arrived in Hong Kong in May 2013 after leaving his job at an N.S.A. facility in Hawaii with thousands of classified documents about vast U.S. surveillance programs. He initially stayed in a high-end hotel, where he gave an interview to journalists from The Guardian who also published some of the documents.
Image: CANADA-HONGKONG-IMMIGRATION-ESPIONAGE (Cole Burston / AFP - Getty Images)
The bombshell revelations became the center of global attention, dominating headlines for weeks. Snowden soon decided to leave the hotel out of safety concerns, and one of his lawyers arranged for him to stay with some of his clients in Hong Kongs community of refugees and asylum seekers, where he thought no one would look.
Facing U.S. espionage charges, Snowden fled about two weeks later to Russia, where he was granted permanent residency last year.
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This is the best news Ive heard in a long, long time, Snowden said on Twitter on Wednesday after the familys arrival in Canada was announced.
A Filipino refugee who also helped Snowden, Vanessa Rodel, was granted asylum in Canada in 2019 along with her daughter, Keana Nihinsa, whose father is Kellapatha.
Another Snowden refugee, Ajith Pushpakumara of Sri Lanka, remains in Hong Kong. Mr. Seguins group called on Canadian authorities to expedite Pushpakumaras asylum application.
Image: Edward Snowden speaks during an interview in Hong Kong (The Guardian via Getty Images file)
The refugees role in the dramatic escape was revealed in the 2016 Oliver Stone film Snowden. Their cases have also highlighted the problems of refugees in Hong Kong, which is not a signatory to the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention and almost never approves asylum applications.
Refugees and asylum seekers in Hong Kong, one of the worlds most expensive cities, live in cramped apartments, are legally barred from working and rely on government subsidies of HK$3,000 ($385) a month.
We have no doubt that Ajiths application will ultimately be accepted, as these others have been, but every day he remains in Hong Kong puts him at risk, Seguin said. Its time for Canada to cut through the red tape, and finish processing his application.
"RISK LOW/HIGH" spelled in block letters
Stock market investing is often about following trends. Traders, investors and analysts often try to gauge investor sentiment to understand which direction the winds are blowing so that they can profit from them. A risk-on environment indicates that investors are more comfortable taking risks in their portfolios. In this article, well define risk-on investing, identify assets that are affected by it and how to tell when sentiment is changing.
A financial advisor can help you make perceive and correctly interpret investor sentiment changes.
What Is a Risk-On Environment?
A risk-on environment describes when investors are willing to invest in higher-risk securities. They feel that corporate profits, economic outlook, accommodative central bank policies and other factors have created a positive environment for investors. While there is always an inherent risk in stock market investing, risk-on investing indicates that investors feel that there is less risk in the market.
When this situation occurs, investors tend to overweight their portfolios towards stocks, invest in riskier companies and avoid rebalancing. Investors may also tend to ignore the warning signals of a change in sentiment because of their euphoria and paper profits. This leads to the all-too-common situation of buying high and selling low that dooms many investors performance.
Classes Affected by Risk-On Sentiment
Not all investment types carry the same risk. While most investments increase in value during a risk-on environment, some do better than others due to their cyclical nature. During a risk-on market, investors may sell bonds and invest in stocks to participate in the overall growth of the market. Additionally, they may seek out higher-risk investments within asset classes that perform better in risk-on environments, such as:
Stocks with higher price-to-earnings ratios
Emerging market stocks or indexes
High-yield bonds
Industrial metals
High-yield currencies (Australian dollar, Canadian dollar)
Crude oil
Risk-On vs. Risk-Off
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The alternative to a risk-on environment is called risk-off. This happens when investors are reducing risk and investor sentiment turns bearish. Investors start selling risky assets and focus on protecting their assets.
Risk-off scenarios typically happen during a recession, when stock market volatility increases or when war or terrorist attacks happen. Investors shift their portfolios into a defensive position and buy these types of investments in their portfolios:
Government bonds
AAA-rated corporate bonds
Low-interest currencies (U.S. dollar, Japanese yen, Swiss franc)
Utility stocks
Money market funds
Gold
How to Tell When Investor Sentiment Is Changing
Analyzing data
Its easy to see the uptrend in a risk-on environment as the stock market continues to rise and set new all-time highs. More and more investors buy stocks and other high-risk investments due to FOMO and the desire for profits. The trick is knowing when investor sentiment starts to change so that you can be ahead of the market when making your investment decisions. Nobody has a crystal ball that consistently allows him to perform better than the market, but you can pay attention to warning signs that will influence your decisions.
Prices of gold rise dramatically . Investors see gold as a safe haven. Rising gold prices often indicate a flight to safety.
Bond yields decrease . Prices of bonds and yields move in opposite directions. Higher demand for bonds leads to an increase in price. Yields decrease when prices go up.
High-Low Index . How many stocks are trading at 52-week highs? When the index is below 30, stocks are trading near their lows and the market is bearish. Above 70 indicates stocks are trading towards highs and are bullish. Dramatic changes in this index could indicate a shift in mindset.
Moving Averages . When the 50-day moving average crosses below the 200-day moving average, thats known as the death cross and suggests prices are headed lower.
The VIX . This volatility index is also known as the fear index. A rising VIX indicates an increased need to protect against risk and volatility.
Put / Call Ratio. Investors who think the market will increase typically buy calls. They buy puts when they believe the stock price will go down. When the volume of calls is greater than the puts, this indicates a surplus of optimism. The more that the ratio trends to calls, the higher the risk is in the market.
How to Profit From a Risk-On Environment
These indicators typically are not accurate enough to base your investing decisions upon. However, when you monitoring all of them for changes, this may give you a heads up on changing investor sentiment.
As more indicators trend bearish, it may be a good signal for you to minimize risk and shift towards protecting your assets. When more indicators turn bullish, you may feel more comfortable increasing your risk with a risk-on strategy.
None of these measures is foolproof, but changes should alert you to analyze your holdings and make appropriate investing decisions. As the risk-on sentiment begins to change, you may consider:
Rebalancing your portfolio (buy low, sell high)
Target new investments towards underperforming assets
Continue to dollar-cost average into your portfolio strategy
Pare down high-risk assets
Increase your liquidity so you can buy distressed assets during a downturn
The Bottom Line
Over long periods of time, the stock market tends to increase in value. However, during the short term, there are periods of bearish and bullish behaviors. Stock-on markets are when bullish sentiment is increasing as investors feel more comfortable going out on the risk spectrum. Investors can profit from market performance during these periods, but it is a good idea to monitor for changes in investor sentiment.
Tips on Investing
Working with a financial advisor can help remove the emotions of investing and help investors focus on the fundamentals of individual investments. Advisors work with investors to develop a strategy and ensure that you stick with it through all market scenarios. Finding an advisor doesnt have to be hard. SmartAssets matching tool can connect you in just minutes with several in your area. If youre ready, get started now.
Our asset allocation calculator will help you determine the right balance of stocks, bonds and other assets in your portfolio. Answering a few simple questions, we will help us tailor your portfolio allocations to align with your risk tolerance, age and goals.
Photo credit: iStock.com/Fokusiert, iStock.com/g-stockstudio, iStock.com/MicroStockHub
The post Risk-On in the Stock Market: Investment Guide appeared first on SmartAsset Blog.
Sep. 29A Rockland man will not serve any additional jail time for making a fake distress call last year but he must repay the Coast Guard nearly $20,000 for the resources the agency spent on the search the call spurred.
Nathan Libby, 32, pleaded guilty to making the fake distress call earlier this year. Libby was sentenced Wednesday afternoon during a virtual hearing in federal court. Libby was arrested in January and held at the Cumberland County Jail for four days before being released on bail.
Federal Judge Nancy Torresen ordered Libby to pay $17,500 in restitution to the U.S. Coast Guard and placed him on supervised release for three years. The sentence Torresen imposed considered Libby's jail time already served and included no additional time.
U.S. Assistant Attorney Daniel Perry asked Torresen to sentence Libby to a period of six months in jail to emphasize that making a face distress call is a serious offense. "God forbid there had been another emergency at the same time, resources would have been stretched," Perry said.
Torresen agreed that the offense was severe. However, she said one reason for not sentencing Libby to any new jail time is so he can focus on finding steady work to pay his restitution.
While Torresen did not specify how much the search cost in total, she said the $17,500 Libby must repay represents a fraction of the cost.
"The amount of money it costs to pay for these rescue missions is really staggering," Torresen said Wednesday. "The government really has done you a huge favor by not insisting that you have to pay back the whole amount."
The incident began around 6:30 a.m. on Dec. 3, 2020, when the Coast Guard received a distress call claiming a boat was taking on water and the crew was preparing to jump ship. But, after several hours of searching, the Coast Guard called off the search, stating they suspected the call to be a hoax after finding no indication of anyone being missing or in distress in the area.
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In a recording of the call released at the time of the search, a man was heard calling for help, but did not identify himself or the name of the vessel. Stating the name of the vessel is a common practice among fishermen when issuing a mayday.
"Mayday. Mayday. We lost our rudder. And we're taking on water fast. We don't have enough pumps to keep up with it," the unidentified man said in the recording.
The caller indicated that he was trying to get the vessel to Atwood's Lobster Co. in Spruce Head.
After searching the area around Atwood's Lobster Co., a Maine Marine Patrol officer went to the neighboring Spruce Head Fishermans Co-op and made contact with Libby, who worked at the co-op, according to court documents.
While at the co-op, the officer spoke to another co-op employee and played the recording of the call. The employee said the man on the call sounded like Libby. The officer also discovered the co-op had a VHF radio dialed into the same channel on which the distress call was made.
Both Perry and Libby's attorney said that Libby was struggling with substance use disorder at the time he committed the crime. Libby said he has been sober for the past eight months.
Clarification: Nathan Libby will not serve any additional time in jail under the sentence imposed by a federal judge Wednesday. He was held in jail after his arrest earlier this year for four days before being released on bail.
A Rwandan court on Thursday sentenced a prominent YouTube commentator and genocide survivor to 15 years in prison for "inciting violence" after she hit out at President Paul Kagame on her channel.
Yvonne Idamange is one of a number of people who have fallen foul of the authorities after turning to the video-sharing platform to publish content critical of the Kagame government, raising concern among international rights groups.
The 42-year-old mother of four, who was not in court for the verdict, was convicted of six charges, sentenced to 15 years behind bars and fined the equivalent of $2,000 -- less than the 30 years and $6,000 sought by the prosecution.
Idamange, who survived the 1994 genocide, was arrested in February for "exhibiting behaviour that mixes politics, criminality, and madness", police said at the time.
The Kigali High Court found her guilty of inciting violence and public uprising, denigrating genocide artefacts, spreading rumours and violent assault, among other charges.
The accusations were based on comments on her popular YouTube channel "Idamange" in which she accused Kagame and his government of dictatorship, and of exploiting the genocide without giving enough welfare to the survivors.
Her YouTube channel boasts 18,900 subscribers and an average of 100,000 views per video.
Idamange had accused the court of bias and boycotted proceedings in June after her request for the trial to be broadcast online was rejected by the court.
Rwanda, ruled by Kagame since the end of a genocide which left some 800,000 mainly ethnic Tutsi dead, has often come under fire for rights abuses and a crackdown on freedom of speech, critics and the opposition.
In March, Human Rights Watch voiced alarm over Kigali's crackdown on people using YouTube or blogs to speak out about sometimes controversial issues in Rwanda.
HRW said then that at least eight people reporting or commenting on current affairs -- notably the impact of strict anti-Covid measures which have hit the poor hard -- have been threatened, arrested, or prosecuted in the past year.
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It pointed to a 2019 statement by Kagame to highlight the dangers faced by those using online platforms: "Those that you hear speak on the internet, whether they are in America, in South Africa, or in France, they think they are far.
"They are far, but they are close to the fire. The day they get closer, the fire will burn them."
str-txw/amu/pvh
Watch: Wayne Couzens handed whole life sentence for kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah Everard
Wayne Couzens has been handed a rare life order for the kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah Everard, making him the first police officer to be given such an order.
The 48-year-old was sentenced on Thursday day for the grotesque killing of the 33-year-old marketing executive, a crime which shocked and outraged the nation, and he will spend the rest of his life in jail.
Couzens falsely arrested Ms Everard for breaking lockdown rules before kidnapping her and strangling her with his police belt.
Wayne Couzens has been given a whole life order for the murder of Sarah Everard. (PA)
Sentencing at the Old Bailey, Lord Justice Fulford described the circumstances of the murder as grotesque. He said the seriousness of the case was so exceptionally high that it warranted a whole life order.
What does a whole life order mean?
Whole-life orders are the most severe punishment available in the UK criminal justice system for those who commit the most serious crimes.
In being handed such a sentence, Couzens joins a string of some of the countrys most dangerous offenders, who are expected to die behind bars.
They will never be considered for release, unless there are exceptional compassionate grounds to warrant it.
Home secretaries could previously issue whole-life tariffs, but these are now determined by judges.
Under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, which is currently going through parliament, the government is trying to expand the use of whole-life orders for premeditated murder of a child.
The reforms would also allow judges to hand out the maximum sentence to 18- to 20-year-olds in exceptional cases, such as for acts of terrorism leading to mass loss of life.
It would also give judges the discretion, in exceptional circumstances, to impose a whole-life order on offenders aged 18 or over but under 21.
Milly Dowler killer Levi Bellfield is serving two whole life orders. (PA)
How many criminals are currently serving one?
There are 60 criminals serving whole-life orders, according to government figures to the end of June.
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Among those are Milly Dowlers killer, Levi Bellfield, who is thought to be the only criminal in UK legal history to be serving two whole-life orders for her murder, the killings of Marsha McDonnell and Amelie Delagrange, and the attempted murder of Kate Sheedy.
Michael Adebolajo, one of the two murderers of soldier Lee Rigby, is serving a whole life sentence. (PA)
Other notorious criminals serving whole-life orders include Gloucester serial killer Rose West; Michael Adebolajo, one of Fusilier Lee Rigbys killers; Mark Bridger, who murdered five-year-old April Jones in Wales; Grindr serial killer Stephen Port and neo-Nazi Thomas Mair, who killed MP Jo Cox.
Before they died, Moors murderer Ian Brady and his girlfriend Myra Hindley, Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe, and doctor Harold Shipman thought to be one of Britains most prolific serial killers were also among those serving whole-life orders.
Watch: Sarah Everard murder: Wayne Couzens' whole life sentence 'doesn't bring her back'
The Biden administration must act to combat a surge in threats and violence toward education leaders amid volatile tensions over schools pandemic response and lessons on systemic racism, a 90,000-member national school board members group wrote in a letter Wednesday.
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In the letter to President Joe Biden, the National School Boards Association said the countrys schools and educators are under an immediate threat and urged the federal government to investigate, intercept and prevent the current threats and acts of violence against public school officials through existing statutes, including the Gun-Free School Zones Act and the PATRIOT Act. The group called for a joint collaboration between local and federal law enforcement agencies to halt what it referred to as domestic terrorism carried out at school board meetings, through the U.S. Postal Service and on social media.
Related: Twitter Breaks, Meditative Walks, Security Guards: How School Leaders are Responding to an Unsettling Season of Public Outrage
As the threats grow and news of extremist hate organizations showing up at school board meetings is being reported, this is a critical time for a proactive approach to deal with this difficult time, which includes tumult around mask mandates and classroom instruction on critical race theory. The group cited more than 20 instances of threats, harassment and intimidation during school board meetings that targeted education officials in recent months.
Coupled with attacks against school board members and educators for approving policies for masks to protect the health and safety of students and school employees, many public school officials are also facing physical threats because of propaganda purporting the false inclusion of critical race theory within classroom instruction and curricula.
The White House didnt immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter.
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School board meetings have become ground zero for political unrest in recent months as conservative groups and former Trump administration officials have sought to capitalize on angst against school officials as a campaign strategy. Though news articles have highlighted outrage that include divisive and at times violent rhetoric, its unclear if any education leaders have been injured.
In one incident, police arrested an Illinois man on aggravated battery and disorderly conduct charges for allegedly hitting a school official as he was being escorted out of a school board meeting. In Ohio, a school board member was mailed a letter that warned we are coming after you and threatened that the school official would pay dearly for requiring students to wear masks. In a recent story for The 74, school leaders discussed how they faced online threats and vandalized campuses. Candace Singh, who leads a school district near San Diego, said she was threatened with warnings like You better watch out and Watch your back. Such language, she said, has become accepted in the public discourse, where it never would have been tolerated before. Some districts, like the Rockwood School District in suburban St. Louis, resorted to hiring private security earlier this year to protect staff.
Related: Chaos Theory: Amid Pandemic Recovery Efforts, School Leaders Fear Critical Race Furor Will Paralyze Teachers
Earlier in the month, the National Association of Secondary School Principals called on federal officials to do more to protect school leaders from rampant hostility and violence that disrupts our schools and threatens the safety of our educators and students.
In a joint statement last week, the school boards association and AASA, The School Superintendents Association, called on the public to stop using violent threats to express their opinions about pandemic-era school reopening decisions.
We oppose the increasingly aggressive tactics creeping into board and community meetings, and we cannot let frustrations and tensions evolve into name calling and intimidation, Daniel Domenech, AASAs executive director, said in the statement. We will never back down from the importance of freedom of speech, but we cannot and will not tolerate aggression, intimidation, threats and violence toward superintendents, board members and educators.
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Scientific studies of psychedelic therapies may be entering a new, broader phase thanks to more interest and funding from federal governments.
Why it matters: MDMA, psilocybin and LSD combined with psychotherapy have shown promise for treating a range of addictions and mental health disorders, including treatment-resistant depression and PTSD.
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Mental health and substance use disorders take lives and cost money directly for treating the disorders and indirectly in productivity. Efforts to find new treatments have come up short, leading to a decline in investment in developing new drugs.
The big dollars that come with funding from science agencies like the National Institutes of Health (NIH) could allow researchers to study nitty-gritty details about dosing and other variables needed for a drug to become an accepted part of medical practice.
Public funding could also allow trials of psychedelic therapies to be larger and more diverse, as well as independently evaluated.
The big picture: The therapeutic benefits of psilocybin and LSD were studied in the 1950s and 1960s.
But that research largely stopped in 1970 for a combination of reasons, including concerns about recreational use of the drugs that led to them being classified as Schedule I compounds which are considered to have no currently accepted medical use and carry a high risk for abuse. That hampered studies about their therapeutic use.
About 20 years ago, there was a resurgence in studying psychedelics in humans, but the research has largely been backed by private philanthropists.
That's partly because studies struggled to meet best scientific practices, like randomizing trials and having a placebo control, says Steven Grant, a former program officer at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) who is now director of research at Heffter Research Institute, which promotes the scientific study of classic psychedelics, like psilocybin.
There also weren't companies lining up to take the drugs and further develop them.
Where it stands: Philanthropists have funded pilot studies about psychedelic therapies, and a recent boom in biotech companies pursuing them indicates the treatments could have a path to market.
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But in between foundational research and a treatment that can be prescribed, theres a need for more incremental science, which is often the purview of the NIH.
The agency has funded research in psychedelics, but largely focused on the their potential for addiction, how they work and how they affect the brain.
That informs whether and how they can be used in therapies but little federal funding in the past two decades has gone toward clinical studies in humans of treatments involving classic psychedelics like LSD and psilocybin. (NIH has supported research on the therapeutic effects of ketamine, which isn't considered a class psychedelic.)
Between the lines: The funding side of the government has been the last to the party for a long time, says Matthew Johnson, who studies psychedelics at Johns Hopkins University.
NIDA recently awarded Johnson a grant to investigate the use of psilocybin-enhanced therapy to help people quit smoking, building on earlier studies. The grant hasnt been added to the NIHs public database, but Johnson says it amounts to about $4 million.
Its a significant moment for the field, several psychedelic researchers told Axios.
Funding from the NIH, which tends to award larger grants than philanthropists, allows researchers to delve more into the details, Johnson says. Studies can look at the effects of dosing, changing the type of therapy given and altering other variables that could optimize treatment.
"It is that type of non-sexy research that is the backbone for everything in the long term," he says.
The Australian government is also funding research into using psychedelics to treat mental disorders.
What they're saying: "Newly funded research on the therapeutic effects of hallucinogens reflects a resurgence in interest in hallucinogens in the scientific community and is predicated on the submission of well-designed research studies for funding consideration," NIDA director Nora Volkow told Axios in an email.
Background: Earlier studies demonstrated psychedelics can be safely administered in combination with therapy and that treatment may alleviate depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and substance use disorders.
The work also brought more scientific rigor to the field and showed how the effectiveness of psychedelic drugs can be measured, Grant says.
Yes, but: There are still challenges in evaluating the treatment, including the possibility of bias in participants who have expectations of the drugs. And the treatment is administered in highly controlled environments alongside repeated therapy sessions, a practical hurdle for widespread use.
What to watch: Beyond the funding's impact on the science itself, knowing the NIH is open to investing in research about psychedelic therapies could spur more young researchers to enter the field, Johnson says.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify that little federal funding has gone toward clinical studies in humans of treatments involving classic psychedelics like LSD and psilocybin over the past two decades specifically.
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At a laboratory in central Florida, biologist Aaron Gavin uses tiny pipettes to carefully feed shrimp to more than 700 corals living in huge saltwater tanks, with sunlight-mimicking lamps glowing above them.
The work of the scientists here could be the last chance to save the species that make up the only coral reef in the United States' continental waters.
Gavin and his team have diligently recreated the coral reef habitat found in the waters off the southern tip of the state, complete with artificial currents and local fish.
They hope to prevent the 18 species of coral in their care from suffering the same mysterious ailment, called SCTLD (stony coral tissue loss disease), that is afflicting their wild cousins.
Among the sprawling mangroves and darting schools of fish off the Florida Keys, the damaged corals -- normally dark -- now appear as large white patches on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean.
The situation is the same all along the Florida Reef Tract, which stretches 360 miles (580 kilometers) from the Dry Tortugas, which are the westernmost islands in the Florida Keys, all the way to the town of St Lucie, located about 120 miles north of Miami.
"It's heartbreaking, and I think the most alarming (thing) about it is that most people don't know it's happening," said Michelle Ashton, the communications director of the Fish and Wildlife Foundation of Florida.
- Rescue -
What Gavin and his colleagues discover at the Florida Coral Rescue Center could change the future of the state's marine ecosystems.
"We are holding the corals safely and healthy in our care," explained Justin Zimmerman, the director of the Orlando-based lab, which opened in 2020 and is managed by aquatic theme park company SeaWorld.
"If they were still in the wild, up to 90 percent of them would have been dead," Zimmerman said.
The potentially catastrophic SCTLD was first discovered in 2014, near Miami, and has continued to spread rapidly, killing about half of stony coral species, a cornerstone of marine biodiversity.
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The disease, whose causes are unknown, is now plaguing the animals further into the Caribbean, all the way in Mexico and Belize.
The rescue lab's work is part of a project created in 2018 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and includes dozens of public and private organizations.
The group, faced with the threat of more than 20 of the 45 species of hard corals in the area going extinct, devised the unprecedented plan to extract healthy corals from the region's waters and care for them in these artificially equipped aquariums in the hope they can be returned to their wild habitats in the future.
"You are looking at the future of Florida Reef Tract in this room," Aston said of the corals in the Orlando aquariums. "And their grandchildren will be what goes back out to the water."
- Return to the sea
The first part of the rescue plan has allowed wildlife authorities to save nearly 2,000 colonies of corals, now stored at more than 20 institutions in 14 different states.
The second part of the plan requires researchers to successfully return the corals to the ocean -- though such an operation would likely take place a long time from now, as corals reproduce very slowly.
The scientists are studying the genetics of the rescued animals in an effort to cultivate new specimens that could be more resistant to disease, as well as other threats such as warming water temperatures and pollution.
The success or failure of these endeavors could have huge consequences for the region.
Stony corals, made up of limestone skeletons, are what create coral reefs, which in turn provide a home for a quarter of marine life.
Plus, the structures are natural barriers between the open ocean and land, reducing the strength of waves that hit the coastline, especially during hurricanes and other storms.
And a hit to coral health could mean a hit to Florida tourism revenue, as one study estimated that visitors drawn to the state for fishing and diving along the reef generate $8.5 billion.
Key Largo resident Steve Campbell, 59, is worried about what comes next. He is sitting next to the small tourist boat he captains, currently anchored in the port.
He said the coral disease has already had an impact on his business.
"I've been in the Florida Keys now for 20 years, and I'm out on the water every day," he said.
"Obviously we make our living out here, so we take people out to the reef for the enjoyment of seeing the reef."
"So for us it's extremely important."
gma/caw/bfm
Outside Walt Disney's first home. The Walt Disney Birthplace
Walt Disney was born on December 5, 1901 in a wooden cottage in Chicago, Illinois.
Disney's birthplace, where he lived until he was 4, has been restored and turned into a historical site.
The Walt Disney Birthplace also plans to build an addition to serve as a multimedia museum.
Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
Walt Disney was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1901.
A baby photo of Walt Disney, circa 1902. Hulton Archive/Getty Images
He was the son of Elias Disney, a carpenter, and his wife, Flora. The couple married in 1888 and welcomed their first of five children, Herbert, later that year. Walt was their fourth child.
He moved to California in his 20s, where he went on to own multiple properties throughout his life.
He was born at home, on the second floor of a wooden cottage designed and built by his parents.
Outside Walt Disney's first home. The Walt Disney Birthplace
His father, Elias, obtained a permit to build the home in 1892 before Disney was born and his mother, Flora, drew up plans.
"Mother was the architect and between the two, mother drew the plans, and mother bought the materials and dad was the builder and they worked like a team," their son Roy Disney said in a 1967 interview, according to a 1991 City of Chicago report.
It cost them $800 to build, according to The Walt Disney Birthplace. This was not an insignificant sum at the time according to Flora Disney, her husband was making a dollar a day.
"A dollar a day. Seven dollars a week. That's all he made for the year, averaged for the year was $7 a week," Flora Disney said at the couple's 50th wedding anniversary, according to the Walt Disney Archives. "And there wasn't any such thing known as relief then. Living wasn't as high He borrowed the money to build it."
The following year, they left their rented cottage and moved in to the new home.
Disney lived in the house with his parents and brothers, Roy, Herbert, and Raymond, and sister Ruth, until he was 4 years old. The family then moved to a farm in Missouri.
Walt Disney's childhood home. Barry Brecheisen/Invision/AP
Located at 2156 North Tripp Avenue in Chicago's Hermosa neighborhood, the cottage measured 18 feet by 28 feet. Roy Disney recalled the clapboarded home was white with a blue-grey trim.
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In subsequent decades, it underwent alterations, including the addition of a basement and new siding, and some of the windows were moved.
Dina Benadon and Brent Young purchased the home for $169,000 in 2013 and turned it into a heritage site called The Walt Disney Birthplace.
Dina Benadon and Brent Young outside Walt Disney's birthplace. Barry Brecheisen/Invision/AP
They bought the home after hearing through their jobs working on theme-park animations that the property had fallen into disrepair.
"It was very sad to us because this is a part of very important history in our country," Benadon told Chicago ABC affiliate ABC 30 Action News in 2018.
With a grant from the Walt Disney Company and crowdsourced funding, Young and Benadon restored the home to its original state from the early 1900s.
The renovation cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Brent Young and Dina Benadon inside the first floor living room in the birthplace of Walt Disney. John Owens/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
"It really needed a lot of work. It didn't have this layout at all. We had to essentially take the entire house apart to see how it was put together originally," Young told ABC 30 Action News.
The parlor now looks the same as it did in Disney's early years.
The parlor in Disney's former home. The Walt Disney Birthplace
The bay window in the parlor looks out over the front porch.
Disney and his brother - and eventual business partner - Roy shared a bedroom as children.
Walt and Roy's former bedroom. The Walt Disney Birthplace
The bedroom has been restored and painted blue, with early-20th-century furnishings like oil lamps.
The structural renovation was completed in 2018, but Young and Benadon plan to add an addition to the home to serve as a museum.
Walt Disney's childhood home. The Walt Disney Birthplace
Young and Benadon, cofounders of a production company that designs attractions for museums and theme parks, plan to bring their expertise to the site with a multimedia museum.
Read the original article on Insider
Kayak
Courtesy of Kayak
New data from Kayak shared with Travel + Leisure reveals the habits of travelers from state to state, from spending to length-of-stay, and more.
Travelers in Rhode Island, for example, had the most searches for business and first-class tickets in the country. while those in Nebraska, on the other hand, had the least.
In Vermont, Kayak found travelers like to plan ahead with the least last-minute searches in the country at only 23%, while Nevada residents tend to wait until the last minute.
In California, one of the largest states in the country, residents tended to search for in-state vacations. In total, 37% of their searches were for cars in California, according to Kayak. On the other hand, Kentucky had the least amount of searches for cars within the state at only 8%.
"Americans haven't stopped traveling, they're just traveling differently these days and we wanted to highlight that in a fun way," Matt Clarke, KAYAK's vice president of North America marketing, told T+L in a statement. "Whether you're flying, driving, searching for a packaged deal or simply in need of a change of scenery, KAYAK has all of your options in one place to help travelers find what best suits their needs for a great price."
Residents in Alaska had the most amount of searches for long-term stays while a whopping 70% of Floridians were looking for a staycation.
Timing matters too for vacationers in Washington, D.C. where more than half of travelers search for a trip during work hours, according to the booking site. In Oregon, however, people tended to search after hours.
And according to the booking site, New Yorkers tend to be workaholics as the state had the highest number of signups for KAYAK for Business.
When it comes to pandemic-era travel, Louisiana residents appear ready to hit the road with a 38% increase in searches from pre-COVID-19 to now, the largest increase in the country. Conversely, Maryland travelers appear to be more reluctant with a 15% decrease in searches during the same time period.
Alison Fox is a contributing writer for Travel + Leisure. When she's not in New York City, she likes to spend her time at the beach or exploring new destinations and hopes to visit every country in the world. Follow her adventures on Instagram.
WASHINGTON Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Wednesday that senators have reached a deal on a stopgap government funding measure to prevent a shutdown.
"We are ready to move forward," Schumer, D-N.Y., said on the Senate floor. "We have an agreement on ... the continuing resolution to prevent a government shutdown, and we should be voting on that tomorrow morning."
NBC News update: Congress voted on Thursday to approve the deal. Read more here.
If the bill is not enacted, the federal government would face a shutdown after the calendar turns to Friday. The deal announced by Schumer would keep the government open through Dec. 3.
The House passed a government funding bill last week on a party-line vote of 220-211.
The Senate blocked the House bill in a procedural vote Monday. Republicans opposed the bill because it included an extension of the debt ceiling, which for political reasons they want to force Democrats to approve on their own.
The Senate's resolution does not include the debt limit increase. It does include, however, money to resettle Afghan refugees and disaster aid for victims of Hurricane Ida.
Another potential sticking point remains. Republican are pushing to include money for the Iron Dome, Israel's military defense system.
The funding was stripped out of the House bill because of opposition from progressives. The House passed a separate defense bill that included the Iron Dome money last week with overwhelming support, 420-9. But now, Republicans want the government funding bill to include Iron Dome, which could cause problems when it goes back to the House.
Julie Tsirkin reported from Washington and Dartunorro Clark from New York.
Read the full article on Motorious
This shipwreck is like an underwater WWII museum
Back in April of 1940 the SS Thistlegorm was launched. The large ship boasted a multi-expansion steam engine with 1,850-horsepower on tap, making the private British shipping vessel an envy of the 7 Seas. Today, the boat sits at the bottom of the Red Sea with plenty of classic cars and other interesting items entombed in the depths, making for an odd sort of time capsule divers have explored and documented.
Divers pulled over 40 cars out of bodies on water in one metropolitan area. See the results here.
Since the SS Thistlegorm was built during WWII, the Merchant Marine vessel was armed. A 4.7-inch anti-aircraft gun helped guard against attacks from above, while a 40 mm machine gun added to the stern after the boat was finished provided additional protection.
It was on October 6, 1941 that the SS Thistlegorm sunk. The ship had departed Glasgow, Scotland in May and was headed for Alexandria, Egypt. Instead of just carrying regular consumer goods, the vessel was laden with supplies for the British 8th Army stationed in Egypt as the fight for North Africa during WWII raged. The captain wanted to avoid the Mediterranean where Italian and German ships as well as planes would be prevalent, so that meant sailing around the southern tip of Africa and passing through the Strait of Gubal.
Among the munitions and other supplies destined for the troops were Bedford Morris and Ford trucks, Norton 16H motorcycles, Matchless G3/L motorcycles, Triumph and BSA motorcycles, tanks, and 2 LMS Stainer Class 8F steam locomotives. However, the ship was involved in a collision in the Suez Canal and had to be moored before reaching the port of Alexandria.
In a turn of events, two German Hienkel HE III aircrafts took off from the island of Crete to look for and sink the Queen Mary. While failing to find their quarry, one of the airplanes did locate the SS Thistlegorm, dropping two bombs on it in the night and scoring a direct hit. The munitions exploded and the craft sank rapidly, killing 4 sailors and 5 Royal Navy gun crew members. It also trapped all those wartime vehicles deep below the surface of the water.
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It was Jacques-Yves Cousteau who tracked down the wreckage, rescuing a few items, including one of the motorcycles. People forgot about the discovery until 1992 when an Israeli fishing ship came upon it, spreading the word. Now, divers from around the world travel to the Red Sea to explore the SS Thistlegorm and see all the historic vehicles still left inside the hull.
Diving into the SS Thistlegorm certainly comes with its perils. Scuba diving through any enclosed space, whether its an underwater cave or a wrecked ship like this can be risky. Not only is it easy to become disoriented, leading to panic, one dive crew documented how easily someone can be injured by the sharp edges of the wreckage. About 7 years ago they descended into the vessel but werent wearing hoods. One of the divers received a pretty good gash in his head, the blood trailing out into the water. Thankfully, that blood didnt attract a shark feeding frenzy and the injury wasnt bad enough to knock the man unconscious. This does illustrate that when you find an abandoned stash of classic cars its always best to exercise caution. Not only can sharp objects be present, the building might not be entirely sound structurally, plus aggressive animals might have made the vehicles or the area around them their home.
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The cancellation of a key provision in a federal student loan forgiveness program likely left thousands struggling to repay their debt, according to a new report by a government watchdog, the vast majority being students of for-profit colleges.
In 2018, the Education Department (ED) created a process to automatically forgive loans, particularly for students whose colleges abruptly closed while they were in school. But two years later in July 2020, the Trump administration made loan forgiveness optional rather than automatic.
The move meant that "borrowers impacted by future closures will have to apply to receive a discharge," according to a preliminary report by the Government Accountability Office obtained by Yahoo Finance, warning that for those who do not know to apply "may face long term financial burdens from student loans that are past due or in default, even though those loans are eligible to be discharged."
Ruby Maldanado, 20, a Medical Assistant student checks a note handed out to students that have been turned away at the gate to Everest College on April 27, 2015 in Alhambra, California. Corinthian Colleges Inc., a Santa Ana company that was once one of the nation's largest for-profit college chains, announced that it would be shutting down its remaining two dozen schools effective - a move that leaves 16,000 students scrambling for alternatives. (Photo by Al Seib / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Students enrolled in a college that closes may be eligible for full student loan forgiveness if they are unable to complete their program because of the closure. If they qualify, ED reimburses the borrowers "of any amounts previously paid or collected on those loans" and removes credit implications from borrowers' reports. This could also include Parent PLUS borrowers.
Currently, borrowers have one major option to get a closed school discharge: They must submit an application.
But between October 2018 and July 2020 when the automatic cancellation provision was in place, the ED discharged around $360 million worth of student loans for over 27,600 borrowers who never filed a single form, according to the GAO report. (At the same time, ED also discharged $529 million in loans to over 38,700 borrowers who did apply for loan forgiveness.)
Sylmar CA - September 18, 2016: ITT Educational Services Headquarter in Indiana. ITT Technical Institute has decided to close all its campuses in the wake of devastating federal sanctions. The school shows its doors closed days after it file for bankruptcy for misleading students into high amounts of debt.
The automatic discharge was exceptionally helpful for the group that didn't proactively apply, the GAO said, because more than 70% of them "were in default or past due on their loans," 52% had defaulted on their loans, and 21% were seriously delinquent on their debt.
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The borrowers had been facing wage garnishment, credit score hits, and even seizures of their tax refunds, while they were unaware that their loans were eligible to get cancelled, said the GAO.
On top of that, having debt and no degree meant that "borrowers receiving automatic discharges defaulted at about five times the national average," the GAO said. Not knowing that they qualified for loan forgiveness also meant that "borrowers receiving automatic discharges defaulted at about nine times the rate of those who applied for and received discharges."
But since the Trump administration's ED killed the automatic discharge process in July 2020, the GAO said, borrowers will need to know that they can apply for loan forgiveness if schools end up closing in the future. If they don't realize they have that option, they could suffer severe financial distress without a degree to justify.
GAO
The GAO report also found that the majority of students affected by a closing institution were enrolled at a for-profit college.
For instance, between 2010 and 2020 around 246,000 student loan borrowers were enrolled at 1,100 schools that closed. 43% of them did not complete their program before the closure and about 86% of them were enrolled at a for-profit college. Just over 80,000 ended up having their loans forgiven through the closed school discharge process.
The GAO's findings "once again demonstrate that low-quality, for-profit schools are costing students and taxpayers billions of dollars," Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Investment Hearing Chair Frederica Wilson (D-FL) said in her prepared remarks. "Congress and the Education Department must work together to crackdown on predatory schools that continue to cheat students and taxpayers."
(GAO)
The report, which underscores the plight of Americans who have debt but no degree, comes as the ED announces its negotiated rule-making committee, which will meet in the upcoming weeks to address a wide range of student loan issues.
The government watchdog's findings "demonstrate that students affected by abrupt college closures are not getting the timely support they need," Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, said in a statement.
"The Biden administration has already taken steps in the right direction to help student borrowers affected by school closures," Scott added. But as ED "begins considering changes to the closed school discharge process, I hope and expect that it will focus on streamlining relief for students and improving oversight of failing colleges."
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Aarthi is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. She can be reached at aarthi@yahoofinance.com. Follow her on Twitter @aarthiswami.
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Students exercised their teenage right to bear memes after a school banned backpacks in response to a 13-year-old girl bringing a gun to campus.
Viral TikTok videos show students in Idaho carrying textbooks and supplies in miscellaneous household items like laundry baskets, coolers, strollers, toboggans, traffic cones, popcorn machines, and microwaves.
Idahos Jefferson School District enacted the ban following the discovery of a gun in a girls backpack at Rigby Middle School, four months after a shooting at the same school in May left three injured.
Rigby Middle School began trending after TikTok user @miriam_gilmore_ posted a pair of videos from the school campus that have been seen more than 9 million times,
My school banned backpacks yesterday, so this happened Seriously, how does this work? she said against a montage of some of the more bizarre items.
Some kid brought a gun to school on Thursday and it hasnt even been 4 months since our last school shooting, she added in the caption.
The videos have garnered a large reaction, with one commenter saying of the schools policy: America will do anything but ban guns.
In May, a sixth-grader shot two students and a school custodian at Rigby Middle School. The child was disarmed by teacher Krista Gneiting, who hugged and consoled the girl until police arrived.
The injured students survived. Police said the girl bought the gun in her backpack. Parents wanted protective measures like metal detectors put in place.
After the latest incident, Jefferson School District banned backpacks at two middle schools and two high schools in his district.
The gun was found after a student reported a girl struggling emotionally in a bathroom. A staff member went to check and found the girl with the firearm in a backpack, according to a letter sent to school parents.
Effective immediately, backpacks will no longer be allowed at Rigby Middle School, Farnsworth Middle School, and both Rigby and Jefferson High Schools, Jefferson School District Superintendent Chad Martin wrote in the letter.
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We ask our parents to partner with us in keeping all of our students safe.
Concerned parent Megan Humble told East Idaho News that the backpack ban was a reactionary decision and wanted more proactive measures in place.
Im just a mom who is upset, a mom who cares and a mom who is open-minded to whatever solutions are effective, Humble says. They need to take proactive measures to prevent this from happening and if metal detectors are the answer, (the district) has my full support.
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Oklahoma has the highest mortality rate of police violence of all 50 states and the highest rate of underreporting the killings, according to estimates in a study released Thursday.
About 84% of police killings in the state from 1980 to 2018 were unreported or misclassified in official government reports, according to the peer-reviewed study in The Lancet, one of the world's oldest and most renowned medical journals.
The study, which involved more than 90 collaborators, compared data from the U.S. National Vital Statistics System, an inter-governmental system that collates all death certificates, to three open-source databases, which collect information on fatal police violence from news reports and public record requests.
Nationwide, more than 55% of deaths from police violence from 1980 to 2018 were misclassified or unreported, the study estimated.
Police violence: More than half of police killings in the US are unreported in government data
Oklahoma police: 5 Oklahoma City officers charged with first-degree manslaughter in fatal shooting of teen
Connie Basco hugs lawyer Cameron Spradling while talking about her daughter, Star Shells, who was struck and killed by a truck during a police chase near Martin Luther King Ave. and NE 16th Street.
Arizona, Alaska, Nevada and Wyoming trailed Oklahoma as the states with the highest mortality rate of police violence, the researchers found.
Wyoming, Alabama, Louisiana and Nebraska were among the top five states with the highest underreporting rates.
Oklahoma had the highest rate of police violence against Black Americans, the study found.
From 2000 to 2009, the states with the highest rates of police violence toward non-Hispanic Black Americans were Oklahoma, Nevada, Nebraska, Iowa and Kansas. From 2010 to 2019, they were Oklahoma, Alaska, West Virginia, Utah and Washington, D.C.
The Oklahoma Association of Chiefs of Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The states with the lowest mortality rate of fatal police violence from 1980 to 2019 were Massachusetts, Connecticut, Minnesota, North Dakota, New Hampshire and New York, the study found.
The states with the lowest underreporting rates from 1980 to 2018 were Maryland, Utah, New Mexico, Massachusetts and Oregon.
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Oklahoma City: Grandmother, 74, sues police, saying they broke her arm after illegally entering her home
Chance Avery: Oklahoma police officer to face trial in fatal shooting
Fablina Sharara, one of the lead authors and a researcher at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington School of Medicine, told USA TODAY that researchers did not study the specific causes of police violence and underreporting of police violence at the state level.
"We believe that this knowledge is vital to informing policy change to prevent police violence and improve reporting and hope that the revised estimates of police violence presented in our study will be used as a jumping-off point for further investigation and policy change in these areas," Sharara said.
D. Brian Burghart, who runs Fatal Encounters, one of the open-source databases used in the study, said the researchers' finding that most police killings are not included in official government data was "nothing very surprising."
"I've seen many studies that have come to the same conclusion," Burghart said. "In my opinion, much of the social unrest the U.S. has seen in the last few years comes as a result of not having meaningful government data regarding police violence."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Police killings in Oklahoma underreported at highest rate: Study
Tensions have been mounting in western Asia following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan last month, with Tajikistan reportedly beefing up its military presence on the Tajik-Afghan border in response.
The Russian foreign ministry said Thursday it has been made aware of reports that Tajik military troops have been stationed along the border between Afghanistan and Tajikistan and urged a calm resolution.
"We observe with concern the growing tensions in Tajik-Afghan relations amid mutually strong statements by the leadership of the two countries," ministry spokesman Alexei Zaitsev said Thursday, according to Reuters.
BIDEN HELPS SECURE TAJIKISTANS BORDER AMID US BORDER CRISIS
The Tajik government has exchanged blows with the newly instated Taliban regime in recent weeks, condemning the insurgent groups lack of diversity in the Talibans interim government and expressing concerns over stability in the region.
"Recent developments in Afghanistan, linked to the political and humanitarian crisis and governance, pose a serious threat to regional security and stability," Tajik President Emomali Rahmon said in an address to the U.N. General Assembly last week. "The current situation is a humanitarian catastrophe."
"The growing intensity of fights between the ethnic groups and tribes in Afghanistan is another factor further destabilizing the political and security situation in our neighboring country," he added.
In exchange, the Taliban warned the Tajik government against interfering in its internal affairs.
The insurgent group has additionally sent "tens of thousands" of fighters to the Takhar province in northern Afghanistan which borders Tajikistan, Reuters reported Thursday.
Tajikistan also hosted a military parade this week in a southern province near the Afghan border.
RELATIVE OF MOTHER STUCK IN AFGHANISTAN DESCRIBES COUNTRY AS 'AN OPEN AIR PRISON'
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Wednesday expressed concern for U.S.-trained Afghan allies who fled to Tajikistan following the collapse of Kabul to the Taliban.
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The Biden administration has faced fierce backlash for its handling of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and the chaotic evacuation that followed.
The U.S. evacuated over 124,000 Americans and Afghan allies by Aug. 30, but the State Department was not able to complete the evacuation of all Afghan allies and now lawmakers are demanding answers.
"We have gotten no assistance at all from the State Department to move them," Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga., told Austin.
Scott said Afghans who fled to neighboring counties like Tajikistan, have yet to receive any assistance from the administration.
"We had people in Uzbekistan the State Department ignored them as well and said they would get to them when they got to 'em," Scott said. "We have a lady in Tajikistan that's nine months pregnant. That's one of our pilots. And we need help removing them."
Fox News could not immediately reach the State Department for comment on the escalating situation in western Asia.
Homecoming Mums
Elizabeth Cleaver/The Mum Queen
We aren't kidding when we say that everything is bigger in Texas.
That's especially true when it comes to a high school tradition known almost exclusively to the Lone Star State: homecoming mums. Mums started out as a simple corsage made up of one or two chrysanthemumsthe classic flower of falland maybe a few ribbons to show school pride at homecoming events. These days, however, mums have little to do with the actual flower. Instead, these elaborate floral arrangements have become a rite of passage for Texas teens, and the bigger the better.
Today's mums are usually made up of some combination of oversized silk flowers, ribbons, bows, feathers, sequins, charms, stuffed animals, photographs, and glittery letters all attached to a backing and hung around the neck. Frequently, they're made in school colors and will display the wearer's interests and personality. Boys wear smaller versions called garters on elastic bands on their arms.
As Cecilia Valudos, co-owner of C&C's Floral Events, Homecoming Mums and Supplies outside Dallas told The Wall Street Journal back in 2017: "Our motto is that your mum can never be too big, just like a diamond."
Related video: The most Googled flowers in every southern state
Like all things, the more elaborate the mum, the more it costs. But just how much the modern mum goes for might shock you.
Recently, Corpus Christi resident Rachel Ritualo posted a video on TikTok showing just how expensive mums are. In the now-viral video (below), she asks a handful of her classmates at Tuloso-Midway High School how much each of their mums cost.
One of the mums was nearly $500, while most fell between $200 and $300. Another cost a modest $20.
In just a few days the video has racked up more than 3 million views.
"Wait, other states don't have mums?" one incredulous Texan asked in the comments.
"I need to get into the mum selling business," another joked.
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WATCH: Why Texas Homecoming Corsages Are So Big
Lola Thayer, who makes mums in Waco, told KXXV that this season has been record-breaking for orders, noting that business slowed down considerably during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
"I think for the kids it's making them feel like, whether they are 8th graders or seniors, it's making them feel like 'I finally get to be a kid again," she told the station. "We kind of lost that over the past two years of COVID-19."
Twenty-seven states have introduced bills this legislative session to ban race-based education under the banner of critical race theory a decades-old legal theory that considers how slavery and Jim Crow-era politics affect present-day race relations.
But of these, only a handful mention it by name. And in many cases the legislation reaches well beyond critical race theory by restricting what instructors can teach about race relations.
Two bills prefiled for the 2022 legislative session in Kentucky would bar concepts related to race, sex, and religion from classroom instruction and subject school district employees who violate the law to disciplinary action.
In May, Ohio Republicans introduced a bill that limits how racism can be taught.
And a bill introduced by Republican legislators in Wisconsin in June would ban public schools, universities and technical colleges from teaching students and training employees about systemic racism, implicit bias, and similar concepts.
"Because the lawmakers don't actually know what critical race theory is and they've never read it what they're actually doing is they're overreaching and embedding into these anti-critical race theory laws a broader attack on diversity," Sekou Franklin, associate professor of political science and international relations at Middle Tennessee State University, said. "It's a modern-day way of mobilizing white resentment white folks who are resentful about a diverse society for growing nonwhite population and to mobilize the base."
Education Week has tallied the 27 states with such bills introduced. The governors of Idaho, Iowa, Arizona, Oklahoma, Texas, Tennessee, New Hampshire and South Carolina have signed these bills into law. But only bills passed in Idaho and South Carolina and those introduced in Michigan, Mississippi and West Virginia reference the theory by name.
But to conservatives, banning critical race theory is not strictly about the theory, but a broader concept of educational freedom.
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"An awful lot has been caught up in the term or put under the umbrella term of critical race theory that might not technically be critical race theory," Robert Pondiscio, an education policy analyst for conservative think tank the American Enterprise Institute, said. "But there's a lot of stuff in pedagogical practice and curriculum that I would say is informed by critical race theory."
An old theory meets new criticism
In the 1970s, a group of legal scholars reflected on structural prejudices against Black people and other minorities despite anti-discrimination laws such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965. They came up with critical race theory to describe the dichotomy.
Kimberle Crenshaw, a Columbia Law professor who helped create the theory alongside law professors Derrick Bell, Mari Matsuda, Patricia Williams, Angela Harris and Charles Lawrence, said the anti-CRT movement directly correlates to modest reforms that led to more social parity for minorities.
"Each of these moments in history, there's been a forward movement to make the country more in the vision of its highest aspirations. And after each of these moments there has been a backlash. And sometimes, actually, the backlash has been more robust and has lasted longer than the reforms that produced the backlash."
Crenshaw called massive protests amid the killings of Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor a "racial reckoning."
Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, died Memorial Day 2020 when white police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for over nine minutes. Chauvin was found guilty of three counts of murder and manslaughter in April.
A small group of people gather for a vigil on the one-year anniversary of George Floyd's murder in Lafayette Square near the White House on May 25, 2021.
Arbery, 25, was pursued and shot dead by three white men while jogging two miles from his home in February 2020.
Taylor, 26, was killed during a botched raid on March 13, 2020. Louisville police officers serving a no-knock search warrant as part of a narcotics investigation opened fire inside her apartment. Taylor, who was unarmed and was not the main target of the investigation, was shot six times.
Millions of people across America marched in protests last year and in support of Black Americans.
"We've had this moment of millions of people in every state in the union coming out in the streets. This country has never seen anything like that before," Crenshaw said.
Backlash rooted in Trump policies
The backlash, experts argue, manifested in top-down orders from the White House to restrict certain content on race, sex and gender from federal training materials. This marked the beginning of the campaign against critical race theory, according to Janel George, Associate Professor of Law at Georgetown Law.
In September 2020, former President Donald Trump issued an executive order titled "Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping." It defined inherent racism and sexism based on race, the culpability of one race for actions taken by said group in the past and the idea that the U.S. is a racist country as "divisive concepts" that should be avoided in training. But like many of the recent slate of statehouse bills, critical race theory is not mentioned.
"We see with the executive order ... this broad language, banning diversity training, banning trainings addressing race ... from federal funding to what a lot of the states have done," George said.
"And (legislators are) using the language in Trump's executive order, which was actually invalidated by federal court, and then later rescinded by President Biden. But the state legislators are using that same playbook if you will," George said.
Bills restrict what can be taught in classrooms
Seventeen bills feature the "divisive concepts" from Trump's executive order, but some go beyond that language.
A law passed in Arizona allows fines up to $5,000 per school district for instruction that presents any form of blame or judgment on the basis of race, ethnicity or sex.
A Texas law bans requirements for training, orientation or therapy that addresses "blame on the basis of race or sex" for school employees. It also restricts teachers from assigning activities involving social or public policy advocacy for a grade or course credit.
Other states that haven't implemented bans at the statehouse level are using alternative methods.
The Florida State Board of Education in June voted to approve a rule that restricts teachers from defining "American history as something other than the creation of a new nation based largely on universal principles stated in the Declaration of Independence." Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, called it the practice of "teaching kids to hate their country and to hate each other."
In August, Rashawn Ray and Alexandra Gibbons of the Brookings Institution, a public policy organization that leans center-left, wrote that opponents of critical race theory "fear that CRT admonishes all white people for being oppressors while classifying all Black people as hopelessly oppressed victims."
They add that many people aren't able to separate themselves from discriminatory social institutions. "Consequently, they interpret calling social institutions racist as calling them racist personally," they wrote.
But the American Enterprise Institute's Pondiscio said some lawmakers are attempting to reduce bias in the classroom, rather than ban CRT outright.
"I think people are uncomfortable and sometimes not incorrectly uncomfortable with what they perceive as the 'racialization' of their child's education," he said. "I'm sympathetic to parents who are concerned that their child might learn that they are an oppressor (or) about a parent that is concerned that their child might internalize the lesson that their horizons are narrow because of their racial status."
He argued that improving basic learning standards, such as literacy, should take precedence over lesson plans that emphasize race.
Critical race theory rarely taught on K-12 level
The argument that lawmakers are targeting larger concepts of race in schools outside of critical race theory is supported by the fact that it is rarely mentioned by name in K-12 classrooms.
Some grad students even have difficulty grasping the theory, said Georgetown University professor Janel George.
"Upper level high school classes, college, obviously would be a good place, but I don't think (critical race theory) would be suitable for elementary school," Mona Kleinberg, political science professor at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, said. "I think that you have to think about what is age appropriate and so I think elementary school, early-middle school ... it makes sense to really understand the history of the United States, to understand slavery, to understand the context of the civil rights movement."
Jonathan Butcher, a policy analyst at conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation, said that hasn't stopped some school districts from including it.
Students keep social distance as they walk to their classroom.
He put forth what he described as lesson plans introduced by the Portland, Oregon; Loudoun County, Virginia; and Hayward Unified School District in California school systems as evidence that CRT is taught at lower grade levels.
"I think we don't really have to wait for a problem to become apparent to insert a proposal that would prevent it from happening in the first place," Butcher said. "Especially when we're talking about racial discrimination ... I don't want to have evidence of something terrible is happening before considering an idea that would have prevented it in the first place."
National Education Association President Becky Pringle accused the Heritage Foundation and conservative commentators of censoring educators.
"No matter our color, background, or zip code, we want our kids to have an education that imparts honesty about who we are, integrity in how we treat others, and courage to do whats right to build a better nation," Pringle said.
"They are trying to censor what teachers teach to stop kids from learning our full history and shared stories of confronting injustice to build a more perfect union," she added.
Pondiscio has a different take.
"Nobody is learning 'critical race theory' in elementary school," he said. "But there may be curricula and pedagogy that is informed by critical theory."
In a March statement, Loudoun County Public Schools said it has not adopted CRT as a framework. The school board recently established professional development for staff members not students on concepts such as white supremacy and systemic racism. The Portland School Board approved a similar policy in 2011.
In June, the Hayward Unified School District Board of Trustees voted in a new ethnic studies policy and program that will examine race and ethnicity through the perspective of underrepresented groups in the U.S., such as African Americans, Asian Americans and Native and Indigenous groups. The board announced critical race theory will be included in the policy framework.
The policy will become a graduation requirement for the 2022-23 school year, according to a statement.
In contrast, a Senate bill in Texas would pare down requirements to teach significant moments in history that promote diversity. If passed, topics including slavery, women's suffrage, the Chicano movement and civil rights would become optional. The bill would also lift a mandate to teach about the moral wrongness of white supremacist group the Ku Klux Klan.
"What worries me as a former congressional staffer is what kind of precedent are these laws and policies setting for what can be dictated in the classroom?" Georgetown's Janel George said.
Contributing: The Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Is GOP using critical race theory to enact widespread education bans?
There has been an alarming increase in fake prescription pills containing deadly amounts of an opioid called fentanyl, the nations top drug agency said this week in a rare public-safety alert.
The pills can look like legitimate versions of oxycodone or other drugs, are easily available online and are killing unsuspecting people at an unprecedented rate, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration said in the advisory.
Kentucky has seen plenty of counterfeit pills, according to police.
Its very pervasive all over Kentucky, especially Eastern Kentucky, said Vic Brown, executive director of the Appalachia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area AHIDTA), which helps coordinate efforts to disrupt drug trafficking in dozens of counties in Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia and Virginia.
Drug users are at risk because they may believe they are taking a pill with one substance such as oxycodone, when in reality is contains enough of another drug to kill them, officials said.
Tests have shown a big increase in the number of counterfeit pills that contain at least two milligrams of fentanyl, which is considered a lethal dose, according to the DEA.
Todd Scott, special agent in charge of the DEAs Kentucky office, said the drug network distributing fake pills has gotten larger.
These pills have proliferated all across the country, all across our community, Scott said. Were seeing too many folks get ahold of pills they dont even know are counterfeit, often with tragic results.
Scott said authorities are particularly concerned about the impact on college-age people. The reason is that younger people have a greater familiarity with social media, which is a primary way the fake pills are being distributed.
Traffickers make counterfeirt pills to look like real drugs such as Percocet, Xanax and Adderall.
The victims here are not looking necessarily for heroin, theyre not looking for fentanyl, thats not what theyre after. Theyre after Adderall, Xanax and things like that that have become kind of socialized as acceptable in some campuses and high schools, Scott said.
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Tests have shown that two of every five fake pills seized contain a potentially lethal does of fentanyl, DEA administrator Anne Milgram said in the agencys release.
Drug traffickers add substances such as fentanyl or meth to counterfeit pills as filler, to increase profit, or to substitute for the other drugs, police said.
With the drug dealers, there is no quality control, said Tommy Loving, head of the Bowling Green Warren County Drug Task Force.
Police forces in the U.S. have seized 9.5 million fake pills in the budget year that ends Thursday, up from 6.8 million the year before and 2.6 million in 2019.
The number of overdose deaths in the county surged by almost 30 percent in 2020, topping more than 93,000. Authorities say fentanyl, the drug found most often in fake pills, played a role in that.
The increase was even worse in Kentucky. The state had at least 1,964 overdose deaths in 2020, according to the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy.
That was 50 percent higher than the 1,316 overdose deaths in 2019. The final number for 2020 could be somewhat higher as late reports come in.
Fayette County was second in the state in the number of fentanyl-related deaths among residents, with 128, and neighboring Madison County was third with 50, the report said.
This photo provided by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation shows fake oxycodone pills that are actually fentanyl.
Fentanyl was detected in more than 70 percent of the overdose deaths in Kentucky and nationally, according to the report.
Police say drug cartels in Mexico are the main source of most of the counterfeit pills and crystal meth in the U.S. Sources in China ship fentanyl to Mexico, where drug rings operate labs.
Traffickers in the U.S., including in Kentucky, also use pill presses to make counterfeit pills.
Loving said police think someone in the Bowling Green region is producing fake pills with a press.
The task force has seized Xanax and oxycodone pills containing fentanyl.
Lt. Corey Doane, supervisor of the narcotics unit at the Lexington Police Department, said its nearly impossible to identify a fake pill by just looking at it.
People should only take pills prescribed by a legitimate health care provider, police said.
There is a strong possibility if someone purchases a controlled substance or what they believe to be a controlled substance any other way, the substance can contain chemicals they did not desire to put in their body, Doane said. This can cause significant health issues or even death.
DEA issued the alert to try to bring attention to the problem. The agency had not issued a similar bulletin since 2015.
The alert did not apply to legitimate drugs prescribed by medical professionals and dispensed by licensed pharmacists. People filling prescriptions at pharmacies can be comfortable that they are safe when used as directed, DEA said.
UNITED NATIONS (AP) The United Nations chief is urging unified regional and international action to prevent the crisis in Myanmar from becoming a large-scale conflict and multi-faceted catastrophe in the heart of Southeast Asia and beyond.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned in a report to the U.N. General Assembly circulated Wednesday that the opportunity to prevent the army from entrenching its rule could be narrowing and said it is urgent that regional and international countries help put Myanmar back on the path to democratic reform.
When Myanmars army ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, it claimed with scant evidence that the general election her party won last November in a landslide was marred by widespread fraud. The takeover almost immediately sparked widespread street protests that security forces tried to crush. The pushback has left more than 1,100 people dead, according to U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet and right groups.
The United Nations has supported a five-point plan adopted by the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which includes Myanmar, that calls for stopping violence, constructive dialogue, appointment of an ASEAN special envoy as mediator and humanitarian aid. It took until early August for ASEAN to pick Bruneis Second Foreign Minister Erywan Yusof as their special envoy, and he is reportedly still negotiating with the military on the terms of a visit.
In the report, Guterres welcomed Yusofs appointment, called for timely and comprehensive implementation of the five-point consensus to facilitate a peaceful solution, and strongly encouraged ASEAN to work with the U.N. special envoy.
His urgent call for a united international and regional response indicates that with ASEANs slow movement, Guterres feels it is time for broader international action as well.
The risk of a large-scale armed conflict requires a collective approach to prevent a multi-dimensional catastrophe in the heart of Southeast Asia and beyond, the secretary-general said. Grave humanitarian implications, including rapidly deteriorating food security, an increase in mass displacements and a weakened public health system compounded by a new wave of COVID-19 infections require a coordinated approach in complementarity with regional actors.
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He said it is imperative to restore Myanmars constitutional order and uphold the results of the November 2020 election. He suggested neighboring countries could leverage their influence over the military to have it respect the will of the people and to act in the greater interest of peace and stability in the country and region.
Guterres said the international and regional effort must be accompanied by the immediate release of Suu Kyi, President Win Myint and other government officials as well as immediate humanitarian access and aid, especially to vulnerable communities, including some 600,000 Rohingya Muslims still in northern Rakhine state and the more than 700,000 who fled a 2017 military crackdown and are now in camps in neighboring Bangladesh.
The report, covering the period from mid-August 2020 to mid-August 2021, said that since the military takeover, security forces have engaged in wide-ranging brutal repression, especially of those protesting Suu Kyis ouster, sparked a political crisis with wide implications for the region, and carried out serious human rights violations.
Those expressing opposition to the military and joining democratic movements, as well as their relatives and associates, have been subject to arbitrary killings and detentions, disappearances, night raids, intimidation and torture, Guterres said. There have also been numerous reports of sexual and gender-based violence perpetrated by the security forces.
Between Feb. 1 and late July, he said, there have been at least 150 instances in which security forces reportedly used lethal force against unarmed protesters.
Guterres said students and education staff have been primary targets of repression, pointing to reports by the Myanmar Teachers Federation that at least 70 students and five teachers have been killed by security forces, that 775 students and 76 teachers have been detained, and that more than 125,000 teachers and 13,000 school staff in higher education institutions have been suspended or dismissed.
The secretary-general said there have also been numerous reports of violence targeting security forces as well as killings of individuals suspected of collaborating with the military.
United Airlines planes are seen at Newark International Airport in New Jersey, United States on September 29, 2021. United Airlines is firing employees over its vaccine mandate. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
United Airlines initially announced it would fire 593 employees who are defying its vaccine mandate.
The airline later said this number has decreased to 320, and that it expects the count to drop further.
The employees taken off the termination process had submitted their vaccination cards late.
Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
United Airlines said it would fire nearly 600 employees for failing to comply with its COVID-19 vaccination requirements, according to several news outlets.
On Wednesday, the airline confirmed that it had already started the process of terminating 593 US-based employees who declined to get their shots. United also said that 99% of its total 67,000 non-exempted employees are vaccinated, reported Insider's Taylor Rains.
"This was an incredibly difficult decision, but keeping our team safe has always been our first priority," Scott Kirby, United's CEO, and Brett Hart, the airline's president, said in a memo to staff on Tuesday, reported The New York Times.
On Thursday, United issued a statement, seen by Insider, saying that the number of people it planned to fire dropped to 320. The employees who were taken off the firing process had submitted their vaccination statuses late, and United expects to come across more of these cases.
United became the first US airline carrier to implement a vaccine mandate on August 6, requiring its employees to get vaccinated within five weeks of the FDA approving the shots. The Pfizer vaccine was approved on August 23, and United then told employees they had until September 27 to receive at least one dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine or the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
CEO Kirby said he was only aware of a "handful" of staff who resigned from the airline over the vaccination requirements.
United later announced that it would establish a policy allowing unvaccinated employees to request religious or medical exemptions. These workers would be placed on temporary, unpaid personal leave starting October 2.
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But that policy was shifted back to October 15 after six employees sued the airline, saying its vaccine mandate discriminates against workers and that it denied their exemption requests, reported Reuters.
Overall, less than 3% of United's workforce has applied for the exemptions, the airline said, per Reuters.
The airline plans to hire about 25,000 people over the next few years and will require all new employees to be vaccinated, a company spokesperson told Reuters.
Read the original article on Insider
LONDON (Reuters) - Virgin Atlantic, the British airline founded by billionaire Richard Branson, has delayed its plan to list until early 2022 to focus on the reopening of the transatlantic market, said a person familiar with the situation.
The United States has said it will allow in fully vaccinated travellers from Britain and dozens of other countries in November, fully reopening Virgin Atlantic's main market for the first time in 18 months.
Virgin had been considering a float this autumn according to reports in August, but it will now wait until next year so it can focus on, and benefit from, the wider restart of travel between Britain and the U.S., the person said.
Bookings surged 600% the day when the U.S. announced the rule change, Virgin said on Sept. 21.
The airline, which is 51% owned by Branson through his Virgin Group while U.S. group Delta Air Lines Inc owns the rest, declined to comment on its IPO plans.
Most airlines have struggled financially during the pandemic, but the long closure of U.S. routes deepened the crisis for long-haul specialist Virgin. It survived thanks to a 1.5 billion pound rescue between Sept. 2020 and March 2021.
In addition to the IPO, Virgin was also considering other funding options, the person added.
(Reporting by Sarah Young, Editing by Paul Sandle)
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Tesla is moving its headquarters from Silicon Valley to Austin, Texas, where it is building a massive car and battery complex.Chief Executive Elon Musk announced the plans on Thursday at the company's annual shareholder meeting.Texas is known for its cheap labor market and less stringent regulation.But Musk did not bring up politics in his speech and he stressed that Tesla's operations in California would still grow.'This is not a matter of Tesla leaving California,' he said, adding that the company plans to increase output from its main California factory and Nevada factory by 50%.Musk has had a rocky relationship with California, which has relatively high taxes and living costs.Last year, he threatened to move Tesla HQ and future programs out of the state during a row over the closure of a factory due to the health crisis.He himself relocated from California to Texas in December to focus on a new plant and SpaceX.The rocket company has a launch site in the souther tip of Texas.Oracle, HP and Toyota Motor have also moved their headquarters from California to Texas.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson is going to court to block a Sunshine Law request seeking information that would show how often his office has invoked a specific state law to deny other requests for records.
Attorneys for Parson filed a motion on Wednesday for a protective order in the Missouri Court of Appeals Western District as part of a lawsuit originally centered on former Gov. Eric Greitens use of the message-destroying app Confide. The case has morphed into a battle over the extent of the Sunshine law.
Parson wants the court to ensure his office doesnt have to fulfill a records request made by Mark Pedroli, an attorney representing Ben Sansone, an open government advocate who launched the Confide case.
It is the weirdest thing Ive ever seen, Pedroli said.
Last week, Pedroli filed a Sunshine request for emails sent and received by the governors office since 2017 with the keyword 407.1500 a reference to a Missouri law the office has previously cited to deny requests for cell phone numbers used by the governor.
The law, which isnt about records disclosure, allows the attorney general to sue businesses and organizations when they fail to provide notice of a breach of personal information. A circuit court judge has previously said the decision to cite the law to deny records represented a novel approach and suggested the argument is a stretch.
The governors office responded, Pedroli said, by denying his request. The motion for a protective order goes further, asking the court to order Sansone to not contact the governors office except through the governors attorneys, which would effectively limit how a constituent can interact with his office.
The motion potentially raises questions about whether individuals and their attorneys who are suing the government can have access to public records restricted by the court during litigation.
I dont think when you litigate you lose civil rights or access rights, Pedroli said.
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A Parson spokeswoman didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.
In the motion, Parsons attorneys say Sansone already asked for the records sought by Pedroli during discovery when the lawsuit was in the trial court phase.
The Sunshine Law request attempts to circumvent the Trial Courts discovery order and appeal pending before this Court, the motion says.
In 2019, Cole County Circuit Court Judge Jon Beetem ruled that the use of Confide by Greitens, who is now running for U.S. Senate, and his staff didnt violate the Sunshine Law, delivering a blow to transparency advocates. Then, in December 2020, Beetem found the governors office had illegally redacted information but reversed himself weeks later. Sansone appealed in April.
The Stars Jeanne Kuang contributed reporting
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand New Zealand lawmakers on Thursday made it a crime to plan a terrorist attack, strengthening the country's security legislation after a mass stabbing earlier this month.
Officials say the new law, which also gives police greater power to conduct warrantless searches, is in line with counterterrorism legislation in Australia and Britain and less expansive than laws in the United States. But critics have expressed concern about its potential impact on civil liberties.
The new law, which is expected to go into effect on Monday, is partly designed to guard against "lone wolf" attacks like the stabbing this month and the 2019 mass shooting in Christchurch, the worst terrorist attack in New Zealand's history.
Justice Minister Kris Faafoi said after the vote that the bill "strengthens our laws to fight the ever-evolving nature of terrorism and closes longstanding gaps in our counterterrorism legislation to better protect New Zealanders."
Passage of the law was accelerated this month after the stabbing attack, which was carried out by a Sri Lankan national who had recently been released from prison. The man, 32, had been under 24-hour police surveillance for almost two months, and officers were following him on Sept. 3 when he entered a supermarket in Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, grabbed a knife and turned it on shoppers. Six people were stabbed and two others were injured in the chaos before the man was shot dead by police.
The Auckland attack was shocking to a country that typically has some of the lowest murder rates in the developed world. Public outrage was heightened when Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who had been briefed on the man's case multiple times before the attack, admitted that he was a known threat who had been on the radar of national intelligence for years. The man had been found guilty of possessing Islamic State propaganda, but prosecutors were unable to bring terrorism charges against him under New Zealand's existing laws.
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Image: NZEALAND-HEALTH-VIRUS (MARK MITCHELL / AFP - Getty Images)
After a lengthy debate that went late into Wednesday night and continued Thursday morning, lawmakers from New Zealand's two main political parties voted in favor of the tougher legislation, while it was opposed by center-left and libertarian parties that had raised concerns about surveillance overreach.
Opponents objected to the haste with which the law was being altered, as well as the bill's expanded definition of terrorism to include the intention to intimidate rather than to induce terror. Others cited experts who suggested that prosecuting suspects on charges of planning or preparing for an attack bordered on "thought crime."
There are also concerns that some of the new offenses, including around weapons training, are intended to allow for prosecutions in cases like the 2007 police raids on rights activists from New Zealand's Maori indigenous group, who were arrested on terrorism charges over paramilitary camps they had allegedly set up in a mountainous area of New Zealand's North Island. Prosecutors later said the country's laws were insufficient for the charges to be pursued.
"The government denies that its new law would apply to such circumstances, but the way the new law is written, and the expanded definition of terrorism, means this is a real concern," said Graeme Edgeler, a barrister and legal commentator in Wellington, New Zealand's capital.
Te Rangikaiwhiria Kemara, a Maori sovereignty activist who was at the center of the 2007 raids, told NBC News that he feared the new law might undermine rights the Maori say they are guaranteed under New Zealand's founding document.
"In the hands of racist police and judges, this legislation provides no protection in my view against criminalization for legitimate self-determination movements," he said.
Other New Zealanders cautiously welcomed the move.
Of course we dont want Big Brother watching over us, but we also dont want terrorism, Joanna Church, 22, a student from Robinsons Bay near Christchurch, told NBC News.
TOPSHOT-NZEALAND-ATTACK-MOSQUE (Anthony Wallace / AFP via Getty Images file)
A royal commission examined New Zealand's anti-terrorism laws after the March 2019 attack in Christchurch, in which a 28-year-old gunman from Australia opened fire on Muslim worshipers at two mosques, killing 51 people. While the commission concluded there was little that could have been done to stop that attack, it made a number of recommendations designed to prevent future lapses, including updating laws to criminalize the planning of a terrorist attack.
After the attack in Auckland, opposition lawmakers said Ardern's Labour Party had not acted fast enough to amend the laws.
In a statement on Thursday, Mark Mitchell, counterterrorism spokesman for the opposition National Party, said that while the updated legislation was a step in the right direction, the government should also adopt other commission recommendations.
Time is of the essence if we are going to protect Kiwis, and the government needs to make these recommendations happen as quickly as it can," he said. This threat is not going away."
Mumbai (Maharashtra): Actor Shweta Tiwari is not keeping well.
According to a source, Shweta was recently admitted to a hospital in Mumbai after she complained of low blood pressure.
This is to inform everyone that Shweta Tiwari was hospitalised due to weakness and slight low pressure. The actor had not managed enough rest with immense travel and adding to it the weather change, the sources statement read.
Shwetas team also assured her fans that she will be discharged soon.
For the unversed, Shweta went to Cape Town, South Africa in July for the shoot of the 11th season of Khatron Ke Khiladi. After coming back to India, she got busy shooting for her short film in Delhi.
New Delhi: In yet another incidence of targeted killing of minorities in Pakistan, Sardar Satnam Singh, a prominent Sikh community member and hakeem in Peshawar was shot dead outside his dawakhana (clinic).
Sardar Satnam Singh was attacked by unknown assailants outside his apothecary in Peshawars Charadda road area, reported local journalist Iftikhar Firdaus.
The Sikh Hakeem was reportedly shot 4 times. He is a resident of Hasanabdal area and ran the Darmandar Dawakhana, a popular clinic of traditional medicine in the city.
Police have cordoned off the area. While an official displays a visiting card of Satnam Singh. pic.twitter.com/cFlzHBcHO2 Iftikhar Firdous (@IftikharFirdous) September 30, 2021
This was yet another ghastly attack on members of minority community. Initial reports suggest that it was not an incident of personal rivalry or spat turned violent, rather it was a planned and targeted attack. More details of the incident are yet to emerge.
Satnam Singh was rushed to nearby Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar, but he succumbed to the injuries.
Meanwhile, police have cordoned off the area and launched investigation into his murder.
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When Donald Trumps attorney general appointed John Durham to investigate what Trump insisted was a deep-state conspiracy against him, a question hovered: What exactly was Durham thinking? Durham had a respectable resume as a prosecutor in a career that did not seem to lead straight into a role as Trumps Roy Cohn.
Was he simply accepting the role out of diligence and the understanding that, if he found no crimes, he could put Trumps absurd charges to rest? Or unlikely but possible would he uncover real proof of a criminal conspiracy at the FBI to undermine Trump? Or had Durham undergone the same Fox Newsinduced brain melt that has turned figures like Barr, Giuliani, and many others into authoritarian conspiracy theorists?
In the wake of Durhams first and perhaps only indictment, we can safely rule out the first two explanations.
Durhams indictment does not even allege that the FBI committed any wrongdoing. Instead, it charges that the FBI was lied to by Michael Sussmann, a lawyer who passed on leads about Trumps ties to Russia that the bureau was unable to verify. Durhams indictment claims Sussmann committed perjury by denying he was working for the Clinton campaign at the time he brought his information about Trump to the FBI in 2016.
The first weakness in the indictment is that even if every word Durham writes is true, the charge he has amounts to a very, very small molehill. Interested parties uncover crimes all the time. Theres just no reason to believe that Sussmanns relationship with a law firm working for Clinton would have made any difference to the FBI which was already investigating Trumps ties to Russia and which wound up discarding Sussmanns lead anyway as a dry hole.
Second, the evidence that Sussmann lied to the FBI is extremely shaky. As Benjamin Wittes notes, the sole basis for charging Sussmann with perjury is the recollection by FBI official Jim Baker. Baker testified to Congress that he remembered very little about his conversation with Sussmann, i.e.:
Baker: [I]n that first interaction, I dont remember him specifically saying that he was acting on behalf of a particular client. Jordan: Did you know at the time that he was representing the DNC in the Clinton campaign? Baker: I cant remember. I have learned that at some point. I dont as I think I said last time, I dont specifically remember when I learned that. So I dont know that I had that in my head when he showed up in my office. I just cant remember. Jordan: Did you learn that shortly thereafter if you didnt know it at the time? Baker: I wish I could give you a better answer. I just dont remember.
Yes, the Jordan who dug out the evidence that seems likely to undermine Durhams case is Trump superfan Jim Jordan. Wittes concludes, It is hard for me to understand how a criminal case against Sussmann can proceed in the face of this testimony.
The perjury charge is merely the window dressing in the indictment. The meat of it the part that has Trump defenders excited is a narrative laid out by Durham attempting to paint Sussmann and the experts he worked with as liars who smeared Trump. That narrative part does not describe actual crimes, of course. Prosecutors can write whatever they want in their indictment. This one is like a Sean Hannity monologue wrapped around a parking ticket.
And even the speaking indictment portion of Durhams charge is falling apart now. Today, both CNN and the New York Times reported that Durham selectively quoted from emails in order to furnish a completely misleading impression that Sussmanns researchers lied.
The story here is that a group of computer scientists discovered evidence of communication between a Russian bank server and a Trump property. The computer scientists suspected, but werent certain, the server might be used for some form of communication between Trumps campaign and Russia. (The reason they suspected this, of course, was the broad swath of shady behavior Trump exhibited toward Russia.)
Durhams indictment asserts that the computer scientists knew the data was innocent but sent it to the FBI anyway. What the Times and CNN reported today is that Durham supported this charge by clipping misleading segments of emails by the scientists when other emails undermined his accusation.
CNN reports:
Durhams indictment also portrays researchers working with [Rodney] Joffe as harboring doubts about whether the Trump-Alfa Bank information was anything other than innocuous email traffic. But the indictment cites snippets of sentences from emails, leaving out further discussion among the researchers that appears to show they firmly believed the Trump-Alfa Bank connection was suspicious and needed to be investigated. The indictment cites one email conversation in which one of the researchers suggests narrowly tailoring their findings to make a plausible case that there was something worth investigating about Trump and Alfa Bank. The rest of the email left out by prosecutors in the indictment continues: If the white paper intends to say that here are communications between at least Alfa and Trump which are intentionally being hidden by Alfa and Trump, I absolutely believe that is the case, according to the email reviewed by CNN.
And:
Elsewhere in the indictment, Durham quotes an email sent to Joffe and others involved in the effort, in which one of the researchers wrote, Lets for a moment think of the best case scenario, where we are able to show (somehow) that DNS communication exists between Trump and R[ussia]. How do we plan to defend against the criticism that this is not spoofed traffic we are observing? There is no answer to that But additional emails reviewed by CNN appear to show that after expressing their skepticisms in late August 2016, the researchers expanded the scope of their research and believed they should show their findings to the FBI.
The Times has more examples of Durham taking messages out of context, such as:
The indictment quotes August emails from Ms. [April] Lorenzen and Mr. [Manos] Antonakakis worrying that they might not know if someone had faked the DNS data. But people familiar with the matter said the indictment omitted later discussion of reasons to doubt any attempt to spoof the overall pattern could go undetected.
And:
The indictment says Mr. Joffe sent an email on Aug. 21 urging more research about Mr. Trump, which he stated could give the base of a very useful narrative, while also expressing a belief that the Trump server at issue was a red herring and they should ignore it because it had been used by the mass-marketing company. The full email provides context: Mr. Trump had claimed he had no dealings in Russia and yet many links appeared to exist, Mr. Joffe noted, citing an article that discussed aspirations to build a Trump Tower in Moscow. Despite the red herring line, the same email also showed that Mr. Joffe nevertheless remained suspicious about Alfa Bank, proposing a deeper hunt in the data for the anomalies that we believe exist.
Whatever the truth is of the Alfa Bank matter the Times reports that the computer scientists still dont feel satisfied they know the answer Durhams case that the scientists knew they were lying is simply a preposterous smear.
Durhams indictment of Sussmann seems extremely unlikely to result in a prosecution. The rest of it is a story about dishonesty. But the dishonesty lies on the part of Durham himself. His indictment proves only the willingness of many members of the right-wing legal Establishment to corruptly put their powers at the disposal of a liar.
Pre-Race Meet and Greet on Thursday, Oct. 21 at the Kansas City Nebraska Furniture Mart Location
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Featured Image for Swann Security
Featured Image for Swann Security
KANSAS CITY, Kan., Sept. 30, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Swann Security and Nebraska Furniture Mart (NFM) announce their partnership to be the presenting sponsors of NASCAR driver, Ryan Vargas, during the NASCAR Xfinity Series Kansas Lottery 300 on Oct. 23. Swann Security is a three-decades-old veteran in DIY security products. NFM is owned by Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway and is the largest home furnishing store in North America.
In anticipation of the weekend's NASCAR race, Ryan Vargas will be meeting fans at the Nebraska Furniture Mart Kansas City location on Thursday, Oct. 21 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. CT. The address is 1601 Village West Pkwy, Kansas City, KS 66111, and this location can be seen from the Kansas Speedway.
"We are exhilarated to be Ryan Vargas's presenting sponsor for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Kansas Lottery 300 along with our retail partner Nebraska Furniture Mart," says Leslie Conover, Vice President of Sales for Swann. "We will be cheering him on from the sidelines and glad Ryan Vargas is helping us share the importance of home security with the NASCAR audience."
Swann will have sales and promotional pricing on their bestselling DVR security camera kits at Nebraska Furniture Mart from the appearance throughout the weekend.
Tune in to see the Number 6 Chevy Camaro with a custom Nebraska Furniture Mart and Swann Security wrap on Saturday, Oct. 23 at 2:00 p.m. CT on NBC, MRN, and NBC Sports.
"We are very excited to partner with Ryan Vargas and the Swann Security team for the upcoming race just across the street from NFM here in KC," says Nastasia Williams, NFM Store Director. "The evening at our store will be a great opportunity for our customers to meet Ryan Vargas as he prepares for the race and we wish him all the best as he strives to race all the way to victory lane."
Story continues
For more information about Swann products and to learn more about their NASCAR ambassadors, visit them on the web at https://www.swann.com/us/ambassadors.
To keep up with Ryan Vargas, follow his social media pages and visit his official website at https://www.ryanvargas.com.
About Swann:
Swann is a veteran in the global security camera market and has been in this business for over three decades. Founded in Melbourne, Australia, Swann creates innovative DIY security solutions including their patent-pending Enforcer Series product line, which offers enhanced crime deterrence with red and blue flashing lights, spotlights, and sirens, combined with mobile alerts, when unwanted activity is detected. Also, Swann is the only brand on the market that offers a complete lineup of inter-connectable wired and wireless security solutions via the Swann Security app that is completely integrated with Google Assistant and Alexa. As the global leader in wired, DIY security solutions, Swann helps its customers protect their homes, businesses, and garages no matter where life takes them - around the world or around the track. Follow Swann on social media to stay updated on the latest products and news: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
About Nebraska Furniture Mart:
Nebraska Furniture Mart was founded by Rose Blumkin in 1937 in the basement of her husband's pawn shop in Omaha, Nebraska. In 1983, investor Warren Buffett purchased a majority interest in NFM and made it part of the Berkshire Hathaway family of companies. Today, NFM is one of the nation's largest home furnishings retailers, selling furniture, flooring, appliances, and electronics. NFM currently has locations in Omaha, Des Moines, Iowa, Kansas City, Kansas, and Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas. For more information on Nebraska Furniture Mart, visit www.nfm.com.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Swann Security
Tiffany Woo
Tiffany@presspassla.com
310-817-0230
Nebraska Furniture Mart
Andy Shefsky
andy.shefsky@nfm.com
402-818-2796
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Andrew Freear, director of the Auburn University College of Architecture, Design and Constructions Rural Studio, has been selected as one of eight new National Academicians by the National Academy of Design in recognition of his contributions to arts and architecture.
Freear, the J. Streeter Wiatt Professor in the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture, lives full-time in Newbern, Alabama, where he administers the Rural Studio program and supervises graduate and fifth-year undergraduate design and build projects. Rural Studio is an off-campus design-build program rooted in Hale County and part of the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture.
Its core mission is the education of students, coupled with research on sustainable, healthful rural living through both housing and the vital systems it fosters to ensure its communities thrive. It is committed to cultivating students who are both local architects and citizens of the world.
To date, Rural Studio has built more than 200 projects and educated more than 1,200 students in the Alabama Black Belt. Around four dozen students are invited to attend each year to participate in this context-based, service-learning curriculum, where students live and work alongside our neighbors, finding solutions together. Our design-build program challenges students to consider not what can be built, but rather what should be built.
On behalf of Auburn University and Rural Studio, I am very proud to receive this honor, particularly given the roll call of academicians and the history of the National Academy of Design, Freear said. This truly acknowledges and legitimizes the quality of the design work that Rural Studio has undertaken in our rural community over the last 30 years.
As the oldest artist-run organization in the United States, the National Academy of Design, or NAD, advocates for the value of arts and architecture. Since their founding in 1825, nearly 2,400 members have been elected.
Freear joins more than 400 living members of the prestigious group, including architects Marlon Blackwell, Elizabeth Diller, Billie Tsien, Tod Williams, David Adjaye and Renzo Piano, as well as artists Richard Serra, Robert Irwin, Yoko Ono and Claes Oldenburg. He is the only architect elected this year and will join seven visual artists at an October induction ceremony in New York.
Joining a group of Academicians who are at the center of the National Academys mission and work, the 2021 class of National Academicians is reflective of the cultural transformations underway in the United States, showing us how art and architecture continue to evolve, in both form and impact on the world around us, said Gregory Wessner, executive director of the National Academy of Design.
Freear is a teacher, builder, advocate and liaison between local authorities, community partners and students, and he also serves on the board of the Newbern Library. His work has been published extensively, and he regularly lectures around the world.
The Yorkshire, England, native has designed and built exhibits at Londons Victoria & Albert Museum, the Whitney Biennial and the Museum of Modern Art in New York, as well as the Milan Triennale and the Venice Biennale. Freears honors include the 2006 Ralph Erskine Award, the Global Award for Sustainable Architecture and the Architecture Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 2008, he was a Laureate in the second edition of the Global Awards for Sustainable Architecture.
Freear was a 2018 Loeb Fellow at Harvard University and most recently received the Presidents Medal from the Architectural League of New York, the Leagues highest honor.
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Auburn University will host a virtual talk with Nick Wiley COO of Ducks Unlimited, the largest wetlands and waterfowl conservation organization in North America, on Oct. 7 in celebration of the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences 75th Anniversary.
Wiley is the sixth speaker in the virtual 7 for 75 Speaker Series as part of the schools yearlong celebration, which began in the spring of 2021. In addition to his role as COO of Ducks Unlimited, or DU, Wiley has served in key leadership positions within several conservation organizations.
Before joining DU in 2017, he was executive director of Floridas Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and former president of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. He is also the past chair of the Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports.
Wiley received a bachelors degree in biology from Georgia Southern University in 1983 and a masters degree in wildlife management from Auburn University in 1986. He serves on the Georgia Southern College of Science and Mathematics Advisory Board and School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences Advisory Council.
Wiley is a National Conservation Leadership Institute Fellow, a member of the Boone and Crockett Club and serves on the board of directors for The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership and the Council to Advance Hunting and Shooting Sports.
Nick has been a powerful force for wildlife conservation during his 35-year career. In his current role at DU, he has a unique perspective on the challenges well face going forward to protect and conserve waterfowl habitat across North America, said Janaki Alavalapati, dean of the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences.
We are eager to hear Nicks insights and to learn about DUs vision for the conservation and restoration of landscapes that are most critical to the survival of waterfowl species and the management implications of those efforts for wildlife professionals.
The talk is open to the public via Zoom from 2-3 p.m. CT at https://auburn.zoom.us/j/87052882997 and will be live-streamed via the schools Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ausfws/live/.
The 7 for 75 Speaker Series features distinguished alumni and industry leaders representing an array of forestry, wildlife and natural resource fields and enterprises who will cover a wide range of topics, from land management to current and future technology to stakeholder engagement.
For more information about upcoming events in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences at Auburn University, visit https://sfws.auburn.edu/sfws-75th-anniversary/.
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Auburn University professors Richard Burt and Keith Hebert are turning to social media and the Selma, Alabama, community for help in making progress on their Bloody Sunday passion project.
The interdisciplinary tandem is enlisting a group of Auburn Honors College students to help expand the projects reach to the social media realm, and they have established a Facebook page where visitors can connect and help identify marchers who participated in one of the seminal moments in civil rights historyBloody Sunday on March 7, 1965, in Selma.
On that day, John Lewis, Hosea Williams and a group of approximately 600 marchers were confronted by Alabama State Troopers armed with tear gas and metal batons as they began a march for equality toward Montgomery. The nation watched in horror that night on ABC as marchers were pummeled by law enforcement in what became known as Bloody Sunday, an event that would serve as a catalyst for Americans across the country to rally behind the civil rights movement like never before.
The researchers are hoping the public can help distinguish the identities of the brave men and women who took part in the march that day.
Social media platforms such as Facebook offer public historians invaluable tools to connect with multi-generational audiences across a broad geography, Hebert said. We have received critical information from former Bloody Sunday foot soldiers and their loved ones near and far as we build a comprehensive database of those marchers names and stories. Our Honors College students are gaining experience communicating with diverse audiences as we all come together to collect and celebrate the heroic sacrifices those foot soldiers made in Selma on March 7, 1965. Those learning opportunities will bode well for their future career endeavors as they help America build a diverse, inclusive and equitable society.
In addition, Burt and Hebert have received considerable support from the Selma community, in particular the Selma City Council and Selma High School. City council members were briefed about the Auburn-led project at a recent meeting and have pledged their support and resources to aiding the endeavors success.
Actually putting names to these faces is a game-changer, Selma City Council Chairman Billy Young said. Were extremely enthusiastic about recording history this way, because for so long, these men and women who did so much never had their names provided. It means a great deal for Auburn and all the students and everyone to come together for this project.
This project brings us back into the forefront in the fight for social justice thats been taking place in Selma, and identifying these people this way is a great homage to Selma. We are gung-ho and really proud of the work thats being done, and seeing everything unfold this way makes the city council feel even better about our support and makes us want to support it even more.
The project also will be promoted with posters at the Selma Dallas County Public Library, and photos from that fateful day will be on display at a November photography festival in Selma thanks to the efforts of Bloody Sunday march participant JoAnn Bland, who identified herself in one of the historical images.
I think its amazing, and Im glad to be a part of it, Bland said of the project. That was the first time Id seen a picture of me, and I dont think the ordinary foot soldiers get the recognition for what we did. Our kids know about Dr. King and John Lewis, but they dont realize ordinary people like me were out there fighting and didnt give up.
It makes the pictures come alive when you know [peoples] names, and theyre pictures that need to have captions and need to have names listed with them. So many people have been left out, and a lot of people around here have the blood of those history-makers running through their veins and they should know about them.
Albert Turner Jr.chairman of the Perry County Commission whose father, Albert Turner Sr., helped organize the march in 1965applauded the teams efforts.
I think this will be the most accurate depiction of Bloody Sunday that has ever been documented, said Turner. It will speak to the core of the people who were there on Bloody Sunday, the march that changed America. The civil rights movement was built by everyday people who felt the sting of segregation and being treated as second-class citizens, and those were the people who rallied together on Bloody Sunday, which was the most revolutionary act of defiance since the Civil War.
I think this project is going to help give Perry County the national recognition it deserves for its role in the foundation of Bloody Sunday, and more than 50 percent of the marchers were from Perry County. This project that Auburn University is doing will help bear witness to Perry County and its dominant role in Bloody Sunday.
Selma High School teacher Veronica Pitts has even enlisted her AP History class in helping advance the project, particularly working on the social media component and enlisting family members to help identify Bloody Sunday marchers. Pitts was first introduced to the cause of identifying marchers while working for the National Park Service prior to becoming a teacher, so this project is a chance to rekindle a passion project from her past.
Im excited to be able to share this project with my class, said Pitts, a Selma High School alumnae who has nearly 30 students in her class. The biggest thing has been trying to convince them to get some of their grandparents to assist us in this process in identifying some of those foot soldiers. When this opportunity presented itself, it made my heart sing because I had an opportunity to get back to some work Id done nine or 11 years ago.
Were excited to get the ball rolling and see how much we can get done this semester and the rest of this year.
Burtwho also has set up a workroom for students to utilize for the project in Dudley Commons on campusand Hebert have been energized and are immensely appreciative of the wave of support the research venture has garnered this year.
The project is really starting to come together now, said Burt, the McWhorter Endowed Chair and head of the McWhorter School of Building Science in the College of Architecture, Design and Construction, who has worked for years to survey and map the area where the historic confrontation occurred. We have set up a workroom in the exhibition space of the College of Architecture, Design and Construction in Dudley Hall. The space is open during regular working hours, and folks are free to come visit to see how the project is progressing.
The project recently received another boost when it was chosen to receive a nearly $190,000 grant by the National Endowment for the Humanities, or NEH, to support a pair of week-long workshops to include 72 K-12 educators in field studies that focus on the significance of Selma in the early days of the civil rights movement. Those workshops will be led by Hebert and his fellow Department of History colleague Elijah Gaddis, and their team members also include Junshan Liu, CADC, Leslie Cordie, College of Education, Meghan Buchanan, College of Liberal Arts, and Danielle Willkens of the Georgia Institute of Technology, and the team also is working with faculty from Alabama State University.
The overarching hope for the project is to identify as many Bloody Sunday participants as possible and, therefore, perhaps better understand the crucially important civil rights event while also elevating Selmas status as a historical site.
Our project highlights the need for additional historical research and documentation for one of the most famous moments in American history, Hebert said. By taking a fresh look at Bloody Sunday, our research has revealed rich details about how the march unfolded that prior historians have overlooked. We intend to help those in Selma who want to do more to preserve and interpret the historic landscapes connected to this seminal event.
Today, the historic conflict site is in dire need of historic preservation and interpretation. Hopefully, we can build a coalition to save this historic site before it is too late.
His version of events is better, I guess, but it certainly isn't good and the fact that he think that minor difference matters here is scary. I hope his wife is okay.
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Yeah the fact that just he was removed and his wife did not go with him is a huge red flag. I hope she leaves his ass for good.
Edited at 2021-06-23 02:24 pm (UTC)
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I start hating him when arrow got shit early on and then he showed himself as a messy person and I feel like my hatred is justfied
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lol for real! we call him the lesser amell for a reason ;)
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Didn't realize there was more than 1 Amell person until this post lol.
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omg i missed this story. he must have been acting like a nightmare to get kicked off. his poor wife, how humiliating for her. i hate this asshole.
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Cassandra, run sister friend. This dick isn't worth it.
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I hope the following news are her filing for the divorce but the sad reality is that it'll probably be an instagram post with a cute picture of them and a caption about how people make mistakes and she knows what a wonderful husband and father he is in private.
Edited at 2021-06-23 03:33 pm (UTC)
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Idk I legit cant imagine my husband and me getting into an argument that heated in public. Getting kicked off a flight? Thats seems really extreme to me.
Edited at 2021-06-23 02:03 pm (UTC)
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Yeah, it sounds like he was screaming at her. That shouldnt happen behind closed doors. In public, its a dealbreaker.
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If he's brave enough to do that in public, imagine how he treats her privately.
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A friend of mine is a flight attendant and once had to deal with a couple where the wife asked for a divorce right before they boarded. The husband got drunk and tried to grab my friend when she wouldnt get him another drink so she kicked him off.
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My half-sister was super abusive to her husband, and for some incomprehensible reason, she always wanted an audience when she was verbally berating him. She would be fine on the way to wherever we were going, but as soon as we got there she'd find a reason to scream at him in public. It was horrible. (She was 11 years older than me and most of this happened when I was a kid, so there wasn't much I could do to stop it.) As a result, I have a flight response to yelling now. If a person is screaming at someone they are with, I need to get away. I wouldn't be able to on a plane, so I am glad they kicked him off. Fuck this guy.
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Never really followed Arrow bts stuff but he's always seemed so obnoxious to me tbh
Hope his wife is okay
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ah so he's abusive. got it.
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If he yells at her in public, what is he like in private. This is horrible. Hope his wife it safe.
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My ex-stepdad used to scream at my mom and sister a lot. It took me years to realize just how deep the emotional abuse went, though I often never got the brunt of it (my sister was the one who was more brave and bold and so hed target her). Im rambling here, but I dont want to undermine how serious and abusive yelling can be.
Edited at 2021-06-23 02:02 pm (UTC)
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It took me until I was like 25 to realize that people at work can't yell at me like my parents did when I mess up something.
The RELIEF I felt as that WEIGHT was lifted off my shoulders....
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I lived with that at work daily for two and a half years. He's a corporate darling so he's still employed.
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Ive been yelled at at work by bosses like I have by my parents, the relief for me came when I realized I dont have to stand for it, I walk as soon as a boss yells at me now
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Sadly you get used to it and don't realize it's not normal and you don't have to put up with it.
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this sounds familiar, i went through the same thing. you learn to make yourself really small and walk on egg shells. i went NC with my mom for that reason, still working through all of that emotional abuse in therapy.
fuck people who scream at people.
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My grandfather used to yell a lot. He was never violent or anything, but I get really upset and freaked out when men get mad and yell. I didn't realize there might a connection until fairly recently.
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remember when he said this
"Had breakfast on Tuesday in Los Angeles with my wife and daughter. In the midst of marveling at how she's able to eat pancakes intended for fully grown humans while weighing less than 25 pounds... An incredibly famous young woman came in with her sort of (not really) famous boyfriend. I immediately tensed because I consider this person as the father of a young girl to be nothing short of an emotional terrorist. My wife senses this and asks me what's wrong. I respond that we need to leave immediately for fear my kid and this overly sexualized velociraptor make eye contact even for the briefest of instances. I was dead serious. This is what it's like to have a daughter."
woman-hating trash. i hate him so much, i hope he never works again lmao
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Ew, that guy.
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wtf
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Turns out he's the emotional terrorist.
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Oh my God, what the fuck??
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Pepperidge Farm remembers.
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He was afraid.... of another women corrupting his minor daughter through a glance? Is my reading comprehension off, because that is insane.
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i think it might be the somehwat famous boyfriend that he briefly refers to
nvm idk what im talking about
Edited at 2021-06-23 02:15 pm (UTC)
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The young lady was dressed kinda provocatively, and rather than minding his own business that was enough to insult his sensitive self so he told his wife they had to leave the restaurant before his daughter saw her and was tainted by the sluttiness. I wish I was making this up.
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I thought the boyfriend was the issue?
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Wasnt it Miley Cyrus?
I remember when this came out. Hes insane
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What a man move to ruin a perfectly good stack of pancakes
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What the fuck?
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lmao YIKES this kept getting worse and worse!!
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holy shit i forgot about this. wasn't he talking about miley?
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Can Musk take this asshole to space with him?
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"emotional terrorist", "overly sexualized velociraptor", dear god! Who does even describe women like that.
I bet he's one of those men that's scared his daughter is gonna start dating because he knows what a shitty man he is and what he has done.
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w h a t
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Oh no, he has a daughter? I feel bad for her.
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WTF? That is insane.
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Thats just nuts.
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I actually found the ONTD post about this incident - it happened in early 2015. There were so many comments! Made me realize that its a lot harder to blithely consume gossip these days. We take bad behavior a lot more seriously now than we did just 6 years ago. And thats definitely a good thing, but it means that the stakes are much higher in these conversations. Celeb gossip is kind of draining lol.
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What the FUCK
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The fact that he thought this story was funny and charming...
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oh he is one of those "having a daughter made see women different but i still hate thrm" men
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umm what?
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"overly sexualized velociraptor"? Did she reject him, personally or for a project? Because this sounds personal. He's gonna lock up his daughter like Rapunzel so his misogyny shields her from the evil women out there?
Edited at 2021-06-23 05:31 pm (UTC)
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Wtf even is this shit? How gross.
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I wish I was a velociraptor so I could scratch throats out
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yeah, since this happened my dislike of him was justified
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What the fuck did I just read?
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this is always what i associate him with.
can you imagine if his wife had actually made it as a model? i doubt he would've given her the time of day, for fear that she'd also ~corrupt their future daughter.
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whether he was forcibly removed or left willingly seems almost besides the point. like the fact that you were angry/belligerent enough to even have to fly separately...
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I totally get your point, but having experienced both in one of my flights, theres a world of difference. (this has nothing to do with him, I know very little about his life/career)
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Idk, If youre being asked to leave a flight because youre screaming at your wife, whether youre removed or willingly leave is not a world of difference imo. Youre still being asked to leave because youre being abusive to your wife, whether youre dragged off or not. Like good for him it didnt escalate to being dragged off but he was so belligerent and abusive towards his wife that outside people had to step in and he had to be asked to leave a flight
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You might've gotten OP's point but you're certainly missing the point of this discussion.
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For a white remotely celeb man to be "asked" to leave though...
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A man that will yell at you in public (especially loud/aggressive enough to cause a scene and warrant interference) is a dangerous man.
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At first I was going to say that the truth is probably somewhere in between (he left the flight voluntarily when asked to do so but still yelled at his poor wife) but you really have to be belligerent to get kicked off a flight and this is AFTER the flight attendants ask you to calm down, or they move you to another available seat. The fact that they removed him from the flight proves he was an asshole to her, not that it was a "slow news day." I feel very bad for his wife because if he's going off on her in public it's even worse in private.
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you have to be ESPECIALLY belligerent to get kicked off of a flight when you're a white man with a modicum of celebrity status on top of that, y i k e s.
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Isn't escorted off just a politer way of saying forced off lol. That's why they 'escort' you, to make sure you leave and don't make a fuss.
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forced off is literally dragging someone physically from his seat and down the aisle, generally kicking (especially if theyve been handcuffed) at anyone (crew, police, other passengers) they can reach, spitting, screaming, the works. escorted off is someone yells for a bit and at one point they grumpily stomp towards the door threatening a lawsuit.
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I would classify this as physically removed. Semantics, I guess.
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Good for her! Ellen has got some balls!
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Ellen Pompeo is a menace and I think she should stop talking.
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This is not a cute story. She sounds like an asshole
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Was it necessary to use profanity!
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That's literally the director's job, telling people what to do
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She sounds really high maintenance
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???
Is she proud of this?? lmao
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As much self awareness as a bunch of kale.
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Yeah, I don't think this is the cute story she thinks it is.
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apparently! and she reeeaaallly shouldnt be!
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it's her girlboss moment!
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I feel like I've been reading these Ellen anedctodes the past months where she shares a situation where the other person was supposedly an asshole, she tells it "like it is" & ends the story with something that's basically 'yeah, but we're great now'. So what's even the point of sharing it sis, I'm so confused.
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Is this supposed to be a flex? Lmao
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Every time I read something about this woman I'm not surprised people have said that the Grey's Anatomy set is "toxic"
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she's really going through it huh. i guess leading a soap opera for 17 seasons would turn me into an insane narcissist too
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One of the more recent stories really sounded like she was ready to be done with the show, and that she had to do more. Maybe this is her way of trying to get fired? Ive never watched or been interested, but thats a long run, I cant imagine many new story lines anymore.
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this makes me picture her 40 years from now, wearing a silk turban and a doctor's coat over a caftan while brandishing an Emmy statuette as she screams at the nursing home caretaker, "I WON A HARPER AVERY AWARD MOTHERFUCKER HOW DARE YOU TELL ME WHAT TO DO"
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i feel like she thinks this makes her look badass when really it just makes her come off as disrespectful to someone whos trying to create a safe working environment under his literal directorship...
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Makes me think she doesn't respect any of the show's directors or trust them to do their jobs without her monitoring them.
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This is not the funny anecdote she thinks it is.
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someone's a taste too comfortable with an oscar winning acting legend. Like I'm not claiming a karen mindset but this was definitely a moment of disrespect. Like yes your boss, husband and kids are black but KEEP it cute with Denzel sis. It would be one thing if she was embarrassed by it but....
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mte omg
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Its justnot a good story. Its impossible to determine whos right/wrong with how she tells it (I dont know enough about that setmaybe they improv a lot, but if Denzel didnt know that, shes being awful and so on and so forth) and its not funny so why tell the story?
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Exactly this.
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LMFAO. Imagine not only doing this, but then using it as an anecdote in your podcast.
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The most shocking thing out of this is that Denzel directed an episode.
And wow Ellen! Gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss!
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I honestly saw the headline and thought the publication meant Isaiah Washington and got mixed up.
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Same
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lol Same!
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same tbh
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Lol I went to IMDB as soon as I saw that to make sure!
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that was the thing i took away from this as well. like, what is denzel washington doing slumming it out here on season 12 of a network television show??????????
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just because you have tenure at a job doesn't make you the boss
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I wish more people understood this.
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But its "her" set .....
Edited at 2021-09-30 03:03 am (UTC)
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An EP is a director's boss, so she's not wrong... just a dick.
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oop! didnt know she's an EP
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White people just age slower: I'm sure that by the time that she's thirty she'll have an inkling and he will have moved on to a 25 year old.
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She must be one of those old souls.
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honestly we need an "old soul alert" tag
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or even an "age gap" tag!
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Old souls always 25 year old models, like clockwork
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I used to love Jake, but in the last few years, I've realized he's probably just a pretentious asshole.
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Someone on tik tok posted about him being a dick to his server and I honestly dont doubt it
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It was the same girl Brendon stole ONTD from
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Its the classic Leo DiCaprio Method. Ive lost many crushes this way..
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Same. Zodiac is one of my favourite movies of all time but he just takes himself so seriously.
He was great as Mysterio though.
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Wasn't he super pals with that pos Lance Armstrong, too?
Jake has fallen into that group of actors/musicians I used to like but now they're pretentious dipshits who think everything they do is soooo important.
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Ugh I know and I'm so friggin sad over it
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his indie record is much cooler than yours
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oh yeah, I thought he was so hot in Donnie Darko when I saw it in theaters. Then I realized that was fully 20 years ago and I just disintegrated into dust and blew away.
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He takes himself so seriously
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oh for sure lmao
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Taylor tried to warn us but the girls don't wanna listen!
"I'm really gonna miss you picking fights
And me falling for it, screaming that I'm right
And you would hide away and find your peace of mind
With some indie record that's much cooler than mine"
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oh he DEFINITELY is a huge douche bag
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the perspective of that photo makes it seem like she has the worlds smallest head while peter has the worlds largest
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He's the toe and she's the pinky.
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screeeeeeam
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I'm crying lol
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omfg
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i came in here to comment on why her head looks so small lmao
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Are they trying to emphasize her "old soul" by having her dress like Obi Wan Kenobi, or is that merely a coincidence?
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OP is unsure if this is a real thing people care about or just brouhaha created by Jake's fangirls.
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True! Though honestly his unhinged stans on Insta are the only ones who posted about it so I honestly contemplated that they may have made this whole thing up lol. There are actual famous people who have done the same thing that they could have gone after.
Edited at 2021-09-30 07:56 pm (UTC)
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its def a fake organization - the picture of Taboo from the Black Eyed Peas as Random Native Hot Guy, saying a quote from David Ipinia (member of the Yurok nation) is from ""Cherokee"" (like, all of them?) and then the weird Auschwitz artsy photo all points to someone who google searched buzzwords.
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They made a whole website! And there's a page dedicated just to her. idk what's going on. https://www.nativeamericansmatter.com/
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for sure this is some karendian shit.
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From this photo, her age being 25 would not have been my guess.
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She is stunning and the dress is chic.
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I'm sorry but here head looks tiny
She looks like the shrunken head man in beetlejuice
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This is the first thing I noticed. Its like vivacious and ornacia
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Screaming
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At first I thought she had huge ears. But they seem to be regular sized ears on a pinhead. I bet small dicked Jake loves the optics during certain intimate acts.
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How long ago was the photo and did she defend it or do it again?
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Not saying shes not and he isnt gross for going after way younger women but judging by that picture alone she does not look 25 lmao
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Dear god I had to read the post AFTER I opened my mouth huh
Everything got worse. Way, way worse smh
Hes been dating her for four years?! Grow up already jake jfc youre embarrassing
Edited at 2021-09-30 07:55 pm (UTC)
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disgusting
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Only slightly related but ive noticed in cultures/countries with less direct involvement with indigenous people they treat them like myths or something? Like i remember there was a kpop idol who was called out for styling her solo in a way that was basically ~tribal chic~, and koreans got mad bc they claimed it was styled after Princess Mononoke(?)...who is also styled after Tribal Chic lol. Theres also mad dreamcatchers for sale here as souvenirs which i cannot for the life of me understand.
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IDk, Australians (specifically thinking of celebs like Chris Hemsworth and Margot Robbie) seem to do the same sort of thing and Australia and indigenous people, well.....
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Well im Canadian and its a little similar too but i'd still say the vibe i get is different. Its more like in Canada people know abt the atrocities and know its probably frowned upon but dont care bc the chances theyll ever have to interact w an indig. person is low/think we're "post-colonial" so it doesnt matter. Vs in Korea its like they dont even realize these are real people who still exist and dress in these clothes, its not some mythological fairytale culture?
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Well yeah. What youre talking about is why the white lady in this post deserves to be called out for wearing a headdress, fanatical stans or not.
When you reduce people and cultures to simple iconography to use as ~cutesy~ aesthetics and dehumanize them. You strip the importance out of a culture, and disregard the weight that these things hold.
White people prancing around in headdresses, T-ara using cartoonish Native American aesthetics in their Ya-Ya-Ya music video, etc. they add up.
They dont see us as humans. Were myths and legends, but not actual people with feelings to regard.
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kinda reminds me of the American idea of "gypsies" most of us have very limited exposure to actual Roma and Travellers, so there's this weird mythic nomadic freedom concept.
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I don't know anyone who belongs to the culture where dreamcatchers originated, but they were adopted by the Pan-Indian movement as a non-tribal affiliated native arts and crafts items. They were really popular with hippies and New Agers and the ones for sale today don't resemble the traditional ones much. You can buy them in gift stores in the American southwest and even on reservations sometimes. I'm not native so I'm not sure if they are considered appropriation. Probably best to buy one from a native artist if a person really wants one.
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I've had a lot of heated conversations explaining why Native American mascots are inappropriate with Swedes, they're so fucking obtuse about it too
I've seen way too many confederate flags here, apparently Google doesn't work in Sweden
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I feel like Parasite was trying to touch on this too
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is that just a bad picture bc 25????
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girl tbh tho.. Im so glad you said it too bc I was feeling like a bih after my comment lmao
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I swear that just about all classically model looking models look much older than their actual years. Bella Hadid doesn't look 24 in many pictures to me either. I'm 38 and would put all these women at 30ish easily. Which is bizarre because I drive by average college kids around a campus in a college town and I'm absolutely certain they're a pack of teenagers.
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Girl you already know the answer to that not to be #problematic or wtv
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I think she might be styling herself to look older for this event
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She just has an angular face. So much of whether a person "looks young" isn't about wrinkles or skin but whether they have round cheeks and a weak chin.
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this. all of these old-looking girls probably look much younger up close - and the ONTDers who are getting carded well into their 30s most likely just have baby-shaped faces that have nothing to do with their skincare routine lol
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people focused so much on old jokes for the english that they forgot how much the french smoke tbh
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it was a shakedown, they heard she doesnt pay taxes
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Memories of going to random Japanese temples and seeing warnings of boars attacking.
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If a wild animal only manages to steal your purse and you walk away without a scratch, Im hesitant to use the word attacked.
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excuse u, i feel attacked by this comment
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please rate your level of attack between 1 and 10 hogs
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Lots of wild boar on Oahu. At least none have ever stolen my purse.
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"Apparently a Barcelona cop shot his partner while aiming at a boar in 2013"
Haha fuck pigs
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Cuz you visiting they home when you dont pay taxes for its upkeep.
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Did she owe them taxes?
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well, that trip to the park was anything but boaring.
ha ha ha
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Lmaooooooo
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I -
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Every animal is just one snap away from madness! Thats one ugly bag though. No wonder the boars werent interested in it. They are fashion sensible.
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They're just setting up her storyline for Zootopia 2
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'Try Everything (To Get Ha To Pay Taxes)"
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Buzzfeed sent a push notification today with "Shakira got attacked by wild boars" - and nothing but "Shakira got attacked by wild boars" - and it literally made my brain stutter to a stop when I picked my phone up. I'm going about my little day, doing my little tasks, and Shakira is out here getting attacked by wild boars. What.
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I'm just imagining you reading that like
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What she gets for giving us Don't Wait Up. Basura
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'Missing' man joins search party looking for himself https://t.co/DdXbOFNLCm BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) September 30, 2021 I know this is off topic but it was at the top of BBC News trends and it's just glorious.
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that's legit a mr bean sketch
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this is the type of plot hollywood should be using not making yet another reboot of a reboot of a sequel
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But when members of the search party began calling out his name, he replied: "I am here."
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There was one several years ago where a "missing" woman joined a search party for herself.
She was part of a bus tour & at a stop wandered off to find a bathroom (or was it to take pictures?). The tour guide counted heads, discovered someone was missing & had everyone look for her. She came back, asked a random passenger what was going on, was told they were looking for a missing woman & she joined in. It was like a hour or two later that they figured out it was her they were looking for.
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Lmao aww at least they attempted to look for her. I know some tour guides would threaten to leave you there. Ngl but that is a fear of mines lol.
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lmaooooo is life even real? omg
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Ohh okay
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NYU Public Health Researchers Receive a Grant to Protect Essential Workers Against COVID-19
Throughout the pandemic, New York Citys public transportation kept running, where essential workers were able to keep their jobs.
NYU School of Global Public Health researchers have been awarded a roughly four million dollar grant from the National Institute of Health (NIH) for five years. The grant is awarded in efforts to protect New York City transit workers from COVID-19 and how programs impact health and well-being of frontline workers. Through research that will bring transit workers and other stakeholders to the table to work alongside the research team, the project aims to identify ways to reduce occupational health disparities, according to an article. The research is also looking to identify ways to improve preparedness for workers against diseases.
Throughout the pandemic, New York Citys public transportation kept running, where essential workers were able to keep their jobs. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) workers operating and maintaining the citys subways and buses are subject to heightened risks, including exposure to COVID-19 as well as high rates of hospitalizations and deaths. Last years pilot study of transit workers showed around 24 percent of the 645 workers who completed the survey said they had COVID-19; the majority said they knew someone who died from it. Workers also faced physical and verbal abuse and assaults from riders over masks, leading to 71 percent of those surveyed to feel fearful for their personal safety at work.
The pandemic thrust transit workers into the role of frontline workers, even though they lacked the training, experience, equipment, and supervision available to other frontline workers such as health professionals and emergency medical services, said Robyn Gershon, clinical professor of epidemiology at NYU School of Global Public Health and the grants principal investigator. We need to improve how we protect transit workers by providing safe working environments for them and building resilience by ensuring that they know effective ways to help protect themselves from infectious diseases in the workplace.
Chinese oil giant PetroChina expects to start pumping shale oil from a project in its major oilfield cluster in northeast China in 2025, company executives and analysts tell Reuters, as the world's top oil importer looks to sustain its oil production and potentially lessen its dependence on imports.
PetroChina is investing billions of U.S. dollars into fracking technology and development to drill the shale formations in the Gulong area in its major Daqing oilfield cluster.
Last month, PetroChina said it would start production of 20,000 barrels per day (bpd) of shale oil at Gulong in 2025.
Yet, analysts tell Reuters that the commercial recovery of the huge shale resources there is not proven yet and could be highly uncertain.
"We're venturing into a 'no man's' zone in Gulong," He Wenyuan, chief geologist of Daqing, told reporters, as carried by Reuters.
In August, China announced the discovery of a major shale oilfield in the Daqing Oilfield cluster with expected reserves of 1.27 billion tons of oil.
China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) aims to boost shale oil production from shale formations in Daqing to reverse the decline in the production in the area, the state-held oil giant says.
Chinese oil majors are ramping up exploration for shale oil and gas as part of a mandate from authorities to raise domestic production, which could diminish China's costly dependence on crude oil and natural gas imports.
Yet, China has struggled to develop its huge shale gas and oil resources so far. The challenges arise because some of the most prolific basins are twice as deep underground as the shale gas resources in some of the most extensive U.S. shale gas plays. The challenging geology leads to higher well drilling and completion costs, lower margins for exploration and production companies, and, at times, mixed results in gas flows.
By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com
More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Analysts and members of OPEC expect the gas crisis to boost oil demand by up to 1 million bpd this winter
Many analysts and oil companies see global oil demand returning to the pre-crisis levels of 2019 as early as the start of next year, if not earlier, by the end of 2021
Oil demand globally is recovering from the summer Delta variant spike faster than some observers had expected.
Brent prices hit a three-year high at $80 a barrel early on Tuesday, driven by recovering demand and a global energy supply crisis pushing up the use of oil and prices of fossil fuel commodities. The rally to $80the first time Brent Crude prices have exceeded this mark since September 2018may have legs for further upsides, analysts say.
Oil demand globally is recovering from the summer Delta variant spike faster than some observers had expected. Soaring prices of natural gas and coal in Europe and Asia are forcing more gas-to-oil switching at power generating units globally, further pushing up demand for oil.
On the supply side, Hurricane Ida disrupted production in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, and some OPEC+ members are struggling to pump to the full capacity of their quotas. In addition, U.S. shale producers show remarkable never-seen-before discipline in drilling activity despite the fact that the U.S. benchmark, WTI Crude, has been trading above $60 a barrel for nearly six monthssince the middle of April.
The global energy crisis and the recovery in oil demand after the July slump caused by the Delta variant are making investment banks, oil producers, and oil trading giants more bullish about oil prices in the coming quarters, especially in view of a muted supply response to the rise in demand.
Oil Demand Set To Return To Pre-COVID Level By Early 2022
Many analysts and oil companies see global oil demand returning to the pre-crisis levels of 2019 as early as the start of next year, if not earlier, by the end of 2021.
The oil industry is massively underinvesting in supply to meet growing demand, which is set to return to pre-COVID levels as soon as the end of 2021 or early 2022, Greg Hill, president of U.S. oil producer Hess Corp, said on Monday.
Oil demand worldwide is expected to hit 100 million barrels per day (bpd) by the end of this year or in early 2022, Hill said, adding that demand next year is set to rise to 102 million bpdexceeding pre-pandemic levels.
ConocoPhillips chief executive Ryan Lance also thinks that oil demand would bounce back to pre-pandemic levels by early 2022.
According to OPEC, the surge of the Delta variant is set to partially delay oil demand recovery into the next year. But then robust economic growth and stronger recovery in fuel consumption will see global oil demand averaging 100.8 million bpd and exceeding pre-COVID levels, OPEC said in its latest monthly report, raising its 2022 demand forecast by as much as 900,000 bpd.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) sees strong pent-up demand beginning in October and continuing through the rest of 2021, although its demand outlook is not as bullish as OPECs.
The global energy crunch, with natural gas prices at all-time highs in Europe and coal stockpiles very low in Europe and parts of Asia, adds more fuel to the bullish forecasts. Analysts and members of OPEC expect the gas crisis to boost oil demand by up to 1 million bpd this winter. According to Mele Kyari, managing director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), the gas crunch could push oil prices up by around $10 per barrel over the next three to six months.
$100 Oil?
Goldman Sachs raised this week its end-2021 oil price forecast to $90 a barrel Brent from $80 per barrel projected earlier, expecting tightening oil markets with robust demand recovery and supply constraints from Hurricane Ida and weak supply response from non-OPEC+ oil producers.
The oil market is currently tightening, ING strategists Warren Patterson and Wenyu Yao said on Tuesday.
The forward curve continues to strengthen and the ICE Brent Dec21-Dec22 timespread is trading in a backwardation in excess of US$7/bbl, up from less than US$4/bbl in August. A growing backwardation along the curve reinforces the view of a tightening market, they noted.
Related: The Energy Crisis Is Sending Oil, Gas, And Coal Prices Soaring
Were going to see higher oil prices, Ben Luckock, Co-Head of Oil Trading at commodity trading giant Trafigura, told Bloomberg in an interview published on Monday.
I struggle to see anything but higher prices going forward in the next two years, Luckock said.
Trafiguras chief economist Saad Rahim doesnt rule out $100 oil at some point at the end of 2022, despite COVID challenges to demand this coming winter.
Not just the price, but the level of backwardation we are seeing is telling us the market is hungry for oil, Saad Rahim, chief economist at Trafigura, said during the virtual Argus Asia-Pacific Crude Forum last week, as carried by Argus.
In a market apparently hungry for oil, analysts will be closely watching the next monthly meeting of the OPEC+ group scheduled for Monday, October 4.
Oil at $80 is often the demand destruction price point, at which major consumers and importers of crude such as India and China start balking at the high oil prices and lower their purchases.
By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com
More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Many African nations are more focused on how to keep up with energy demands by any means than on how to keep up with demand in a climate-friendly manner.
Africas energy sector is at a crossroads. The continents energy demand, as well as its energy industry, are set to expand in the coming decades, and it will take an enormous amount of investment and infrastructure to keep up with demand. The question is where this energy will come from. Some are counting on the continents plentiful natural gas reserves, while others are hedging their bets on a renewable future for Africa.
For most of our lifetimes, booming population growth has been synonymous with Asia -- in particular the twin giants of China and India, which are home to over a third (36%) of the worlds total population. The population growth in Asia has now slowed down, however, and Africa has taken the lead. As the population expands, the economy will have to expand along with it, and that will require a whole lot more energy that the continent is currently producing -- or importing, for that matter.
Currently, about 600 million people living in Africa do not have access to energy at all. Many of those who do have access to electricity only have it intermittently, as power failures and rolling blackouts are a common occurrence, even in the continents megacities. In rural areas, the puzzle of reliably and securely electrifying the continent is even more complicated. Because electricity from the grid is intermittent and generally unreliable, many Africans rely on gas- or diesel-fueled backup generators, a far from eco-friendly alternative.
Many African nations are more focused on how to keep up with energy demands by any means than on how to keep up with demand in a climate-friendly manner. However, there are some major exceptions. Some countries, such as Nigeria, which already derives 80% of its energy production capacity from natural gas, are planning to rely on their naturally plentiful stocks of this fossil fuel to power their growing cities. Many see this as a compromise between dirtier fossil fuels and renewable energies, as natural gas burns cleaner than oil or coal.
Other African countries are turning to renewable energies such as wind and solar. Ghana, for example, has had great success electrifying its rural countryside through the use of solar-powered microgrids. "There has been an 80% reduction in solar prices over the last decade, and an 85% reduction in battery prices. The combination of those two things is making certain types of electricity provision quite attractive. The most plentiful resource we have is not oil and gas - it's sunlight," Olusola Lawson of African Infrastructure Investment Managers told the BBC. For this reason Lawson feels confident when he says, "By 2050 about half of the new energy installed across Africa is going to be renewable energy."
Local African governments and companies are not the only entities interested in Africas energy future -- not by a long shot. For years, China, Russia, and other foreign powers have been slowly edging into the markets there. In fact, early last year, Oilprice reported on a faceoff between Russia and China to develop and dominate the continents nuclear energy sector, a push which included Russia foisting unwanted and possibly unneeded nuclear power plants on Egypt.
The question of whether Africa will turn to clean energy to fuel its growing economy is an important one, not just for Africans, but for the world. Just this August, a new landmark report from the United Nations and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) sounded a code red for humanity, warning that the window to avoid the worst effects of catastrophic climate change is rapidly closing. As it stands, humans have already irreversibly altered the climate, and it is urgent that the world curb fossil fuel emissions before that problem becomes compounded. Whats more, in a cruel irony, Africa, the continent which has contributed the least to global greenhouse gas emissions, is going to be one of the continents that suffers the most from its effects.
By Haley Zaremba for Oilprice.com
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After a fairytale run that saw Brent temporarily cross the magical $80/bbl mark for the first time in three years, the crude rally has taken a breather thanks to a surprise build in crude inventories. On Tuesday, the American Petroleum Institute (API) reported a build in crude oil inventories of 4.127 million barrels for the week ending September 24, contrary to analysts consensus of a loss of 2.33 million barrels. API had reported a draw in oil inventories of 6.108 million barrels in the previous week, well above expectations of a draw of 2.40 million barrels.
Nevertheless, Brent settled at USD 78.17/bbl on 30th September for a w/w gain of USD 4.25/bbl, while WTI for November delivery rose USD 4.11/bbl w/w to USD 74.25/bbl.
Despite the latest surprise build, its worth noting that oil inventories in the United States have drawn down nearly 73 million barrels so far this year - well below pre-pandemic levels. The latest data by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) suggests that crude oil inventories in the United States are now 8% under the five-year average for this time of year, at 414 million barrels.
The Standard Chartered commodities desk has offered a rather bearish oil price outlook, arguing that the fundamental case for USD 80/bbl is not any stronger today than it was a few months ago.
The technical side
According to Stanchart strategists, the move in Brent seemed to come straight out of a technical trading textbook; the market had held key support last week and then recorded a double inside day (consecutive days of lower highs and higher lows) before exceeding the 2021 high and breaking out further to the upside.
The move higher also reflected developments in broader risk asset markets, in particular mirroring the market for 10Y US Treasuries. The gains continued along the oil price curve, with further-out values reversing their recent weakness. Brent for delivery five years out gained USD 2.61/bbl w/w, settling at a three-month high of 59.66/bbl on 27 September. Oil prices broke out to the upside, with Brent pushing above USD 80/bbl thanks to highly positive technical factors and supportive cross-asset developments helped the move to USD 80/bbl stick this time, in contrast to the stalled push higher in early July and the subsequent weakness. In the 12 weeks since the failed push higher, prices swung lower by USD 13/bbl before rallying USD 16/bbl back towards USD 80/bbl.
Stanchart, however, says it remains skeptical that the fundamental case for USD 80/bbl is any stronger today than it was in early July. Indeed, the analysts say market balances have weakened in the intervening period. Market expectations of a strong global stock draw in July were not met, and August and September appear to show slight global surpluses, with global demand having remained flat since June.
The positive shift in market sentiment about oil fundamentals appears to be a crossover from the strength of international gas markets, particularly the sensitivity of markets to a potentially colder-than-normal northern hemisphere winter. Despite mixed weather forecasts, Stanchart says the market may be pricing in lower-than-average temperatures and overstating the boost to oil demand from substitution for gas. In all, significant weather risk appears to be embedded in current prices.
Comparing medium-term weather forecasts to the colder conditions the market is pricing in, the associated price risk appears to be to the downside.
Biden administration intervenes
With the next OPEC+ meeting scheduled for 4th October, the big question at this juncture is whether ministers will want to be seen to be doing more to cap prices.
Back in August, Biden exhorted OPEC+ to do more to control prices at a time when Brent was about USD 8/bbl lower than current levels. That intervention came just after an OPEC+ meeting and seemed to be primarily intended for a domestic U.S. audience. According to Stanchart, the Biden administration is likely to have repeated this point privately to key producers in advance of the upcoming OPEC+ meeting and will be expecting more of a response than it got in August when OPEC+ declined to increase output. Related: Commerce Department Delays Critical Decision On Solar Panel Tariffs
Indeed, the analysts say theres a fair chance that the administration will authorize the release of the strategic oil reserve should OPEC+ disappoint again and prices continue climbing. In August, for the first time in four years, the Energy Department authorized the release of some of its strategic oil supply to combat a significant fuel shortage in Louisiana following Hurricane Ida.
Rising production
Something else to keep an eye on is rising oil production.
U.S. oil production had been down more than a million bpd over the last couple of weeks, but crude production ticked up for the week ending September 17, to 10.6 million bpwith more than 84% of Gulf of Mexico oil producers finally back online after Hurricane Ida made landfall at the end of August.
The U.S. oil rig count rose by 10 w/w to a 17-month high of 421 for the week ended 24
September, according to the latest Baker-Hughes survey, marking the first consecutive
double-digit increase since April 2017. Four of the 17 Louisiana rigs idled by Hurricane Ida became active again (three offshore and one onshore), leaving nine rigs still inactive.
In areas unaffected by Ida, the main w/w gain was Oklahomas four rig increase, taking the states oil rig count to 38. Within the Permian Basin of West Texas and New Mexico, the Delaware Basin rig count rose by two, while the Midland Basin rig count fell by one, and other Permian activity was unchanged at 21 rigs.
Meanwhile, Libya remains a wildcard, with Libyas Minister of Oil and Gas, Mohamed Oun, recently announcing that the countrys crude oil production has risen to 1.3mb/d, the highest since April 2013. The Libyan government aims to raise production rapidly, although this will
require investment to upgrade and maintain facilities damaged by war and chronic
underinvestment. Libya remains exempt from OPEC+quotas, so any increases in production will be additive to OPEC+s current clip of 400,000 b/d per month.
By Alex Kimani for Oilprice.com
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Chinas central government has ordered state-owned energy companies to do whatever they must to secure energy supplies for this winter, according to Bloomberg sources.
The Vice Premier Han Zheng issued the desperate order at an emergency meeting earlier this week with state-owned asset regulator and economic planning agencies.
The message was clear: blackouts will not be tolerated, Bloomberg sources revealed.
But China is already suffering blackouts and coal shortages leading up to the week-long National Day holiday.
In Jilin, one state-owned water services provider said that power cuts of indeterminate lengths, at indeterminate times, without plan, without warning, would be the normal until March. Although according to the Washington Post, this statement was later deleted and the water provider apologized for its unsuitable wording and inaccurate content.
China blamed the blackouts on reduced mining production due to safety incidents and anti-graft investigations, and limited coal imports.
China has already expanded its power use restrictions to 20 regions and provinces that account for 66% of Chinas GDP.
But China is now attempting to calm the market with promises to take necessary steps to maintain economic growthsomething that power restrictions across 20 provinces would make particularly difficult.
Chinas scrambling to do whatever they must to keep the lights on at home will pressure Europe, who is in the midst of a power crisis of their own, with natural gas prices now at record levels with supplies of natural gas at dangerously low levels heading into the cold season.
By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com
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Mexico has the potential to install 22 terawatts (TW) of green hydrogen infrastructure, with key areas for development being public transport, power generation and the petrochemical industry, according to a study published last week, Argus Media reported.
The study, commissioned by the Mexico-Germany Alliance and which German foreign development agency GiZ financed, sought to lay out a blueprint for green hydrogen development across Mexico.
Among the key areas for opportunity, it lists public transport, long-distance cargo vehicles, heavy industry, state oil firm Pemexs refining and petrochemical businesses, and power generation and electricity storage. According to the study, green hydrogen use in Pemexs downstream business, including refining and ammonia production, could be worth about $1.3 billion per year by 2030.
Green hydrogen could also power about 1.5 gigawatts of electricity generation capacity by 2050, the study said. However, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has not made the development of renewables a focus of his administration.
Instead, the president has made strengthening energy self-sufficiency a priority. He has introduced legislation that seeks to bolster the states role in the fuels market, a move that followed a law that favors CFE over private power generators even though the latter can provide cheaper and cleaner electricity. The government fully intends to favor energy security over emissions reduction, and that entails using the resources more readily available to [state oil enterprises]: coal and fuel oil.
Companies will be prevented, either through direct barring or market tampering, from accessing and investing in clean energies, Christian Wagner, Americas analyst at Verisk Maplecroft, told the Energy Advisor in a Q&A published April 16. This will delay Mexicos energy transition and hinder its compliance with international climate change commitments, Wagner added.
By Latin America Energy Advisor
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The UK is ousting China's CGN from the Sizewell C nuclear power plant project, the Financial Times reported, adding that the options for the 20-percent stake that the Chinese company holds in the project will be sold to institutional investors or floated on the stock market.
Reports of the UK government's intention to remove the Chinese state-owned company from the nuclear power project first emerged in July, also by the Financial Times, which at the time wrote that the plan was to cut off CGN from all nuclear power projects in the UK amid a cooling off between the two countries that also saw the UK force China's Huawei out of its 5G network.
The growing animosity of the UK towards China came amid China's quashing of dissenters in Hong Kong, allegations of repressions against Muslim minorities such as the Uyghurs, and a growing concernnot only in the UKthat reliance on Chinese technology threatens the security of other countries' supply chains and critical infrastructure.
The Sizewell C nuclear power plant, to have an installed capacity of 3.2 GW, is 80-percent owned by French EDF. The project would cost $27 billion (20 billion pounds) to build, of which CGN was supposed to provide 20 percent.
Now, EDF is reportedly considering something called a "regulated asset base" for the project, which, the FT explains, would involve households starting to contribute to the cost of building Sizewell C through their electricity bills before it begins operating.
"CGN is a valued partner at Hinkley Point C and a shareholder in Sizewell C up until the point of the government's Final Investment Decision. Negotiations are ongoing and no final decision has been taken", the British Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy told Reuters in a statement.
The Chinese company is also a 30-percent shareholder in another nuclear power plant project in the UK, Hinkley Point C, which is also majority-owned by EDF and currently under construction.
By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com
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The value of petroleum exports of OPEC members plummeted by over $240 billion last year due to the collapse in demand and prices in the pandemic, figures from the cartels Annual Statistical Bulletin showed on Thursday.
The value of OPECs total petroleum exports plunged to $321 billion in 2020, compared to $562 billion in 2019, according to the data released today.
Last year, oil demand slumped in the pandemic, and so did oil prices, exacerbated by the fact that OPEC and its key partner in the OPEC+ deal, Russia, failed in March 2020 to agree on how to react to the decline in consumption with the lockdowns and travel restrictions worldwide.
When OPEC and the Russia-led non-OPEC members of the OPEC+ pact reached an agreement, they significantly curtailed supply to the market, which further weighed on the value of petroleum exports even when oil prices started to recover from the April 2020 lows.
The OPEC Reference Basket averaged $41.47 a barrel in nominal terms during 2020, down from $64.04 per barrel in 2019, which was a massive decrease of $22.57 a barrel, or 35.2 percent, OPEC said in its Annual Statistical Bulletin. The volatility level was $12.55 a barrel, or 30.3 percent, relative to the yearly average.
As a result, the value of OPECs oil exportsthe main, and in many cases indispensable, part of OPEC members government revenuesdrastically fell last year compared to 2019.
The value of petroleum exports of OPECs top producer, Saudi Arabia, nearly halved, according to OPECs bulletin. Last year, the value of Saudi oil exports stood at $119 billion, down from $200 billion in 2019.
Crude oil export volumes also slumpedto an average of 19.70 million bpd in 2020, a sharp decrease of 12.4 percent compared to 2019. This was the fourth consecutive annual decline in OPECs crude oil exports, the cartel said.
As in previous years, most of OPECs crude oil73.2 percent of exportswent to Asia, particularly China and India.
By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com
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Wayoe Engineering and Construction (WEC) has been awarded a contract for the SLS Infrastructure Project in Ghana for the supply and installation of Structural Steelwork, Mechanical Equipment, Piping & Platework (SMPP) Installation project by DRA Global for Newmont Ahafo Mine.
DRA Global is a diversified global engineering, project delivery, and operations management with an impressive track record spanning more than three decades.
The scope of the work includes the construction of Surface Fans, Refrigeration Plant, Potable Water, Fire Water System, Sewage System, Hydrocarbon Storage Shed, Waste Ore Pass Facility, warehouses, and associated works.
Dr. Stephen Wayoe, CEO of WEC, says that the award of this contract by Newmont & DRA Global signifies WEC as being the partner of choice in engineered project solutions & continued construction excellence and that we look forward to delivering this project safely & successfully.
Customer focus being a core value of WEC, they are further modernising its fabrication capabilities having constructed a new Fabrication facility that is 70% automated and capable of fabricating + 600 tons of steelwork, platework and piping per month, which will guarantee an efficient fabrication process at the highest quality for our valued clients across the continent.
Source: Peacefmonline.com/ghana
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Algeria and Morocco have reacted with anger to France's decision to slash the number of visas for their citizens.
France announced on Tuesday it would halve the number of visas available to Moroccans and Algerians, and reduce by a third those available to Tunisians.
It accused the three north African countries of failing to co-operate over the return of their nationals denied visas by France.
Algeria summoned the French ambassador to "formally protest" against the move.
Foreign Minister Amar Belani told the state news agency APS that France's decision was "disproportionate".
Meanwhile, Morocco's Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita called the decision "unjustified", and said his country "has always acted responsibly on the issue of illegal migration".
There was no immediate word from the Tunisian authorities.
The French government's spokesman Gabriel Attal admitted on Tuesday that the decision to cut visas was "drastic" and "unprecedented".
"But one made necessary by the fact that these countries are refusing to take back nationals who we do not want or cannot keep in France," he told Europe 1 radio station.
"There was dialogue, then there were threats, and today we're carrying out those threats."
When visa requests are denied, French authorities must still secure a consular pass in order to forcibly expel individuals to their home countries, AFP news agency reports.
Source: BBC
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A man in Eritrea has died at the age of 127, his family has said, expressing the hope that Natabay Tinsiew will earn a place in the Guinness World Records as the oldest person to have ever lived.
"Patience, generosity and a joyful life" were the secrets behind him living for so long, his grandson Zere Natabay told BBC Tigrinya.
Mr Natabay died peacefully in his village, Azefa - which has a population of about 300 and is in a gorge surrounded by mountains - on Monday.
His grandson said church records - including his birth certificate - showed he was born in 1894 - the year he was baptized - making him 127 at the time of his death.
But Mr Natabay's family believed that he was, in fact, born in 1884, but he was baptized 10 years later when a priest came around to their village. There were few priests at the time, and people waited for them to visit their villagers.
Father Mentay, a Catholic priest who served in the village for seven years, confirmed that records showed that Mr Natabay was born in 1894.
He said he was present when villagers celebrated his 120th birthday in 2014.
Mr Zere told BBC Tigrinya that he had already contacted Guinness World Records to validate the official documents of his birth, and he was waiting to hear from them.
It records French woman Jeanne Calment, who died in 1997 at the age of 122, as the oldest person to have lived.
Mr Natabay got married in 1934. His wife died in 2019 at the age of 99.
During his lifetime, Mr Natabay was a herdsmen, who owned many cattle, goats and honey bees, and he had lived to see five generations of his family grow up.
Mr Zere said his grandfather would be remembered as an "extraordinary man", who was kind, caring and hardworking.
Source: BBC
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A member of Justice George Kingsley Koomson committee that probed the disturbances at Ejura in the Ashanti Region, Professor Vladimir Antwi Danso has defended the findings and recommendations of the committee.
The committee in its report published on Monday, September 27, 2021, stated: We accordingly find that the death of Kaaka was not directly linked to his activism, it is more probably a family feud. This is also supported by the testimony of Aminu Mohammed, a resident of Ejura and a friend of the late Kaaka.
But the family of Kaaka has described that part of the report as needless and politically engineered.
Speaking on behalf of the family in radio interview with Accra-based Joy FM, Nassif Mohammed said, As a family, we were shocked when we heard that. So we are of the view that the committee erred, they have not done their work accordingly to the framework set.
Why should you be talking about the death of Kaaka when Justice Koomson himself said the reference of their committee is not to find the murderer of Kaaka, he questioned.
For his part, Security Analyst, Prof Emmanuel Kwesi Aning also speaking a radio interview said the finding on the possible motive for the alleged killing came as a surprise to him.
The point that Kaakas death resulted from the family feud, I find it quite difficult but I dont know what evidence was presented before the committee. It has come to me as quiet a surprise, he said.
But apart from that, the conclusions and the generalisations are very satisfactory. They are down to earth, they are sensible, they are implementable and I am hoping for the week in this country the recommendation will be implemented , he added.
But Prof Antwi Danso, on his part stressed that their findings are to help the police do its work.
He said it was the CID that was constitutionally mandated to deal with the issue of the death of Kaaka, and "we didnt want to do their work for them. We didnt have that mandate, so Kaaka's family anger should not be directed to the committee.
He added that Our work does not stop the CID from going further. Our work does not stop the family to seek redress from that point.. Our work is part of what the police will rely on. And then lead to whether our findings being wrong or right. I dont see what is wrong with that?
Background
On Saturday, June 26, 2021, social media activist, Macho Kaaka, was attacked by some unknown assailants in front of his house around 1:30 a.m. and was left in a critical condition.
He was rushed to the Ejura Government Hospital, from where he was referred to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi.
Around midday on Monday, June 28, 2021 he died on admission.
When news about his death broke, the youth of Ejura embarked on a protest that Monday but that was quelled by the police, with assistance from the military.
However, on Tuesday, on their return from the cemetery, after burying Kaaka, the youth decided to protest.
In the process, they clashed with the security, leading to the death of Abdul Nasir Yussif and Muntala Mohammed.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo later directed the Minister for the Interior, Mr Ambrose Dery, to set up a public inquiry into the incidence.
Source: graphiconline.com
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Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was sentenced on Thursday to one year in prison for illegal campaign financing in his failed 2012 re-election bid, making him the first French head of state in modern times to receive two jail terms.
It is unlikely that Sarkozy will serve his sentence behind bars: The judge said he could serve the sentence by wearing an electronic bracelet at home. All 13 co-defendants have been found guilty.
"Nicolas Sarkozy knew the spending limit," the judge said. "He knew he shouldn't exceed it."
Speaking outside of the courtroom on Thursday, Sarkozy's lawyer Thierry Herzog told French media that he would be launching an appeal.
This is the second criminal case involving Sarkozy. In March he was handed a three-year prison sentence, two of which were suspended, for corruption and influence peddling. The 66-year-old has appealed the March conviction.
Read Full Story .... HERE >>> :
Source: CNN
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Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng has indicated that his outfit will be going after Ghanaians driving luxurious cars in the country.
Speaking in an interview on ''Kokrokoo'' on Peace FM, the Special Prosecutor outlined his mandate stating he is not only tasked to prosecute corrupt politicians but also any individual, whether in public or private capacity, who lives a suspicious lifestyle.
He stressed that he has the obligation to interrogate the source of people's wealth and businesses.
"Those of you driving cars that we have no idea where you get them from. What work do you do to be driving a Bugatti? You will explain it to me. It's also part of my job. I can give you a notice for you to report in my office to show me where you acquired the Bugatti from. What work do you do? Come and show me your salary . . . If you don't explain it clearly to me for me to better understand, I will impound the car and proceed to court," he warned.
''The Office of Special Prosecutor is not targeting only politicians but public officials, politically exposed persons, meaning a person who the government has given a position in this country - the person can be a Judge, Police officer and so forth - and the person's spouse, children and anyone closely associated with the person is politically exposed person. Also, political party officials like a party Chairman at a constituency, a party Chairman/executive at the national level; the Special Prosecutor can investigate all them," he said.
Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
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Yet again, the Mobile Maintenance Unit of the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) has filled up the many potholes on the Accra-bound side of the Accra-Tema Motorway to make driving on the stretch safe.
For weeks, drivers and commuters who use the motorway complained about the gaping and dangerous potholes that had developed particularly on that stretch of the 19km motorway that had become a threat to road safety.
Over the weekend, the mobile maintenance team undertook an exercise to improve the situation, filling the potholes with bitumen, although the road is paved with concrete.
The Public Relations Officer of the GHA, Cecil Obodai Wentum, told the Daily Graphic that the weekends rehabilitation works constituted about 80 per cent of required maintenance works, and that the rest would be completed soon.
Beyond that, officials of the GHA declined to answer further questions with regard to the proposed rehabilitation and expansion works on the motorway.
Read the full article in today's edition of the Daily Graphic. Thank you
Source: graphiconline.com
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YouTube has said it will remove content that spreads misinformation about all approved vaccines, expanding a ban on false claims about Covid-19 jabs.
Videos that say approved vaccines are dangerous and cause autism, cancer or infertility are among those that will be taken down, the company said.
The policy includes the termination of accounts of anti-vaccine influencers.
Tech giants have been criticized for not doing more to counter false health information on their sites.
In July, US President Joe Biden said social media platforms were largely responsible for people's scepticism in getting vaccinated by spreading misinformation and appealed for them to address the issue.
YouTube, which is owned by Google, said 130,000 videos were removed from its platform since last year when it implemented a ban on content spreading misinformation about Covid vaccines.
In a blog post, the company said it had seen false claims about Covid jabs "spill over into misinformation about vaccines in general". The new policy covers long-approved vaccines, such as those against measles or hepatitis B.
"We're expanding our medical misinformation policies on YouTube with new guidelines on currently administered vaccines that are approved and confirmed to be safe and effective by local health authorities and the WHO," the post said, referring to the World Health Organization.
Personal testimonies relating to vaccines, content about vaccine policies, new vaccine trials, and historical videos about vaccine successes or failures will be allowed to remain on the site, the company said.
The move follows a similar ban introduced by Facebook in February, targeting false claims that vaccines are not effective or cause autism, among others. But since then the company has faced challenges in enforcing it.
In March, Twitter announced that users who repeatedly shared misinformation about vaccines would be banned from the platform.
Source: BBC
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General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, says the position of the longest serving Chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC), Dr Afari Gyan on the NDC's proposal for a law to be enacted to back the role of the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) does not come as a surprise.
According to him, Dr Afari Gyan has been consistent with his position on the issue of empowering the operations of IPAC with a law as he has always disagreed with other political parties during his time in office when the same issue cropped up.
Reacting to Dr Afari Gyans position on Okay FMs 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show, General Mosquito as he is popularly called, however said there is already a divided opinion on what Dr Afari Gyan disagrees with.
The one he said he disagrees with; we have a divided opinion about it. One side is saying that any form of legislation to IPAC will reduce the independence of the Electoral Commission (EC). The other side is also saying that it depends on the type of legislation, he noted.
He reiterated that it is premature for anybody to conclude that the law that is being proposed by the NDC would affect the independence of the EC.
What are the specifics in the legislation that will reduce the independence of the EC? Nobody has come out with the conditions that will reduce the independence of the Electoral Commission. So, if there is a law to say that only three parties should attend IPAC meeting, how does this affect the independence of the Electoral Commission? You might see the law first before you can conclude that it will affect the independence of the EC, he argued.
He was of the view that the law can be carefully crafted to protect the independence of the Electoral Commission just as Ethiopia has done to back the activities of their similar body like IPAC in Ghana.
If the EC has recognised that they need external input, and if we attach a law to back the way we will generate that external input, how does that affect the independence of the EC? This is because it is up to them to say that they need external input or not, he wondered.
Watch video below
Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com
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Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng Esq. has disclosed in an interview with Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM's flagship programme ''Kokrokoo'' that his office has only one employee despite its mandate to employ about 250 people.
It could be recalled that the former Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu made some claims to justify why he couldn't employ adequate number of people to assist with his work coupled with other challenges, one of them has to do with the controversial Agyapa deal, resulting in his resignation.
According to Kissi Agyebeng, he came to meet only one person on the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) payroll which, to him, is disturbing.
He detailed why the office has only one staff member although he disclosed the members were 10 in number; all of them except the employee on payroll are secondment.
He intimated that, when he began his duty, one of the staff members resigned for personal reasons, hence reducing the number to nine workers.
The workers he therefore inherited include drivers, cleaners, a prosecutor on secondment from the AGs office and an investigator on secondment from the Ghana Police Service.
Shocking Kwami Sefa Kayi with these revelations, Kissi Agyebeng expounded; ''The main job for the OSP appears to be done by only one person. When I checked the 2019 Appropriation Act, it states that the setup we need is 251. If 251 and I have only one, then I have huge task . . . You are a Special Prosecutor but we have given you divisions.
"Some of the divisions include Finance and Administration; there is no HR. We have given you Prosecution Divison but there's no Prosecution Division. Investigation Division isn't there. Asset Recovery and Management isn't there. The law says the office can create more divisions but if the ones stipulated in the law isn't available, not to talk of what you (Special Prosecutor) must set up."
He, however, pledged to commit to his mandate to recruit more people to facilitate the work of the Special Prosecutor.
Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
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The Minority in Parliament has challenged the government to make public the report of the forensic audit it undertook to investigate contracts awarded during former President John Mahamas tenure for the execution of various hospital projects.
It said since the government instituted the forensic audit five years ago, it must be bold to come out with the report for Ghanaians to know the truth.
We are challenging the government that if anybody did anything wrong, the law must take its course. They must stop worrying our ears with the excuse that it is due to the forensic audit that hospital projects have delayed, it said.
People deserve better
Speaking to the media after Minority members on the Health Committee of Parliament had visited some uncompleted hospital projects in the Ashanti and the Eastern regions last Monday and Tuesday, the Ranking Member of the Health Committee, Mr Kwabena Akandoh, said If the government thinks anybody has squandered money, the law must take its course and the people must not suffer for delayed projects.
The people living in communities where these projects are situated deserve better than the treatment meted out to them by this government.
Mr Akandoh dared the government, after the team had visited district hospitals that were initiated by former President Mahama in Kumawu and Fomena in the Ashanti Region, as well as Abetifi and Somanya in the Eastern Region.
The four hospitals were part of a turnkey arrangement with Messrs NMS Infrastructure and Barclays Bank Plc, London, at an estimated cost of $175 million.
Along with others in the Shai-Osudoku, Sekondi-Takoradi and Garu district and municipalities, the projects started in 2015 and were due to be completed in 2017.
However, their execution had stalled over the past five years following the governments decision to undertake forensic audit of the contract.
Respond to cry of the people
The MP for Juaboso noted that Ghana had contracted the $175 million facility for the seven hospital projects and the government had been paying interest on the loan, even though the people were not getting full benefits of the projects.
He said the hospitals could be serving the utmost interest of the people of Abetifi, Kumawu, Somanya and Fomena and their environs, the reason the government must commit the needed resources to complete them.
Since no government can finish projects in one or two terms, when another government inherits projects, it must continue them, so that the people will benefit from such projects.
Even if there is no law for a government to continue with inherited projects and you are a responsible government, at least the crying of the people must pinch you that they need something, he said.
He argued that if a project was awarded and the government considered that the funds for its execution were inadequate, it could repackage it and go back to Parliament to seek more funds.
Produce report
A member of the team, Mr Charles Akwasi Agbeve, who is the MP for Agotime-Ziope, said unless the government renegotiated the project contract, Ghana would be paying the interest and the principal for work that had not been completed.
We have a situation where money has taken and no work has been done and this is total waste, he said, and called for a reconsideration of the law on causing financial loss to the state.
If you say you are carrying out a forensic audit to investigate and understand the projects that you came to meet, will it take you five years? If you have done the investigation, we want to see the report, so that we will know the truth. But because you found nothing, you cannot produce the report and the job too you are not able to continue, he said.
Lead demonstration
Mr Agbeve commended the youth of Abetifi for embarking on a demonstration for the persistent failure of the government to implement the project.
According to him, Abetifi was not a beneficiary of the governments Agenda 111 hospital projects, since it already had this project, and that is their fate.
Members
The group, led by the Ranking Member of the Health Committee, Mr Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, included the Deputy Ranking Member, Dr Mark Kurt Nawaane, who is also the MP for Nabdam; the MP for Techiman North, Mrs Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare; the MP for Afram Plains North, Mrs Betty Nana Efua Krosbi Mensah; the MP for Agotime-Ziope, Mr Charles Akwasi Agbeve, and the MP for Amenfi West, Mr Eric Afful.
Source: graphiconline.com
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The Member of Parliament (MP) for Asawase in the Ashanti Region, Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak has descended heavily on pro National Democratic Congress (NDC) rabble rouser, Kelvin Taylor by describing him as a nation wrecker who is being used to destroy the main opposition political party.
According to him, some bigots in his political party are using Kelvin Taylor to churn out pure lies to cause disaffection between him and supporters of the NDC.
The Minority Chief Whip described Kelvin Taylor as a bigot and ignorant self-styled journalist who is misleading gullible people within and outside the main opposition party.
In a recent video, Kelvin Taylor accused the NDC Leaders in Parliament (Haruna Iddrisu and Muntaka Mubarak) of taking advantage of their equal numbers in parliament; to negotiate behind the scenes with the ruling government.
He further alleges that Muntaka has been getting contracts and bribes from the government to cover up issues in parliament.
Kelvin Taylor vowed to expose all the corrupt NDC MPs. starting from the leadership; Muntaka Mubarak and Haruna Iddrisu.
In the video, Kelvin Taylor advised Muntaka Mubarak against using the Quran, and the name of Allah to cover his corrupt deals with the NPP.
He added that, in Muntakas statement, he only addressed one allegation (travelling with Nana Addo to the US), but failed to address all other allegations against him; which according to Taylor means, Muntaka is running away from the other allegations.
According to Kelvin Taylor, Muntaka Mubarak must resign immediately, before he (Kelvin Taylor) exposes his corrupt acts with the NPP government.
Kelvin added that, he is ready to provide all proves to back his allegations against Muntaka and Haruna.
Kelvin Taylor, who is also the CEO of the Loud Silence Media, based in the United States further stated that, if Muntaka Mubarak and Haruna Iddrisu were not bowing to the NPP government, they would not have approved all the Nana Addos appointees; and that if they continue in office as leaders of the NDC caucus in parliament, he would expose them all very soon.
However, Muntaka vehemently refuted all the allegations and fumed at Kevin Taylor for misleading the public.
Its just unfortunate that I have to respond to a bigot. Somebody who hates our country but pretends to love it. Someone whose stock is just to malign innocent people with lies. Someone that some gullible people tend to believe him.
I swear by the God I worship that everything Im going to say is the truth. Im saying it not because I want to entertain someone like Kevin Taylor but because of the innocent 1001 gullible people across the globe who are finding it difficult to read between the thin lines of someone who is speaking the truth and someone who is lying. Im not a fan of him. I dont listen to him but unfortunately his last few episodes seem to consistently mention me and people drew my attention.
Some well-meaning Ghanaians said dont respond to him but Im sorry I cannot continue to hold on when he continues these lies. Ive had the great privilege of serving the people of Asawase over a decade, the Asawase MP stated.
He therefore dared Kelvin Taylor to make public whatever evidence he claims to have after cursing him to suffer the same pain he has caused him and his people.
Kelvin Taylor let me tell you. I challenge you to bring everything that you claim to have, I am very ready for you. Let me start by saying that I dont work for you. I dont work for you. I work for my constituency but you see the kind of allegations that you are leveling is shocking that you claim to be a journalist and you know the tenets of good journalism. The tenets of journalism is that when you have facts you claim to have, you give people that the so called concern the fact to authenticate or otherwise. You crosscheck and you dont just go talking on top of your head because probably somebody might give you wrong information so you use it to run.
You see, you are not decent. Decent people when they hear things they try to crosscheck. You are so naive about the things that we do. You see this lies that youve told about Ill never forgive you. God will punish you and you will go through the pain you have put me and my people. You said we are agent. You are an agent of NPP who is trying to destroy the NDC. You claim you speak for NDC but it is only Nana Akufo-Addo you speak against.
The Minority Chief Whip challenges Kelvin Taylor to step foot in Ghana and see how he will be bombarded with legal suits, saying that If You claim youre courageous then come to Ghana and make this your allegation and see whether we will sue you and to show how foolish you are. How old are you?
You sit there because youve no manners, you are not cultured and talk anyhow to people like your fathers age mate.
He described Kelvin Taylor an agent hired to destroy the party, asking the NDC to disassociate itself from him.
Touching on receiving contracts and favours from the ruling governments appointees, he said that although he shares close ties with Napo, his constituency witnessed no benefits from his reign as Education Minister.
Whoever told you that I met KK Sarpong and Napo I cant remember the last time I met him. We are brothers, grew up together, his father was like a father to me but I challenge you. You claim he has given me a contract, I challenge you to name any contract I have received from Napo.
If you care to know all the classroom blocks that MPs fight for during GETFund formula for their constituency, not even one has been built during the tenure of NAPO. Because if I get it and I take to the district, they frustrate it. Check the contract I brought and see whether any of the contractors has any relations with me. Those classroom blocks, I brought companies but they were not done. I complained to Napo severally, he said in a video shared on his Facebook timeline.
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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Special Prosecutor (SP), Kissi Agyebeng, has hinted of a bitter relationship between him and his predecessor, Martin Alamisi Burnes Kaiser Amidu.
Martin Amidu resigned as Special Prosecutor after accusing the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of interfering with his job and also made several claims of corruption against his administration.
In a letter issued on Monday, November 16, 2020 and addressed to the President, Mr Amidu said he was resigning due to the lack of respect of the independence of his office.
Following his resignation, the President mentioned Kissi Agyebeng as the new Special Prosecutor but this invited a caustic reply from Mr. Amidu who didn't sound enthused about Mr. Agyebeng's appointment.
Martin Amidu's Reply
He accused Mr. Agyebeng of having a close relation with the President's cousin, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko and also playing a role in the controversial Agyapa Royalties deal.
Mr Amidu, who extensively took on Asaase Radio for, according to him, publishing falsehoods about his resignation as Special Prosecutor to justify the nomination of Mr Agyebeng, said: Asaase Radio appears to have been so bent on pressurizing the President to announce their preferred choice as the Special Prosecutor (the Agyapa Special Prosecutor) that it forgot that the nomination letter by the Attorney General was addressed only to the President.
Asaase Radio should also have told the Ghanaian and international public that its surrogate and nominee Special Prosecutor in the published letter is a personal friend and classmate of the Attorney General, and the owner of Asaase Radio, all of whom attended the University of Ghanas Faculty of Law, and Ghana Law School, he added.
The former SP, in an article authored by him following the nomination of Lawyer Kissi Agyebeng to replace him, further stated; ''The Agyapa Royalties Transaction records show the role the Presidents cousin who established Africa Legal Associates, and Asaase Radio played with White &Case LLP, of London, one of the foreign law firms in the suspected corruption transaction.
''It must, therefore, be worrying to any patriotic Ghanaian not afraid of the culture of silence to see Asaase Radio undertaking political propaganda beginning on 25th April 2021 to 26th April 2021 to prepare the minds of the Ghanaian and international public to accept the surrogate of the alter ego of the Asaase Radio station and Africa Legal Associates as the Special Prosecutor as mandated under section 4(1) of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, 2018 (Act 959).''
Kissi Agyebeng Shades Amidu
During an interview on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' Thursday morning, the host Kwami Sefa Kayi, affectionately called 'Chairman General', asked Lawyer Agyebeng whether he has reached out to his predecessor to seek his knowledge on the job, but it has been revealed that the two have never communicated and it's due to the seething bad blood between them.
To him, Mr. Amidu's advice is ''useless'' to him.
In response, Mr. Agyebeng said; ''I went to meet the handing-over note. When my name was mentioned, this person started insulting me. Is this somebody you go for advice? He doesn't know me. Someone who doesn't know me but insults me, I'd rather go to Professor Mensah Bonsu for advice. I can't come to you the person insulting me for advice."
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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Reno Omokri has tackled President Buhari for wearing designer shoes to foreign meetings.
In a post shared on his Instagram page this afternoon, Reno made reference to President Buhari's Gucci shoes valued at $640. According to him, the President wears expensive designer shoes to ''beg for loans from countries whose Presidents wear $100 shoes.''
He wrote:-
"The issue is not the shoe you wear on your leg. The issue is where your leg takes you. Bambiala Buhari wears $640 @Gucci to go and beg for loans from countries whose Presidents wear $100 shoes. What is in your head is always more important than what is on your leg.
The same Bambiala has 10 Presidential jets. How many jets does the Queen of The Netherlands, that he was begging for money, last week have? Beggar from top to bottom. Tueh! May Nigeria never be cursed with your like a again."
The issue is not the shoe you wear on your leg. The issue is where your leg takes you. Bambiala Buhari wears $640 @Gucci to go and beg for loans from countries whose Presidents wear $100 shoes. What is in your head is always more important than what is on your leg!#TableShaker pic.twitter.com/diU1prwp0O
Reno Omokri (@renoomokri) September 29, 2021
Bemigho Reno Omokri is a Nigerian human right activist and lawyer.
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 governing New Patriotic Party(NPP) has scheduled December, 18 to December 20, 2021, to hold its National Annual Delegates Conference in Kumasi, in the Ashanti region.
The Conference, according to the party leadership will be held in strict compliance with standard guidelines and Covid-19 health protocols.
Meanwhile, the party has scheduled the month of October beginning Friday to hold Regional Annual Delegates Conferences in all 16 regions of the country.
This is in accordance with Article 9 of the Partys Constitution.
Notice of Amendment to the Party Constitution
The General Secretary of the Party has started receiving notice/proposals for amendments to the Party Constitution, in accordance with Article 19 of the partys constitution.
Per the constitution, this should be done not later than two months before the National Annual Delegates Conference, the General Secretary.
The NPP will, from Friday, October 1, 2021, to Friday, October 22, 2021, hold Regional Annual Delegates Conferences across all the 16 Regions of the country in accordance with Article 9 of the Party Constitution.
The Regional conferences shall be held in conformity with the following Schedules (Dates, Venues and Zonal Arrangements), as approved by the National Executive Committee of the Party:
1) Savannah Region - Friday, October, 1, 2021, at Daboya
2) Upper West - Saturday, October 2, 2021, at Wa
3) Upper East - Sunday, October 3, 2021, at Bolgatanga
4) North East - Monday, October 4, 2021, at Nalerigu
5) Northern Region - Monday, October 4 and Tuesday, October 5, 2021, at Yendi & Tolon respectively
6) Bono East - Wednesday, October 6, 2021, at Atebubu
7) Ahafo Region - Thursday, October 7, 2021, at Goaso
8) Bono Region - Friday, October 8, 2021, at Sunyani
9) Ashanti Region - Saturday, October 9 and Sunday, October 10, 2021, at Obuasi West/ Bekwai, Abuakwa, Ejisu, Kodie
10) Western North - Monday, October 11, 2021, at Sefwi Wiawso
11) Western Region - Tuesday October 12, 2021, at Takoradi and Tarkwa
12) Greater Accra - Thursday October 14 and Friday, October 15, 2021, at Tema and Accra
13) Eastern Region - Saturday, October 16, 2021 and Sunday, October 17, 2021, at Nkawkaw, and Koforidua
14) Oti Region - Monday, October 18, 2021, at Dambai
15) Volta Region - Tuesday, October 19 and Wednesday, October 20, 2021, at Ho and Sogakope
16) Central Region - Friday, October 22, 2021 and Saturday, October 23, at Cape Coast and Kasoa
The Party wishes to emphasize that, just like the Constituency Conferences, the Regional Annual Delegates Conferences shall also held in strict observance of all the COVID-19 Health Protocols.
Thank you.
Signed
JOHN BOADU
GENERAL SECRETARY
Source: Peacefmonline.com
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Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.
" " Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh testified in front of the Senate Judiciary committee regarding sexual assault allegations at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill Thursday, September 27, 2018. Pool/Getty Images
In October 2018, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh was approved by a very narrow 50-48 Senate vote, after an acrimonious confirmation process fueled by allegations of sexual misconduct and charges that he had given untruthful testimony.
But even after he was sworn in, the controversy never stopped swirling around Kavanaugh. An online petition urging the House to reinvestigate Kavanaugh and pass articles of impeachment against attracted nearly 176,000 signatures.
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Allegations Against Kavanaugh
And now that Kavanaugh has served as SCOTUS on the "Highest Court in the Land" for not even 12 months, new rumors of sexual allegations are swirling around him once again. On Sept. 14, 2019 The New York Times published an excerpt of a new book "The Education of Brett Kavanaugh: An Investigation," by Times reporters Robin Pogrebin and Kate Kelly. It includes details of a previous accusation from Deborah Ramirez, which she reported during Kavanaugh's confirmation hearings in 2018.
At that time, Ramirez accused Kavanaugh of exposing himself to her at a Yale party when he was a freshman, though Kavanaugh has repeatedly denied the allegation. According to the book, Ramirezs lawyers provided the F.B.I. a list of as many as 25 people who could possibly corroborate her story, but none were interviewed. One of those, according to The Times story, could have possibly have been a freshman classmate of Kavanaugh's, Max Stier. The Times reporting uncovered that Stier told senators and the F.B.I about a story that would confirm Ramirez's allegations, but the F.B.I. never investigated.
This new allegation could threaten to wreck Kavanaugh's confirmation. Several democrats, including 2020 presidential candidates Senator Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Julian Castro and Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), all have called for his impeachment.
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Can a Supreme Court Justice Be Impeached?
But if you're not a history or constitutional law expert, at this point you might be wondering: Can a Supreme Court justice really be impeached? Does it work like a presidential impeachment? And has it ever actually happened before?
The answer to all three questions is yes. Article II Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution provides that the president, vice president and all "civil officers" such as federal judges and Supreme Court justices can be impeached, tried and removed from office for treason, bribery or other unspecified high crimes and misdemeanors.
But the impeachment clause has only been used once against a Supreme Court justice, and that was more than two centuries ago. As an account from the U.S. Senate Historical Office details, Justice Samuel Chase, an appointee of George Washington, was a staunch federalist with a brash manner who made no secret of his political views, even after President Thomas Jefferson's Democratic-Republican Party took control of Congress in 1801. At Jefferson's urging, the House voted 73-32 to impeach Chase.
The eight counts accused Chase who like other justices of that time, also doubled as a circuit judge and sometimes presided over grand jury deliberations of refusing to dismiss biased jurors, excluding defense witnesses in politically sensitive cases, and giving "an inflammatory political harangue" to a federal grand jury in Baltimore. In February 1805, Chase went on trial in the Senate, where his attorneys argued that his conduct didn't justify removal from the bench.
"Chase and his defenders (the Federalists in the Senate) argued that (1) Chase had broken no laws (on the theory, totally incorrect but always tried by impeached officials, that only an indictable crime was impeachable); and more important (2) that the accusations against Chase really came down to his professional opinions about the role of the judge in the courtroom, and his decisions during particular trials," Randall Calvert, the Thomas F. Eagleton Professor of Public Affairs and Political Science at Washington University in St. Louis, writes in an email.
"Many of Chase's actions and decisions would be beyond the pale today, but were not so unusual in their day," Calvert says. "In particular, many Federalist politicians thought one duty of the judge was to guide the people and protect the Constitution from their mistakes and excesses. While controversial, then, his actions were not widely regarded as being as absurd as they would seem today, when the judge is expected to be a much more neutral figure in the courtroom."
In March of 1805, Chase was acquitted, when none of the eight counts got the required two-thirds support in the Senate.
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The Effects of Impeaching a SCOTUS
But the impeachment of Chase still had a profound effect, by helping to establish that judicial impeachment should be confined to cases of alleged corruption or other illegal conduct while also imposing an unofficial taboo against justices engaging publicly in partisan activity. "After that, no one was impeached for the way they decided cases, but justices stopped giving political opinions, " explains John Harrison, a Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Virginia, who back in the 1980s served on a Justice Department commission that studied the issue of impeachment. "Both sides got something out of it."
That didn't completely stop Supreme Court justices from engaging in politics, as long as they didn't express their views in court. Justice Smith Thompson actually ran for New York governor in 1828, even though he was still on the court. (He lost.) Another justice-turned-candidate, Charles Evans Hughes, resigned from the court to run unsuccessfully against Woodrow Wilson in the 1916 presidential election, and then returned to the court when he was appointed chief justice by President Herbert Hoover in 1930. President Franklin Roosevelt came close to choosing Justice William O. Douglas as his running mate in 1944, as this 2003 article from The Nation details.
But since Chase, no Supreme Court justices have been impeached, though articles have been voted against 13 federal judges, according to the House website. Seven were tried, convicted and removed from office, while three resigned from office before a verdict could be rendered. Three were acquitted.
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The Impeachment Protocol Today
The impeachment and trial of a Supreme Court justice essentially would follow the same process seen in the judicial cases, according to Harrison. The case would start with an investigation in the House Judiciary Committee, leading to a vote by the full House on impeachment articles, which would then be presented to the Senate.
Once the Senate had the charges, it could choose to appoint a committee of senators who would hear witnesses and collect documents. The House would appoint impeachment managers essentially, prosecutors and the justice and his or her attorneys would participate in the process and have the opportunity to call their own witnesses as well. "It looks just like a criminal trial," Harrison explains. In the end, the committee would compile a record, without making a recommendation on the charges, and then forward it to the full Senate, which could hear additional testimony before voting.
Alternatively, the Senate could opt to hold the entire trial before the full chamber, Harrison says. Afterward, senators sometimes will write opinions explaining their votes, just as the justices do after deciding cases.
In the unlikely event that Kavanaugh ever is impeached, there will be a certain irony. As this New York Times article details, as a young lawyer, Kavanaugh helped to craft independent counsel Kenneth Starr's case for impeaching former President Bill Clinton, who ultimately was acquitted by the Senate in 1999.
Now That's Interesting In this Washington Post article, University of Chicago law professor Aziz Huq proposed two methods by which Kavanaugh could be removed from the court, without his impeachment. A future Democratic president could appoint Kavanaugh to a lower court post, and a Democratic-controlled Senate could confirm him, thus demoting him. Alternatively, he wrote, Congress could pass a law authorizing a panel of federal judges to determine whether Kavanaugh had violated standards of good behavior, and potentially remove him.
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Originally Published: Nov 13, 2018
The Mumbai C40 action plan focuses heavily on investment in sustainable infrastructure but has not explicitly set emission reduction targets. Credit: Yoyosrk
Mumbai, commonly known as the city of dreams, faces a future that is waist-deep in floodwaters and rising sea levels. In the past couple of decades, several attempts to adopt climate action mechanisms against sea level rise and flooding have been made, although most of them have fallen short, as evidenced by this year's flooding event.
Enter Mumbai's climate action plan proposed by Aditya Thackerey, the current environment minister of the state of Maharashtra. With support from the C40 cities initiative, Mumbai's action plan aims to mediate the ambitious goals of the Paris Climate Agreement at a local level like 97 other megacities across the globe. The action plan laid out for Mumbai will be carried out in four stages. Stage one and two will focus on establishing a metric for existing vulnerabilities within the city, along with collecting demographic and tree cover data used for post analysis. Step three and four will focus on building a climate profile for verticals like air pollution, water resources, urban flooding, urban greenery, energy efficiency in municipal buildings, transport and mobility, and waste management. The plan seems full of action on the surface, but is it all it's cracked up to be?
The efficacy of the plan remains questionable
While Mumbai's climate action plan lays out a comprehensive strategy for sustainable action against climate change, it falls short in setting achievable emissions cuts, and works within the existing business as usual scenario. In its four stages, the plan fails to consider the real focus: measuring carbon emissions from the industrial and transportation sectors. Currently, the plan incentivizes energy efficiency for building and transportation and scaling up renewable energy and other cleaner fuel technologies for industries. But, despite implementing technocentric emission reduction efforts, the plan neglects to explicitly commit to an emission reduction target, making existing efforts seem symbolic rather than bold. By not fully committing to emission reduction, the climate action plan sets itself up for failure and does not target the root cause of the climate crisis itself. Thus, it remains ineffective to protect Mumbai from extreme temperatures and sea level rise. As such, an insubstantial climate action plan is bound to produce flimsy climate action.
The climate plan seeks to promote sustainable infrastructure in Mumbai. But, current trends show that government spending on the expansion of building car-specific transportation infrastructure is the highest it has ever been, making the city more addicted to fossil fuels. Investment in sustainable public infrastructure still doesn't figure in the government's priority list. Residential infrastructural projects continue to pollute and degrade natural environments within the city and on its periphery. To be truly effective and inclusive, the climate action plan must commit to sustainable development by cracking down on the construction of ostentatious high-rises, freeways, and malls and focus instead on incentivizing public transport infrastructure and building high-density low-rise developments to replace existing informal settlements.
Time is running out
Considering that Mumbai is running out of time, as sea levels rise and monsoons increase in intensity, it is not enough for the climate action plan to focus mainly on data collection. The dangers of climate change are already being felt in the city, and, at this moment, the government must establish immediate protections against extreme events. Waiting on precise data collection through the proposed plan will only delay progress and worsen the ability of cities to make a smooth transition to adaptation. The climate action plan must take effect alongside immediate climate mitigation and adaptation strategies to be truly effective.
Finally, the climate action plan must propose substantial adaptation strategies for vulnerable communities in the city. Mumbai currently ranks high among global megacities in terms of income inequality and at present, 41 percent of the city's population lives in informal settlements in the center and periphery of the city. This means that, collectively, more than half of the city is high risk, with additional vulnerabilities stemming from incoming migrant communities. To minimize human costs from climate change, the climate action plan will have to do a lot more than measure vulnerability through data driven analysis. The plan must include substantive strategies like a managed retreat to reduce human costs associated with the climate crisis.
It is crucial now more than ever to invest in climate mitigation and adaptation swiftly and efficiently. The climate action plan laid out by the Mumbai government is only a step in the right direction at a time when a sprint is needed. The plan lays out theoretical strategies for public infrastructure capacity-building and eradicating income inequality, but the real test for efficacy lies in the implementation. The stakes are higher and more urgent as climate vulnerabilities increase. This makes it critical for the Mumbai government to step up and replace wishy-washy climate action efforts with firm and rapid plans of action.
This story is republished courtesy of Earth Institute, Columbia University http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu.
Sunrise at the Satara capture corrals. Buffalo of the Satara study herd were captured for diagnostic testing every 2-3 months. Work started at dawn, to limit handling the animals during the heat of the day. Credit: Brian Dugovich
A new Oregon State University study on foot-and-mouth disease among buffalo in South Africa could help explain how certain extremely contagious pathogens are able to persist and reach endemic stage in a population, long after they've burned through their initial pool of susceptible hosts.
The findings, publishing in Science Magazine, are particularly relevant as the world's human population is closing in on the two-year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic, and researchers and policymakers are facing the reality that the virus is not going away anytime soon.
The study raises the same question that many are asking now about COVID-19, said lead author Anna Jolles, an epidemiology professor in OSU's Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine with a dual appointment in the College of Science. After responding to the disaster situation, what happens next?
"Is there any way of really limiting the infection after it becomes endemic?" she said. "A study in a lab can't answer that, because this is a question at the population scale, and in the lab you don't have whole animal populations and all the variation among hosts, pathogens or the environment. Looking in wild hosts is one way to get insights into how this can play out."
Co-authors on the paper include OSU assistant professor Brianna Beechler and associate professor Jan Medlock.
Observer or observed? An adult buffalo cow peers over the fence at the Satara capture corrals. Credit: Brian Dugovich
Foot-and-mouth disease does not cause serious illness in buffalo, though when it spreads to cattle and other cloven-hoofed species, it can cause painful sores in the mouth and on the feet. It does not infect humans.
The study looked at the transmission mechanisms of three main strains of foot-and-mouth disease virus among buffalo herds in South Africa's Kruger National Park: SAT1, SAT2 and SAT3. Researchers tested blood and tissue samples from a wild herd every two to three months from 2014 through 2017 and observed infection dynamics in a captive group of buffalo at tighter time intervals for six months.
"A lot of studies and a lot of press on very contagious pathogens focus on the 'wildfire' stage, when the pathogen is running through the population and people try to predict how far it will go and what fraction of the population will become infected in the epidemic stage," Jolles said. "But once that wildfire stage has passed, then where does that pathogen go? That's what we're focusing on."
Researchers were essentially trying to think like a virus: What's the best way for a pathogen to spread within a given buffalo population, and how does it survive the lean times when there are very few susceptible hosts to infect?
Because foot-and-mouth disease is so contagious, almost all buffalo in regions where it is present contract the local strains of the virus and achieve some level of immunity fairly early in life. But young calves are susceptible to infection after around 4-6 months of age when they lose their maternally derived immunity, so transmission among acutely infected young buffalo was the primary pathway researchers analyzed. After buffalo recover from acute infection, some retain virus in their tonsils, where it can lie dormant for months. The second transmission route, which researchers hypothesized would be less effective, was via these carrier animals.
Foot-and-mouth disease testing. State Veterinarian Dr. Lin Mari de Klerk-Lorist probes a buffalo's tonsils to test whether the animal carries the virus. Credit: Peter Buss
Buffalo birthing season lasts nearly six months, so it was previously thought that it might be possible for the virus to remain in the latest-born calves of the past year long enough to infect the earliest born calves the following year. However, results from this study showed that foot-and-mouth disease would not persist in buffalo populations with only this "childhood infection" pattern of transmission.
And contrary to past studies that found almost no evidence of carrier transmission, the OSU study documented carrier transmission among two out of three strains, SAT1 and SAT3albeit at a rate about 100 times less than the rate of acute transmission among actively infected animals. Researchers found that even this low rate of carrier transmission allows SAT1 and SAT3 to persist.
SAT2 appears to work differently. Even though it transmits quickly during acute infection, it performs "pathetically poorly" on carrier transmission, Jolles said. Researchers have yet to pin down exactly how the strain persists. It has a high mutation rate, so they hypothesize that similar to the flu in humans, it might change so much and so rapidly that buffaloes' immune system no longer recognizes the virus.
While buffalo herds can be geographically contained, the global human population is more interconnected than ever before, Jolles said, so it's easier for pathogens to become endemic and persist long-term.
"This pandemic was not an unexpected thing to happen, in a general sense," she said. "One would expect other pathogens to spill into human populations. We're so wide open for it; there are so many of us and we're so well connected, it's really a giant pathogen playground."
Due to population size, Jolles said it will be very hard to prevent persistence of a virus like COVID-19 globally, but public health interventions can help limit transmission and endemicity at the local level.
Explore further Understanding pathogen tolerance in wild animals key to pandemic preparedness
More information: Endemic persistence of a highly contagious pathogen: Foot-and-mouth disease in its wildlife host, Science (2021). Journal information: Science Endemic persistence of a highly contagious pathogen: Foot-and-mouth disease in its wildlife host,(2021). DOI: 10.1126/science.abd2475
The author examining pictographs in 60th Unnamed Cave, Tennessee. Credit: Alan Cressler
On a cold winter's day in 1980, a group of recreational cavers entered a narrow, wet stream passage south of Knoxville, Tennessee. They navigated a slippery mud slope and a tight keyhole through the cave wall, trudged through the stream itself, ducked through another keyhole and climbed more mud. Eventually they entered a high and relatively dry passage deep in the cave's "dark zone"beyond the reach of external light.
On the walls around them, they began to see lines and figures traced into remnant mud banks laid down long ago when the stream flowed at this higher level. No modern or historic graffiti marred the surfaces. They saw images of animals, people and transformational characters blending human characteristics with those of birds, and those of snakes with mammals.
Ancient cave art has long been one of the most compelling of all artifacts from the human past, fascinating both to scientists and to the public at large. Its visual expressions resonate across the ages, as if the ancients speak to us from deep in time. And this group of cavers in 1980 had happened upon the first ancient cave art site in North America.
Since then archaeologists like me have discovered dozens more of these cave art sites in the Southeast. We've been able to learn details about when cave art first appeared in the region, when it was most frequently produced and what it might have been used for. We have also learned a great deal by working with the living descendants of the cave art makers, the present-day Native American peoples of the Southeast, about what the cave art means and how important it was and is to Indigenous communities.
Human figure from Mud Glyph Cave with raised right hand and Chunkey game piece in left hand. Credit: Alan Cressler
Cave art in America?
Few people think of North America when they think about ancient cave art.
A century before the Tennessee cavers made their own discovery, the world's first modern discovery of cave art was made in 1879, at Altamira in northern Spain. The scientific establishment of the day immediately denied the authenticity of the site.
Subsequent discoveries served to authenticate this and other ancient sites. As the earliest expressions of human creativity, some perhaps 40,000 years old, European paleolithic cave art is now justifiably famous worldwide.
But similar cave art had never been found anywhere in North America, although Native American rock art outside of caves has been recorded since Europeans arrived. Artwork deep under the ground was unknown in 1980, and the Southeast was an unlikely place to find it given how much archaeology had been done there since the colonial period.
From the outside, these caves betray no hint of the ancient art that might be inside. Credit: Alan Cressler
Nevertheless, the Tennessee cavers recognized that they were seeing something extraordinary and brought archaeologist Charles Faulkner to the cave. He initiated a research project there, naming the site Mud Glyph Cave. His archaeological work showed that the art was from the Mississippian culture, some 800 years old, and depicted imagery characteristic of ancient Native American religious beliefs. Many of those beliefs are still held by the descendants of Mississippian peoples: the modern Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Coushatta, Muscogee, Seminole and Yuchi, among others.
After the Mud Glyph Cave discovery, archaeologists here at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville initiated systematic cave surveys. Today, we have cataloged 92 dark-zone cave art sites in Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia. There are also a few sites known in Arkansas, Missouri and Wisconsin.
What did they depict?
There are three forms of southeastern cave art.
Archaic Period pictograph of a hunter and prey dated to 6,500 years ago. Credit: Alan Cressler
Mud glyphs are drawings traced into pliable mud surfaces preserved in caves, like those from Mud Glyph Cave.
Petroglyphs are drawings incised directly into the limestone of the cave walls.
Pictographs are paintings, usually made with charcoal-based pigments, placed onto the cave walls.
Sometimes, more than one technique is found in the same cave, and none of the methods seems to appear earlier or later in time that the others.
Some southeastern cave art is quite ancient. The oldest cave art sites date to some 6,500 years ago, during the Archaic Period (10,0001000 B.C.). These early sites are rare and seem to be clustered on the modern Kentucky-Tennessee state line. Imagery was simple and often abstract, although representational pictures do exist.
Cave art sites increase in number over time. The Woodland Period (1000 B.C.A.D. 1000) saw more common and more widespread art production. Abstract art was still abundant and less worldly. Probably more spiritual subject matter was common. During the Woodland, conflations between humans and animals, like "bird-humans," made their first appearance.
The Mississippian Period (A.D. 10001500) is the last precontact phase in the Southeast before Europeans arrived, and this was when much of the dark-zone cave art was produced. Subject matter is clearly religious and includes spirit people and animals that do not exist in the natural world. There is also strong evidence that Mississippian art caves were compositions, with images organized through the cave passages in systematic ways to suggest stories or narratives told though their locations and relations.
Woodland Period petroglyph of a box-shaped human-like creature with a long neck and u-shaped head. Credit: Alan Cressler
Cave art continued into the modern era
In recent years, researchers have realized that cave art has strong connections to the historic tribes that occupied the Southeast at the time of European invasion.
In several caves in Alabama and Tennessee, mid-19th-century inscriptions were written on cave walls in Cherokee Syllabary. This writing system was invented by the Cherokee scholar Sequoyah between 1800 and 1824 and was quickly adopted as the tribe's primary means of written expression.
Mississippian Period pictograph showing an animal with talons for feet, a blunt forehead and long snout, with a long curving tail over the back. Credit: Alan Cressler
Cherokee archaeologists, historians and language experts have joined forces with nonnative archaeologists like me to document and translate these cave writings. As it turns out, they refer to various important religious ceremonies and spiritual concepts that emphasize the sacred nature of caves, their isolation and their connection to powerful spirits. These texts reflect similar religious ideas to those represented by graphic images in earlier, precontact time periods.
On a cave wall in Alabama, an 1828 Cherokee syllabary inscription relating to a stickball ceremony. Credit: Alan Cressler
Based on all the rediscoveries researchers have made since Mud Glyph Cave was first explored more than four decades ago, cave art in the Southeast was created over a long period of time. These artists worked in ancient times when ancestral Native Americans lived by foraging in the rich natural landscapes of the Southeast all the way through to the historic period just before the Trail of Tears saw the forced removal of indigenous people east of the Mississippi River in the 1830s.
As surveys continue, researchers uncover more dark cave sites every yearin fact, four new caves were found in the first half of 2021. With each new discovery, the tradition is beginning to approach the richness and diversity of the Paleolithic art of Europe, where 350 sites are currently known. That archaeologists were unaware of the dark-zone cave art of the American Southeast even 40 years ago demonstrates the kinds of new discoveries that can be made even in regions that have been explored for centuries.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
The Daintree rainforest is teeming with wildlife.
Australia's Daintree rainforest has been returned to its Indigenous owners as the government begins to cede control of the world's oldest tropical forest.
The UNESCO World Heritage-listed Daintree National Parka 135-million-year-old tropical rainforestwas handed back to the Eastern Kuku Yalanji people in a ceremony in the remote town of Bloomfield on Wednesday.
The vast and steamy jungle is teeming with ancient and rare speciesfrom a giant clawed cassowary bird to plants that have existed since the age of the dinosaurs.
Eastern Kuku Yalanji traditional owner Chrissy Grant said the move was a historic event that put the community "in control of our own destinies".
In total, 160,000 hectares (about 395,000 acres) of land on the Cape York peninsulathe northeast tip of Australiais being returned to the area's traditional Aboriginal owners as part of reconciliation measures.
British settlers arrived in Australia in 1788, colonising the continent and leaving Aboriginal groups marginalised.
The national parks will initially be jointly managed with the Queensland state government, before being transferred into the sole care of the Indigenous group.
Grant said a foundation would be created to provide training and employment for local First Nations people in areas such as land management, tourism and research.
Queensland state environment minister Meaghan Scanlon said the return of lands was a key step on the path toward reconciliation after an "uncomfortable and ugly" past.
"The Eastern Kuku Yalanji people's culture is one of the world's oldest living cultures and this agreement recognises their right to own and manage their country, to protect their culture and to share it with visitors as they become leaders in the tourism industry," she said.
The government has handed back control of 3.8 million hectares on Cape York to Indigenous traditional owners to date, she added.
Explore further Rare and endangered symbolic scar tree preserved
2021 AFP
A healthy bigleaf maple tree. The species is found in across urban, suburban and forested areas in western Washington. Credit: Jacob Betzen/University of Washington
As its name suggests, the bigleaf maple tree's massive leaves are perhaps its most distinctive quality. A native to the Pacific Northwest's wet westside forests, these towering trees can grow leaves up to 1.5 feet acrossthe largest of any maple.
But since 2011, scientists, concerned hikers and residents have observed more stressed and dying bigleaf maple across urban and suburban neighborhoods as well as in forested areas. Often the leaves are the first to shrivel and die, eventually leaving some trees completely bare. While forest pathologists have ruled out several specific diseases, the overall cause of the tree's decline has stumped experts for years.
A new study led by the University of Washington, in collaboration with Washington Department of Natural Resources, has found that bigleaf maple die-off in Washington is linked to hotter, drier summers that predispose this species to decline. These conditions essentially weaken the tree's immune system, making it easier to succumb to other stressors and diseases. The findings were published Sept. 16 in the journal Forest Ecology and Management.
"These trees can tolerate a lot, but once you start throwing in other factors, particularly severe summer drought as in recent years, it stresses the trees and can lead to their death," said co-author Patrick Tobin, associate professor in the UW School of Environmental and Forest Sciences.
A bigleaf maple tree that has nearly died in Washington state. Credit: Washington Department of Natural Resources
In addition to warmer, drier weather, the researchers found that bigleaf maple are more likely to decline near roads and other developmentespecially in hotter urban areas. Across multiple years and sites in Western Washington, they weren't able to find any single pest or pathogen responsible for the mass decline; rather, all signs point to climate change and human development as the drivers behind the regional die-off.
"Managing, protecting and utilizing our urban and wild ecosystems in the face of climate change and human population growth is and will continue to be one of the major challenges facing us," said lead author Jacob Betzen, a biological technician with the U.S. Forest Service who completed this work as a UW graduate student. "This research investigating bigleaf maple is one small piece of that larger puzzle."
From field sampling and lab work, the researchers found that bigleaf maple grew less in summers that were hot and dry, both in their overall mass as well as leaf size. One of the signature signs of distress, they found, was significantly smaller leaves. In drought conditions, trees use more energy trying to survive and defend themselves from diseases and other threats.
"These results show that summer heat and drought impact the health of iconic tree species of Washington, like bigleaf maple, even in Western Washington, a region known for abundant precipitation. Health impacts to our forests and tree species are likely to continue as we have increased periods of drought each year," said co-author Amy Ramsey, an environmental planner and forest pathologist with Washington DNR.
Processed tree cores used in analyses to estimate the timing of decline in bigleaf maple trees. Credit: Jacob Betzen/University of Washington
For this study, the research team revisited a selection of sites around Western Washington where DNR in 2014 and 2015 had taken samples and performed testing on trees in decline. They also chose 36 roadside sites where maples were present. Finally, they randomly selected an additional 59 sites on public land across the region where bigleaf maple are known to exist. Across these randomly chosen sites, they found that nearly a quarter of the bigleaf maple trees showed signs of decline.
From each study site, they collected soil, leaves, stems and tree cores, which they analyzed in the lab. Tree cores allow scientists to learn about the age and growth rate of a treeas well as weather history at that locationwithout having to cut it down.
From the analysis of the tree cores, the team found that the growth of bigleaf maple has varied significantly since 2011, and was especially lower in years with hotter, drier summers. They compared this growth to that of Douglas fir trees, which they also cored, and found their annual growth was consistentmeaning that bigleaf maple are especially sensitive to dry, hot weather.
"For us, these analyses were a big piece of the puzzle," Tobin said. "This helped us determine that their decline is a recent phenomenon that is linked to weather conditions."
These findings will likely change the way foresters manage bigleaf maple in both urban and wild settings. This might mean planting the trees in different locations, watering more in urban areas or using seed stock better adapted to the projected future conditions of a site, Betzen said. In forests, it might mean a focus on keeping intact landscapes free from more urbanization.
More information: Jacob J. Betzen et al, Bigleaf maple, Acer macrophyllum Pursh, decline in western Washington, USA, Forest Ecology and Management (2021). Journal information: Forest Ecology and Management Jacob J. Betzen et al, Bigleaf maple, Acer macrophyllum Pursh, decline in western Washington, USA,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2021.119681
When Mt Pinatubo erupted in 1991, it ejected 20 million tonnes of sulphur dioxide into the atmosphere. Over the months following the eruption, the aerosols formed a global layer of sulphuric acid haze. Global temperatures dropped by about 0.4 C from 19911993. That's a natural form of solar geoengineering that humans could try to mimic to cool the planet. Credit: Dave Harlow, United States Geological Survey/Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain
It sounds like something out of a bad science fiction movieartificially blocking sunlight to keep global warming from overheating the Earth. Nevertheless, a small cadre of researchers is studying the optionso that if humankind ever needs to use it, it will be an informed decision.
The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), released in early August, made it clear that humankind needs to take immediate action to curb global warming. There's hope that international climate talks in Glasgow this November may finally result in strong enough greenhouse gas emission limits to make a difference.
But just in case, an international group of researchers, including NTNU's Helene Muri, has been studying a technology called solar geoengineering as an action of last resort.
Solar geoengineering is exactly what it sounds like, where various technologies are used to block sunlight and cool the Earth. Typically, three main approachesnone of which is currently technologically readyare being studied for their ability to block sunlight and lower ground temperatures. (See box)
Muri, a senior researcher at the university's Industrial Ecology Programme, has spent the last decade looking at how solar geoengineering mightor might notwork.
In June, she and her colleagues from the US, China and the UK published a paper in Nature Food that used computer models to assess solar geoengineering's potential effects on agriculture in a high emission world. Their findings sparked international media coverage because they found that solar geoengineering in those scenarios could actually have a positive effect on crop growth from higher humidity.
Other studies that used simpler models found either a limited effect or losses for rainfed crops, since there could be less rainfall with the lower temperatures that come with solar geoengineeringdepending on the way the technology is used to cool the Earth.
Now, as the world prepares to debate limits on CO 2 emissions during November's climate talks, it's worth a look at the measures being examined by researchers like Muriand an assessment of their possible risks and pitfalls.
Band-aid or tourniquet?
Any discussion of solar geoengineering has to acknowledge that it's far from a perfect fix, Muri says.
"Solar geoengineering, no matter how well we do it, will never perfectly offset the effects of climate change," she said.
The problem is that solar geoengineering may cool the Earth, but doesn't get rid of the excess carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping substances in the atmosphere. And carbon dioxide does more than simply warm the Earth.
It fertilizes plantswhich could be a good thingbut because much of it gets dissolved in sea water, it makes the oceans more acidic.
"There will always be things that you cannot fix with solar geoengineering, specifically ocean acidification," she said. "A more acidic ocean affects everything in the food chains in the ocean, including coral reef diebacks, which is terrible for the ecosystem as a whole. That becomes evident as soon as you really start looking at it. There is no one silver bullet. It's not the one solution that can fix everything."
Muri says that any discussion of geoengineering also assumes that CO 2 emissions will be dealt with at the same time any solar geoengineering is deployed.
Alan Robock, a climate researcher at Rutgers University in the US who is leader of an international cooperative research project of called GeoMIP, of which Muri is a part, agreed.
"It's not a solution to global warming at its best. If it were ever used as a band-aidor a tourniquetit doesn't solve the root problem," he said.
Many unknowns, but still need to know
Muri says there is still much that is unknown about solar geoengineering, in part because most climate change research is focused on issues other than geoengineering.
"Just to put the level of research into context, for the last five to 10 years, there have been about 100 to 130 papers published per year on solar geoengineering," she said. "When it comes to climate change it's more like 30,000 papers per year over that period. The important thing is that it is a vastly, hugely different amount. It's just a minority of effort and funding going into researching solar geoengineering."
At the same time, she says, the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine published a comprehensive report on solar geoengineering that said the urgency of the risks posed by climate change meant that "the U.S. should pursue a research program for solar geoengineeringin coordination with other nations, subject to governance, and alongside a robust portfolio of climate mitigation and adaptation policies." The report recommended US funding of about $100 million-$200 million over the first five years.
Muri says that climate researchers' main focus needs to remain on climate change itself, because society needs to know what the effects will be, how to adapt, and how to mitigate these effects. Nevertheless, she says, researchers do need to study solar geoengineering to see if it could be helpful as a stopgap measure while the world transitions away from fossil fuels.
"The question is if it could contribute to reduce some level of harm from climate change for a certain period, whilst we are trying to sort out both emissions of CO 2 and concentrations of CO 2 within the climate system," she said. "Nobody sees it as a one and only solution, but it's not clear yet whether it could be helpful or not. At the moment, there are too many unknowns and uncertainties to really say whether it's overall a good idea or a bad idea."
Robock agrees.
His group at Rutgers University is "doing research to evaluate the risks of doing solar geoengineering versus the risks of not doing it. And that's the information that governments will need in the future to decide whether or not to ever implement it," he said. "I spend millions of dollars of taxpayer money to do my research. And if I find a danger to society, it's my obligation to warn people about it."
Three main types of solar geoengineering that are now being studied. Credit: US National Academy of Science
A cooler Earth but potentially changed monsoons
Robock's group is looking at the benefits and risks of using stratospheric aerosols to cool the planet, which emulate a volcanic eruption.
"Benefit number one would be, if you could do it, you would reduce global warming, and many of its risks," Robock said. "We know that if you could get the aerosols up there, it would work because it doesn't involve creating or affecting clouds in the troposphere, it's just putting a shield up there to reflect sunlight."
Researchers know that big volcanic eruptions, like the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo, cooled the Earth. But these natural solar geoengineering experiments have also given them the ability to observe other pitfalls, Robock said.
"We know that there were other things that were not so good; (the eruption) destroyed ozone," he said. "And you actually get a huge reduction of monsoon rainfall. We observed that after Mount Pinatubo."
Volcanic eruptions only cause the Earth to cool for a year or two, because the aerosols eventually dissipate. However, if stratospheric aerosols were to be used as solar geoengineering to cool the Earth, their use could alter monsoon rainfall for a much longer period, which could result in famine, Robock said.
Some modeling has shown that solar geoengineering could in fact have less of an impact on monsoons than global warming, but nevertheless, the issue illustrates just how difficult making these predictions are.
Who decides?
Then there are issues such as insect-borne diseases, like malaria, Muri points out. How would solar geoengineering affect mosquito populations and the potential spread of malaria?
And what if a failure to cut CO 2 emissions and reduce global warming results in devastating heat waves, where thousands of people die? Is that enough to outweigh other negatives?
"There are still so many areas where we don't know enough," she said.
Finally, there are areas that are far outside of what climate scientists who study the physical effects of climate change can predict. The biggest question is who decides what the temperature of the planet should be?
The political decision making surrounding solar geoengineering is daunting, if you consider the difficulty the nations of the world have already had in trying to agree to curb CO 2 emissions, Muri said.
"How would one deal with geoengineering in terms of geopolitics and governance?" Muri said. "We need to develop regulations. Who sets the thermostat and how would you go about agreeing on something like that?"
In a companion piece to Muri and her colleague's article on geoengineering and agriculture, Ben Kravitz, an assistant professor at Indiana University's Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Department, summed it up like this.
"Agriculture is one important piece in our understanding of the effects of climate engineering," he wrote. "Gaining a better picture of the impacts of climate engineering requires looking at numerous effects in addition to food supply, including water security, geopolitics, and environmental justice. It is important to figure out whether climate engineering would ultimately be more or less risky than climate change (and to whom)."
What is solar geoengineering?
Researchers are studying a number of engineering approaches as possible methods for cooling the planet. The three described here have been identified by a March report by the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine as meriting further study. The three approaches either rely on controlling the amount of sunlight reaching the Earth, or reducing the amount of heat trapped by the atmosphere.
Stratospheric aerosol injection
This technique requires injecting aerosol particles, like sulfates or pre-cursor gases, like sulfur dioxide, into the stratosphere, which is the layer of air 10 to 50 km above the Earth's surface. Most studies are looking at placing aerosols at about 20 km above the Earth, where the particles scatter and reflect solar radiation to cool the planet. This technique mimics what happens with large volcanic eruptions. When Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991, it sprayed 15 to 20 megatons of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere, which cooled the Earth by about 0.4 degrees Celsius for two years. Currently, however, there are no planes capable of flying into the stratosphere to do this.
Cirrus cloud thinning
This technique involves spraying chemicals into cirrus clouds, at about 6-13 km above the Earth's surface, to cause them to thin or disappear. The clouds trap heat, so thinning them or reducing them cools the planet by allowing heat to escape the atmosphere. The challenge for this technique is that cirrus clouds are in the region of the atmosphere where jets fly, which could make implementing this measure difficult.
Marine cloud brightening
This approach would add particles to low laying liquid clouds over the ocean to make them thicker and more reflective, which would cool the Earth, if it did not have side effects on other clouds. This mimics what happens now under certain conditions when ships spew pollution into the atmosphere. The effect only works for a few days, and sea salt could be sprayed up from the ocean to seed the clouds.
Explore further Solar geoengineering may be effective in alleviating impacts of global warming on crops
More information: Toni Feder, Should solar geoengineering be part of how humanity counters climate change?, Physics Today (2021). Toni Feder, Should solar geoengineering be part of how humanity counters climate change?,(2021). DOI: 10.1063/PT.3.4768 Yuanchao Fan et al, Solar geoengineering can alleviate climate change pressures on crop yields, Nature Food (2021). DOI: 10.1038/s43016-021-00278-w Peter J. Irvine et al, An overview of the Earth system science of solar geoengineering, WIREs Climate Change (2016). DOI: 10.1002/wcc.423 Journal information: Nature Food , Physics Today
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain
Proponents of charter schools insist that they are public schools "open to all students." But the truth is more nuanced. As an education policy researcherand as author of a new book about charter schools I wrote with fellow researcher Wagma MommandiI have discovered that charter schools are not as accessible to the public as they are often made out to be.
This finding is particularly relevant in light of the fact that charter school enrollment reportedly grew at a rapid rate during the pandemic. Specifically, according to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, enrollment increased 7% from 201920 to 202021. The organization says that is the biggest enrollment jump in a half-decade.
In our book, we identify and describe 13 different approaches that charters use to bring certain types of students in and push other kinds of students out.
Here are four examples from our book.
1. Targeted marketing and advertising
By using specific types of language in their promotional materials and by targeting those materials to specific audiences, charter schools often send a message that they are looking for a certain type of student. This is a way for charter schools to reach or appeal to a certain audience but not others, which in turn shapes who ends up applying to a given school.
For instance, Mueller Charter Leadership Academy in San Diegotold prospective families that "All eligible students are welcome to apply. However, it should be noted that because this is a highly advanced, demanding program, it may not be appropriate for everyone."
Targeted advertising can also carry a message. LISA Academy in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 2016 sent out targeted recruitment mailers to area neighborhoodsskipping over the three zip codes for the heavily Black and Latino parts of town.
"They're sending a message they don't want the kids on the east side of town," Max Brantley, editor of the Arkansas Times, remarked after his newspaper exposed the practice. The school later apologized and explained that its plan was to subsequently reach out to those populations through digital advertising.
2. Conditional applications
Charter schools sometimes require multiple essays or a minimum GPA as a condition for initial or continuing enrollment.
Roseland Accelerated Middle School in Santa Rosa, California, for instance, required applicants to submit five short essays plus an autobiography using "well constructed and varied structure."
Minimum GPA requirements can be imposed at the application stage or once admitted. At Lushor Charter School in New Orleans, parents and students are asked to sign a contract that requires students to maintain a 2.0 GPA in core subject areas for continued enrollment.
3. Parents required to 'volunteer'
Some charter schools require parents to volunteer a certain amount of time at the school, or pay money in lieu of volunteering. Pembroke Pines Charter High School in Florida, for example, required each family to complete 30 such "volunteer hours" per year, but allowed 20 of those hours to be "purchased"US$100 total to buy out the first 10 hours and $200 more for the next 10 hours. These requirements place an additional burden, in terms of time and money, on families that are already struggling economically.
4. Aggressive use of discipline.
At so-called "no excuses" charters that "sweat the small stuff", students haveat least historicallybeen subjected to harsh discipline for minor infractions, such as chewing gum or failing to constantly keep their eyes on the teacher during class.
Some of these schools repeatedly suspend students and call parents to leave work to pick up a suspended child. The most high-profile example is Success Academy charter school in Fort Greene, in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, where school leaders created a "Got to Go" list of 16 students who were then subjected to harassing discipline. In one case, a school official threatened to call 911 on a 6-year-old because the child was having a "bad day." Nine of the 16 students did in fact withdraw from the school.
Functioning like private schools
Cumulatively, these and the other approaches we detail in our booktitled "School's Choice"make charter schools more like private schools than the public schools they claim to be.
These practices influence which students are admitted to charter schools and then stay in those schools. Charter school choice therefore affects schools' demographics, including the degree to which they are segregated.
They affect funding equity as well, since state school-finance formulas often don't adequately account for the actual costs of educating different students. In Pennsylvania, for example, charter schools are funded through a system that creates problematic incentives related to access for students with special needs. As explained in a report by the state's bipartisan legislative Special Education Funding Commission, the current funding system provides charter schools "the same funding for each student with a disability, regardless of the severity of that student's disability."
"This creates a strong incentive to overidentify students with less costly disabilities and to under-identify (or under-enroll) students with more severe (or more costly) disabilities," the report states. A speech impediment, for example, is an example of a mild disability, versus a student with, say, a traumatic brain injury, which is a more severe disability. As the report explains, "A student with a mild disability can be a financial boon to a charter school, given that the funding the charter receives will exceed the charter's cost to educate a child."
Notably, Pennsylvania's funding system does not create these incentives for district-run public schools.
These practices also can play a decisive role for comparisons of academic outcomes between charters and traditional public schools run by a school district. Overall, research consistently shows little if any difference in the average test-score outcomes for the two types of schools. But the comparisons may not be fair and accurate. If charter schools can improve their test scores by screening out students they don't think will do well, it can give them an unfair advantage in comparisons with public schools that accept all students.
Policy incentives revisited
So what can be done to make charter schools more accessible? One way is to change policy incentives such as the Pennsylvania funding system mentioned earlier. States can also change the way they reward schools for how well their students do on tests. Arizona, for instance, has policies that give extra funding to charters and other schools with higher achieving students.
In the final two chapters of our book, "School's Choice," Mommandi and I point to a future with charter schools that don't screen or push out students who are lower achieving or more expensive to educate. First, we hold up examples of charter schools that have resisted the incentives to limit access by, for example, working to support their communities' most marginalized students. We then offer a design for a healthier charter school system that doesn't put these exemplary schools at a disadvantage when it comes to accountability and funding systems.
Even in a post-pandemic world, charter school enrollment may continue to grow. But until the public has more access, charters will not be truly public.
Explore further Is a charter school the right choice for your child?
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
The study site in Puerto Morelos, Mexico (Caribbean Sea), where the researchers collected Siderastrea radians. Credit: SERGIO GUENDULAIN-GARCIA
The microbiomes of coralswhich comprise bacteria, fungi and virusesplay an important role in the ability of corals to tolerate rising ocean temperatures, according to new research led by Penn State. The team also identified several genes within certain corals and the symbiotic photosynthetic algae that live inside their tissues that may play a role in their response to heat stress. The findings could inform current coral reef conservation efforts, for example, by highlighting the potential benefits of amending coral reefs with microbes found to bolster corals' heat-stress responses.
"Prolonged exposure to heat can cause 'bleaching' in which photosymbionts (symbiotic algae) are jettisoned from the coral animal, causing the animal to die," said Monica Medina, professor of biology, Penn State. "We found that when some corals become heat stressed, their microbiomes can protect them from bleaching. In addition, we can now pinpoint specific genes in coral animals and their photosymbionts that may be involved in this thermal stress response."
Viridiana Avila-Magana, former student at Penn State and currently a postdoctoral fellow at Colorado University Boulder, noted, "Previous studies on the molecular mechanisms underlying corals' heat-stress tolerance have tended to focus on just the animal or the photosymbiont, but we now know that the entire holobiontthe coral animal, photosymbiont and microbiomeis involved in the stress response."
In their study, which published today in Nature Communications, the researchers focused on three species of coralthe mountainous star coral (Orbicella faveolata), the knobby brain coral (Pseudodiploria clivosa) and the shallow water starlet coral (Siderastrea radians)which are known to differ in their sensitivities to heat stress. Collected near Puerto Morelos, Mexico, each coral species harbors a unique set of photosymbionts and microbiomes. The team's goal was to investigate the varying metabolic contributions of each of the holobiont members to the corals' overall stress tolerance and to identify differences in gene-expression patterns related to these metabolic activities.
Medina explained that metabolism is the process of converting food into energy. For corals, she said, this process is heavily driven by the photosymbionts, which, through photosynthesis, provide the coral animals with at least 90% of their energy requirements. But, until now, the contributions of the microbiomes were not well understood.
"We know that heat stress resulting from climate change can disrupt coral metabolism and result in bleaching," said Medina. "Therefore, it is important to understand the different contributions of the holobiont members and how these metabolic activities change in response heat stress."
Orbicella faveolata, Puerto Morelos, Mexico (Caribbean Sea). Credit: Monica Medina, Penn State
The researchers performed a controlled heat-stress experiment in which they maintained the three coral species in a tank for nine days at 93F (34 C), which is 11 degrees (6 C) warmer than the average temperature normally experienced by these corals. The scientists sequenced the RNA of the coral holobiontsincluding the coral animals, the photosymbionts and the members of the microbiomesafter the nine-day period and a control group not exposed to the heat stress, with a goal of detecting changes in gene expression that affect the heat-stress response of the holobiont. Specifically, they used the gene expression data to estimate the metabolic activities of each of the holobiont members.
Next, the team used a type of phylogenetic ANOVA technique, called the Expression Variance and Evolution Model, to examine changes in gene expression related to heat stress that have occurred over evolutionary time.
"In collaboration with professor Rori Rohlfs from San Francisco State University, who is a coauthor in this study, we developed a method based on a phylogenetic ANOVA that allowed us to track genes that have already diverged in expression across species in response to any given stimuliin our case heat stress," said Viridiana Avila-Magana. "This approach becomes particularly relevant for coral reef research given the recent debates on adaptive potential of different coral holobionts under the threats of climate change. With this approach in mind, we were able to understand why different corals have unique physiological responses to heat stress, and how the evolution of gene expression shaped their different susceptibilities."
Avila-Magana explained that corals have experienced episodes of elevated temperatures through evolutionary time and understanding how gene expression has evolved in response to those events can inform corals' responses to present-day and future warming events.
"Our goal with this research was to determine if there have been lineage-specific innovations to heat stress in corals and their algal photosymbionts, as well as whether all members, including bacterial communities, differentially contribute to holobiont robustness," she said.
The gene-expression data revealed that the three coral holobionts did, indeed, differ in their responses and metabolic capabilities under high temperature stress. The team also found that the members of each holobiont had unique responses that influenced the holobiont's overall ability to cope with thermal stress.
Siderastrea radians, Puerto Morelos, Mexico (Caribbean Sea). Credit: Monica Medina, Penn State
"We have uncovered more genes associated with a thermal stress response in coral holobionts than previous studies, and we also show that changes in the expression of these genes arose over evolutionary time," said Medina.
Interestingly, the scientists concluded that the greater thermal tolerance observed in some coral holobionts, such as the starlet coral, may be due, in part, to a higher number and diversity of thermally tolerant microbes in their microbiomes, which provides redundancy in key metabolic pathways that are protective against heat stress.
"We found that some corals harbor a stable and diverse microbiome translating to a vast array of metabolic capabilities that we have shown remain active during the thermal challenge," said Avila-Magana. "By contrast, we found that less thermally tolerant species had reduced bacterial activity and diversity."
Medina noted that the results stress the importance of comparative approaches across a wide range of species to better understand the diverse responses of corals to increasing sea surface temperatures.
Medina and Avila-Magana said, "Corals have been highly impacted by climate change, and the methods we developed in our study represent an excellent tool for scientists trying to understand the adaptive potential of populations and species."
Other authors on the paper include Susana Enriquez, professor, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico; Bishoy Kamel, research assistant professor of biology, University of New Mexico and the Joint Genome Institute, Michael DeSalvo, University of California Merced; Roberto Iglesias-Prieto, professor of biology, Penn State; Kelly Gomez-Campo, graduate student in biology, Penn State; Hiroaki Kitano, professor, Systems Biology Institute Japan; and Rori Rohlfs, assistant professor of biology, San Francisco State University.
Explore further Corals survive the heat with bacterial help
Artists rendition of what the Earth could have looked like in the Archean Eon, from 4 billion to 2.5 billion years ago. Credit: Peter Sawyer/Smithsonian Institution
Scientists have long debated how much molecular oxygen was in Earth's early atmosphere. About 2.4 billion years ago, there was a rise in oxygen that transformed Earth's atmosphere and biosphere, eventually making life like ours possible. This transition is called the "Great Oxidation Event." But how much oxygen was in the atmosphere before this time?
A team of scientists, led by former Arizona State University doctoral student Aleisha Johnson, has been working to unravel the mystery of how the stage was set for the Great Oxidation Event.
Using computer modeling, Johnson and her team determined how much oxygen might have been present at Earth's surface before the Great Oxidation Eventand the implications for life on early Earth.
"We all breathe oxygen, and we all live on the only planet known where that is possible," says Johnson. "With our study, we're one step closer to understanding how that happenedhow Earth was able to transition to, and sustain, an oxygen-rich atmosphere."
The results of their study have been published in Science Advances.
The long-standing puzzle
Geoscientists studying the rock record of Earth have found seemingly conflicting evidence about Earth's early atmosphere. On the one hand, the "fingerprints" of oxygen found after the Great Oxidation Event are mostly missing before that time, leading some scientists to argue that it was absent.
But recent discoveries suggest at least some breakdown of common minerals that react vigorously in the presence of oxygen, and at least some supply to the oceans of chemical elements like molybdenum that accumulate in rivers and oceans when oxygen is present. The conflicting lines of evidence create a long-standing puzzle.
An emergent view of Archean terrestrial oxygen production. Before oxygen filled Earth's atmosphere, it may have been produced in shallow oceans and soils. Shallow soils in proximity to microbial communities (green in figure) may have had oxygen, unlike the overlying atmosphere. As a result, weathering signatures such as molybdenum enrichments in shales predate the Great Oxidation Event. Credit: Johnson et al./ASU
"The evidence seemed contradictory, but we knew there must be an explanation," said Johnson, who is currently a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellow at the University of Chicago.
To help resolve this puzzle, Johnson and her team wrote a computer model that uses what is known about the environmental chemistry of molybdenum, the reactions of minerals with small amounts of oxygen, and measurements others have made of molybdenum abundances in ancient sedimentary rocks, to figure out the range of oxygen levels that was possible in Earth's atmosphere before 2.4 billion years ago.
"This computer model helps us quantify how much oxygen is actually needed to produce the chemistry that is visible in the rock record," said Johnson.
What the team found was that the amount of oxygen needed to explain the molybdenum evidence was so small that it wouldn't have left many other fingerprints.
"There's an old saying that 'absence of evidence is not evidence of absence,'" said study co-author Ariel Anbar, who is a professor at ASU's School of Earth and Space Exploration and School of Molecular Sciences. "Until now, our ideas about oxygen being absent before the Great Oxidation Event were mostly shaped by an absence of evidence. Now we have reason to think it was therejust at lower levels than could be detected before."
The findings support other lines of evidence suggesting that oxygen was being produced, possibly by biology, long before the Great Oxidation Event. That, in turn, helps scientists in their quest to figure out what changes in the Earth's systems caused one of the most important transformations in Earth's history.
"Our hope is that these constraints on ancient atmospheric oxygen help us understand the cause and nature of the Great Oxidation Event. But this isn't just about Earth history. As we begin to explore Earth-like worlds orbiting other stars, we want to know if oxygen-rich atmospheres like ours are likely to be common or rare. So this research also helps inform the search for life on planets other than our own," said Johnson.
The additional authors on this study are Chadlin Ostrander of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Stephen Romaniello of the University of Tennessee, Christopher Reinhard of the Georgia Institute of Technology, Allison Greaney of Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Timothy Lyons of the University of California, Riverside.
Explore further Extra 100 million years before Earth saw permanent oxygen rise
More information: Aleisha C. Johnson et al, Reconciling evidence of oxidative weathering and atmospheric anoxia on Archean Earth, Science Advances (2021). Journal information: Science Advances Aleisha C. Johnson et al, Reconciling evidence of oxidative weathering and atmospheric anoxia on Archean Earth,(2021). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abj0108
Earthshine annual mean albedo 19982017 expressed as watts per square meter (W/m2). The CERES annual albedo 20012019, also expressed in W/m2, are shown in blue. A best fit line to the CERES data (20012019) is shown with a blue dashed line. Average error bars for CERES measurements are of the order of 0.2 W/m2. Credit: Goode et al. (2021), Geophysical Research Letters
Warming ocean waters have caused a drop in the brightness of the Earth, according to a new study.
Researchers used decades of measurements of earthshinethe light reflected from Earth that illuminates the surface of the Moonas well as satellite measurements to find that there has been a significant drop in Earth's reflectance, or albedo, over the past two decades.
The Earth is now reflecting about half a watt less light per square meter than it was 20 years ago, with most of the drop occurring in the last three years of earthshine data, according to the new study in the AGU journal Geophysical Research Letters, which publishes high-impact, short-format reports with immediate implications spanning all Earth and space sciences.
That's the equivalent of 0.5% decrease in the Earth's reflectance. Earth reflects about 30% of the sunlight that shines on it.
"The albedo drop was such a surprise to us when we analyzed the last three years of data after 17 years of nearly flat albedo," said Philip Goode, a researcher at New Jersey Institute of Technology and the lead author of the new study, referring to the earthshine data from 1998 to 2017 gathered by the Big Bear Solar Observatory in Southern California. When the latest data were added to the previous years, the dimming trend became clear.
Two things affect the net sunlight reaching the Earth: the Sun's brightness and the planet's reflectivity. The changes in Earth's albedo observed by the researchers did not correlate with periodic changes in the Sun's brightness, so that means changes in Earth's reflectiveness are caused by something on the Earth.
Specifically, there has been a reduction of bright, reflective low-lying clouds over the eastern Pacific Ocean in the most recent years, according to satellite measurements made as part of NASA's Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) project.
That's the same area, off the west coasts of North and South America, where increases in sea surface temperatures have been recorded because of the reversal of a climatic condition called the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, with likely connections to global climate change.
The dimming of the Earth can also be seen in terms of how much more solar energy is being captured by Earth's climate system. Once this significant additional solar energy is in Earth's atmosphere and oceans, it may contribute to global warming, as the extra sunlight is of the same magnitude as the total anthropogenic climate forcing over the last two decades.
"It's actually quite concerning," said Edward Schwieterman, a planetary scientist at the University of California at Riverside who was not involved in the new study. For some time, many scientists had hoped that a warmer Earth might lead to more clouds and higher albedo, which would then help to moderate warming and balance the climate system, he said. "But this shows the opposite is true."
Explore further New data on the variability of the Earth's reflectance over the last 16 years
More information: P. R. Goode et al, Earth's Albedo 19982017 as Measured From Earthshine, Geophysical Research Letters (2021). Journal information: Geophysical Research Letters P. R. Goode et al, Earth's Albedo 19982017 as Measured From Earthshine,(2021). DOI: 10.1029/2021GL094888
Children collaborate using NoRILLA Intelligent Science Station at Trinity Area School District in Washington County, Pennsylvania. Credit: Carnegie Mellon University
Engaging students through interactive activities, discussions, feedback and AI-enhanced technologies resulted in improved academic performance compared to traditional lectures, lessons or readings, faculty from Carnegie Mellon University's Human-Computer Interaction Institute concluded after collecting research into active learning.
The research also found that effective active learning methods use not only hands-on and minds-on approaches, but also hearts-on, providing increased emotional and social support.
Interest in active learning grew as the COVID-19 pandemic challenged educators to find new ways to engage students. Schools and teachers incorporated new technologies to adapt, while students faced negative psychological effects of isolation, restlessness and inattention brought on by quarantine and remote learning. The pandemic made it clear that traditional approaches to education may not be the best way to learn, but questions persisted about what active learning is and how best to use it to teach and engage and excite students.
Nesra Yannier, faculty in HCII, and Ken Koedinger, a professor of human-computer interaction and psychology, collaborated with researchers at several universities including Stanford, Harvard and University of Washington, to summarize the important findings around active learning. Their work, "Active learning: 'Hands-on' meets 'minds-on,'" was published in Science. The recent studies collected by Yannier and Koedinger span children to college-age adults, demonstrate how and when different approaches of active learning can be effective and engaging, and suggest ways to incorporate lessons learned from schooling during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We wanted to see what we learned from teaching and learning during COVID and what could be brought back into the classroom," Yannier said. "COVID forced educators to engage students in novel ways, and teachers were experimenting with new technology."
A family interacts with NoRILLA at the Childrens Museum of Atlanta. Credit: Carnegie Mellon University
The collected studies showed that active learning can put students in the driver's seat of their lessons. Active learning techniques encourage students to produce thoughts and get feedback through interactive settings rather than passively receiving information as is common in pervasive approaches to education like lectures and readings.
One study included in the collection showed the benefits of physical activity for creativity and idea generation. Another found that while college students think they learn more in traditional lectures than through active learning approaches, they do not. Active learning produces better outcomes.
Yannier and Koedinger included their own research, completed with Scott Hudson, a professor in HCII, that found incorporating an AI-based virtual helper to question students, encourage them to think critically and engage them in discussions increased learning in hands-on activities, while also supporting teachers. The researchers performed controlled experiments to see how much children learned while interacting with NoRILLA, a mixed-reality learning platform where children perform and interpret real-world experiments with personalized interactive feedback in an earthquake table, ramps or other physical apparatuses, with the artificial intelligence turned on and off. When turned off, the students learned far less.
"We've done a lot of research around this," Yannier said. "If we don't have the AI guidance on, the children are not able to understand the underlying concepts, and the learning doesn't translate into the real world."
Both Yannier and Koedinger said that the studies they summarized made it clear that there are many approaches to active learning and how to research it. They hope their paper will move educators to incorporate more active learning in their lessons and think about how they can participate in research into it.
"It's quite clear in this collection that even among like-minded folks there are seven or more applications of active learning that work and sometimes they work in contradictory ways," Koedinger said. "There is so much richness in this field that we can continually make improvements to make it more effective and enjoyable for a long, long time."
Explore further Online students engage more in lectures than physical attendees
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain
The field of climate change communication has done loads to give climate scientists a more relatable voice when disseminating their findings to the public. But good communication is as much about listening as speaking; learning from the public as much as educating them. Our newly-published research shows that fair and effective climate action will depend on the world's leading fact-finders growing a pair of ears to go with their newfound voice, and we think communicators have a critical role in helping them do it. Here is a summary of our key points.
Imagine you are the mayor of a city. You have big aspirations for your tenure, and a list of transformational improvements you want to make that will make the city greener and more sustainable. So, on your first day in office, you assemble a team of experts and brilliant minds to support your decision-making by giving you the information you need. Your team has no executive power on its own, but in providing the knowledge that you will use to make your decisions, they have a very significant influence over your perceived range of options and the pros and cons of those options.
If you haven't guessed, this is a metaphor. Youthe mayorare actually the governments of the world, meeting under the auspices of the UN to discuss how we can address the climate crisis. Your team of experts is the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Like your team of advisors, the IPCC was established to collate and summarize the most up-to-date science on climate change, for the purpose of supporting political decision-making by the world's leaders. More generally though, the IPCC has become global society's de facto spokesperson for the state of the changing climate, as evidenced by the huge hype that builds whenever they release a new report (the most recent was published in August).
The representation dilemma
For an institution with such influence, it clearly matters what kinds of information are represented in the IPCC's reports. After all, who you invite to your mayor's panel of experts is going to determine what perspectives you're able to consider. So far you've stacked your team with scientists of various kinds, but we claim (as a lot of social scientists do) that science alone can't tell a complete story of a problem with human origins, impacts or solutions.
Let's take some examples:
You want to build a hydroelectric dam, but aside from the obvious questions of physics and engineering, what do you know about who will be displaced, or what the cultural significance of the soon-to-be flooded land is to people who live nearby? And these questions are just as important when adapting to climate change.
You want to put an end to fossil fuel production in your jurisdiction because the science is clear that this is essential. But science alone doesn't reveal the legacy of not only dependency but gratitude that mining communities may hold towards an industry that has supported its families for generations.
You want to start taxing emissions. But beyond economic mechanisms and quantities of atmospheric carbon, have you accounted for the differentiated value of emissions generated? In other words, is there a difference between emissions produced by people trying to survive, as compared to emissions produced by people taking a holiday in Costa Rica?
And these examples are just cultural considerationsoften the people living in places have their own deep, yet undervalued, expertise of the localized issue in question. Local populations can see things that scientific models don't know to look for. In these cases, listening to local people actually means making better decisions.
Clearly, there are social and cultural cross-currents that bend and warp the true meaning of scientific knowledge once it leaves the lab and enters a human world, and those factors can only influence decisions if they are given a voice. Relying on just one (scientific) perspective flattens out some very complex and thorny social factors that need to be grappled with if we are to achieve equitable and effective solutions. We have called this the "representation dilemma," but it is not a new argument at all, and has been at the top of the wish list for social scientists and community activists for decades.
A new role for communicators?
While social science and humanities scholars may be hoarse from calling for greater inclusivity in the IPCC, the small but mighty discipline of climate change communication has managed to gain a strong foothold in mainstream climate debates. Prominent individuals such as Susan Hassol and Katherine Hayhoe, and research-based groups like Climate Outreach, have become influential advocates of more socially literate science communication. This is reflected in everything from the visuals used in media reporting to the IPCC's own choice of language when disseminating findings. The need for effective communication is becoming so widely recognized that the IPCC even chaired a special meeting on its communication strategy to consult specialists from across science communication, journalism and academia. Given that influence, our paper explores how climate communicators might push for an IPCC that's more representative. With their attention to diverse audiences and the social life of scientific facts, couldn't these skilled mediators between scientific, political and public worlds be well positioned to take on the representation dilemma? We argue they can, but that most of the work we've seen emerge from the field of climate communication so far has not done so.
To illustrate the claim that communicators could do more to beat the representation dilemma, we've used the metaphor of a conversation.
As any communicator will tell you, good dialog entails elements of both speaking and listening. Communicators, as mediators, can either help the IPCC to speak its ready-made message more clearly, or to listen with humility for other forms of relevant knowledge to include in its findings.
So far, climate change communication has focused very heavily on the former, translating technical concepts and ideas into language that will resonate with people more clearly, and ensuring that that scientific consensus packs a punch. This work of giving climate science a more human voice has undoubtedly been essential to extending its public legitimacy, but it hasn't made the IPCC's reckoning of 'policy-relevant' knowledge any more inclusive of human perspectives.
For this, we propose a second category of communication work we call "listening," which involves finding ways for public interests and perspectives to have an augmented presence within IPCC knowledge production. (One particularly low-hanging fruit is to make use of the masses of literature in non-represented fields from anthropology to history. Remember, the IPCC doesn't commission its own research, but just synthesizes existing work. There is an enormous reserve of existing scholarship that could be used to help develop a more rounded picture of the social and cultural dimensions of climate change.) For communicators though, often this simply means reimagining ideas they already put into practice.
Here are a few ways in which climate change communication can use existing research, concepts or activities for the purpose of not just talking science at publics, but listening to how they respond. In all cases it can be as simple as a change of emphasis.
For example, an in-depth study with Canadian oil workers explored the kinds of narratives and language that either resonates or clashes with local values. This research could be used to sell the idea of decarbonisation to fossil fuel towns in a carefully spun narrative, or it could be given to policymakers to show that energy transitions have to be just, and cater to community values and interests to be successful.
"Trusted messengers" is a term often used to mean someone within a community who can translate the science in a way that will resonate with their kin and colleagues. But why not also recognize community advocates who are skilled at representing local interests to institutional actors in politics, the press and academia? Examples of these figures include Queen Quet of the Gullah Geechee nation, who has testified to Congress about the inalienable ties of her people to the waterways of the coastal Southeast.
Experiments in democratic decision-making have made use of public consultation before, with great success. Participatory models like citizens' assemblies place decision-makers in a room with both the experts who usually inform policy and the publics who will have to live with the consequences of those policies for a good long chat. This non-hierarchical dialog is not only a chance for the kind of informed public engagement that "speaking" models strive for, but it allows for a truly democratic basis for decision-making in which various political options can be tempered by scientific and social insight before implementation.
But wait a minute, the IPCC never claimed to be anything but a scientific organization. How can you expect scientists to take responsibility for all this non-scientific information? Well, this is the heart of our argument: In a society where science and truth have been treated as synonymous for decades, the IPCC has developed a twofold identity as not just the global authority on climate science but on climate knowledge in general. This is what lays the unfair burden of omniscience on scientists. The listening agenda is not just about being more inclusive, but about recalibrating public expectations so that scientists are not forced to speak for more than they ever claimed to have expertise in.
Ultimately, this would mean making quite fundamental changes to the structure of the IPCC, and there are all sorts of constraints on its governance that have made this very hard to do. But in focusing on communication, we are targeting an influential sphere of activity that can begin to apply new pressure to climate change politics. And beyond the IPCC, we want this to be a framework for anyone engaging in communication components of their work to be able to ask "Does this activity speak or listen, and what can we do to make it more reciprocal?" (And if there are any mayors reading this, think about who you're taking advice from!)
Bringing this research to North Carolina
This paper was based on work done in the U.K., but the subject matter feeds directly into the research I am conducting here in North Carolina. With roughly one fifth of the population in the Carolinas living along the coast, sea-level rise will have an enormous impact here over the coming decades. But the scale of the issue doesn't mean it's easy to talk about.
In this diverse and culturally rich region of the country, there are many complex and nuanced ways in which Carolinians connect with coastal flooding, climate science, the idea of a global community of climate action and even the narrative of climate change itself. But there are also values and assumptions baked into the mainstream climate conversation, and a tendency to treat complex, ambivalent or even mistrustful public attitudes towards climate change as a straightforward matter of ignorance, or a deficit of [scientific] understanding. Good communication is therefore not just about "educating" publics but ensuring that those publics are properly understood and listened to by their compatriots and political representatives.
There is a considerable amount of local-level activity in the Carolinas in which coastal communities are actively engaged in two-way dialog with scientists, planners and decision-makerssomething rarely seen at higher levels of politics. My research aims to explore this local level as a site for empathetic and inclusive forms of dialog that could complement the amazing output of coastal science from research centers like NC State. My hope is that highlighting examples of positive collaboration between the public and science communities will help provide a basis for more democratic and effective climate policy in North Carolina and elsewhere.
Explore further Improving transparency of integrated assessment models related to climate change
More information: Karl Dudman et al, An IPCC that listens: introducing reciprocity to climate change communication, Climatic Change (2021). Journal information: Climatic Change Karl Dudman et al, An IPCC that listens: introducing reciprocity to climate change communication,(2021). DOI: 10.1007/s10584-021-03186-x
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain
Florida State University researchers have found that some marine-protected areas may not work as predicted in safeguarding and conserving endangered species.
A team of international researchers found that hawksbill turtles in Brazil are most often searching for food and breeding outside the boundaries of marine-protected areas, which are designated regions of seas, oceans, the Great Lakes and estuaries set aside for conservation purposes.
The study is published in the September 2021 edition of the journal Biological Conservation.
"This means that established protections for marine migratory species are not having the intended effect, highlighting a lack of protection," said Armando Santos, a doctoral candidate in the FSU Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science, part of the College of Arts and Sciences.
Santos and Associate Professor of Oceanography Mariana Fuentes assessed the effectiveness, design and impact of marine-protected areas off the coast of Brazil through the analysis of critically endangered hawkbill turtles. Their work, however, is a starting point to look at conservation strategies for other marine species.
"Armando's work helped highlight and identify areas that should be prioritized for management and conservation when thinking about sea turtle protection," Fuentes said. "When looking at the maps in his results, the important areas for turtles are extremely broad. It's a huge undertaking to protect these large areas, so Armando is now using fine-scale information and data analysis to pinpoint specific areas for protection."
Marine-protected areas are among the most widely enacted strategies to conserve marine ecosystems and are typically designed to protect specific habitats rather than certain species. There are about 1,000 marine protected areas located throughout the United States, including three in the Gulf of Mexico. Across the world, there are close to 20,000 marine-protected areas.
However, just because an area is protected does not mean that the measures always work. Fisheries, marine traffic, oil and gas extraction, mining and port locations all pose significant threats to marine life.
Different levels of protection are offered by marine-protected areas, ranging from full protection from human activities to allowing for sustainable human use. By analyzing the existing threats hawksbill turtles encounter in their frequented areas, Santos and Fuentes assessed the effectiveness of each level of marine-protected areas in safeguarding hawksbill turtle habitats.
"We looked at data crucial to species conservation: spatial distribution and threat exposure," Santos said. "This overlap of distribution and threats is important because these areas require conservation intervention. It's also important to note that threats to species are cumulative, not individual, and consider how that magnifies the threat impact."
This study's dataset is the second-largest dataset of hawksbill spatial distribution in the world, and Santos plans to continue this research by next examining the diving profile of turtles to understand what drives their distribution and habitat use. This will further fine-tune the areas that require urgent protection and intervention.
"Though this research focuses on hawksbill turtles in Brazil, a lot of the work we're doing contributes to the bigger picture of using satellite telemetry datathe collection of data at inaccessible points and their automatic transmission to satellites that's often used in tagging marine speciesand other information to inform species conservation," Fuentes said. "Hopefully, someone working across the globe with a different migratory species can learn from this study and implement some of the findings to their location. This work is all about making information digestible to stakeholders and providing the best information for use in conservation policies."
More information: Armando J.B. Santos et al, Effectiveness and design of marine protected areas for migratory species of conservation concern: A case study of post-nesting hawksbill turtles in Brazil, Biological Conservation (2021). Journal information: Biological Conservation Armando J.B. Santos et al, Effectiveness and design of marine protected areas for migratory species of conservation concern: A case study of post-nesting hawksbill turtles in Brazil,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2021.109229
Ilgari Inyayimaha (Shared Sky), painted by artists Margaret Whitehurst, Jenny Green, Barbara Merritt, Charmaine Green, Kevin Merritt, Sherryl Green, Tracey Green, Wendy Jackamarra, Susan Merry, Johnaya Jones, Gemma Merritt, Craig Chook Pickett, and Nerolie Blurton. Credit: Yamaji Art
Have you ever looked up at the night sky and wondered what it all means? You are not alone. Billions of people before you have done the same. Looking at the stars to make sense of the universe, and our lives on Earth, extends back many tens of thousands of years, across all cultures.
A new 360 degree immersive film, "Star Dreaming," set to screen around Australia and internationally, draws on our common wonder about the universe, exploring ancient culture and astrophysics, side by side.
In Australia, the world's longest continuous culture can also claim to provide some of the first astronomers. Indigenous Australians attach rich meaning to the night sky, and its connection to the land and our environment.
Also in Australia, much more recently, astrophysics has become one of the nation's most successful and prominent sciences. In Western Australia, one of the world's largest astronomy projects is being hosted, the Square Kilometre Array (SKA).
On the land of the Wajarri Yamaji people, in mid-west WA, the SKA will be the largest radio telescope ever built, detecting radio waves from galaxies forming soon after the Big Bang, 13.8 billion years ago. This massive project will be completed towards the end of this decade.
Over the last 13 years, I have been privileged to work with colleagues from Yamaji Art in Geraldton, exploring Indigenous stories about the sky alongside the stories of the Greeks and Romans, and the astrophysical stories about the universe. We have learned from each other and taken our experience to the world through art exhibitions.
Three years ago, we started work on "Star Dreaming." It has been filmed using a 360 degree camera and is designed to be shown inside a dome, like a planetarium. "Star Dreaming" is an immersive experience, combining live action and CGI animation, and a unique cross-cultural exploration.
The film is a narrative, following two children from Geraldton as they discover the astrophysical story of the universe and Yamaji stories of the sky and land. Max Winton and Amangu girl Lucia Richardson make their acting debuts, as do I as "the scientist."
Filming was interesting and demanding. Over four days, we filmed prototype SKA antennas (from a drone), the landscape (including in scorching hot creek beds), and indoor sequences. The director, Perun Bonser (an Ngarluma man), Julia Redwood (producer), and cast and crew had their work cut out.
The film starts with the Big Bang, the origin of all matter and energy, space and time. We look at the life cycle of stars, and how stars produced the atoms that make up the Earthand us. Without stars, we would not exist. We explain the speed of light, the temperatures and colors of stars, and the basics of how the SKA works.
Watch the Star Dreaming trailer.
This is interwoven with Indigenous stories, like the astonishing Emu in the Sky, which appears after dusk in March/April toward the east, appearing to sit on its nest on the horizon. This is the same time of year when real emus lay their eggs and tend to them.
When the Emu in the Sky appears, Indigenous people know it is time to hunt for the eggs. As Yamaji artist Margaret Whitehurst says in the film, "good tucker!" Margaret and fellow Yamaji artist and poet Charmaine Green lead the kids on an egg hunt, and cook up the results.
Yamaji artists Barbara and Kevin Merritt show the kids the Seven Sisters, the Indigenous story of a hunter pursuing seven sisters across the country and into the night skyrepeated every night.
Turns out, this is almost identical to an ancient story of the Greeks and Romans for this group of stars, also identified as seven sisters (the Pleiades) being chased by a hunter (Orion).
How is that cultures on opposite sides of the Earth, separated by thousands of years, arrive at the same story for the same group of stars? These are mysteries that hint at common origins.
As a scientist, I've learned so much from being with the artists and sharing our stories together. I have a much richer perspective on the universe and Indigenous culture, well beyond the night sky, as a result of our time together.
Another Yamaji artist, Wendy Jackamarra, paints the Jewel Box, a colorful cluster of stars right next to the Southern Cross that can only be seen with a telescopes; it comes to life on the screen, as does Margaret's painting of the Emu in the Sky, and Barbara's painting of the Seven Sisters. The paintings reveal themselves through CGI, telling their stories as the different elements come together.
I've been asked, "what do you want people to take away from the film?" Of course, I want people to come away with a better understanding of Indigenous culture, and to have learned something about the science. But, to me, the film captures intertwined cultural and scientific perspectives that are common to all peoples.
The atoms in our bodies are produced in stars and scattered into space when those stars die, providing the building blocks for planets and life. For many millennia, humans have sat under the night sky and watched all this unfold, our different cultural stories underpinned by our common sense of wonder.
Differences in race, religion, culture, politics, and society melt away with that perspective. We all experience a shared sky, a common origin.
"Star Dreaming" is screening at the WA Maritime Museum in Fremantle, WA. Keep an eye out for it in major cities and planetaria across Australia before the end of 2021. In 2022 it will be screened around the world. All aspects of the film and the project, including its name, were derived from consultations and formal sign-off between the Indigenous participants, Prospero Productions, and the scientists.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Vanguard Cave. Credit: Gipmetal77 modded by Victuallers/Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 3.0
A team of researchers with the Gibraltar National Museum has found a hidden chamber in one of the caves that make up Gorham's Cave Complex in Gibraltar. They have posted a press statement on their website describing what they have found in the chamber thus far.
Prior research has shown that both modern humans and Neanderthals lived in parts of Gorham's Cave Complex in Gibraltar, though not at the same time. Both groups left behind a treasure trove of artifacts, including tools, butchered remains of animals and fossils. For that reason, the site has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 2012, a team at the Gibraltar National Museum studied the caves. As part of that mission, they sought chambers they believed were hidden in the caves. Such chambers are common in caves formed close to the sea due to environmental factors. Over the course of nearly a decade, the search for hidden chambers came up empty. Then, as one group was searching the back of Vanguard Cave, they found evidence of soft sediment, which they believed could be hiding a chamber. Some digging proved their hunch to be correct; behind the sediment plug, they found a large chamber.
The chamber was located higher up than the cave and was approximately 13 meters long. The amount of sediment in the plug suggested that the chamber had been sealed for tens of thousands of years. On its floor, they found the remains of a Griffon vulture, a hyena and a lynx, animals fully capable of climbing up into the chamber. But they also found the shell of a dog whelka type of sea snail, which the researchers note would not have been able to climb up into the chamber. This, they note, suggests something carried it up there. The team also found scratches on the walls of the chamber, though they were unable to discover their source.
Initial estimates suggest Neanderthals likely were living in the area during the time the chamber was open, though the researchers have not yet found any evidence. They plan to begin digging in the chamber floor to see what other evidence might be found.
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2021 Science X Network
The largest ammonite specimen (1.8m in diameter) in the world housed in the Munster Natural History Museum, Germany. Credit: Christina Ifrim
Vast ammonites, relatives of squid and octopus, up to 1.8 meters across once littered the East Sussex seas, according to new research.
Ammonites fossils more than 80 million years old and which can easily be seen today on the shores of southern England have been described by an international team of scientists.
The creatures once thrived on both sides of the Atlantic, in Sussex and in Mexico, before being wiped out by the same meteorite strike which brought the age of dinosaurs to an end.
One of the team who have described the prolific collection of ammonites in England is Professor Andy Gale at the University of Portsmouth.
He said that "this giant species is commonly found in the chalk on the foreshore at Peacehaven in East Sussex, where erosion by the sea has exposed molds of the shells (image). The largest specimens are females, which probably spawned once and subsequently died. The chambered shells were buoyant, and floated in the Chalk Sea for a long time before finally sinking to the bottom, where they have been preserved for millions of years."
The team, led by Dr Christina Ifrim, a paleontologist and head of the Jura Museum in Germany, published their research in PLOS One.
Discovery of a giant ammonite in Mexico. Credit: Nils Schorndorf
They studied 154 giant ammonites from Cretaceous period found in rocks in Germany, Mexico and the UK.
Professor Gale said: "These enormous, long extinct, shelled cephalopods, related to squid and octopus, achieved a maximum shell diameter of 1.8 meters and are best known from a specimen in a German museum. They were wiped out by the same end-Cretaceous meteorite impact 66 million years ago which did for the dinosaurs.
"Fossil finds of the species are extremely rare, so little is know about them. But because we found so many in Sussex, we can start piecing together the sequence of their evolution."
Of the 154 fossils examined, 110 were found on the beaches in Sussex or in Mexico. From these, the team was able to determine the species thrived 83 million years ago and grew enormous.
Because the fossils were found in clusters, the researchers believe the ammonites died and sank after reproducing, which they did only once in their lifetime.
The first specimen ever found was discovered in 1895 in Germany. It remains the largest ever found.
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Compound environmental shocks and their impact on food insecurity in Nepal, one of the worlds most disaster-prone countries, was the focus of research conducted by faculty in Penn States College of Agricultural Sciences. Credit: Creative Commons/India Water Portal
The effects of monsoon rainfall on food insecurity in Nepal vary by earthquake exposure, with regions that experienced both heavy earthquake shaking and abundant rainfall more likely to have an inadequate supply of nutritious food.
That is one of the conclusions of a study led by Heather Randell, assistant professor of rural sociology and demography in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences. She said the findings have implications for Nepalone of the most disaster-prone countries in the worldand for countries around the globe, given the increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events due to climate change.
"While many studies have examined how individual natural disasters or adverse weather events impact crop production and food security, little is known about the effects of exposure to multiple events in close succession," Randell said. "The knowledge gained from this study can serve as a platform to create adaptation strategies that will improve global health and promote sustainable development."
Randell, who began the study as a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Maryland, explained that climate change leads to an increased risk of multiple environmental hazards occurring within a short timeframe. These combined stressors, called compound events, present unique challenges, given that the first hazard may undermine a household's or community's ability to withstand subsequent hazards.
Nepal, a landlocked country in South Asia, experiences high rates of poverty and food insecurity. Thirty-six percent of Nepali children under the age of 5 years suffer from chronic malnutrition, per U.S. Agency for International Development statistics.
The country's economy is heavily dependent on agriculture, with monsoon rainfalla weather phenomenon that brings rain to the region between June and Septemberplaying a critical role in agricultural production, Randell pointed out. When the monsoon begins later than usual or when rainfall is below normal, agricultural production can suffer, affecting food security.
"With climate change, Nepal is projected to experience increased monsoon rainfall variability, with a greater frequency of above- and below-normal rainfall as well as heavy rain events," she said. "These heavy rainfall events also can trigger flooding and landslides, which can lead to negative agricultural, health and economic impacts."
Not only that, but Nepal is one of the most earthquake-prone regions in the world given its proximity to two converging tectonic plates: the India plate and the overriding Eurasia plate to the north. In April 2015, the 7.8-magnitude Gorkha earthquake hit near Kathmandu, killing 9,000 people and injuring many others. More than 600,000 structures were damaged.
Though earthquake magnitude and frequency are unrelated to climate change, earthquakes may interact with environmental hazards that are becoming more severe due to climate change, such as heavy rainfall events, noted Randell.
"Recently, Haiti experienced a magnitude 7.2 earthquake followed by Tropical Storm Grace, which impeded the rescue process and flooded areas damaged by the earthquake," she said. "These types of events raise the questionhow can we better plan for compound events to protect the most vulnerable?"
Working with Amir Sapkota, a professor of environmental epidemiology at the University of Maryland, Randell and a team of scientists examined data from the 2016 Nepal Demographic and Health Survey. This survey, which was distributed to women in about 11,000 households in 73 of Nepal's 75 districts, contained information on food security, geographic location and an array of household- and community-level variables.
That information was integrated with earthquake intensity data from the U.S. Geological Survey and monsoon rainfall data from the Climate-Weather Research and Forecasting Model.
Fourteen of Nepal's districts experienced the most severe earthquake impacts in terms of deaths, injuries and damage to infrastructure. Randell and the team hypothesized that these earthquake-affected households would be more vulnerable to drought conditions than households in areas not damaged by the earthquake.
Surprisingly, among households that experienced at least moderate earthquake shaking, more rainfall was positively associated with food insecurity, particularly in steep, mountainous areas. Monsoon rainfall events triggered landslides in areas destabilized by the earthquake, which damaged roads, disrupted the distribution of food aid and destroyed agricultural land and assets.
And, in regions that were minimally impacted by the earthquake, low rainfall was associated with increased food insecurity, likely due to lower agricultural productivity in drought conditions.
Randell said additional research is needed on the social impacts of compound environmental shocks. "Through a better understanding of how compound events impact human health and well-being, we can better identify which groups are most vulnerable, and we will be able to assist communities to recover and build resilience more effectively," she said.
Explore further How climate change limits educational access
More information: Heather Randell et al, Food insecurity and compound environmental shocks in Nepal: Implications for a changing climate, World Development (2021). Heather Randell et al, Food insecurity and compound environmental shocks in Nepal: Implications for a changing climate,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2021.105511
Elongated nanocapsules can be prepared by polymerisation at the surface of elongated liposome templates with drug nanocrystals. Credit: Monash University
Monash University researchers have used advanced techniques at ANSTO to investigate the production of new, elongated polymer nanocapsules with a high payload of drug nanocrystals to potentially increase drug targetability, and also decrease dosage frequency and side effects.
This method had not been investigated previously and represents a pioneering method of investigation in the field of colloidal science applications for drug delivery.
Nanoparticles have been used to increase the delivery efficiency of cancer therapy because of their biocompatibility, versatility and the easiness of functionalisation.
The team engineered novel elongated polymer nanocapsules, which are unlike the more well-known spherical nanocapsules.
The elongated polymer nanocapsules were made with elongated liposomes or surfactant vesicles and used drug nanocrystals as a template.
The results provided strong evidence that the elongated structure could be retained, and also confirmed that the loading method to form rod-like drug nanocrystals inside liposomes was a practical solution.
The combination of the high drug payload, in the form of encapsulated nanocrystals, and the non-spherical feature of liposomes represented a more efficient delivery system.
Spherical hollow nanocapsules have been studied extensively, but the formation of elongated nanocapsules containing active pharmaceuticals as therapeutic agents has been previously largely unsuccessful.
"There are difficulties in retaining the elongated shape and their encapsulation efficiency is low," explained researcher Yunxin (Cindy) Xiao, a Ph.D. candidate working in the Nonlaminar group with Prof Ben Boyd at the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute. and the recipient of the Australian Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering Post Graduate Research Award.
"The elongated shape is better because it is more difficult for immune cells to internalize them and because their therapeutic efficiency at the target site can be maximized."
After obtaining promising structural results using a liposomal template investigated using the small angle X-ray scattering beamline at ANSTO's Australian Synchrotron and the small and ultra-small small-angle neutron scattering instruments Bilby and Kookaburra in previous research, the template was used to form elongated polymer nanocapsules.
The researchers used vesicles made of surfactants as templates, which allowed for the polymerisation of a less permeable shell inside these.
In their experiment, nanocrystals of the antibiotic drug ciprofloxacin were then encapsulated in the elongated nanocapsules (approximately 200 nm by 3050 nm). Importantly, when the test drug nanocrystals were extracted from the elongated nanocrystals in a dissolution process, the nanocrystal capsules retained their shape.
This opens the possibility of their use in delivering a range of active pharmaceuticals, such as anticancer drugs.
The researchers wanted to study how the system was working in detail and needed to see the differences between the three layers of the elongated systemdrug nanocrystals, the elongated liposomal template, and the cross-linked polymer.
However, because the liposomal template and the nanocapsules are attached, it is very challenging to distinguish these layers. Here deuteration and neutron scattering can offer a great solution.
In experiments at the Australian Centre for Neutron scattering, a type of deuterated phospholipid, provided by the National Deuteration Facility, was used in the formation of the nanocrystalswhich mean that the small-angle neutron scattering instrument Bilby could investigate the two different parts of the system.
The difference in neutron scattering from hydrogen and deuterium atoms can be used in contrast variation experiments, which allows different parts of a complex system, like the elongated nanocapsules. to be studied.
Contrast in small-angle neutron scattering can mask or highlight the different components if they are deuterated.
The use of different instruments opens up different length scales to investigationfrom micrometers to nanometres.
The researchers used the Bilby instrument to analyze the formation of the polymers on the surface of the elongated liposomal template. They also determined the thickness of the elongated polymer layer and found which parts of the system were being stretched.
"The approach makes it possible to visualize different parts of the samples independently," said Xiao.
Because the rigid polymeric shell is able to adapt the shape of the template, its features can be retained.
The benefit of synthesizing a layer of polymer on the surface of the nanocapsules instead of just directly delivering the liposomes gives the cross-linked polymer the ability to release a drug slowly and safely.
The polymer shell further slows down the diffusion of drugs from the nanocarriers, decreasing side effects and reducing dose frequency.
The use of different instruments allows researchers to investigate at different length scales.
The work of this group has been published previously in the journal Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces.
This research was a finalist in ANSTO's Neutron and Deuteration Impact Awards. It has been submitted for publication.
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Eric Lechner holds the oxygen-alloyed niobium test cavity used in the research.
Whipping up world-class particle accelerator structures has long been a process akin to following a favorite recipe. Many of the best-performing samples are prepared using processes developed through trial and error over decades of experience. But recently, accelerator scientists have been boosting this empirical approach to science with more theoretical input. Now, their efforts are beginning to pay off.
Accelerator scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility have developed a model for a cheaper and easier preparation method for getting better performance from particle accelerators. Further, preliminary tests of the new model show that it may soon provide scientists the ability to predict the best material preparation method for specific performance goals. The results from this study were recently published in Applied Physics Letters.
Building efficient accelerators
Many of today's advanced particle accelerators use superconducting radiofrequency technology, or SRF technology. These accelerators are powered by specially shaped structures called accelerator cavities. Cavities are typically made of a metal called niobium. When cooled to cryogenic temperatures, niobium accelerator cavities become superconducting, allowing them to store vast amounts of radiofrequency energy for accelerating particles.
It was once thought that niobium accelerator cavities worked best if they were made of the purest niobium metal and had the cleanest, contaminant-free surface. However, several recent studies have indicated that adding specific elements to a cavity's surface could help increase its efficiency.
Specifically, initial research at DOE's Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory discovered that adding nitrogen to the surface of niobium accelerator components makes them more efficient. The strong empirical results from subsequent collaborative tests convinced managers for the upgrade of the Linac Coherent Light Source to adopt this process, which they referred to as "nitrogen doping." The LCLS is located at DOE's SLAC National Accelerator Lab in Menlo Park, Ca.
Nitrogen doping
Nitrogen doping cavities, however, can be a complicated process. The final preparation steps of a typical recipe include firing them in a pristinely clean furnace at around 800 (about 1,500) for hours with addition of a bit of nitrogen gas during the last few minutes, rinsing them off with a high-pressure stream of ultra-pure water, and then subjecting the cavities to a carefully controlled acid treatment called electropolishing that essentially strips thin layers of very lossy material from the surface. Following another rinse, the cavities are ready to be tested to determine their efficiency.
This long and involved process has delivered excellent results in tests required for that project. But, the science of how the preparation improved performancewhat physical changes it induces in a cavity's surface and how that produced the desired effectremained ambiguous. Also unknown was how tweaking certain parts of the process would improve or limit accelerator cavity performance.
In 2019, Jefferson Lab Staff Scientist Ari Palczewski set out to change that. He received a DOE Early Career Award from the Office of Nuclear Physics to develop a theoretical model of how different processing steps equate to expected performance in accelerator cavities that have been doped with nitrogen.
Palczewski took a multidisciplinary approach to the research. He brought on board Eric Lechner as a postdoctoral fellow in Jefferson Lab's SRF Institute. Lechner applies theoretical expertise to the project. He started out by deconstructing the mechanics of how nitrogen-doping recipes change the surface of the niobium.
"Essentially what is happening is that you allow some impurities to go into the surface of the niobium, which makes up your SRF accelerator cavities. We're talking just a few micrometers or so. This enhances the properties of the superconductor," explained Lechner.
He analyzed prepared samples with Jonathan Angle, a graduate student in the materials science and engineering program at Virginia Tech. Angle used a technique called secondary ion mass spectrometry to scan the surface and depths of the material to characterize how nitrogen was distributed in the niobium by different preparation techniques.
From nitrogen to oxygen
While this research was proceeding well, the team soon had reasons to switch gears.
Researchers at the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK) in Japan began reporting efficiencies rivaling that of nitrogen-doped accelerator cavities from cavities that had received a far less onerous processing method. Essentially, the KEK researchers had baked cavities in a furnace at far lower temperaturesat just 300400 and then simply rinsed off the cavities and tested them. These results intrigued the accelerator scientists at Jefferson Lab.
Further, the early career project that had been focused on nitrogen doping was coming to a close with the departure of Palczewski, who had gone on to pursue different challenges in industry.
Charlie Reece, a senior accelerator physicist in the SRF Institute, then made a proposal for the line of research to focus on the promising alternative preparation process.
Lechner and Angle set to work preparing cavities using the simpler process. They then analyzed the cavities' surfaces.
"Jonathan and I investigated it with the secondary ion mass spectrometry technique. And this is where we had found out that the main contaminant in this case was oxygen rather than nitrogen, so it played a similar role in enhancing the performance," Lechner said.
He said the oxygen comes from the surface of the niobium itself. That's because oxides, which primarily contain the atoms of oxygen, always form on the metal's surface with exposure to the air.
"When you heat it up, the oxide starts to dissolve, and the oxygen that is released during this process ends up getting dissolved into the surface of niobium in a diffusion process," Lechner explained.
The result is a new, thin surface layer composed of a niobium-oxygen alloy. And because the oxygen comes from oxides that are naturally present on every surface of the cavity, the oxygen diffuses uniformly into every nook and cranny.
"Simply put, this process is simpler, cheaper, and works on any geometry or design of accelerator cavity," Reece said.
Theory Shines a Light
"A lot of the effort behind this work was trying to understand the mechanism behind the introduction of oxygen into the surface. There are not that many models out there that predict what is going on when you bake a cavity in this temperature range," Lechner said.
But one model that stood out came from another of Jefferson Lab's own researchers: Gigi Ciovati. While working on his Ph.D. thesis in 2006, Ciovati had developed a theoretical model on niobium oxide dissolution and oxygen diffusion to explain the migration of oxygen at temperatures around 100-200.
"Gigi had developed quite a nice model that explained this effect," Lechner commented. "This modeling allows you to develop an oxygen profile into the surface that is customizable, so you can try to develop a heating recipe to enhance the quality factor [how well the cavity performs] optimally. And also, you might be able to engineer an oxygen profile that enhances the maximum accelerating gradient in the cavity, which tells you how much energy you can store in there."
However, at the time, Ciovati didn't have access to the secondary ion mass spectrometry technique to verify what was happening between niobium and oxygen at the surface. Lechner and Angle were able to use Ciovati's model and what they learned from secondary ion mass spectrometry to apply the model to their new samples.
This phase of the work aimed to take the analytical model that Ciovati had developed and use it to build a new numerical model that would allow accelerator builders to fine-tune their recipes to achieve more efficient accelerator cavities.
"Now, we're trying to develop a numerical model that will help us tailor a profile near the surface such that it optimizes the quality factor and accelerating field," Lechner said.
If successful, the new model will allow accelerator builders to confidently dial up the optimum recipe for the efficiency enhancement they need. This would, for the first time, allow for customizability of the accelerator structure preparation recipe without unnecessary time lost to blind trial-and-error.
"The goal of this research is to open the window to predictability. We want to engineer the process in a thoughtful way, so that we can successfully engineer the process that will reliably give us the desired result," Reece said.
Lechner said that the team is already getting promising results from the new model, but suggests that improvements to the modeling can still be made.
"This is still a work in progress. We are looking to test this model now," he added.
Initial results were recently published in Applied Physics Letters and recognized as notable by selection as an Editors Pick contribution.
Explore further Cooking up a new theory for better accelerators
More information: E. M. Lechner et al, RF surface resistance tuning of superconducting niobium via thermal diffusion of native oxide, Applied Physics Letters (2021). Journal information: Applied Physics Letters E. M. Lechner et al, RF surface resistance tuning of superconducting niobium via thermal diffusion of native oxide,(2021). DOI: 10.1063/5.0059464
Comparison of cellulosic emulsion and microcrystalline cellulose hydrolysis kinetics. The conversion of cellulose was compared using a 0.6% cellulose emulsion and microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) at four temperatures and an enzyme load of 53 FPU/g substrate. Data is shown as the mean values and error bars represent the standard deviation of three replicates. Credit: DOI: 10.1186/s13068-021-02008-7
Princeton researchers have developed a new way to make fuel from celluloseEarth's most abundant organic compound, found in all plant cellsspeeding up a notoriously slow chemical process and in some cases doubling energy yields over comparable methods.
Their platform uses a recently developed cellulose emulsion that makes it easier to metabolize the compound into other chemicals. Combining that emulsion with engineered microbes and a light-based genetic tool, the team showed that they could more efficiently make biofuels from cellulose.
A paper published July 17 in the journal Biotechnology for Biofuels demonstrates the platform's performance with both ethanol, the current leading biofuel, and isobutanol, a biofuel that improves on ethanol as a drop-in gasoline replacement and can also provide the base for jet fuel. In both cases, the new method substantially improved speeds of production and yields compared to untreated cellulose.
"The main challenge is that cellulose is very hard to process. It first has to be broken down into individual sugar molecules before it can be turned into fuel," said Shannon Hoffman, a graduate student in chemical and biological engineering and one of the study's lead authors. "Our paper shows a new and more effective way to break down the cellulose for use in biofuel production."
Cellulosic biomass has long been seen as a key ingredient in curbing greenhouse gas emissions, providing the feedstock for a renewable and clean-burning transportation fuel. The U.S. Department of Energy has conducted a series of studies showing that at least one billion tons of biomass could be sustainably harvested each year in the United States without disrupting forests or food production to produce biofuels, largely from cellulose. But current processes that convert that cellulose to simple sugars for fuel production have faced economic challenges, due in part to slow conversion rates and inefficiencies.
This study shows a new approach. Instead of starting with cellulose crystals, the team started with emulsions of pre-treated cellulose, recently developed at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. The emulsion makes it easier for enzymes to break tough cellulose chains into single glucose molecules and simultaneously feed that glucose to genetically engineered yeast for fermentation. And using light, the team controlled the yeasts' output, switching between metabolic pathways to optimize for the desired product.
In the first hour of cellulose digestion, their platform worked around 40 times faster than the untreated crystal cellulose. With isobutanol, it was up to four times faster overall and twice as productive.
While this study doesn't address all impediments to commercial viability, the results demonstrate a promising new direction in the quest to make advanced biofuels from dedicated energy crops and agricultural residues such as the stubble left in a field after harvest.
"If we want to reach the Paris Agreement goals of keeping global warming below 1.5 C, we need to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. Even with optimistic electrification rates of cars and trucks, there's a gap to eliminate fossil fuels from transportation in that time period," said the study's principal investigator Jose Avalos, assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering and the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment. "We're going to need a sustainable, low carbon-emissions fuel to fill that gap. And then there are of course airplanes, which we don't expect we'll be able to electrify by 2050. So we are going to need sustainable biofuels for the foreseeable future."
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More information: Shannon M. Hoffman et al, Cellulosic biofuel production using emulsified simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (eSSF) with conventional and thermotolerant yeasts, Biotechnology for Biofuels (2021). Journal information: Biotechnology for Biofuels Shannon M. Hoffman et al, Cellulosic biofuel production using emulsified simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (eSSF) with conventional and thermotolerant yeasts,(2021). DOI: 10.1186/s13068-021-02008-7
Argonne scientist Peter Mueller at the TRACER Center. The facility has advanced the science of krypton dating for young and ancient groundwater and glacial ice. Credit: Argonne National Laboratory
As rising sea levels threaten coastal areas, scientists are using an emerging nuclear dating technique to track the ins and outs of water flow.
Florida is known for water. Between its beaches, swamps, storms and humidity, the state is soaked. And below its entire surface lies the largest freshwater aquifer in the nation.
The Floridan Aquifer produces 1.2 trillion gallons of water each yearthat's almost 2 million Olympic-sized swimming pools. It serves as a primary source of drinking water for over 10 million people and supports the irrigation of over 2 million acres. It also supplies thousands of lakes, springs and wetlands, and the environments they nurture.
"The data from just a few samples is rich with opportunity, and this study demonstrates the great potential of krypton-81 in multiple fields of geochemistry," says Argonne National Laboratory scientist Peter Mueller.
But as glaciers melt due to global warming, rising sea levels threaten this water sourceand other coastal aquiferswith the intrusion of saltwater. It's more crucial than ever to study the history and behavior of water in these aquifers, and Florida's dynamic water systems make it a prime testbed.
In a study led by the University of Chicago, scientists applied a dating technique developed by nuclear physicists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory that uses a radioactive version of the element krypton to study the origin and flow of freshwater and saltwater in the Floridan Aquifer. Their findings demonstrate the promise of this novel technique to help understand and forecast the effects of climate change on coastal aquifers, to inform water resource management and to reveal insight into other geological processes.
Counting krypton
To study the flow of water in the aquifer, the scientists used the TRACER Center at Argonne to perform radiokrypton dating. This technique works by the same principles as carbon dating, where the age of something is determined based on the amount of a certain element remaining in the sample. But instead of carbon, it uses the radioactive isotope krypton-81.
A small amount of krypton-81 is naturally produced in the atmosphere and can dissolve into the water droplets in clouds and bodies of water. Once the water goes underground, it stops absorbing krypton-81 from the atmosphere, and what remains slowly changes into other elements overtime.
If scientists can figure out the ratio between the krypton-81 in the water and in the atmosphere, they can calculate how long it has been underground.
"This is extremely challenging," said Peter Mueller of Argonne's Physics division. "Since krypton-81 is so rare, you need very sensitive measurement tools to detect the tiny amount within a sample."
Only one in a million atoms in the atmosphere is krypton. What's more, only one in a trillion krypton atoms is krypton-81 specifically. This leaves so few atoms to detect in a sample that scientists count them one by one using a technique called Atom Trap Trace Analysis, developed at Argonne.
Scientist Reika Yokochi collecting water samples from the Floridan Aquifer. The team collected samples from eight wells and extracted the gas dissolved in the water, including the krypton-81, to analyze at Argonnes TRACER Center. Credit: Argonne National Laboratory
The team collected samples from eight wells tapping the aquifer and extracted the gas dissolved in the water, including the krypton-81. At the TRACER Center, they sent the gas down a beamline where six laser beams come together to create a trap unique to the isotope of interest (in this case, krypton-81). The trapped atoms show up on a camera, and scientists can count them down to the individual atom.
This study is the first application of radiokrypton dating on the Floridan Aquifer.
There's good news and bad news
Some of the samples contained 40,000-year-old saltwater from just before the last glacial maximum at around 25,000 years ago, when much of the water that is now in the ocean was captured in huge glaciers. During this period, the sea level was over 100 meters lower than it is now.
"Because of global warming, the sea level is rising, causing seawater to spoil freshwater sources," said Reika Yokochi, research professor at the University of Chicago and lead scientist on the study. "The presence of the moderately old water means saltwater persists in the aquifer once it gets in. This is bad news. We have to minimize the rate of this pollution."
While the salty samples are concerning, there is good news, too. The scientists confirmed that the water in the southern part of the Floridan Aquifer was recharged with freshwater during the last glacial period (sometime between 12,000 to 115,000 years ago), bolstering the current understanding of freshwater dynamics.
"We also found a sample with relatively young freshwater, which is good news for Florida because it means that the water is actively flowing and renewable near central Florida," said Yokochi.
New technique with great potential
Radiokrypton dating is a relatively new technique, and the scientists are just getting started. This tool has incredible potential to drive discovery in physics, geology and beyond.
For example, scientists armed with radiokrypton dating can use the water in coastal aquifers as potential messengers of changes in water cycles and the composition of ancient seawater. The technique can also provide insight about the movement of elements across land-ocean boundaries, which impacts carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) levels in the atmosphere.
"As water flows on the surface or underground, it reacts with surrounding rock and picks up signatures that tell a story," said Yokochi. "This information can help to improve and validate our models of Earth's systems and the cycle of the elements, which are tightly linked with global climate."
Radiokrypton dating also serves as a complement to carbon dating when performed on the same samples. Scientists can use results from radiokrypton dating to calibrate carbon dating analysis. Once corrected, the carbon data can provide additional insight, especially on rates of water-carbonate reactions.
"When you have a new tool like this and apply it for the first time, even in an aquifer that has been studied a lot, suddenly you get a new perspective and new insight," said Mueller. "The data from just a few samples is rich with opportunity, and this study demonstrates the great potential of krypton-81 in multiple fields of geochemistry."
Explore further Paper details technique to date groundwater
More information: Reika Yokochi et al, Origin of water masses in Floridan Aquifer System revealed by 81Kr, Earth and Planetary Science Letters (2021). Journal information: Earth and Planetary Science Letters Reika Yokochi et al, Origin of water masses in Floridan Aquifer System revealed by 81Kr,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.epsl.2021.117060
Brazilian 8-year-old astronomer Nicole Oliveira poses for a picture with her telescope in Fortaleza, Brazil, on September 21, 2021.
When Nicole Oliveira was just learning to walk, she would throw up her arms to reach for the stars in the sky.
Today, at just eight years of age, the Brazilian girl is known as the world's youngest astronomer, looking for asteroids as part of a NASA-affiliated program, attending international seminars and meeting with her country's top space and science figures.
In Oliveira's room, filled with posters of the solar system, miniature rockets and Star Wars figures, Nicolinha, as she is affectionately known, works on her computer studying images of the sky on two large screens.
The project, called Asteroid Hunters, is meant to introduce young people to science by giving them a chance to make space discoveries of their own.
It is run by the International Astronomical Search Collaboration, a citizen science program affiliated with NASA, in partnership with Brazil's ministry of science.
Beaming with pride, Nicolinha told AFP she has already found 18 asteroids.
"I will give them the names of Brazilian scientists, or members of my family, like my mom or my dad," said the lively girl with dark brown hair and a high-pitched voice.
Eight-year-old Nicole Oliveira, known as Nicolinha, has been dubbed the world's youngest astronomer.
If her findings are certified, which may take several years, Oliveira will become the youngest person in the world to officially discover an asteroid, breaking the record of 18-year-old Italian Luigi Sannino.
"She really has an eye. She immediately spots points in the images that look like asteroids and often advises her classmates when they are not sure they have really found any", said Heliomarzio Rodrigues Moreira, Oliveira's astronomy teacher at a private school in the city of Fortaleza in northeastern Brazil, which she is attending thanks to a scholarship.
"The most important thing is that she shares her knowledge with other children. She contributes to the dissemination of science," added Rodrigues Moreira.
'Passion for astronomy'
Nicolinha's family relocated to Fortaleza from their hometown of Maceio, about 1,000 kilometers away, at the beginning of this year, after Nicolinha received a scholarship to attend the prestigious school. Her father, a computer scientist, was allowed to keep his job and telework.
"I would also like all children in Brazil to have access to science," says Nicole Oliveira.
"When she was two, she would raise her arms to the sky and ask me, 'Mom, give me a star,' said her mother, Zilma Janaca, 43, who works in the craft industry.
"We understood that this passion for astronomy was serious when she asked us for a telescope as a birthday present when she turned four. I didn't even really know what a telescope was," Janaca added.
Nicolinha was so set on getting a telescope that she told her parents she would swap it for all her future birthday parties. Still, such a gift was too expensive for the family and the girl got it only when she turned 7 and all her friends pooled money for the purchase, her mother said.
As she continued her studies, Nicolinha enrolled in an astronomy course that had to lower its age limit for students down from 12.
On her YouTube channel, Nicolinha has interviewed influential figures like the Brazilian astronomer Duilia de Mello, who took part in the discovery of a supernova called SN 1997D.
Brazilian 8-year-old astronomer Nicole Oliveira works on her computer at her house trying to discover asteroids as part of a NASA-affiliated educational program.
Last year, Oliveira traveled to Brasilia to meet with the minister of science as well as with the astronaut Marcos Pontes, the only Brazilian to date to have been to space.
As for her own ambitions, Nicolinha wants to become an aerospace engineer.
"I want to build rockets. I would love to go to the Kennedy Space Center at NASA in Florida to see their rockets," she said.
"I would also like all children in Brazil to have access to science," she says.
2021 AFP
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain
New RAND Corporation research finds that 491,000 children from Mexico and the Northern Triangle (Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador) arrived in the United States between fiscal years 2017 and 2019 and remained with unresolved immigration statuses. Of these, 321,000 were enrolled in U.S. K-12 public schools as of March 2020. About 75% settled in California, Texas, Florida, New York, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, Georgia, North Carolina and Louisiana.
"The migration of undocumented and asylum-seeking children, from border countries or elsewhere, will have a considerable impact on K-12 public schools, which are federally required to serve and support these students," said Shelly Culbertson, coauthor of the report and a senior policy researcher at RAND, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization. "Our research provides critical data needed to assist policymaking and we also analyzed the needs of schools to support these children."
RAND researchers drew on multiple data sources to provide the only existing estimates on the numbers, locations and ages of these children by state and school district, as well as numbers of new teachers and staff needed to keep pace with new arrivals.
The report also provides case studies of the policies and practices used by Louisiana's Jefferson Parish Schools and California's Oakland Unified School District in supporting these students. While there were some positive outcomes and best practices, researchers found that schools need more teaching materials and better teacher training as well as more flexible funding to address the range of needs among these children.
Researchers estimated that, to maintain teacher-student classroom ratios and accommodate recent arrivals, multiple states would have needed to hire an additional 1,000 teachers. And the two school districts with most new arrivalsLos Angeles County, California, and Harris County, Texaswould also have each needed to hire at least an additional 1,000 new teachers from FY2017 to FY2019. The researchers did not track whether the districts did in fact hire those numbers of new teachers.
"Schools, and teachers themselves, need supports to help newcomers learn," said Julia Kaufman, report coauthor and a senior policy researcher at RAND. "Many of these children bring extra challenges to the classroom. Some have little formal education, are English-language learners, are in impoverished households or have symptoms of psychological distress and trauma. We found that the policies in place and accessibility of resources were often hard to navigate at the local level."
The report offers policy recommendations aimed at easing pressure on schools, including:
Create agreements for educational records transfers with Northern Triangle countries
Create opportunities for collaboration and discussion among the Office of Refugee Resettlement, community service providers who support immigrant families, and local education agencies
Provide additional funding for schools with immigration surges on a rolling basis
Increase funding and resources for nonacademic supports for students, such as mental health and counseling services
Provide professional learning and high-quality resources to all teachers to support English-language learners as well as information and training for all school staff who engage with newly arriving children.
Explore further Most U.S. social studies teachers feel unprepared to teach civic learning
Electron microscopy of West Nile virus. Credit: PhD Dre, Wikipedia/CC BY-SA 3.0
A group of scientists affiliated with the University at Albany and New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) are predicting that the total number of West Nile virus (WNV) cases will increase, and be more geographically widespread, across New York and Connecticut in future years due to warming trends.
The scientists, part of the Climate Change and Emerging Infectious Disease (CCEID) working group, created two machine learning-based statistical models that use a combination of observational climate data and current numbers of human WNV cases to estimate future rates of the virus. A regional version of the model was trained to run simulations using data from each state, with numbers broken down to the county level. An analog version was trained using data from Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Delaware as a contiguous region that is expected to be similar in future climate.
Both regional and analog versions of the model predicted significant increases in future WNV cases across both New York and Connecticut, with decreases in some counties, including those in New York City and Long Island, that are currently at the highest risk for the virus. When counties were grouped by region, eight regions were predicted to see increases in human WNV cases, two regions were predicted to have fewer human WNV cases, and one was predicted to show no change.
An independent trait-based model based on mosquito and virus responses to temperature changes also predicted a future increase in WNV cases across both states.
Findings were published in Global Change Biology.
"Research on West Nile virus and emerging infectious diseases is important to safeguarding public health and safety, especially in the context of climate change," said Alexander "Sasha" Keyel, the paper's lead author, and a post-doctoral researcher in UAlbany's Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences (DAES) and the NYSDOH Wadsworth Center. "Many of these disease systems can change in complex and non-intuitive ways with changes in climate and land use."
"Future research on viral evolution under climate change is especially important, as we know these viruses are evolving, but that is not currently reflected in the future projections," he added.
Improving vector-borne disease prediction
WNV has infected more than 50,000 people and caused more than 2,200 deaths in the last 20 years across the United States. While numbers fluctuate annually, a CDC report found that diseases caused by tick, mosquito and flea bites more than tripled in the U.S. between 2004 and 2016.
UAlbany partnered with the NYSDOH Wadsworth Center to form the CCEID working group in 2015. Together, the group has collaborated to better understand how environmental factors increase or decrease human health risk from vector-borne diseases. The group also joined seven other universities and other state departments in 2017 to create a $10 million Northeast Regional Center for Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases (NEVBD) hosted at Cornell University.
The group created a "Random Forest" statistical model that uses a series of climate-related variables along with other relevant factors, such as a region's human population, mosquito abundance and presence of wastewater treatment plants, to provide seasonal forecasts for WNV and pinpoint locations with increased risk for the disease.
This latest study adds to their previous findings that indicated low soil moisture and/or warm summer nights are associated with increased WNV numbers. Most human cases of the virus are contracted during the months of July to September.
"Finding cause and effect relations between climate and WNV infection rates is a challenging research problem that can only be tackled through interdisciplinary collaborations," said Oliver Elison Timm, a DAES associate professor and paper co-author. "We relied on modern machine learning tools to analyze large sets of climate and environmental data. To make sure that our future projections are not just a statistical artifact, we applied the three independent models and identified the robustness of our results."
Other co-authors included Ajay Raghavendra, a recent graduate of UAlbany's doctoral program in Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology, and Alexander Ciota of the NYSDOH Wadsworth Center and UAlbany's School of Public Health.
Explore further Rising temperatures could shift US West Nile virus transmission
More information: Alexander C. Keyel et al, West Nile virus is predicted to be more geographically widespread in New York State and Connecticut under future climate change, Global Change Biology (2021). Alexander C. Keyel et al, West Nile virus is predicted to be more geographically widespread in New York State and Connecticut under future climate change,(2021). DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15842 More information about WNV and other vector-borne diseases may be found on the NYSDOH's FAQ page. Journal information: Global Change Biology
September 30, 2021 in Multimedia (E)
[prMac.com] Chengdu, China - MacXDVD Software releases a significant update for MacX DVD Ripper Pro, MacX Video Converter Pro, and MacX MediaTrans, adding native support for Apple's iPhone 13 lineup. The new iPhone 13 profile preset is tailored for the new Apple flagship phones to get everything ready for HD/4K UHD and DVDs playback, data transfer, backup, and management. In addition, the upgrade also comes with enhanced performance, stability, and speed.
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MacXDVD Software is a division of Digiarty Software Company, owns a professional multimedia software development team, providing a range of products for Macintosh Computer users, including MacX Video Converter, MacX DVD Ripper, DVD Author, DVD backup tools, etc, series of apps for Apple video player, and iPhone, iPad 2D and 3D video games. Copyright (C) 2021 MacXDVD Software. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo and Macintosh are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.
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9/29 NJPW G1 CLIMAX REPORT FROM KORAKUEN HALL IN TOKYO
By James Kurokawa on 2021-09-29 18:46:00
9/29/21 B Block Results from New Japan's G1 Climax 31 from Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan:
G1 Climax B Block Matches:
Taichi, with Miho Abe vs. EVIL, with Dick Togo
Taichi kicks Dick Togo in the face before the bell. EVIL attacks Taichi and they go to the floor. Taichi throws EVIL into the barricade. Togo hits Taichi the back and EVIL takes the advantage in the match. EVIL and Togo use their usual heel shenanigans to distract the referee and beat down Taichi. Taichi fights back with a choke and kicks EVIL off the apron into the timekeeper's table. EVIL gets back in the ring and Taichi hits him with kicks and goes for an Ax Bomber. EVIL reverses and hits Darkness Falls. Two count. Taichi lands an Ax Bomber and goes for a super kick. Both men trade reversals on their finishers. Taichi goes for an attack, but EVIL pulls the referee in the way. Taichi pushes the referee aside and EVIL tries for a low blow. Taichi blocks it. Taichi kicks EVIL in the groin. EVIL drops to his knees. Taichi traps EVIL in a Gedo Clutch. Togo distracts the referee who cannot make the count. Taichi hits a Double Ax Bomber on EVIL and Togo. Taichi gets stunned after EVIL throws him into an exposed turnbuckle. EVIL tries for Everything is Evil but Taichi reverses and hits a high kick to EVIL's face. Taichi hits a Dangerous Backdrop. Close two count.
Togo grabs Miho Abe and threatens her. Taichi gets distracted. EVIL hits a low blow on Taichi. EVIL hits Everything is Evil on Taichi. EVIL does not go for the pin, but decides to apply the Darkness Scorpion. Miho Abe was screaming for Taichi, but Togo holds her back. Taichi does not move. The referee calls the match as Taichi is out.
EVIL wins and earns two points.
Taichi had to be helped from the ring by young lions. Taichi tried to attack the referee.
The interference by Togo was a bit much. Togo threatening Miho Abe (or any woman) is cheap heat and should never be done in wrestling. EVIL had to rebound after losing to Okada in the last B Block event. EVIL does not need to cheat to win because he is a good wrestler. The cheating devalues EVIL's wins and the G1 Climax. However, EVIL choosing to not pin Taichi and go for the Darkness Scorpion should enhance the image of the "House of Torture". This is a positive in terms of storyline building.
SANADA vs. Chase Owens
Early in the match, Owens got a leg takedown and tried to apply the Paradise Lock on SANADA. He wrapped up his arms and flipped him over. Owens cheered and posed to the crowd. SANADA simply stood up which showed that Owens did not apply it correctly. SANADA tosses Owens to the floor. Owens trips up SANADA on the ring apron and SANADA takes a hard bump on the edge of the ring. SANADA is thrown into the guardrails. Back in the ring, Owens uses punches and chokes on SANADA's neck. Owens follows up with a series of neckbreakers. SANADA fights back and puts Owens in a real Paradise Lock. Pace picks up. Owens hits a Last Shot. Two count. SANADA counters with a TKO. Two count. SANADA misses a moonsault but applies a Dragon Sleeper. Owens is able to escape and nails a Shining Wizard. Owens goes for a Jewel Heist but SANADA reverses out and goes for a rolling cradle pin with a bridge. During this sequence, Owens grabs the referee and throws him to the mat. SANADA goes to check on the referee. Owens and SANADA trade strikes. Owens hits a high knee and goes for a Package Piledriver. SANADA breaks free. Owens tries for his own rolling cradle pin with a bridge, but SANADA reverses into Skull End. Owens is fading. SANADA releases the hold and hits a top rope moonsault.
SANADA pins Owens.
SANADA gets the win and earns 2 points.
Hirooki Goto vs. Jeff Cobb
Cobb uses his power early on to attack the back of Goto. Goto had trouble on offensive as his back was in pain. Cobb had several near falls as Goto kept fighting and kicking out of pins. Goto flipped Cobb on his back with a Judo throw, then went for an arm submission. Cobb got the rope break. Cobb picked up Goto for an Oklahoma Stampede, but Goto slid off his back and applied a Sleeper. Cobb reversed out and hit a Spincycle. Cobb followed up with a deadlift German suplex. Damn! Cobb tried for a Tour of the Islands, but Goto slid out and hit a reverse neckbreaker, with a pin attempt. Two count. Goto hits a reverse GTR, which stunned Cobb. Goto hit a lariat. Two count. Goto went for another GTR. Cobb punches his way out. Goto holds onto the wrist of Cobb and throws a headbutt into Cobb's face. Cobb throws a headbutt of his own and connects under the chin of Goto. Goto drops to the mat in a daze, still holding onto Cobb's wrist. Cobb pulls Goto off the mat, catches him and hits Tour of the Islands.
Cobb pins Goto.
Jeff Cobb wins and earns 2 points. Cobb is the first man to reach 6 points and leads the B Block.
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tama Tonga, with Jado
They began with headlocks and armbars. Tama went for two Gun Stuns early but Tanahashi blocked them. Tama got frustrated and began brawling with punches and forearms. Tama went for a chin lock to wear Tanahashi down. Tanahashi fought back with strikes and elbows. Tama applied the Tongan Death Grip to Tanahashi's neck, an homage to his dad, Haku. Tanahashi with a Dragon screw leg whip. Tanahashi tried to apply the Texas Cloverhold. Tama fought back with the Tongan Death Grip. He forced Tanahashi into a corner, and the referee admonished Tama. Tanahashi tried for a Slingblade, but Tama reversed it into a Tonga Twist. Two count. Tanahashi was clutching his head. Tama hit his own Slingblade and climbed to the top rope. He hit a Frog Splash on Tanahashi. Two count. Tama sets up for a Gun Stun, but Tanahashi counters into a Twist and Shout. Tanahashi with a Slingblade. Tanahashi hits Aces High. Tanahashi goes for High Fly Flow but misses. Tama finally connects with a Gun Stun. But he is slow to cover. Two count. Tanahashi rolls Tama into crucifix pin.
Tanahashi pins Tama Tonga.
Hiroshi Tanahashi earns 2 points and is in a 4 way tie for second place in B Block.
Really good match. Tama Tonga has looked awesome in the G1. Tama has spoken of his respect for Tanahashi on his podcast, so I expected a good match between both men. Jado, again, was not involved in the match. The two participants in the match told the story in the ring, without outside forces controlling the final decision.
Kazuchika Okada vs. YOSHI-HASHI
YOSHI-HASHI came to the ring with his left arm heavily taped up. He took a beating from Jeff Cobb in the last B Block event. YOSHI-HASHI has had problems with his shoulder in the past.
Both men trade headlocks in the early moments. The match goes to the floor and Okada hits a DDT. YOSHI-HASHI almost gets counted out. YOSHI-HASHI is opening and closing his left hand, trying to get blood flowing in the left arm. Okada hit another DDT on YOSHI-HASHI in the ring. Okada is focused on YOSHI-HASHI's head and neck. They both start throwing elbows. YOSHI-HASHI gets the upper hand after hitting a Headhunter, which stuns Okada. YOSHI-HASHI hits a Blockbuster from the top rope. Okada is clutching his neck. Two count. YOSHI-HASHI applies the Butterfly Lock submission, putting pressure on Okada's neck. Okada gets a rope break. Okada applies the Money Clip. YOSHI-HASHI gets to the ropes. Okada flips YOSHI-HASHI back into the middle of the ring and re-applies the Money Clip. YOSHI-HASHI looks like he is about to pass out, but he lunges and gets to the ropes. Okada hits an elbow from the top rope. Okada does the Rainmaker poses, suggesting the end is near. YOSHI-HASHI ducks the Rainmaker and counters with a chop. Okada grabs YOSHI-HASHI's wrist and hits two lariats. Okada winds up for a Rainmaker but YOSHI-HASHI hits first with his own lariat. YOSHI-HASHI hits a Dragon Suplex. Okada tries for a dropkick but misses. YOSHI-HASHI hits a running double knee into Okada's face. Two count. YOSHI-HASHI drops Okada with a lariat and plants him with a Kumagoroshi. Okada kicks out at two. YOSHI-HASHI applies the Butterfly Lock again. YOSHI-HASHI transitioned to a Sleeper Hold, then went back to the Butterfly Lock. Okada almost got to the ropes, but YOSHI-HASHI put the Sleeper back on. YOSHI-HASHI tried for Kharma. But Okada reversed out of the move and picked up YOSHI-HASHI for a tombstone.
Okada misses a Shotgun dropkick and YOSHI-HASHI hits a lariat. YOSHI-HASHI goes for a top rope flipping senton but misses. Okada connects with a dropkick. Okada goes for a Rainmaker, and YOSHI-HASHI ducks and rolls Okada into a cradle pin. Two count. Okada goes for another Rainmaker, but YOSHI-HASHI hits a superkick. YOSHI-HASHI goes for Kharma again, but Okada reverses and hits a sitdown tombstone. Okada finally hits the Rainmaker.
Okada pins YOSHI-HASHI.
Kazuchika Okada earns 2 points and is now in a tie for the lead with 6 points along with Jeff Cobb.
Another good match. Despite his 0-3 record, YOSHI-HASHI performed well in this match. Okada had to earn his win here. YOSHI-HASHI's performance built to the climax of the match to Okada finally hitting his finisher. YOSHI-HASHI was unable to hit his Kharma finisher, so one would wonder whether if had hit it, could have beaten Okada.
B Block Standings as of 9/29/21
YOSHI-HASHI - 0
EVIL - 4
Jeff Cobb - 6
Chase Owens - 0
SANADA - 4
Tama Tonga - 2
Hirooki Goto - 0
Taichi - 4
Hiroshi Tanahashi - 4
Kazuchika Okada - 6
B Block action returns on Friday October 1.
Thank you for reading.
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Email Thomas Elias at tdelias@aol.com. His book, "The Burzynski Breakthrough, The Most Promising Cancer Treatment and the Governments Campaign to Squelch It" is now available in a soft cover fourth edition. For more Elias columns, visit www.californiafocus.net
Following its discovery in 1999, the Nebra Sky Disc spent three years on the black market until authorities seized the relic in a 2002 sting operation.
Shortly thereafter, in 2005, Regensburg University archaeologist Peter Schauer claimed the disc was a modern forgery. His arguments have been dismissed; the corrosion and other lines of evidence are a testimony to this object's advanced age.
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Still, the nature of its recovery raises questions. The two men who found the sky disc claimed they unearthed it at a site near Nebra, Germany about 111 miles (180 kilometers) southwest of Berlin. Since the disc was considered property of the state, they had no legal right to dig it up or attempt to sell it. But these guys did both. And in 2005, they were found guilty of illegal excavation.
" " A pair of Bronze Age swords, among other artifacts, was allegedly found near the site of the Nebra Sky Disc discovery in 1999. Schellhorn/ullstein bild/Getty Images
Before the sting, the looters tried to sell the disc as part of a collection that also included two axes, two swords and other artifacts allegedly taken from the same location.
Is It Bronze Age or Iron Age?
Right now, the disc is on display at the State Museum of Prehistory in Halle, Germany. According to the locally based State Office for the Preservation of Monuments and Archaeology's official website, it "cannot be directly dated" using radiometric dating techniques.
Yet all is not lost. Radiocarbon dating shows that the bark on one of those associated sword hilts is about 3,600 years old. If the sky disc was made at the same time (more or less), then it's definitely a Bronze Age treasure.
However, a controversial paper, released in September 2020, proposes that the disc's place of origin may not have been reported accurately. The authors also suspect it could be 1,000 years younger than previously thought, making it an Iron Age relic.
Harald Meller, director of the Halle State Museum, isn't sold. Neither is Deputy State Archaeologist Alfred Reichenberger, who wrote a press release questioning the 2020 paper. "The colleagues not only ignore the abundance of published research results in recent years, their various arguments are also easily refuted," declared Reichenberger's statement. According to this January, 2021 story in The New York Times, the controversy concerning the age of the disc continues to rage unabated.
Looters, a court case and rejected fakery charges. After everything it's been through just in the past 21 years or so one wonders what the future has in store for the mysterious Nebra Sky Disc.
Now That's Interesting Capitalizing on his artistic background, the great astronomer Galileo Galilei published detailed sketches of sunspots and the moon's pockmarked face.
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Originally Published: Oct 1, 2020
" " A slew of startups see mushrooms as an environmental game-changer able to replace some plastics, be used in meatless meats, and even eat through waste. Santiago Urquijo/Getty Images
In college, Eben Bayer grew mushrooms under his dorm room bed. The mechanical engineering student, who had grown up on a Vermont farm, was convinced the fungus was one of nature's most effective "technologies" and could be used to overhaul the way we make a range of everyday products.
Thirteen years later, his New York-based company Ecovative Design produces over a million pounds per year of its compostable mushroom-based alternative to Styrofoam. And Bayer is turning his mind to the next product on his list: fake meat.
Bayer believes mycelium the network of tissue that makes up the body of many fungi, a broad category that includes mushrooms could be a great, eco-friendly meat alternative. The fermented slabs can even be cut thin enough to make a "very compelling bacon."
"We could do a thousand and one things with mycelium," Bayer says.
Bayer is not alone in his belief in the magical power of mushrooms. Much of their appeal comes from the plethora of potential solutions they seem to offer to our many environmental problems.
" " Mmm. Is that bacon? Actually it's not. It's an eco-friendly meat alternative made from mushrooms. Ecovative
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Is Fungi a Game-Changer?
There is now a slew of startups touting fungi as an environmental game-changer, able to make the construction industry greener, replace animal products in our food and clothes, and even clean up pollution and eat through waste. They say mycelium's unique structure and chemical properties, combined with the fact that mushrooms are easy to grow, found all over the world and consume almost anything, make them the ideal building block for a wide range of applications. NASA is even thinking about building homes from fungus on Mars.
But while the buzz around fungus is getting louder, its impact on the ground is still relatively hard to spot. Mushroom-based leather, for example, has drawn attention as an alternative to animal skins, but is still limited to a tiny range of designers. And while mushroom-based materials, like the ones produced by Ecovative, have been talked up as a replacement for plastic for a decade, global plastic production is still booming (or at least was before the coronavirus pandemic).
For Peter McCoy, the author of "Radical Mycology: A Treatise on Seeing and Working with Fungi," it's strange that it has taken so long for fungi to gain attention given their status in nature. As neither plants nor bacteria nor animals, they can do certain things in the environment none of those groups can do, says McCoy, who is also the founder of a grassroots group working to spread awareness about the fungi field.
One unique function is that their threadlike tissue grows fast and in tight networks, lending itself to light and strong material suitable for a range of purposes. But perhaps even more important, McCoy says, is that they produce a cocktail of chemicals when digesting food or protecting themselves.
"That chemical soup which will vary by species or even the environment they're in leads to a whole range of compounds that we don't find anywhere else in the natural world," says McCoy, pointing to penicillin as an example of the powerful substances they generate. "Fungi are nature's greatest chemists."
Deepening insights into these powers, combined with technological advances particularly in genetics have led to an explosion of interest in how to apply fungi's "chemical mastery" to human systems, says McCoy. That encompasses products we might use, for example, to package goods, build houses and feed ourselves; and also processes that can help clean up our world, for example by breaking down environmental toxins and consuming plastic.
"For the first time in human history, we understand and can work with these organisms to greater degrees than has ever been possible," he says.
" " Mycelium is the vegetative part of a fungus that consists of a mass of branching, thread-like hyphae and several startups are using it to create products like insulation. Kichigin/Shutterstock
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Building Blocks With Mycelium
Ehab Sayed, the founder of U.K. biotech startup Biohm, shares that view. Scientists in the company's London lab work to develop new strains of fungi by exposing batches to stimuli like differing light or humidity levels. In this process, known as directed evolution, the fungi rapidly evolve, for instance creating new enzymes, Sayed says. And when these adaptations look like they'll be useful to humans in some way, the team clones the fungi and develops them further.
One product to come out of this process is a mushroom-based building insulation, made by feeding waste to mycelium. The company plans to launch it commercially this summer as an eco-friendly alternative to synthetic insulation materials, which Biohm says are carbon-intensive to manufacture, hard to recycle and pose a risk to health by emitting volatile organic compounds into buildings.
Biohm's insulation will be expensive when it launches at around $30 per square meter (compared to an industry average of around $15). But the material will be cost-effective, according to Sayed, since its thermal conductivity is lower than conventional insulation, meaning less is needed to achieve the same result.
The company also expects the price to fall quickly as it scales Biohm is turning an old paper mill in southwest England into a vertical mushroom farm and plans to expand to the Netherlands and Portugal next year.
Working with mushrooms has key commercial advantages, Sayed says most obviously their ability to thrive on waste. Raw materials are usually a manufacturer's main expense, but Biohm grows its mushrooms using other companies' byproducts, such as timber shavings and grass clippings, which it is paid to collect, creating a "double revenue stream."
Yet despite such selling points, making a success of fungal products in the real world is not always straightforward. In 2016, furniture giant IKEA announced plans to replace plastic foam with Ecovative's mushroom packaging to great fanfare, but has since quietly dropped the scheme. The retailer said in an email to HuffPost that "it was not possible to scale production to make it viable at industry level."
" " Evocative is using mushrooms to replace packaging for all kinds of products, like this wine bottle mailer. Evocative
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Commercial Uses for Mushrooms
Part of the challenge, says Bayer, is to focus on areas where mushroom-based products can add value and be cost competitive, rather than trying to use them for everything. Attempting to displace throwaway plastic-foam cups mass-produced on an epic scale and value-engineered to be extremely cheap is a nonstarter, for example: "It's a horrible application for our technology. [It's] never going to be competitive. So someone else has to solve the cup problem," he says.
But even when they believe they have the right solution, some startups have found a lack of appetite for investing in new products and processes in incumbent industries.
Life Cykel is an Australian company that started out growing gourmet mushrooms off of waste coffee grounds collected from local cafes and has since expanded into the health field, with a range of mushroom extracts that claim to boost immunity. Customers include elite athletes and bee farmers, who feed the extract directly to their bees.
Company founder Julian Mitchell believes Life Cykel could also help tackle the problem of waste in the fashion industry. In small-scale trials, he says, the team has successfully used mushrooms to break down discarded clothing. But Mitchell says that scaling this to the point where it could have an impact would need much greater investment from clothing companies and commitment to solving their waste problem than is currently visible. "It comes down always to capital investment and are those companies prepared to invest in that or are they happy just to send it off to landfill?"
Udeme John Dickson, an environmental scientist at Nottingham Trent University in the U.K., has observed a similar challenge in the area of mycoremediation the use of fungi to break down pollution in soil or other environments. The idea that the all-consuming hunger of fungi can be harnessed to clean up waste already polluting land and waterways has excited scientists for decades. But Dickson says the remediation industry has so far failed to invest in refining the method to the point it can be widely commercialized.
Both Mitchell and Dickson would like to see higher levels of government intervention to incentivize corporate investment in fungi-based approaches such as higher taxes on dumping waste in landfill.
But others believe a more radical restructuring of our global manufacturing industry one that takes power away from big companies may be required to create a world where mushroom-based products flourish.
Rather than "locking down" knowledge and production in the hands of a few companies, says Alysia Garmulewicz, a professor of the circular economy at Chile's University of Santiago, it would be much better to have a global network of local producers, sharing recipes and making materials from locally abundant resources. This, says Garmulewicz who is also co-director of Materiom, a platform providing open data on materials made from renewable resources would accelerate the spread and use of more sustainable approaches.
"I think that's a mindset shift that needs to happen. Rather than thinking, this is going to be the next thing that takes us to a huge scale commercially, and we'll create this massive plant that's going to produce it for everybody, we need to think about disseminating the knowledge so that people in many locations can start making it," Garmulewicz says.
It's a massive leap from where we are today, but the approach of some startups suggests they are beginning to think along these lines. Rather than setting up its own production facilities overseas, Ecovative, for example, is training others and licensing them to produce mushroom packaging themselves.
"Ecovative isn't a company that can go set up a factory in France and hire French packaging salespeople we don't understand the culture, we don't understand the distribution, the supply chain, the language," Bayer says. "So what we're seeing is smaller, entrepreneurial packaging companies who come to us and are setting up those sites. I feel like we're on the cusp of an explosion of this."
McCoy meanwhile says communities can start getting benefits from fungi without waiting for the market to develop fully. Grassroots groups, for example, could get together and work out how best to use mushrooms to clean up local pollution spots. He has started an online mycology school to help boost public awareness and bring fungi in from the fringe.
The more we talk about fungus and normalize it, the better, says McCoy "the more we say, 'Hey there, they're critical to the environment, they're fascinating historically and culturally. They're not weird.'"
This story originally appeared in HuffPost and is republished here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story.
" " This photograph shows a close-up view of a developing pyrocumulonimbus cloud above the Oregon Gulch fire, part of the Beaver Complex fire, taken from an F-15C on July 31, 2014. James Haseltine, Oregon Air National Guard
There are few things more ominous than a looming thundercloud. Add a wildfire to the mix, and the result can be a towering tempest of thick smoke, smoldering embers and superheated air.
Fire-fueled thunderstorms are naturally occurring weather systems that sometimes spin up as a result of smoke and heat billowing from intense wildfires. These extreme storms, called pyrocumulonimbus (pyroCb), occur infrequently, but when they do, they can lead to tragic results.
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The Making of a Fire Storm
Wildfires give off intense heat, forcing large amounts of smoke and hot air to rise. As the mixture moves higher into the troposphere the lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere it cools and expands as the air pressure drops. Moisture in the air soon condenses, forming big puffy clouds called pyrocumulus clouds.
When conditions in the atmosphere are just right including a hot, dry layer of air near the ground and a cooler, wetter layer above it the atmosphere can become convectively unstable. Increasingly turbulent air sets water droplets and ice crystals in pyrocumulus clouds on a collision course, building up an electrical charge and turning the system into a towering thunderhead.
The soaring pyroCbs, which rarely produce rain on the ground even though they are thunderstorms, can even rise out of the troposphere and extend into the stratosphere 10 of miles/kilometers above the surface.
" " A massive pyrocumulonimbus cloud formed over the Angeles National Forest in 2012 during a fire in Azusa Canyon. JeremyaGreene/Wikimedia Commons/(CC BY-SA 4.0)
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As Dark as Night
Not surprisingly, pyroCbs can be incredibly dangerous. On Feb. 7, 2009, the most devastating day of fires in Australia's history spawned at least three pyroCbs that carried embers 18 miles (30 kilometers) from their source and sparked lightning that ignited additional fires 62 miles (100 kilometers) away. Known as the Black Saturday bushfires, these fires collectively burned 1,737 square miles (4,500 square kilometers) and claimed 173 lives.
A pyroCb that formed during the Carr Fire near Redding, California in 2018 had such strong winds that it created a tornado-strength fire vortex, and a pyroCb in Canberra, Australia, in 2003 was so extreme that it released a torrent of black hail and turned the daytime sky as dark as night.
Fortunately, these events are still relatively rare, although 2019 research from Australia suggests that climate change may cause conditions there to become more favorable for the formation of pyroCbs in the future.
Nick Nauslar, who forecasts fire weather for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service, said that about 25 to 50 pyroCb events occur around the world each year. He said that predicting exactly when the storms will occur remains a challenge for scientists.
"They are still really difficult to forecast," Nauslar said. Even though scientists can check the weather conditions before a fire, they can't describe exactly how a wildfire will affect the lower atmosphere and change the weather conditions. The effort to study pyroCbs "is still so young and there's still so much to learn," Nauslar said.
" " This natural-color image collected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) shows a pyrocumulonimbus cloud erupting from a 2014 fire north of Buffalo Lake in Alberta, Canada. NASA
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Smoke High Above
A major signature of pyroCbs is their impact on the stratosphere. But until recently, scientists didn't think wildfires could inject soot, aerosols and organic compounds high into the atmosphere.
The "idea that a firestorm could act like a volcano and inject material into the stratosphere was completely unknown," said Mike Fromm, a meteorologist at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C. Fromm has studied pyroCbs since the late 1990s using satellite instruments.
Smoke particles from pyroCbs can stay in the atmosphere for days to weeks and, in extreme cases, months. Smoke from a massive pyroCb in Canada in 2017 remained suspended in the upper stratosphere for eight months, according to a recent study in the journal Science in which researchers considered the lofted pyroCb particles as a proxy to investigate the potential climatic and atmospheric effects of smoke plumes from nuclear explosions.
PyroCbs won't be causing a nuclear winter anytime soon, but Fromm told Science News that an open question about pyroCb plumes is whether they could damage ozone in the stratosphere. "We're still trying to understand and quantify and calculate [whether] there is, in fact, a climate impact of these plumes," Fromm told Eos.
This story originally appeared on Eos.org and is republished here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration to strengthen coverage of the climate story.
Now That's Crazy Pyrocumulus clouds can also form after massive volcanic eruptions. During Kilauea's unprecedented 2018 eruption, pyrocumulonimbus clouds complete with lightning strikes formed over fissure 8 in Leilani Estates on Hawai'i Island.
" " The Soyuz rocket was launched with Nick Hague of NASA and Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos on Oct. 11, 2018. During the spacecraft's climb to orbit, an anomaly occurred resulting in an abort downrange. The crew was quickly recovered and unharmed. NASA/Bill Ingalls
The failed Russian Soyuz spacecraft that occurred in Kazakhstan on Oct. 11, 2018, has raised some concerns about the International Space Station (ISS). Global space agencies hope that the snafu which claimed no lives was just a minor setback, but it could leave the ISS without a crew in the near future.
On the morning of Oct. 11, 2018, Russia's Soyuz-FG rocket was slated to deliver a pair of astronauts up to the ISS. Nearly two minutes after it launched out of the Kazakhstan-based Baikonur Cosmodrome spaceport, the vessel malfunctioned, triggering automatic escape mechanisms and aborting the mission.
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After a ballistic, 34-minute descent on the Soyuz-FG capsule, NASA astronaut Tyler Nicklaus "Nick" Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin returned to Earth. Though the duo landed a full 310 miles (500 kilometers) northeast of the original launch site, neither man was hurt.
Since 2011, the Russian-owned Soyuz rocket line has monopolized the transport of humans to the ISS. Rides on this extraterrestrial taxi service aren't cheap: In exchange for letting Americans travel via Soyuz, Russia's government charges a fare of $81 million U.S. dollars per astronaut.
Up until Oct. 11, the Soyuz-FG carrier rocket had a 100 percent success rate, with more than 50 crewed and accident-free spaceflights to its credit. Russia is still figuring out what exactly went wrong on the latest mission, but analysts have a good general idea.
Astronauts aboard the Soyuz-SG sit over three sets, or "stages," of propulsion equipment arranged in a vertical column. The stages are designed to harmlessly break away in a specific order. Yet during the Oct. 11 launch, at an altitude of 31 miles (50 kilometers), one of the first-stage rocket boosters crashed into another component. "The rocket stopped its normal flight and after that the automatic [escape] system did its work," Sergei Krikalev, director of manned spaceflight at Roscosmos (Russia's space agency) explained in a statement.
Roscosmos won't consent to launching any more manned spaceflights until the recent accident's precise cause has been identified. The organization also plans to hold off on all human-bearing missions until after it's successfully executed three crewless Soyuz launches using robotics.
Meanwhile, NASA has said that its ISS-bound astronauts will continue to rely on Soyuz rockets for the time being. However, if Roscosmos is unable to get that spaceflight program up and running again, the ISS may be forced into an uncertain predicament. The private companies Boeing and SpaceX are on NASA's behalf developing new shuttles intended to act as Soyuz replacements. But neither organization will be ready to wheel out its finished product until at least 2019.
The ISS's current three-person crew American astronaut Serena Aunon-Chancellor, German Commander Alexander Gerst and Russian cosmonaut Sergey Prokopyev is still able to receive supplies from unmanned ships. The crew was scheduled to return to Earth in December and be replaced by a new crew, but their mission could now be extended. If no Soyuz rockets are available by then, the astronauts may have to return via the Soyuz capsule currently docked to the ISS. That's because each Soyuz spacecraft can only stay docked to the ISS for about 200 days. The one there now will expire around January 2019, leaving the crew few choices: Be stranded or abandon the ISS.
Neither option is a good one. NASA and other space agencies would have no way to replace the ISS astronauts with new crewmen. That could result in an unprecedented situation: The $100 billion ISS being operated remotely by ground controllers with no human crew on board a scenario NASA would rather avoid. Roscosmos will give Soyuz flights another whirl on Oct. 24, when one of their unmanned rockets is to embark on a spaceward journey with a military satellite in tow.
NOW THAT'S INTERESTING Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin Ovchinin had already been to the ISS, but NASA astronaut Tyler Nicklaus "Nick" Hague was supposed to make his debut there when the Soyuz rocket failed. "I expected my first trip to space to be memorable," Hague said in a press conference. "I didn't expect it to be quite this memorable." Should all go well, he and his colleague may get another chance at visiting the ISS.
" " Pilots from a Navy aircraft in 2014 described a "little white Tic-Tac-looking object," similar to the one seen here, moving above the water off California before it disappeared. Geraint Rowland Photography/Getty Images
You don't have to be a Steven Spielberg fan to recognize the famous scene a giant UFO hovering over Wyoming's Devils Tower, dotted with bright neon lights against a black sky. It's from the 1977 movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," and it's a perfect example of Hollywood science-fiction fantasy.
Or maybe not?
OK "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" is fiction, but it's inspired by more than just a smart screenwriter. According to both the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) and the National UFO Reporting Center (NUFORC), the remote, northern American West is a hot spot for reports of alien encounters. Of course, not all are close encounters of the "third" kind.
Like the 1977 film, if you're lucky enough to see a creature of this other world, congratulations! That's a close encounter of the third kind. But what about close encounters of the first and second kind? What are those? (We'll get to that in a minute.) And who came up with them?
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J. Allen Hynek and UFOs
A UFO encounter classification system may seem like it was made up by RV-dragging, desert-dwelling conspiracy theorists, but it was created by J. Allen Hynek, a well-respected astronomer, defense researcher, and director of The Ohio State University's McMillin Observatory.
The U.S. Air Force approached Hynek with concerns about a growing number of reports of unexplained aircraft sightings throughout the country in the late 1940s. Hynek studied more than 200 reports and found that about 20 percent couldn't be identified. Hynek reported that he didn't see these "unidentified flying objects" as being of particular interest, but the public did, and the term caught on in the American zeitgeist.
Hynek continued to study well-publicized UFO sightings and consulted on the Air Force's Project Blue Book. But it wasn't until October 1973 when he investigated a Pascagoula, Mississippi, case in which two men reported being abducted by aliens that he decided there should be a classification for UFO sightings. Hynek believed the men were truthful and even gave the press sketches of the aliens who took the men hostage. He launched the Center for UFO Studies (CUFOS) soon after.
" " A close encounter of the first kind would be described as seeing a UFO that doesn't leave any sort of trace that it was there. David Wall/Getty Images
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Classifying UFO Encounters
The Mississippi event also prompted Hynek to write his 1972 book "The UFO Experience: A Scientific Inquiry," in which he famously laid out the three classes of "close encounters:"
Close encounter of the first kind : Someone simply observes a UFO but it leaves no evidence.
Close encounter of the second kind : A UFO leaves physical traces it was present, such as burns on the ground or broken branches.
Close encounter of the third kind: A person : A person makes contact with a UFO or other life form.
"A close encounter of the first kind is a visual sighting of a UFO. The second kind involves the UFO leaving some kind of a physical effect in its wake, and the third kind would involve the sighting of a UFO occupant," says Dr. Barna Donovan, a professor of communication and media studies at Saint Peter's University in Jersey City, New Jersey. Donovan also teaches a class on the history of conspiracies and is the author of "Conspiracy Films: A Tour of Dark Places in the American Conscious."
Though Hynek died in 1996, other researchers have taken up the charge and since added additional encounter types: a close encounter of the fourth kind covers alleged alien abductions while a close encounter of the fifth type includes according to most sources communication exchange between humans and non-Earth creatures.
"This broad five-point typology is the most effective way of categorizing alleged UFO encounters, although by the time researchers get to the close encounters of the fourth and fifth kind, they are dealing with the most controversial aspects of the phenomenon," Donovan says.
Though Hynek's classification system is the one most used by science-based UFO researchers, it's not the only one. Some UFOlogists, as they're called, use sub-classifications within each kind. These subtypes further classify encounter by factors such as where the creature was seen (inside or outside the UFO) and whether lights were seen at night or during the day.
And if you want to get really into it, you can rate each encounter on the Rio Scale, which was developed at the 51st International Astronautical Congress, 29th Review Meeting on the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence in 2000. The Rio Scale uses factors like reliability and quality of reporting to give each encounter a rating. Zero means a totally insignificant encounter, and 10 indicates an "extraordinary" sighting worthy of serious study.
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Why Classify UFO Encounters Anyway?
Of course, both of these systems raise a question: Why bother spending much time on classification systems when aliens aren't real? Donovan who is himself a skeptic says it's the roughly 10 percent of cases that can't be explained that are of interest to science.
"About 90 percent of sightings are misidentified aircraft, weather phenomena or sleep disorders [like sleep paralysis] of people reporting abduction experiences and experimentation upon by aliens," he says. But the other percentage is proof of one of two things: either a legitimate extraterrestrial presence or some type of phenomenon that science can't yet explain. To enthusiasts with a healthy imagination, either one is a massively exciting prospect.
However, perhaps an equally interesting aspect of alien encounter classifications is just how much the people who report alien abductions vary in age, location and background. While a small percentage actively seek encounters, Donovan says that most people are skeptics who often try to explain away what they've seen.
"It is not good to want to believe too much," he says. "People should be well versed in the ways of skeptical, critical observational methods." That said, Donovan points to cases like the Hill Abduction of 1961 as one of the very few textbook abductions that science can't fully explain more than 60 years later.
Donovan finds the unexplained sightings by the military which are of the first and second kind only the most fascinating and most likely to be actual proof of non-Earth-based life. These reports, some of which were confirmed by the Pentagon, are more recent and often recorded by the government via radar and military cameras. The visual evidence is often documented in several places by multiple witnesses removed from one another, which is far harder to explain away than phenomena like the "Marfa Lights" (likely headlines reflecting in the distance) or the 1947 "Roswell Incident."
" " The more rare close encounter of the third kind is when a person reportedly sees or even makes contact with a lifeform from outside of planet Earth. David Wall/Getty Images
Now That's Crazy If you have hope of being in the "lucky" 10 percent of people who report unexplainable encounters, you may actually want to follow in cinema footsteps: the National UFO Reporting Center (NUFORC) has 380 reports of UFO sightings in Wyoming, with reports from the Devils Tower area citing visuals like "multiple orbs of green light frantically moving around in a seemingly random fashion." Though if you want to maximize your chances of a full-on encounter, head to California, which tops NUFORC's list with nearly 15,000 reports since 1975. Take note, Steven Spielberg.
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Originally Published: Feb 18, 2008
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The quoted title of this post is the lead headline of this lengthy and detailed Politico discussion of some of the case processing realities surrounding the on-going federal prosecutions of persons involved in the insurrection on January 6, 2021. I recommend the piece in full, and here are excerpts:
Americans outraged by the storming of Capitol Hill are in for a jarring reality check: Many of those who invaded the halls of Congress on Jan. 6 are likely to get little or no jail time. While public and media attention in recent weeks has been focused on high-profile conspiracy cases against right-wing, paramilitary groups like the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys, the most urgent decisions for prosecutors involve resolving scores of lower-level cases that have clogged D.C.s federal district court.
A POLITICO analysis of the Capitol riot-related cases shows that almost a quarter of the more than 230 defendants formally and publicly charged so far face only misdemeanors. Dozens of those arrested are awaiting formal charges, even as new cases are being unsealed nearly every day. In recent days, judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys have all indicated that they expect few of these MAGA tourists to face harsh sentences.
There are two main reasons: Although prosecutors have loaded up their charging documents with language about the existential threat of the insurrection to the republic, the actions of many of the individual rioters often boiled down to trespassing. And judges have wrestled with how aggressively to lump those cases in with those of the more sinister suspects. My bet is a lot of these cases will get resolved and probably without prison time or jail time, said Erica Hashimoto, a former federal public defender who is now a law professor at Georgetown....
The resolution of the more mundane cases also presents acute questions about equity, since most of the Capitol riot defendants are white, while misdemeanor charges are often a vexing problem for minority defendants in other cases. There are also sensitive issues about precedent for the future, given the frequency of politically inspired demonstrations on Capitol Hill that run afoul of the law....
Prosecutors have signaled that plea offers for some defendants will be coming within days and have readily acknowledged that some of the cases are less complicated to resolve than others. I think we can work out a non-trial disposition in this case, Assistant U.S. Attorney Emory Cole told Judge Dabney Friedrich last week in the case of Kevin Loftus, who was charged with unlawful presence and disrupting official business at the Capitol, among other offenses that have become the boilerplate set lodged against anyone who walked into the building that day without authorization.
The Justice Department will soon be in the awkward position of having to defend such deals, even as trials and lengthy sentences for those facing more serious charges could be a year or more away....
Former federal prosecutor Paul Butler said he hopes that those most troubled by the Capitol riot wont recoil at the looming deals for many participants. The punishment has to be proportional to the harm, but I think for many of us, well never forget watching TV Jan. 6 and seeing people wilding out in the Capitol, said Butler, now a law professor at Georgetown. Everybody who was there was complicit, but theyre not all complicit to the same degree for the same harm.
A standard set of four misdemeanor charges prosecutors have been filed in dozens of the Capitol cases carries a maximum possible punishment of three years in prison. But that sentence or anything close to it is virtually unheard of in misdemeanor cases, lawyers said. Nobody goes to jail for a first or second misdemeanor, Butler said flatly....
In virtually all the non-felony cases, the charges are likely to be grouped together as trespassing under federal sentencing guidelines. While those guidelines contain a small enhancement for entering a restricted building or grounds, defendants with no significant criminal history are looking at the lowest possible range: zero to six months. Zero months means no jail at all....
Another factor prosecutors and judges may weigh is that the treatment of misdemeanors by the justice system is currently the subject of intense attention in criminal justice reform circles. Reformers say such minor charges often cause major complications in the lives of the minority defendants who typically face them. A lot of Black or brown people, they dont get the benefit of individual judgment or breaks, said Butler. I think this will be a record number of white people who appear in federal criminal court in D.C.If theyre receiving mercy, the prosecutors office should make sure that same mercy will be applied to all the other people who they prosecute, who are mainly people of color and low-income people.
The former prosecutor said he hopes the high-profile Capitol prosecutions call attention to the underlying equity issues and to the fact that the vast majority of federal cases are resolved not through trials but the plea negotiations that are about to begin. This could be a teachable moment here for the public, Butler said.
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Politico continues its terrific coverage of prosecution of the Capitol rioters with this lengthy new piece fully headlined "Jan. 6 defendants win unlikely Dem champions as they face harsh detainment; 'Solitary confinement is a form of punishment that is cruel and psychologically damaging,' Sen. Elizabeth Warren said." I am always pleased to see politicians who express concerns about the operation of our justice systems do so no matter who the defendants happen to be. Here is how this story starts:
Sen. Elizabeth Warren fled the Capitol on Jan. 6 from a mob she later called domestic terrorists. Now she and another Senate Democratic leader are standing up for their attackers' rights as criminal defendants.
Most of the 300-plus people charged with participating in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot have been released while they await trial, but dozens of those deemed to be dangerous, flight risks or at high risk of obstructing justice were ordered held without bond. D.C. jail officials later determined that all Capitol detainees would be placed in so-called restrictive housing a move billed as necessary to keep the defendants safe, as well as guards and other inmates. But that means 23-hour-a-day isolation for the accused, even before their trials begin.
And such treatment doesn't sit well with Warren or Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), two of the chamber's fiercest critics of solitary confinement. Solitary confinement is a form of punishment that is cruel and psychologically damaging, Warren said in an interview. And were talking about people who havent been convicted of anything yet.
The Massachusetts Democrat, a member of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's leadership team, said that while some limited uses of solitary confinement are justified, shes worried that law enforcement officials are deploying it to punish the Jan. 6 defendants or to break them so that they will cooperate.
Her sentiments are shared by Durbin, who also chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee and expressed surprise that all of the detained Jan. 6 defendants were being kept in so-called restrictive housing. While their defense of accused rioters' rights as criminal defendants is unlikely to change the Justice Department's handling of those cases, it's a notable case of prominent progressives using their political clout to amplify their criminal justice reform calls even on behalf of Donald Trump supporters who besieged the entire legislative branch in January.
Durbin, who has long sought to eradicate solitary confinement, told POLITICO that such conditions should be a rare exception," for accused insurrectionists or any other prisoners. There has to be a clear justification for that, in very limited circumstances, he said.
D.C. government officials say the pandemic already has sharply limited freedom of movement in the jail where most Jan. 6 defendants are held. In fact, the entire jail has been subject to strict lockdown procedures since the onset of the pandemic, a determination that has caused broader controversy about prisoners' rights. But restrictive housing is a maximum-security designation, and the blanket designation for the Capitol defendants which isn't expected to ease even if pandemic era restrictions do is a notable decision for a large group of inmates who have yet to be tried for their alleged crimes.
Asked about the Democratic senators concerns, a spokesperson for the D.C. Department of Corrections touted the growing number of educational programs and limited amenity access that inmates are now offered. We appreciate the concern, patience and support of our neighbors as we work to keep all within DOC safe, as well as support the public safety of all in the District, said spokesperson Keena Blackmon.
Warren and Durbin's interest in the conditions facing detained Jan. 6 defendants come amid a massive Justice Department push to arrest and prosecute the hundreds of people who breached the Capitol and threatened the peaceful transfer of power to the Biden administration.
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A few weeks ago, as blogged here, Politico spotlighted some case processing realities surrounding the on-going federal prosecutions of persons involved in the insurrection on January 6, 2021. That lengthy piece highlighted reasons why it could turn out, in the words of the headline, that "Many Capitol rioters [are] unlikely to serve jail time." Politico now has this additional interesting piece on the same beat headlined "Leniency for defendants in Portland clashes could affect Capitol riot cases." I also recommend this piece in full, in part because the piece showcases how differing charging policies and practices both at the national level and in individual districts can lead to differing case outcomes:
Federal prosecutors show of leniency for some defendants charged in the long-running unrest in the streets of Portland could have an impact on similar criminal cases stemming from the Capitol riot, lawyers say.
In recent weeks, prosecutors have approved deals in at least half a dozen federal felony cases arising from clashes between protesters and law enforcement in Oregon last summer. The arrangements known as deferred resolution agreements will leave the defendants with a clean criminal record if they stay out of trouble for a period of time and complete a modest amount of community service, according to defense attorneys and court records.
Some lawyers attribute the governments newfound willingness to resolve the Portland protest cases without criminal convictions to the arrival of President Joe Bidens administration in January and to policy and personnel changes at the Justice Department. Those moves seemed to step away from the highly public, throw-the-book-at-them stance that President Donald Trump and then-Attorney General William Barr adopted toward lawbreakers involved in racial justice protests that swept across the country last year following the death of George Floyd during an encounter with Minneapolis police.
Obviously there was a change in direction from Washington, and once they changed the U.S. attorney, that seemed to change the tone, said John Kolego, a defense attorney based in Eugene, Ore., who handled one of the Portland cases. They had their marching orders from Barr before, but the tone is definitely changed, Kolego said.
Five of the Portland cases in which deals were recently struck involved a felony charge of interfering with police during civil disorder. Some defendants are accused of punching or jumping on police officers during the street battles. One individual was charged after being accused of shining a high-powered green laser into the eyes of officers seeking to disperse a riot outside a police union building.
The civil disorder cases are notable because the charge of police interference is also being wielded by prosecutors in dozens of the criminal cases brought over the storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6 by pro-Trump protesters. In the Washington cases, prosecutors have filed the felony anti-riot charge in tandem with others, like obstructing an official proceeding or assaulting police officers.
Some of the assaults described in the Portland cases bear similarities to the Capitol violence. Prosecutors said one of the civil disorder defendants, Alexandra Eutin, used a wooden shield and hoses to strike a Portland police officer in the head while he was trying to make an arrest. Several Capitol riot suspects are accused of using riot shields to shove police or obstruct their efforts to secure the building from the mob....
While Justice Department headquarters in Washington loudly touted the arrests and indictments related to last summers unrest, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorneys Office in Portland said the resolutions it is reaching in those cases were not being approved by officials in Washington. There is no across-the-board standard being used to rule our protest cases in or out of consideration for a deferred prosecution agreement, and our office does not consult with Main Justice on when to use them, said Kevin Sonoff, the spokesperson.
However, Sonoff said the Portland prosecutors were acting under the authority that then-Attorney General Eric Holder granted to assistant U.S. attorneys a decade ago to craft resolutions they considered appropriate in criminal cases. Trumps first attorney general, Jeff Sessions, revoked that policy in 2017, but days after Bidens inauguration in January, the Justice Department returned to the Holder standards that Portland prosecutors are now citing. Under the 2010 Holder memo on charging and sentencing, AUSAs have broad discretion on how cases are resolved, the spokesperson said, referring to assistant U.S. attorneys.
Laurie Levenson, a former federal prosecutor who is now a law professor at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, said: Undoubtedly, defense lawyers will point to everything they can to get the most favorable resolution for their clients. Now, one thing they can point to will be the deferred prosecutions in Portland. Still, prosecutors in D.C. can argue that what happened there is more serious even if the physical actions of the defendants were comparable. Attacking the Capitol is sui generis its in a category of its own, Levenson said. One is the seat of government and the other is not.
One defense attorney in Washington representing Capitol riot defendants said he planned to raise the Portland cases as negotiations begin between the government and defendants over those arising from the Capitol I think theyre very relevant, said the defense lawyer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The individual conduct is actually not all that different: Youre at a protest that turns into a riot. The core conduct is the same, so if people out there are getting deferred prosecution for that conduct, then my guy should be.
Nancy Gertner, a former federal judge, said she expected Portland comparisons as defense lawyers and the government jockey over the terms of potential plea deals. Sure, it would be relevant but that feels very different than entering into the Capitol, said Gertner, now a lecturer at Harvard Law School. Gertner said many of the Capitol cases were headed for what she called a no-time resolution, meaning no prison time. But she emphasized that offering a deferred prosecution with no criminal record like the Portland deals was really up to prosecutors, who may be reluctant to agree to them amid lingering outrage over the Jan. 6 takeover. I can see prosecutors not wanting to give them and a judge cant, she said....
The ad hoc resolutions in the Portland cases some of which involve postponing action on the charges for as long as a year are similar to more formal pretrial diversion programs in place at federal courts in Los Angeles, Seattle and Boston. Federal courts have programs to allow people to show they have been rehabilitated, Lisa Hay, the chief federal defender in Oregon, told POLITICO. I think the government should always look at the facts of the case and the individual charges. We are encouraged that the government is doing that in the cases here.
The federal District Court in D.C. where the Capitol riot defendants are charged does not have such a program, chiefly because less-serious cases in the nations capital are typically routed to D.C. Superior Court, which does have a diversion program of its own.... Deferred prosecution or resolution agreements are often used in state and local courts, but are more rare in federal courts. The Justice Department has generated controversy in recent years by using such deals to resolve investigations into corporations accused of being involved in criminal activity. That led to calls by some criminal justice reformers to offer such arrangements to individuals more frequently in federal criminal cases, although they have not become widespread.
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As reported in this Politico piece, headlined "Virginia couple pleads guilty in Capitol riot," the first set of pleas for low-level participating in the January 6 riots were entered in federal court yesterday. Here are the details:
A Virginia couple on Monday became the third and fourth defendants to plead guilty in the sprawling investigation stemming from the Capitol riot in January. However, Jessica and Joshua Bustle of Bristow, Va., became the first to plead guilty in federal court who faced only misdemeanor charges as a result of their actions at the Capitol as lawmakers were attempting to certify President Joe Bidens electoral college victory.
Under a deal with prosecutors, the Bustles each pleaded guilty to one of the four misdemeanor charges they faced: parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building. They could get up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $5,000, but will be spared the potential of back-to-back sentences on multiple counts.
The arrangement could serve as a template for hundreds of other misdemeanor-only cases filed related to the Jan. 6 events. Defense attorneys say it also suggests that prosecutors will not readily agree to more lenient resolutions in Capitol riot cases, such as deferring the case and dismissing it following a period of good behavior.
Theres no guarantee what the sentence will be in this case, Judge Thomas Hogan told the Bustles during the afternoon hearing, conducted by videoconference. I can give a sentence thats legal up to the maximum in the statute: six months.
According to a complaint filed by an FBI agent in March, Jessica Bustle posted on her Facebook page on Jan. 6: Pence is a traitor. We stormed the capital. An unarmed peaceful woman down the hall from us was shot in the neck by cops. Its insane here.Pray for America!!!! In another post, Jessica Bustle who said shes opposed to taking the coronavirus vaccine indicated she and her husband were attending a health freedom rally separate from then-President Donald Trumps rally. They later decided to check out what was happening at the Capitol, she wrote. My husband and I just WALKED right in with tons of other people. Bustle also wrote: We need a Revolution....
The Bustles have also agreed to pay $500 apiece in restitution, Hogan said. Both the Bustles' attorneys and a prosecutor said they were prepared to proceed with sentencing Monday, but the judge declined, saying he would set a sentencing date in 4 to 6 weeks. Im not prepared to do sentencing today. I think we have to look at the case a little bit, said Hogan, an appointee of former President Ronald Reagan. The judge said he wanted to ensure consistency and comparability of sentences among the Capitol riot defendants, none of whom have been sentenced thus far.
Many Capitol riot defendants face the four typical misdemeanor charges the Bustles faced plus a felony charge of obstruction of an official proceeding. The latter charge carries a potential 20-year prison term. It is not clear how prosecutors have distinguished between nonviolent defendants who face only the misdemeanors and those who had the felony charge added on.
The first guilty pleas in the Capitol riot came in April from Jon Schaffer, a heavy-metal guitarist and self-described lifetime member of the Oath Keepers. He admitted to two felonies: obstruction and entering a Secret Service-restricted area while carrying a dangerous weapon. Schaffer agreed to cooperate in the governments ongoing conspiracy case against fellow Oath Keepers. A total of 16 people are now charged in that case.
The second guilty plea was from a Florida man who went onto the Senate floor during the Jan. 6 unrest, Paul Hodgkins. At a hearing earlier this month, he pleaded guilty to a felony obstruction charge. Prosecutors agreed to drop the misdemeanor charges against him, but there was no cooperation element to the deal. He is tentatively set for sentencing on July 19.
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June 23, 2021
Notable education efforts prior to sentencing of minor participant in Capitol riot (who seems likely to get probation)
This local article, headlined "Indiana woman to plead guilty in Capitol riot wrote reports on 'Schindler's List,' more," provides the interesting backstory leading up the scheduled sentencing of one person prosecuted for involvement in the Capitol riot on January 6. Here are some details:
A Bloomfield woman will plead guilty this week for her role in the U.S. Capitol riot after appealing to the court that she has learned from her participation from movies and books such as "Schindler's List" and "Just Mercy." Anna Morgan-Lloyd has agreed to plead guilty to one of her pending federal charges in the Jan. 6 insurrection in exchange for three years probation, $500 in restitution and community service. The 49-year-old attended what initially began as a rally with her friend Dona Sue Bissey also federally charged in the riot. Bissey, whose case is still pending, is scheduled to appear in court July 19. In a letter to the judge, Morgan-Lloyd apologized for entering the U.S. Capitol and said she feels ashamed about how the march that day turned violent. She attached movie and book reports to her letter, summarizing Schindlers List and Just Mercy. Her attorney recommended them, she said, to learn what life is like for others in our country.... Bissey and Morgan-Lloyd referred to Jan. 6 as the most exciting day of their lives in Facebook posts, tagging one photo inside the Capitol building. The FBI arrested the two women in late February, making them among six Hoosiers criminally charged in the aftermath of the insurrection. Court records show the Acting U.S. Attorney has agreed to the plea, calling Morgan-Lloyds participation a serious violation of the law, but noted she did not engage in physical violence or destroy government property. To be clear, what the Defendant initially described as the most exciting day of (her) life was, in fact, a tragic day for our nation a day of riotous violence, collective destruction, and criminal conduct by a frenzied and lawless mob, Acting U.S. Attorney Channing Phillips wrote in court records. The U.S. listed Morgan-Lloyds apparent remorse, no prior criminal history and cooperation with law enforcement after her arrest as some of the reasons for the governments acceptance of the plea agreement.
This extended HuffPost piece, headlined "A Lawyer For Jan. 6 Defendants Is Giving Her Clients Remedial Lessons In American History," provides additional details on this defendant and the valuable efforts of her defense attorney to turn her prosecution into a "teachable moment." I recommend this piece in full, and here is an excerpt:
This week, Morgan-Lloyd will become the first of nearly 500 defendants arrested in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol to face sentencing. She wants a judge to know shes changed, and her book report-style filings are meant to illustrate that growth. Ive lived a sheltered life and truly havent experienced life the way many have, Morgan-Lloyd wrote to the judge. Ive learned that even though we live in a wonderful country things still need to improve. People of all colors should feel as safe as I do to walk down the street. The remedial social studies program that Morgan-Lloyd is following was created by her D.C.-based lawyer, H. Heather Shaner.... Shaner is one of many D.C. lawyers assigned to represent Capitol defendants who cant afford their own attorneys, as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and as laid out in the Criminal Justice Act. In addition to representing her clients in court, Shaner has seized an opportunity to try and educate them on the history their teachers glossed over. Shaner regularly sends her clients who are incarcerated pretrial books to read: Theyre a captured audience, and its life-changing for a lot of them. But she decided to take an even more intensive approach with her Capitol clients, who were part of another ugly, historical event in American history. Reading books and then watching these shows is like a revelation, Shaner told HuffPost. I think that education is a very powerful tool ... So I gave them book lists and shows that they should watch. In addition to Morgan-Lloyd, Shaner represents Capitol defendants Annie Howell, Jack Jesse Griffith (aka Juan Bibiano), Israel Tutrow and Landon Kenneth Copeland, a veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder who had a major episode during a virtual hearing in his case and cursed out everyone on the call. (Copeland, who was filmed assaulting officers at the Capitol on Jan. 6 and is facing the most serious accusations of any of Shaners Capitol clients, was ordered to undergo a competency evaluation and remains in custody.) Shaner said her clients had poor educations and knew very little about the country. Her two female clients took to the task with zeal, Shaner said, and got library cards for the first time in their lives. Both my women are like, I never learned this in school. Why dont I know about this? Shaner said. (A couple of the male clients werent quite as eager students, she said. The men are very much like Oh, Ill get to it. But she said some of her male clients have been doing some self-education.)
Here are some links to some of the court filings discussed above:
Government's Memorandum in Aid of Sentencing
Defense's Memorandum in Support of Probationary Sentence
Anna Lloyd Statement (and reports here and here)
Prior related posts:
June 23, 2021 at 09:21 AM | Permalink
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"Anna Morgan-Lloyd has agreed to plead guilty to one of her pending federal charges in the Jan. 6 insurrection in exchange for three years probation, $500 in restitution and community service."
$500? Don't go too high now.
I'm sympathetic to the final result here given the lack of aggravating factors cited by the government report. The "learning experience" stuff is less notable me, though if she is serious, it is better than continuing to say she did a fine thing & not to have any shame about it.
Probation means a period of oversight where she has to be on good behavior. This isn't without real effects, especially if someone on probation violates its terms. The "trivial" nature of this restraint therefore can be overblown.
Community service also is a real thing.
For cases like this, I am not totally against some sort of at least token term of imprisonment. I can imagine a special sort of confinement to deal with low level offenders of this sort. The actress, e.g., who had a short prison sentence recently to me was not some sort of victim of excessive punishment.
But, for this type of defendant in the 1/6 insurrection, I am okay with the general punishment offered here.
Posted by: Joe | Jun 23, 2021 10:54:53 AM
For some reason the header made me think the offender was going to actually be a minor (at least on Jan 6th) , not that their participation was so. After all, what can possibly make a riot better but bringing children along?
Posted by: Soronel Haetir | Jun 23, 2021 11:58:24 AM
Are we still allowed to call a minor a "minor" these days, Soronel? Are we supposed to say something like "a person who has not yet reached majority"? Wow, do I sound like an old grumpy guy....
Posted by: Doug B | Jun 23, 2021 1:23:26 PM
Okay, Grandpa.
Posted by: Joe | Jun 23, 2021 1:44:08 PM
I a probably not the person to ask, I am still perfectly happy using the term "illegal alien".
Posted by: Soronel Haetir | Jun 23, 2021 2:39:49 PM
This is one of the most effective sentencing letters I've ever read. Creative, very concise, and very compelling. And of course, getting the government on board with a sentence of probation. This was excellent advocacy.
Posted by: afpd | Jun 24, 2021 9:58:00 AM
She is now going on Fox News and I wonder how if anything this will affect her and other defendants.
https://twitter.com/JanNWolfe/status/1408257042570256385
Posted by: Joe | Jun 25, 2021 4:09:43 AM
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July 29, 2021
Federal judges expressing some concern about lenient plea deals for some Capitol riot defendants
This new BuzzFeed News article, headlined "A Judge Questioned If Capitol Rioters Are Getting Off Too Easy For 'Terrorizing Members Of Congress'," reports on some notable comments by some notable federal judges about the plea deals being given to some of the Capitol rioters. Here are excerpts:
A federal judge on Thursday pushed back on the governments decision to ink deals in the Capitol riot cases that involve low-level misdemeanors, questioning whether that was appropriate for people involved in terrorizing members of Congress. The unusual exchange came during a plea hearing for Jack Jesse Griffith, who was charged solely with misdemeanor crimes for going into the Capitol on Jan. 6; he wasnt accused of violence or property destruction. As Griffith prepared to plead guilty to one count of parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building a class B misdemeanor with a maximum sentence of six months in jail US District Chief Judge Beryl Howell asked the prosecutor to explain why Griffiths deal involved a class of crime typically reserved for people who did things like trespass in a national park at night. I'm just curious does the government have any concern given the factual predicate at issue here, of the defendant joining a mob, breaking into the Capitol building through a broken door, wandering through the Capitol building and stopping a constitutionally mandated duty of the Congress and terrorizing members of Congress, the vice president, who had to be evacuated? Howell asked. Does the government, in agreeing to the petty offense in this case, have any concern about deterrence? It was the second time this week that a judge questioned whether defendants charged in connection with Jan. 6 are getting off too lightly in plea deals, even if theyre not accused of more serious criminal activity, such as attacking police. On Tuesday, US District Judge Reggie Walton, one of Howells colleagues on the federal bench in Washington, DC, briefly pondered whether he should jail two defendants who signed a deal similar to Griffiths, given their involvement in the atrocious act of storming the Capitol; he ultimately allowed them to go home until theyre sentenced in October. Griffith is the 27th defendant charged in the Jan. 6 riots to appear before a judge to plead guilty, and the 21st person to plead guilty to a single misdemeanor as part of an agreement with prosecutors either the parading count that Griffith pleaded guilty to or disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, which also has a maximum sentence of six months in jail. Howell in the end accepted Griffiths guilty plea, but, like Walton, put the government and defense through several paces before she did. She asked whether the government was concerned that an agreement involving a low-level misdemeanor was enough not only to deter Griffith from participating in a similar event in the future but also the broader universe of the hundreds of people who descended on the Capitol that day. The circumstance that led to the Jan. 6 insurrection, a presidential election, happens every four years, the judge noted. Assistant US Attorney Mitra Jafary-Hariri and Griffiths lawyer H. Heather Shaner defended the deal, telling Howell that Griffith had expressed interest in pleading guilty early on something defendants throughout the criminal justice system typically get credit for and had cooperated with law enforcement officials by turning over his devices and giving them access to his social media. Jafary-Hariri said that under those circumstances, the government decided it was willing to resolve it this way.
Some prior related posts:
July 29, 2021 at 06:57 PM | Permalink
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The judges are making excellent points here. Howell in particular summed it up nicely. I hope Garland/DOJ are getting the message and don't intend to pursue a "look forward not backward" strategy.
Posted by: kotodama | Jul 30, 2021 1:08:34 AM
I am concerned but the assistance, including access to devices helps in the one case.
I welcome a range of consequences, including civil liabilities in these situations. I continue to push for passage of enforcement of the 14A disqualification provision to help have that available to the group for which that is applicable. It also would show the serious nature of the situation.
Perhaps, it will come up during the 1/6 select committee hearings.
Posted by: Joe | Jul 30, 2021 7:33:20 AM
Federal judges expressing anything (including concern)about 1/6 should resign in shame and be disbarred.
The idea that some DC cops let a few people into the Capital where people wondered around aimlessly doing nothing, thus warranting punishment of any kind is an atrocity on the American people.
Have these judges watched antifa and BLM burn and murder? And yet a grandma who supports Trump should not receive lenient plea deals from the rapid dogs who call themselves federal prosecutors is subject to "concern?"
Concern over what? That a guy who murders people is released without bail while a guy wearing make up and horns is in solitary for 6 months? Nope These "concerned" judges are not concerned about that.
Concern that it is obvious that the FBI had more agents provacuer than there were actually real people there on 1/6? No concern over that.
How could these "concerned" judges be so stupid? What on Earth has happened to their brains? We see that UFOs are apparently real. Did the UFOs destroy the US Judiciary? That any judge any where would not see through this utter sham is impossible to believe.
Is this willful incredible ignorance of current events a result of the Judicial Culture? The DC Bubble Culture? I mean how could anyone possibly express "concern" about something so non-existent?
It just beggars belief.Hey "concerned" judges. Judge then convict those antifa/BLM who murder and burn. That is the true insurrection. Do it before that power is taken from you due to the clear fact that you are so out of touch with reality.
You repudiate the ideal of American Justice. You are "concerned"? You should be. Be "concerned" that you are too cowardly to speak up and repudiate rabid dogs calling themselves Federal prosecutors. They have gone off the hook. Only the juidiicay can rein these evil people in. Don't be "CONCERNED" like a coward, weeping in the corner!
REIN THESE RUINING DOGS IN!! Do it. Do it now.
Posted by: restless94110 | Jul 30, 2021 6:16:55 PM
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As noted in this Washington Post piece, a notable federal sentencing is scheduled for Monday and federal prosecutors have a notable sentencing recommendation for the judge: "U.S. prosecutors on Wednesday urged a federal judge to impose an 18-month prison term on the first defendant to face sentencing for a felony in the Jan. 6 Capitol breach, citing the need to deter domestic terrorism." Here is more:
The need to deter others is especially strong in cases involving domestic terrorism, which the breach of the Capitol certainly was, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Mona Sedky said in a government sentencing request for Tampa crane operator Paul Allard Hodgkins, 38, who carried a Trump flag into the well of the Senate....
Hodgkinss sentencing, scheduled for Monday, could set the bar for what punishment 100 or more defendants might expect to face as they weigh whether to accept plea offers by prosecutors or take their chances at a trial by jury. About 800 people entered the building, U.S. officials have said, with more than 500 individuals charged to date and charges expected against at least 100 others. About 20 people have pleaded guilty, and one misdemeanor defendant has been sentenced to probation.
In Hodgkinss case, Sedky cited FBI Director Christopher A. Wrays testimony in March to the Senate that the problem of homegrown violent extremism is metastasizing, with some actors growing emboldened by the Capitol riot.... Sedky also asked U.S. District Judge Randolph D. Moss of Washington to recognize prior court findings that though individuals convicted of such behavior may have no criminal history, their beliefs make them unique among criminals in the likelihood of recidivism.
Hodgkins pleaded guilty on June 2 to one felony count of entering the Capitol to obstruct Congress, a common charge being used by prosecutors. Unlike other defendants, he was not accused of other wrongdoing or involvement with extremist groups, nor did he enter a cooperation deal with prosecutors. Under advisory federal guidelines, he could face a prison sentence of 15 to 21 months.
Hodgkins poses an intriguing example for defendants against whom prosecutors have threatened to seek enhanced domestic terrorism penalties, lawyers said. Such enhancements, if found to apply, could more than double a defendants guidelines range or otherwise increase recommended penalties, although judges would have the final say. In Hodgkinss case, prosecutors did not ask the judge to apply the enhancement, even though they wrote Wednesday that his conduct met the definition of violence calculated to influence or affect the conduct of government by intimidation or coercion. Instead, prosecutors said a midpoint sentence in Hodgkinss existing range was appropriate, but still urged Moss to consider the importance of dissuading future acts of domestic terrorism.
Hodgkins has asked for a below-guidelines sentence of probation. His attorney urged Moss to follow the example of President Abraham Lincolns planned approach to the defeated South after the Civil War, before he was assassinated. Today, this Court has a chance to make a difference, Tampa attorney Patrick N. Leduc wrote, asserting that America now is as divided as it was in the 1850s on racial and regional lines. We have the chance to be as Lincoln had hoped, to exercise grace and charity, and to restore healing for those who seek forgiveness. Alternatively, we can follow the mistakes of our past: to be harsh, seek vengeance, retribution, and revenge, and continue to watch the nation go down its present regrettable path, Leduc said.
Lawyers familiar with the Capitol probe have said the case illustrates how prosecutors are taking a carrot-and-stick approach in plea talks, threatening to hit some defendants with tougher sentencing guidelines calculations while showing some flexibility for those not accused of any violent conduct in a bid to resolve cases short of trial.
For example, another Jan. 6 defendant pleaded guilty Wednesday to the identical charge as Hodgkins. However, Josiah Colt, 34, of Idaho, faced a sentencing guidelines range three times as high, 51 to 63 months, after admitting that he came armed to Washington and was with others accused of violently interfering with police. Colt, however, entered a cooperation deal, implicating two men he was with in plea papers and agreeing to aid investigators in exchange for a recommendation of leniency.
Several defense attorneys in the probe privately called prosecutors tactics draconian in some cases, saying they are threatening years of prison time for individuals not charged with violence and giving them little choice but to face trial.
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July 19, 2021
First Jan 6 rioter to be sentenced on felony charges gets (below-guideline) sentence of eight months in federal prison
As noted in this preview post on Friday, this morning was the scheduled sentencing day for Paul Allard Hodgkins, who carried a Trump flag into the well of the Senate during the January 6 riot at the Capitol. Hodgkins' sentencing has been seen as particularly significant because he is the very first person to be sentenced on felony charges stemming from his actions on January 6 one misdemeanor defendant has been sentenced to probation and because Hodgkins' sentencing memo and the Government's sentencing memo made notable arguments as he sought probation and as the government urged an 18-month prison term (at the midpoint of the calculated guidelines range of 15 to 21 months).
This AP piece reports via its headline that the federal sentencing judge here did what often happens in these kinds of cases, namely he came quite close to splitting the difference: "Capitol rioter who breached Senate sentenced to 8 months." Here are more details on this notable federal sentencing:
A Florida man who breached the U.S. Senate chamber carrying a Trump campaign flag was sentenced Monday to eight months behind bars, the first resolution for a felony case in the Capitol insurrection. Paul Allard Hodgkins apologized and said he was ashamed of his actions on Jan 6. Speaking calmly from a prepared text, he described being caught up in the euphoria as he walked down Washingtons most famous avenue, then followed a crowd of hundreds up Capitol Hill and into the Capitol building. If I had any idea that the protest would escalate (the way) it did I would never have ventured farther than the sidewalk of Pennsylvania Avenue, Hodgkins told the judge. He added: This was a foolish decision on my part. Prosecutors had asked for Hodgkins to serve 18 months behind bars, saying in a recent filing that he, like each rioter, contributed to the collective threat to democracy by forcing lawmakers to temporarily abandon their certification of Joe Bidens 2020 election victory over President Donald Trump and to scramble for shelter from incoming mobs. His sentencing could set the bar for punishments of hundreds of other defendants as they decide whether to accept plea deals or go to trial. He and others are accused of serious crimes but were not indicted, as some others were, for roles in larger conspiracies. Under an agreement with prosecutors, Hodgkins pleaded guilty last month to one count of obstructing an official proceeding, which carries a maximum 20-year prison sentence. In exchange, prosecutors agreed to drop lesser charges, including entering a restricted building and disorderly conduct. Video footage shows Hodgkins wearing a Trump 2020 T-shirt, the flag flung over his shoulder and eye goggles around his neck, inside the Senate. He took a selfie with a self-described shaman in a horned helmet and other rioters on the dais behind him. His lawyer pleaded with Judge Randolph Moss to spare his 38-year-old client time in prison, saying the shame that will attach to Hodgkins for the rest of his life should be factored in as punishment. The lawyer argued in court papers that Hodgkins actions werent markedly different from those of Anna Morgan Lloyd other than Hodgkins stepping onto the Senate floor. The 49-year-old from Indiana was the first of roughly 500 arrested to be sentenced. She pleaded guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct and last month was sentenced to three years of probation. Hodgkins was never accused of assaulting anyone or damaging property. And prosecutors said he deserves some leniency for taking responsibility almost immediately and pleading guilty to the obstruction charge. But they also noted how he boarded a bus in his hometown of Tampa bound for a Jan. 6 Trump rally carrying rope, protective goggles and latex gloves in a backpack saying that demonstrated he came to Washington prepared for violence.
Prior related posts:
July 19, 2021 at 12:34 PM | Permalink
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8 months for participating in a seditious act?! The judge's admonitory rhetoric aside, MAGA folks will likely see this as a tap on the tush and encouragement for further acts of sedition. Upward variance to 5 years would have been more appropriate.
Posted by: Michael Levine | Jul 19, 2021 5:45:10 PM
The coverage I saw suggested he didn't provide information to the prosecutors or anything. Also, this is problematic:
"But they also noted how he boarded a bus in his hometown of Tampa bound for a Jan. 6 Trump rally carrying rope, protective goggles and latex gloves in a backpack saying that demonstrated he came to Washington prepared for violence."
I recognize the breadth of appropriate punishments here. But, this seems too low, especially if it is somehow a "model" for future punishments.
Posted by: Joe | Jul 19, 2021 7:04:47 PM
Agree with Joe and Michael Levine.
The facts that Joe highlights are indeed problematic in their own right. Not only that, but also they directly contradict the defendants claim that he didnt realize the situation would escalate.
BTW, as Michael Levine points out (and I have before too), it wasnt a riot. Those are what sometimes happen after sportsball games. It was a sedition/insurrection. The media Im not surprised to see getting it wrong, but this blog ought to know much better. As should the DOJ!
Posted by: kotodama | Jul 19, 2021 7:27:34 PM
Yes, on the "riot" talk
The government sentencing memo makes clear that he is being prosecuted for trying to stop the certification of the election.
This is INSURRECTION. Mitch McConnell called it that.
There is a pending bill (though for some reason, it is not getting any attention from what I can tell) to enforce the "insurrection" penalty in the 14th Amendment. Some argued Trump should have only been targeted with that and not impeachment. I disagree, but it underlines what is involved.
The memo speaks of that "grave danger on democracy" etc. It is an attack on the U.S. Capitol that, again as cited in the memo, to try to stop the transfer of power.
Trolls who compare it to other "riots" arising from anti-government protests are just that. We need not aid and abet their rhetoric.
I guess you can say insurrection is in some fashion a sort of riot. But, I think that leads to confusion.
Posted by: Joe | Jul 19, 2021 9:51:13 PM
Great points Joe, thanks for adding those.
I wasn't aware of the bill in progress either. So thanks for the heads up on that as well!
Posted by: kotodama | Jul 19, 2021 11:01:11 PM
That is still too high and an injustice but at least there was a bit of a push back from the judge.
Posted by: restless94110 | Jul 20, 2021 7:10:56 PM
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September 1, 2021
Notable accounting of federal prosecutions and sentences responding to riots both before and during January 6
This recent AP article, headlined "Records rebut claims of unequal treatment of Jan. 6 rioters," provides a valuable and interesting accounting of some of the federal criminal accountability that has followed various riots in recent times. Here are excerpts:
An Associated Press review of court documents in more than 300 federal cases stemming from the protests sparked by George Floyds death last year shows that dozens of people charged have been convicted of serious crimes and sent to prison. The AP found that more than 120 defendants across the United States have pleaded guilty or were convicted at trial of federal crimes including rioting, arson and conspiracy. More than 70 defendants whove been sentenced so far have gotten an average of about 27 months behind bars. At least 10 received prison terms of five years or more.... To be sure, some defendants have received lenient deals. At least 19 who have been sentenced across the country got no prison time or time served, according to the APs review. Many pleaded guilty to lower-level offenses, such as misdemeanor assault, but some were convicted of more serious charges, including civil disorder. In Portland, Oregon where demonstrations, many turning violent, occurred nightly for months after a white Minneapolis police officer killed Floyd about 60 of the roughly 100 cases that were brought have been dismissed, court records show. Most of those defendants received deferred resolution agreements, under which prosecutors promise to drop charges after a certain amount of time if the defendant stays out of trouble and completes things like community service. Some Jan. 6 defendants have complained its unfair they arent getting the same deals. But President Joe Bidens Justice Department has continued the vast majority of the racial injustice protest cases brought across the U.S. under Trump and has often pushed for lengthy prison time for people convicted of serious crimes. Since Biden took office in January, federal prosecutors have brought some new cases stemming from last years protests. Conservatives have sought to equate the attack on the Capitol with the Black Lives Matter protests, accusing Democrats of being hypocrites for not denouncing the violence after Floyds death as loudly as the Jan. 6 insurrection. And some Republicans have seized on the handling of the protest cases in Portland to suggest that the Jan. 6 defendants are being politically persecuted. That has not been borne out when comparing the sentences that federal judges have given to Jan. 6 defendants and those who are accused of crimes during the protests against police brutality across the country. Only a handful of the nearly 600 people whove been charged in the insurrection have received their punishments so far, and just three people have been sentenced to time behind bars. The vast majority of the most serious cases involving those accused of assaulting police officers or conspiring to block the certification of Bidens victory remain unresolved.
Some of many prior related posts:
September 1, 2021 at 06:05 PM | Permalink
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The whole article is well detailed.
This is a basic point:
The property damage or accusations of arson and looting from last year, those were serious and they were dealt with seriously, but they werent an attack on the very core constitutional processes that we rely on in a democracy, nor were they an attack on the United States Congress, said Kent Greenfield, a professor at Boston College Law School.
I agree what both ends. The limited excesses of protests need to be addressed. In a few cases, we had people upset if you even dared to bring up the idea, given what was being protested. But, the 1A protests the right of "peaceful" assembly. There are limits.
OTOH, the 1/6 insurrection is not the same thing as let's say attacking a police car during a protest or something. It's an attempt to interfere with the core transfer of power in our way of government. It is uniquely flagged in the 14A as worthy of special treatment. Insurrection attempts, unlike even something like murdering of a postal worker, is of special importance here.
The article provides to me somewhat surprising detail of the breadth of punishments (something to me somewhat underreported) of state protests. We have only had a few sentencing moments for the 1/6, so we can not fully compare. If anything, one or more instances probably warrented more punishment.
Posted by: Joe | Sep 1, 2021 7:41:04 PM
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Two misdemeanants get 45-day jail terms at latest January 6 riot sentencings | Main | SCOTUS starts new term with four new cert grants, one involving the sentencing process for retroactive crack case resentencing
The title of this post is the title of this notable new paper authored by Ben Grunwald now available via SSRN. Here is its abstract:
With mounting support for dramatic criminal justice reform, the question is no longer whether we should decarcerate American prisons but how. This question is far more complicated than it might seem. We could cut the prison population in half, for example, by drastically shortening sentences. Or we could reduce prison admissions. Or we could do both. And we could do either or both for countless combinations of criminal offenses. Moreover, even when they reach the same numeric target, these strategies are not equivalent. They would have vastly different consequences for both prisoners and the public and widely varying timeframes to take effect. To pick among them, we need richer metrics and more precise empirical estimates to evaluate their consequences.
This Article begins by proposing metrics to evaluate the relative merits of competing decarceration strategies. The public debate has focused almost exclusively on how we might decarcerate while minimizing any increases in crime and has, therefore, underappreciated the costs of prison itself. We should consider at least three more metrics: the social harm of incarceration, racial disparity, and timing. Next, the Article develops an empirical methodology to identify the range of strategies that would reduce the national prison population by 25, 50, and 75%. Finally, it identifies the best performing strategies against each metric.
The results have several broader takeaways. First, the optimal approach to decarceration depends heavily on which metrics we value most. The results thus quantify a stark set of policy choices behind a seemingly simple objective. Second, the results confirm that, to dramatically shrink prisons, it is critical to decarcerate a substantial number of people convicted of violent offenses a fact that may surprise the majority of Americans who believe people convicted of drug offenses occupy half of prison beds. Finally, the results show that race-neutral decarceration strategies are likely to exacerbate rather than mitigate racial disparities. Armed with the conceptual tools and methodologies developed in this Article, we can make more informed decisions about how to best scale down prisons, given our priorities and constraints.
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September 29, 2021
Two misdemeanants get 45-day jail terms at latest January 6 riot sentencings
In this post a few weeks ago, I noted that federal prosecutors had started talking up the prospect of seeking jail time even in some of the January 6 riot cases that were resolved through only misdemeanor charges. Today, as reported in this new AP piece, headlined "Ohio friends sentenced to 45 days for U.S. Capitol riot Jan. 6," jail time for two January 6 misdemeanants became a reality:
Federal prosecutors assert that everybody who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 should be evaluated individually when deciding whether a prison sentence is warranted. On Wednesday, a judge accepted the Justice Departments assessment that two friends from Ohio fall into a category of rioters who deserve to be incarcerated. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg sentenced Derek Jancart and Erik Rau to 45 days in jail. Prosecutors had recommended four months of imprisonment for both men. They must report to jail by Nov. 29. The jail sentences for Jancart and Rau could become benchmarks for how the courts resolve many other Capitol insurrection prosecutions, a caseload that tops 600 defendants and grows by the week. Like most of the insurrectionists who have pleaded guilty so far, Jancart and Rau arent accused of engaging in any violence or destruction at the Capitol or of conspiring to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Bidens electoral victory. Defense attorneys compared their actions to those of other Capitol riot defendants who avoided prison sentences after pleading guilty to non-violent misdemeanors. But prosecutors cited several factors in arguing that prison, not probation, was the appropriate sentence for both men and will be in many other cases. They said Jancart, an Air Force veteran, prepared for violence on Jan. 6 by bringing a gas mask and two-way radios to Washington. Rau, a steel mill worker, brought a medical kit and Kevlar-lined gloves. They said Jancart and Rau spent 40 minutes inside the Capitol, reaching House Speaker Nancy Pelosis conference room. Jancart celebrated the violence on social media and didnt show any remorse when the FBI arrested him, according to prosecutors. They said Rau screamed, We have you surrounded! at police officers and shouted, Go, go, go! and Yeah, they just pushed through the guards! Those statements are akin to inciting a riot and contributed to the environment of terror on that day, prosecutors said. This was not a protest, prosecutors wrote. And it is important to convey to future rioters and would-be mob participants especially those who intend to improperly influence the democratic process that their actions will have consequences. The judge told Jancart and Rau that they and other rioters tried to undermine the peaceful transfer of power after a democratic election. There are few actions that are as serious as the one this group took on that day, Boasberg said. Jancart and Rau apologized and expressed remorse for their actions. I did get caught up in the moment, Jancart said. I just kind of followed the crowd and let my curiosity get the best of me. There is no excuse for my actions on Jan. 6, Rau said. I 100% know better than to do what I did that day. Jancart was arrested at his Ohio home in February. Rau was arrested in July. Both men pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, a misdemeanor that carries a maximum sentence of six months imprisonment. Over 80 defendants have pleaded guilty to riot-related offenses, but only seven others besides Jancart and Rau have been sentenced so far. A Florida man who entered the U.S. Senate chamber was sentenced to eight months in prison. Two were sentenced to time served after six months in jail. Two were sentenced to house arrest. Two others received probation. Probationary sentences should not necessarily become the default, prosecutors wrote. Those who trespassed, but engaged in aggravating factors, merit serious consideration of institutional incarceration. While those who trespassed, but engaged in less serious aggravating factors, deserve a sentence more in line with minor incarceration or home confinement, they added.... More than 50 other rioters are scheduled to be sentenced before the end of 2021.
Some of many prior related posts:
September 29, 2021 at 05:39 PM | Permalink
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Good, it's about time for the misdemeanor insurrectionists to start seeing some time. Anyway, they're so tough and all, I'm sure they'll be just fine, right?
In Jancart's statement I do note an apparent recurring theme at these sentencing hearings. It's the "I just got carried away" argument. Another defendant I recall said a similar thing. And it's complete BS of course. Getting "carried away" is impossible to square with an attack that was thoroughly planned out in advance. That's reflected in Jancart's particular case too because of the individual preparation he carried out.
The utter lack of remorseuntil it dawns on them that *gasp* they might actually face consequencesseems to be a pattern as well.
In Jancart's case, you also have yet another insurrectionist who's ex-AF, just like the late, not particularly lamented, Ashli Babbitt. Clearly the AF isn't sending their best.
Finally, it's nice to see AP continuing to acknowledge reality and being less hesitant to describe this as an insurrection.
Posted by: kotodama | Sep 29, 2021 11:54:51 PM
As to the veterans, they took an oath to stay loyal to the U.S. and would be subject to the 14A, sec. 3 provision.
Congress should get around (there is a pending bill) to passing an enforcement law spelling out a process to enforce the disqualification. Prof. Gerard N. Magliocca, who blogs at two blogs on the "Other Law Blogs" blogroll, has written about this issue & supports the pending bill. I disagree with him on some issues, but his scholarship on the issue is helpful.
In a former thread, one commenter suggested the importance of even a small amount of prison time to provide clarity on the seriousness of the situation. I think there is much truth in that.
Along with any other punishment that a conviction will bring.
Posted by: Joe | Sep 30, 2021 10:47:51 AM
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OLDWICK, N.J., September 30, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of A (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings (Long-Term ICR) of "a+" (Excellent) of The Ohio National Life Insurance Company and its wholly owned subsidiary, Ohio National Life Assurance Corporation (together referred to as the Ohio National Life Group). These companies are the principal insurance subsidiaries of Ohio National Financial Services, Inc. (ONFS), which is an intermediate holding company wholly owned by Ohio National Mutual Holdings, Inc. Concurrently, AM Best has affirmed the FSR of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term ICR of "a-" (Excellent) of National Security Life and Annuity Company (NSLAC). Additionally, AM Best has affirmed the Long-Term ICR of "bbb+" (Good) and all Long-Term Issue Credit Ratings (Long-Term IR) of ONFS. The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable. All companies are headquartered in Cincinnati, OH. (See below for a detailed listing of the Long-Term IRs).
The ratings reflect Ohio National Life Groups balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its strong operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management. The groups risk-adjusted capitalization, as measured by Bests Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR), is at the strongest level, and despite a decline in operating results in 2020, AM Best anticipates improved results going forward. It continues to display favorable premium growth trends in the core life insurance and disability income product lines. Ohio National Life Groups distribution channels also continue to diversify and expand.
Early in 2022, the group is expected to complete a sponsored demutualization with Constellation Holdings in an effort to further strengthen its capital position and provide opportunities for future growth.
AM Best notes that the groups risk-adjusted capitalization has been enhanced by the issuance of surplus notes, and the use of captive structures to support redundant statutory reserves and to reduce volatility from its annuity living benefit riders. AM Best considers the groups consolidated financial leverage and interest coverage ratios to be within acceptable ranges.
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NSLACs ratings reflect its balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, very limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management. The ratings also reflect the strength and support of the Ohio National Life Group. Despite the absence of new business, the entity remains well-capitalized with high capital quality and liquidity.
The following Long-Term IRs have been affirmed with a stable outlook:
Ohio National Financial Services, Inc.
-- "bbb+" (Good) on $425 million 5.55% senior unsecured notes, due January 2030
-- "bbb+" (Good) on $250 million 6.625% senior unsecured notes, due May 2031
The Ohio National Life Insurance Company
-- "a-" (Excellent) on $50 million 8.50% surplus notes, due May 2026
-- "a-" (Excellent) on $250 million 6.875% surplus notes, due June 2042
This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Bests website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Bests Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Guide to Best's Credit Ratings. For information on the proper use of Bests Credit Ratings, Bests Preliminary Credit Assessments and AM Best press releases, please view Guide to Proper Use of Bests Ratings & Assessments.
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FILE PHOTO: Crude oil storage tanks are seen in an aerial photograph at the Cushing oil hub
By Scott DiSavino
NEW YORK (Reuters) -Oil futures were little changed on Thursday as reports China was prepared to buy more oil and other energy supplies to meet growing demand offset price pressure from an unexpected rise in U.S. crude inventories and a strong dollar.
Brent futures for November delivery fell 12 cents, or 0.2%, to settle at $78.52 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose 20 cents, or 0.3%, to settle at $75.03.
Earlier in the day prices at both benchmarks dropped over $1 a barrel.
"The expiration of NYMEX products and Brent crude ... spiked volatility," said Jim Ritterbusch, president of Ritterbusch and Associates in Galena, Illinois.
Brent futures for December, which will soon be the front-month, were up 0.3% to $78.31 a barrel. New York Harbor Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD) futures, meanwhile, closed at their highest since October 2018 for a second day in a row.
China Premier Li Keqiang said the world's biggest crude importer and No.2 consumer will ensure its energy, power supply and will keep economic operations within a reasonable range.
"If China is happily paying any price for energy, this could intensify the energy crunch in Europe," said Edward Moya, senior market analyst at OANDA.
British petrol stations are still seeing unprecedented demand with more than a quarter of pumps still dry as the fuel crisis cut road traffic volumes to the lowest level since the COVID-19 lockdowns ended two months ago.
A possible dampener on oil prices has been the power crisis and housing market concerns in China, which have hit sentiment because any fallout for the world's second-biggest economy is likely to affect oil demand, analysts have said.
China's factory activity unexpectedly shrank in September due to wider curbs on electricity use and elevated input prices.
Meanwhile, inventories have risen in the top oil consumer, the United States. Government data on Wednesday showed U.S. oil and fuel stockpiles increased by 4.6 million barrels to 418.5 million barrels last week. [EIA/S]
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Last week's rise in U.S. inventories came as production in the Gulf Coast returned close to levels reached before Hurricane Ida struck about a month ago.
In another bearish development, the U.S. dollar hit a new one-year earlier in the day, making oil more expensive for holders of other currencies. [USD/]
But expectations of a continued crude supply deficit helped support prices.
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies including Russia, a group known as OPEC+, are next week expected to hold to a pact to add 400,000 barrels per day to their output for November.
"Rystad Energy expects the group to take a wait-and-see approach, not least because the group has yet to demonstrate its ability to ramp up oil supply quickly," said Louise Dickson, senior oil markets analyst at Rystad Energy.
Stalled talks between Iran and world powers to reinstate a 2015 nuclear deal will resume "soon", the European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Thursday. A nuclear deal should allow Iran to export more crude.
(Additional reporting by Shadia Nasralla in London and Aaron Sheldrick in Tokyo; Editing by Marguerita Choy and David Evans)
How to Do It is Slates sex advice column. Have a question? Send it to Stoya and Rich here. Its anonymous!
Dear How to Do It,
I think I might be bisexual. Im a woman who grew up in a very conservative Catholic family and married my high school boyfriend. Like, I honestly couldnt have even conceived of a situation like this before a few years ago, when I started therapy and realized that there were many different ways to exist in the world, and that there were actually labels for the way I privately felt. I only recently really allowed myself to start watching porn and reading erotica of different varieties, and I was honestly very surprised at the diversity of my turn-ons. Its been a happy discovery, but eye-opening.
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I am in my late 30s now, and I am starting to realize that the feelings I had for my (female) college roommate were more than just platonically friendly. Because I am married, I would not cheat on my husband, and I honestly dont know that I even want to disclose this to him right now, as we have a good sex life and a fulfilling relationship.
My question is this, thoughI am still very close to my friend from college. I genuinely love her and care deeply about her. We talk frequently, and when we visit each other a few times a year, we typically share a bed or tent. Nothing has ever been sexual between us, and it wont be since I am married to someone else, but I guess part of me is wonderingis it wrong, on my part, to be in these sorts of situations with her, with the knowledge I have now that there really is an element of sexual attraction there, too? I do not plan to tell her about these feelings. But I keep thinkingif I was her, or my husband, would this close friendship bother me or make me uncomfortable, knowing what I now know? Ive worked hard to overcome shame around sex, and the whole idea of sins of the mind, but this situation feels stickier to me. My friend and I have a visit planned in March. Id appreciate any insight you have on this.
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My Best Friend Has No Idea
Dear No Idea,
No, it is not wrong. You repeatedly express uncertainty in your letter: You think you might be bisexual, and youre starting to realize that the feelings that you have for your college friend were more than just platonically friendly. Youre still figuring this out. Speaking prematurely could disrupt your friendship. Abandoning the friendship because of the great affection you have for her would be overly careful to the point of absurdity. I do not get the sense that by withholding information, you are out to exploit or manipulate. Youre just avoiding complication. Sometimes keeping things unsaid is exactly what you need to stay close to someonethis can be for negative reasons (your irritation at a quirk) or positive ones. Civilized life is a careful dance of repression and disclosure, and you are never obligated to divulge everything thats going on in your head. If you did, youd create a considerable burden for the recipient of that information, which would be its own moral transgression.
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Your ethical yardstick is predicated on fantasy: If I was her, or my husband, would this close friendship bother me or make me uncomfortable, knowing what I now know? This would only be a practical concern if mind-reading were humanly possible. Empathy is not gained through omniscience; its fostered by legitimate emotional expression. Continue to treat your friend with love. If you have felt this way for a while, that love may well have been palpable all along. Perhaps even your friend has wondered if its beyond platonic. Nonetheless, she is responding to you just as you have presented yourself all along. Youre already doing it right.
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Dear How to Do It,
I am a 31-year-old male. I have struggled with anxiety and depression since I was at least 15. But I only became aware of that after my father passed away seven years ago and I started seeing a therapist. I think it was too late though, because I think I missed the opportunity of finding a significant other, and now Im stuck. My last serious relationship ended nine years ago, and after that, my sex and romantic life has been a complete mess. I had two horrible toxic relationships, with women I wasnt even attracted to, but at the time I figured it was better than being alone. It wasnt. In the meantime, I met someone that I was attracted to and fell in love. She went living abroad and our relationship ended, painfully, after she used me as her piggy bank and left with another guy (Im not a wealthy person).
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Its been almost three years since that happened and Im stuck. I know Im not the most attractive guy around, but I dont think I am that bad looking either. And my sex life has never been this bad: Its been 14 months since the last time I got laid, and Im starting to feel a little desperate. Ive been using a popular dating app for the last year, where Ive had exactly zero matches. Or sometimes someone matches and removes me before I even have a chance to say hello (so I guess they swiped right by mistake). I started a masters degree almost two years ago, where I had the opportunity of meeting other people, only to find out that no one is interested in me. I also like going out dancing and drinking a few beers with friends, and I havent been able to meet a single lady.
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Its not just that I want to have sex, I feel like there is something deeply wrong with me, like I dont deserve to be desired or loved. I feel like I missed the chances I had and now Im damned to solitude and celibacy. Ive even thought I might have been targeted by some kind of curse of something. I think my attitude has something to do with it, as my self-confidence has plunged, obviously. I think my fear of rejection is keeping me from acting, but I dont even know how to act. My attitude is so poor that one of my gay friends asked me if I was sure Im really into women. (I also have asked myself that question and Im sure I am.) I think I just completely lack the looks and social skills to find someone. Have you ever heard of cases such as mine? Is there something I am not seeing that I could improve to feel less pathetic and get another chance?
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Losing Hope
Dear Losing Hope,
I think your attitude has a lot more than something to do with your situation. In terms of what you have power over, in fact, its everything. And I think working on changing it could be really useful. Not only could a better outlook help you interpret things in a more realistic way (potentially mitigating what appear to be cognitive distortions like catastrophizing and labeling, for example), it could directly help your cause and make you more appealing to potential mates. Confidence sells. However, I understand that it is a tough thing to conjure, especially when you feel that you have been receiving information that reinforces your negative thinking. If you arent working on cognitive behavior therapy with your therapist, it might be worth pursuing (if CBT isnt part of their practice, there are plenty of other providers out there).
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Everyone deserves love, but no one is entitled to any particular persons love. Youre trapped in a gutter between those two truths. I know its tough, and I know there are a lot of guys that feel the way you do. Dont give up, and dont start blaming the world for your issues. Youve had love and relationships in the past, theres no reason that you cant have both again unless you obstruct yourself from doing so. When it comes to finding love, there is no too late; there is only didnt try.
I Just Read About a Horrible New Dating Trend and Thought: Oh, I Do That
Listen now, exclusively on the How to Do It podcast: Ive recently seen a few articles criticizing a dating trend that hit a little too close to home
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Dear How to Do It,
About a year and a half ago, my husband and I had our first child. Before we had children, we liked to engage in various forms of breast play during sex. I got a lot of pleasure out of my breasts being touched and kissed. He got a lot of pleasure out of playing with them, even using them as a means to come. I have a large chest and used to feel that my breasts were one of my sexiest features. Since giving birth and breastfeeding, though, my view of my breasts has changed completely. I see them as motherly, as wonderful, as a powerful and awesome means of bonding with my son. I dont view them as sexy anymore. My husband and I resumed our sex life a while ago, but I cant seem to get back to a place where the involvement of my breasts in foreplay or sex does anything for me. Do you have any advice for how I can start to enjoy my breasts sexually again?
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Play or Nay
Dear Play or Nay,
This summer, an extremely minor controversy erupted over model/personality Coco Austins extended breastfeeding of her daughter Chanel, who is now 5. Around that time, Austins husband, actor/rapper Ice-T, tweeted: News Flash! We feed Chanel FOOD She just likes to suck moms boob every now and then Me Too!!! This made me think of how complicated simultaneity can be, especially as it applies to womens roles and their bodies.
In light of this, the best thing you can do is go easy on yourselfyour breast is being pulled in two different directions. Ouch. For some insight, I reached out to Sarah Hunter Murray, a therapist who has written a lot about desire (her most recent book is Not Always in the Mood: The New Science of Men, Sex, and Relationships), including sexuality during and after pregnancy. In an email, Murray said that if you are still breastfeeding, you should give yourself some more time to see how your relationship with your breasts changes when you stop. This will be particularly helpful if any of your current feelings about your breasts derive from tenderness or the frequency of touch that breastfeeding involves.
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However, if you want to address this issue before you stop breastfeeding, Murray recommends paying close attention to sensation, a sort of breast-oriented mindfulness. Are there times when having your breasts touched feels better or is more arousing? Murray continues: For example, is nipple play uncomfortable but light touching of your breasts is nicer? Is it the feeling of your husbands mouth on your breast reminding you too much of breastfeeding, but using his hands is more pleasing? Does it make a difference depending on whether you nurse your son before or after sexy time with your husband? Your answers to any of these questions may give you glimpses into whether some types of touching are better for you in your new motherhood role and whether there are times when your breasts are touched that feel more sensual for you.
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If nothing else works, Murray suggests going exploring for new erogenous zones, as many transitions in life can result in changing sexual interests: This may be a good chance to consider whether there are other parts of your body that feel sexy now or feel nice to be touched that were underexplored when your breasts were getting more of the attention during sex.
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I have some additional advice from Dr. Sheryl A. Ross, an OB-GYN and co-founder of Urja Intimates skin care, in the event of physical changes that may have occurred as a result of breastfeeding and pregnancy. Our mental perception has to reset a bit in the bedroom after having babies, she explained in an email. Its important to discuss your feelings and insecurities with your husband so he can be supportive and reassuring. To help minimize any sagging that may occur, Ross suggests the following: exercise (including pushups, dumbbell pull-over, and chest press), creams to soften the skin of the breast, good bra support, wean gradually, breast strengthening support, and avoid slouching. Good luck!
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Dear How to Do It,
I am curious about one aspect of my sexuality. Google isnt being helpful so Im throwing it to you. Im in my late 70s, and havent had intercourse since my husband died several years ago. I have a couple of nice vibrators and plenty of time and privacy so I dont feel deprived at all. I masturbate once or twice a week.
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In spite of that, every few months I have an orgasm in my sleep. I usually remember the dream that triggered it for a few minutes, but they are not particularly memorable. Whats odd is that these orgasms are not particularly pleasant. They seem more like uncomfortable muscle cramps than welcomed release. But they are orgasms, guaranteed. I cant seem to find much information about nocturnal orgasms beyond teen boy wet dreams. So I wonder how normal or abnormal my experience is. I also wonder why its so hard to find information about old folks and sex. We do get itchy, you know, and could use some specific information and acknowledgment.
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Not So Sweet Dreams
Dear Not So Sweet Dreams,
Consider yourself seen: Your experience isnt universal but nor is it rare. In a 1986 study, 37 percent of the 245 women college students who answered a survey said they had experienced nocturnal orgasm and 30 percent said theyd had it in the past year. Predictors included positive attitudes toward and knowledge of nocturnal orgasms, sexual liberalism, and waking sexually excited from sleep. Meanwhile, heres a case study, published in 2018, of a 57-year-old woman who experienced nocturnal orgasms at varying rates (weekly to every six months, depending) that she qualified as systemic kind of orgasm[s], feeling like the whole uterus is involved. These caused her remorse (compounded by guilt after being chastised for intentionally masturbating by her gynecologist) and a prescription of clonazepam greatly reduced the frequency of the nocturnal orgasms. Theres also a brief description in this study of a woman who experienced such orgasms nightly, resulting in wet genital areas and a disagreeable (not pleasurable) feeling. Perhaps yours are similar to hers?
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The referenced case study classifies the occurrence of nocturnal orgasms as a parasomnia. You could discuss your nocturnal orgasms with a sleep specialist (and undergo a sleep study) if youre interested in treatmentclonazepam would be off-label for this issue, but the right doctor should be able to make that happen.
And I agreeit is a shame that the sexual health of older people is largely ignored and unsung. In the U.S., sex education is woefully scant, sex itself is still too taboo, and little cultural space is reserved for senior citizens. Here is an intersection of nonchalance. While the onus for change is not in your hands, if you are so motivated you can keep asking questions and demanding to be seen. I encourage you to be open and unashamed regarding your sexuality, when appropriate. Chipping away at the silence that underscores stigma is a good starting point, should you feel civically minded.
Rich
More How to Do It
My current partner has a penis that could be a ruler. No curve, just sticks out at 90 degrees. And hes great! But a lot of the positions Id enjoyed with previous partners (like spooning or doggy style) dont seem to be working out for us, angle-wise. He didnt have a lot of experience before we got together, so hes not sure what works other than variations on missionary or girl on top. Any suggestions?
Care and Feeding is Slates parenting advice column. In addition to our traditional advice, every Thursday we feature an assortment of teachers from across the country answering your education questions. Have a question for our teachers? Email askateacher@slate.com or post it in the Slate Parenting Facebook group.
My son is 11 and in sixth grade. In our district, sixth grade is still part of elementary school. Weve had bad luck with good friends; it seems every single year, his best friend has moved away.
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Now, he feels totally friendless at school. Worse, actually, since he feels like the kids actively dislike him. He is a bit quirky, we arent into sports, and, the big kicker, we live in the Bible Belt and arent religious. That shouldnt be an issue, but a teacher made it one when an innocent conversation between a few students about Christmas traditions turned into a teacher yelling at him about not believing in Jesus. The other kids in the conversation took that as permission to bully my son about religion. The teacher was lightly scolded and made to apologize to my son, but the damage was done.
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Bullying has continued about Jesus and other things, too. And within the end of last year and beginning of this one, two separate kids have threatened my son with violence (one threatened him with death, the other to punch him in the face with a metal stool) because they found my son annoying. The schools response to both of these incidents was lackluster, and only involved moving my son from sitting with the perpetrator. No disciplineat allfor the perpetrators.
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I emailed the assistant principal and guidance counselor prior to the start of school this year, as my son was distraught to the point of crying daily at the thought of returning for another year. The guidance counselor never responded, and the assistant principal only said, Keep him virtual. That wasnt an option for a variety of reasons and didnt feel like a real response anyway.
My son says he spends every recess just sitting on the swings, totally alone. Im heartbroken and angry as well. My son has an anxiety issue, due to an ongoing custody problem with his abusive father, regularly sees a therapist, and takes an antidepressant/anti-anxiety medication. Im handling his mental health to best of my ability. Also, over the years, I have invited the entire class to every birthday party (my son has NEVER been invited to anyone elses party), hosted play dates, volunteered at the school, all that stuff. So I feel like were trying on our end.
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What can I reasonably expect from the school here? I feel like my son isnt well liked by other students or the teachers and they would just as soon not deal with us anymore. But this is the public school we are zoned for and hes entitled to an education. Shouldnt the educators be helping him? What do I do? Why are these kids so nasty and why will no one help us?
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A Lonely Child Makes a Heartbroken Mother
Dear Heartbroken Mother,
This certainly is heartbreaking; I am so sorry the two of you are going through this. In your letter, you describe two interrelated problems: bullying and loneliness.
The school certainly has an obligation to put an end to threatening and bullying behavior. If your goal is to keep your son at his current school and nip this behavior in the bud, contact the administrator and insist on an in-person meeting. Find your school districts policy on bullying (or, perhaps their mission statement) and have it handy so you can refer to it if necessary. Ask the administrator to create a plan that will keep your son safe at school. For the record, harassment based on religion is a violation of students civil rights: you could report the school to your states Department of Education if the administration does not address the issue. Of course, this is an adversarial position to take and may not help you or your son make friends at school.
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If the school does put an end to the bullying, your son still may find it difficult to connect with his peers. Another path would be to meet with the guidance counselor instead. Is there a particularly kind club sponsor who is good with the quirky kids? Is there an elective or organization where these quirky kids gather? If so, get him involved! If not, look for a regular, organized activity outside of school that might interest him and could help him connect with kids his age.
Im glad that your son is in therapy, and I hope hes talking about school during his sessions. Have you met with his therapist to discuss his social skills? Is it possible there are skills he could improve upon to help him make friends? To be clear, I am absolutely not suggesting that the bullying is his fault. But youve said that you fear his teachers and peers find him annoying; maybe there are behaviors he could address to help him connect better with his classmates.
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Finally, if the school continues to be cold or even hostile to helping your son, it might be time to explore other options. I hate to recommend that people leave public schools (and perhaps he could transfer within your districtbullying is often a reason districts allow students to transfer), but if you determine that the problem is the school itself, then another school may be a solution.
Hang in there, Heartbroken Mother. Ill be thinking of you.
Ms. Holbrook (high school teacher, Texas)
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My now 7-year-old son was homeschooled last year and hated it. He hated learning from me, so we made the best of it by having him do some online curriculum and math worksheets, but he didnt do much writing or reading. Im not convinced that he doesnt have some sort of reading challenge. Anyway, we sent him back to school, and he is very far behind everyone else in second grade. All but one student in his class went to in-person school for the past year. They want to send him back to first grade to get the basics he missed last year. He does have good friends in second grade, but he already spent the last year not seeing them every day, and I dont think it would be a problem for him to make other friends. He is overwhelmed by everything in the classroom. His current teacher is confident that she can help him make advances in second grade, but she is worried that he will be far behind in third grade too. No one is really sure what the right choice is.
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My son does have an IEP for speech only, but he also has some markers for ADHD. Were waiting on testing with the school and doctor at the end of the month. Were keeping him in second grade until his teacher and I talk again in a week, just to give him more time to get comfortable being in a class.
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What do we do?
First or Second?
Dear First or Second,
I would definitely keep him in the second grade. Kids at this age are incredibly resilient. With the right educator, your son is likely to make great strides in a matter of months. In fact, this has happened to me numerous times as a former second grade teacher. Kids learn best with their developmental age group, which is why I only recommend retention in extreme circumstances. And the developmental difference between a first and second grader at this point in the school year is quite stark. Even if your son is a bit behind his second-grade peers, I think being in a class with students his age who are on grade level will provide him with the environment he needs to catch up.
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Working closely with his teacher will be critical. Make sure to ask how you can support his learning at home. This will provide consistency so that your son can catch up more quickly. Examiners who administer the school tests you mention should be able to provide you with some techniques to support him academically. At the very least, those examiners should be able to point you in the right direction of some resources.
Remember, too, that regardless of whether a student learned in person or online last year, all students experienced a really difficult time in their lives, which will present itself in different ways at different times. I truly believe that as we return to community with one another, well all start to heal and recover a little more quickly.
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Mr. Hersey (elementary school teacher, Washington)
My kid was bullied pretty mercilessly by a group of kids in kindergarten and first grade. The school was slow to call it bullying, but once it escalated to being irrefutable bullying, they did take action. Most of the kids involved produced apologies, and their parents each initiated conversations with me (at the schools insistence). My kid went to therapy for the trauma of it all weekly for more than two years starting in kindergarten and graduated near the end of second grade. And after that things improved immensely. But one kid Joey never apologized.
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Joey bullied another child, mercilessly, in second grade, and this year, in third grade, transferred to a different nearby neighborhood school. But weve since found out that my sons neighborhood friend Charlie has become friends with Joey at this new school. Should I disclose Joeys history to Charlies parents? Part of me feels like Joey is 8, and I want him to have a fair chance at his new school. But another part of me knows that it took a very long time to help my kid heal from what happened, and bullying can never be undone.
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Would it help the new school if I dredge up all of this? Should I let the kid have a fresh start, and keep my kids history out of it?
New School, Old Problems
Dear New School, Old Problems,
I think your empathy for this 8-year-old boy is admirable and appropriate. Joey is attending a new school and perhaps enjoying a fresh start. Hes still very young and certainly deserves an opportunity to demonstrate that he has learned from his mistakes.
Ive witnessed many students change their behavior entirely from one grade to another. A child who was difficult for years suddenly flips the script and decides to start doing things differently at the start of the school year. I think Joey should have this same opportunity. Going to a new school absent the reputation that he has established for himself might be just what he needs.
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I would suggest checking in with Charlies parents from time to time to see how hes doing. Occasionally ask your son about Charlie and how he seems to be doing. Keep your ears open but give Joey a chance to shine in his new environment.
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Mr. Dicks (fifth grade teacher, Connecticut)
My fifth grader is in a class thats completely comprised of children who have been classified as gifted. Shes been in this program/school since third grade, but because of Covid, none of her time in this program has been what I would consider normalfourth grade was 100 percent virtual.
This year she is back in the classroom and in the three weeks since school started, she has been complaining that she doesnt like her teacher. Apparently, when the kids are playing math-based games, the teacher tells them they made a stupid move. When I verified with my daughter that the teacher used the word stupid, my daughter replied, yes. My daughter says the teacher does qualify these statements by saying that its not their fault that their math skills are not up to par, but it makes her friends and her feel awful.
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Strangely, my two older kids were also in this program and had this teacher. They thought she was great, and she really helped them to level up their math skills. Due to teacher shortages the class is larger than usual. The teacher also explained to the class that shes dealing with a managed recurrence of cancer.
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Ive been telling my daughter to give herself and her teacher a bit of grace and to open herself up to be able to receive the instruction the teacher is giving. I want her to have a great year and enjoy learning, but shes already filled with negative feelings. How should her dad and I handle this? Should we make our concerns known to the teacher or counsel our daughter to make the best of it while we work on her math skills at home, so that she can get on level, hopefully, more quickly?
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Off to a Not-So-Fantastic Start
Dear OtaNSFS,
I would speak to the teacher in a positive, collaborative way. Since this teacher has a track record of excellence with you, its hard to know if things have changed for her in terms of her teaching style and general demeanor (given the class size, the challenges associated with the pandemic, and her battle with cancer, its certainly possible), or if your child is simply not responding well to the teachers methods.
Its admittedly hard to justify telling a student that a move in a math game was stupid, but then again, we werent there. Context is everything. While the word choice on its own might be ill-advised, there may have been nuance (intended humor, perhaps) behind those words that your child isnt picking up on. Its also hard to imagine that your daughter doesnt like the teacher based upon this one thing. The school day is long. There may be more at play here.
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Id approach the teacher, expressing your concerns that your daughter isnt happy and asking what can be done to turn this around. Sooner than later is much better, too. Theres nothing that makes me more distressed as a teacher than knowing that one of my students was suffering in silence for longer than necessary. Better to begin solving the problem as soon as possible.
Good luck.
Mr. Dicks (fifth grade teacher, Connecticut)
More Advice From Slate
My first grader is bright and imaginative, and he seems to be well-liked by his peers. Despite this, he often comes home from school dejected because no one wants to create imaginary play productions during recess. I have encouraged him to join the others and let go of his determination to put on pretend Broadway productions, but this goes in one ear and out the other. Should I say anything else, or let him work these playground politics out on his own?
On Thursday, the House Oversight Committee held a hearing on S.B. 8, the Texas law that bans abortion after six weeks and has effectively overturned the protections of Roe v. Wade in the state.
The Republican Party has studiously avoided discussing the consequences of the ban, which contains no exceptions for rape or incest, apparently because they view it as a political loser. But at Thursdays hearing, Republican House members called a witness who was willing to stand up for the law, Dr. Ingrid Skop, a Texas-based member of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
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Speaking up in favor of the law means defending the provisions forcing some survivors of sexual assault and incest to carry fetuses to term. As committee members noted, the official position of recent Republican presidents from Ronald Reagan to Donald Trump was to seek abortion bans except in the case of incest, rape, and danger to the life of the mother. That, however, is not S.B. 8.
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You might think that as a Republican witness, Skop would oppose Texas provisions forcing assault survivors to carry fetuses to term, or at least avoid discussing the question as so many of the laws supporters try to do. Instead, Skop repeated the ludicrous position of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott that six weeksor when most women might just be finding out they are pregnantwas enough time for a sexual assault survivor to get an abortion. Nobody in the hearing room was more disgusted by these remarks than Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who ripped Skops shameful position to shreds in the most powerful moment of the entire hearing.
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First, its important to have a sense of the exchange that led to Skops response. Specifically, under intense questioning from Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, Skop would not say whether she would want her own daughter to have access to an abortion after six weeks in the horrific event that she were raped.
That exchange went in like this:
Raja Krishnamoorthi: Now my wife and I have a daughter, Dr. Skop, and one of our greatest fears in life is that she would be sexually assaulted or raped. Now I understand that you have a daughter, right? Ingrid Skop: I do have a daughter. Krishnamoorthi: If, God forbid, your daughter were raped, do you believe that your daughter should be forced to carry the fetus to term? Skop: In the eventand I just want to say for the record that the stories that I heard from women today of their abortions make me very sad. I feel for every woman that has been through that horrendous situation and had to make that horrendous decision. I am working for a world where women do not ever have to address that decision, but I would say that in the case of a rape women generally know that theyve been raped and a woman can find out if she is pregnant Krishnamoorthi: Im just asking you a simple question, Dr. Skop, in the case even after a detectable fetal heartbeat, under S.B. 8, were your daughter raped, would you believe that she should be forced to carry the baby to term as required by S.B. 8? Skop: S.B. 8 gives enough time for a woman who knows shes been raped to determine that she is pregnant.
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You can watch video of the full exchange here:
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After Skops evasion on the specific personal question, Krishnamoorthi asked whether there should be an exception for rape and incest in the Texas law when none exists and when Abbott recently said he would oppose such a modification to the law. Skop was more precise in her answer, expanding on her position that two weeks after a missed period is enough time for a victim of sexual assault to get an abortion. Heres that exchange:
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Krishnamoorthi: You dont want to answer the question, youre being evasive and this is the hypocrisy which characterizes people like you having an opinion as to how you would treat your own daughter, but forcing other daughters, and sisters, and women in the state of Texas to go through a wholly entirely different experience. In 2019, the Texas Department of Safety reported more than 14,000 rapes in the state of Texas, and most experts believe unfortunately the actual number of rapes far surpasses the number of reported rapes. Now, maam, do you believe that after a fetal heartbeat is detected, there should be any exception for rape and incest? Skop: I think theres adequate time in this law for a woman whos been raped to discover that shes pregnant, and if she wants to terminate the pregnancy, I think that she has time to do it.
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Again, this has been one of the most outrageous pieces of misinformation about S.B. 8 offered by the laws mostly silent Republican advocates and here it was getting a hearing on a national stage in the House of Representatives. Ocasio-Cortez was, to say the least, not pleased. The New York congresswoman explained in precise detailand using her own life as an examplewhy Skops statement was so anti-science, wrong, and damaging to survivors of sexual assault.
Here that response is printed in full:
I need to correct and address an assertion that was made not too long ago, this idea, this myth that, first of all, that this law S.B. 8 provides ample time for a victim of abuse to seek abortion care. Because once again were in a room of legislators who are attempting to legislate reproductive systems that they know nothing about. Six weeks pregnantand its shameful that this education needs to happen, because this conversation shouldnt even be held in a legislative bodysix weeks pregnant is two weeks late for ones period. When you are raped, you dont always know what happened to you. And I speak about this as a survivor. You are in so much shock. And by the way, people who commit abuse and victims and survivors of sexual assault are overwhelmingly assaulted by someone they know. And this myth that its some person lurking on a street or in a parking lot waiting to sexually assault you, that myth only benefits the abusers in power that want you to think that thats how it happens. Its your friend, its a boyfriend, its a boss, its a legislator. You are in so much shock that what happened to you, sometimes it takes years to realize what actually went on. So this idea that victims know in the two weeks that they might be late for their period? Im a buck-15. Im 115 pounds, you look at me funny, Im two weeks late for my period. And youre expecting me to know that Im pregnant? Or the stress of a sexual assault. That makes you two weeks late for your period, whether youre pregnant or not. Unbelievable. Unbelievable that the Republican side would call a witness so irresponsible and hurtful to survivors across this country. Honestly. [Y]our constituents [deserve] an apology.
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And heres Ocasio-Cortezs response in full:
Republican representatives on the committee spent much of the rest of the hearing trying to stand up for Skop and decry Krishnamoorthis question and Ocasio-Cortezs clarifying factual statements as outrageous personal attacks. Notably, none actively tried to repeat and validate Skops statements that six weeks is enough time for a sexual assault survivor to realize shes pregnant and get an abortion. While Skop at least had the decency to try to defend the law on its merits, once again, the Republicans legislators seemed to be aware of just how shameful and damaging S.B. 8 is in practice and that its better to avoid addressing the actual substance of the law in favor of pushing distracting partisan attacks.
Though it hasnt received the attention it deserves, courage from Republican election officials and leaders helped save this country from a total election meltdown in 2020 based on lies about voter fraud from the incumbent president, Donald Trump. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger refused to find more than 11,000 presidential votes in Georgia, as Trump personally requested, declining to give Georgias legislature an excuse to falsely declare Trump won the state. Former acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen rejected entreaties to have the Department of Justice claim fraud in states Biden won. He did so despite pressure from Trump and Jeffrey Clark, a DOJ official who vied for Rosens job and was ready to do Trumps bidding, potentially in violation of federal law. And Federalist Society judges such as Stephanos Bibas excoriated bogus Trump attempts to overturn the election in court without evidence or solid legal theories.
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But memories fade fast. On the right, within the Federalist Society, and even among others who apparently value civility over preserving democracy, some are quietly welcoming back into the fold those who would have stolen the election for Trump or who fomented the violent Jan. 6 insurrection. Most appear to be doing so not because they supported the insurrection or Trumps ridiculous claims, but out of willful ignorance of the facts, or in the name of civility or free speech. Its a mistake, and its taking us down a dangerous path.
Almost a month ago, Slates Mark Joseph Stern wrote about how Jeffrey Clark had landed a cushy job as chief of litigation and director of strategy at the New Civil Liberties Alliance, a conservative-libertarian law firm that battles the administrative state. Among those on the Board of Advisers of the NCLA are former D.C. Circuit Judge Janice Rogers Brown and noted libertarian law professors Randy Barnett and Eugene Volokh. Despite entreaties, nobody involved in the organization has spoken out about Clarks appointment.
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Or consider the Federalist Society and its relationship with John Eastman, a former Chapman University law school professor who retired under pressure after representing Trump in bogus election lawsuits and after giving an incendiary speech just before insurrectionists stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6. As law professor Jim Oleske explained in a post on a listserv for constitutional law professors, Eastman was using his weight as an academic to rile up the crowd with lies: Eastman purported to be able to speak with authority, at length, and definitively that we know there was fraud, traditional fraud because they put those ballots in a secret folder in the machines they were unloading the ballots from that secret folder and voila! We have enough folks to barely get over the finish line. We saw it happened in real time last night [during the Georgia Senate runoff], and it happened on November 3rd as well. The claims were bogus and have been repeatedly debunked. Eastman, meanwhile, has remarkably since claimed that the insurrection was caused by antifa.
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Before Jan. 6, Eastman served as the chair of FedSocs Federalism & Separation of Powers Practice Group. After Jan. 6, amid calls for the Federalist Society to distance itself from Eastman, the Federalist Society said nothing. But the group did change his bio on its website to scrub out the reference to the chair job, and the site no longer lists the chairs of their practice groups. But Eastman remains a contributor and has spoken at least once since Jan. 6 at a FedSoc event.
Then, over the weekend, Eastman was allowed to join that private listserv of constitutional law professors. The lists moderator, professor Mark Scarberry, is a conservative Trump opponent who made a good-faith decision to allow Eastman to join so that he could defend himself. While listserv posts are not public unless the writer of the post gives permission to quote (all the posts quoted here are done with permission), it was clear that Eastman did not do well defending himself on the merits when he was confronted with his bogus fraud claims.
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Eastman showed no contrition for his remarks or for his role in helping to foment violence at the Capitol. As professor Steve Vladeck admonished Eastman regarding the effort to rehabilitate himself before these elite professors:
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Perhaps you might also consider the rather different audience to which you are continuing to push a thoroughly debunked and flatly unconvincing narrative about the theft of a legitimate election, a narrative that helped to precipitate the most violent attack on the U.S. Capitol since the British burned it in 1814 in an attempt to prevent the peaceful and lawful transition of power, and a narrative in which you were far more than just an outside observerand for which, in my view, you have a lot to answer for.
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Especially given the lack of contritionand the ongoing efforts by Trump and his cronies to undermine the last election and lay the groundwork for the next attack on democracyletting John Eastman back into the scrum of law professors or as a speaker at Federalist Society events, or giving Jeffrey Clark the safe landing at a conservative legal organization, sends exactly the wrong signal.
Everyone has a line that cannot be crossed and the question is where that line is. Imagine how we would react if evidence showed that Eastman or Clark were child abusers or Nazis. Surely they would not get hired for a fancy new gig, remain featured on the Federalist Society website or invited to speak regularly at the societys events, or continue to participate in listserv discussions among esteemed scholars. We need to treat those who participated in attempts to try to steal the election the same way, not just wait a respectable few months before forgetting the insurrection happened. United States democracy is under the greatest threat of attack since the Civil War, and the threat to free and fair elections is only increasing in this country because of people like Eastman and Clark.
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As my election law colleague and professor Franita Tolson wrote to that listerv:
Stop acting like allowing Eastman in this space is free of any judgments on the merits. Just like when one gives space to hate speech, sexist speech and racist speech speech seeking to undermine a free and fair election has real world consequences when it finds a forum. This listserv may be okay with that but own it.
Some courts have begun sanctioning lawyers for lying to the courts about evidence of fraud in support of overturning the 2020 election in favor of Trump. As district court Judge Linda Parker wrote in imposing sanctions against Sidney Powell, Lin Wood, and other lawyers filing bogus suits, This case was never about fraudit was about undermining the Peoples faith in our democracy and debasing the judicial process to do so.
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Those on the rightand leftneed to follow the courts lead. This is not about politically correct cancel culture. No one is saying Eastman or Clark cant speak. But there should be consequences for an attempt to destroy an American election and send American democracy down the road of authoritarianism. They certainly dont deserve rewards in the name of civility and free speech.
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We need more of the courage that we saw in the aftermath of the 2020 elections, not more silence and acquiescence.
Update, Sept. 1, 2021, at 12:15 p.m.: After this article was posted, Fix the Court called attention to a Claremont Institute event that not only features John Eastman; it also has an entire panel on Election Integrity and the Future of American Republican Government. It perhaps is not surprising that torture-memo professor John Yoo is speaking on this panel. But it is profoundly disturbing that the senior judge for the 9th Circuit, Carlos Bea, is agreeing to be an honoree at this event. He deserves round condemnation for lending his name and credibility to Eastmans attempt to promote the Big Lie and rehabilitate his reputation.
Novant Health, a large hospital system in North Carolina, announced on Monday that it had been forced to fire just 175 employees after they refused to go along with its new policy requiring staffers to be vaccinated against the coronavirus. By any objective measure, this should have been an encouraging success story about an employer successfully nudging its workforce to make a responsible decision. Novant told the Washington Post that 99 percent of its 35,000-strong staff had been inoculated. The week before, it had suspended 375 holdouts, but most of them ultimately chose to get their shots and keep their jobs.
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And yet, this was the headline the Washington Post decided to slap on the piece: N.C. Hospital System Fires About 175 Workers in One of the Largest-Ever Mass Terminations Due to a Vaccine Mandate. The tone of doom and turmoil might easily have led a Twitter or Facebook user casually skimming the news to believe that some poor medical center had just been decimated by defections, when in fact the story was just the opposite.
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You can find similar coverage decisions by other outlets covering vaccine mandates. Apparently some editors have decided its just a fine idea to blast out the tidbit that Americans are quitting their jobs in protest of public health measures, then follow up with the essential context that, actually, the resistors are pretty much a blip. Heres CNN reporting that 153 employees at Houston Methodist had resigned or were fired rather than accept a shot; only toward the bottom of the story do we learn that the hospital employs around 25,000 people. Another: 39 Quit Kansas Health System Over Vaccine Mandate: Report, the Hill informs us in a bit of news aggregation. If you click through to the original Kansas City Star article, youll quickly find that amount is less than 1 percent of all staff. In every case, it only looks like an employment bloodbath borne of authoritarian overreach if you exclude the denominator.
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At the risk of jinxing things, it seems like the real story here is that health care workers nationwide are mostly just going along with their employers vaccine mandates. The industry news site Fierce Healthcare has been carefully documenting how these measures have played out at hospitals across the country; in most places, only a handful of employees decided to give up their jobs in order to take a stand against modern medicine. A South Carolina hospital had to fire just five of its 17,000 workers. A regional medical center in Kentucky lost fewer than 1 percent of its workforce; at UNC health, 900 of about 30,000 staff are unvaccinated, and only 70 have resigned. And so on.
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The more details you learn about these firings, the less worrisome they often appear. Delawares largest private employer, the hospital system ChristianaCare, chose to let go 150 of its 14,000 workers. But many were part-time employees, and 48 were jobs involving patient care and less than a dozen related to nursing, according to the Delaware News Journal.
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There could be some self-selection going onmaybe hospitals are only choosing to impose vaccine mandates in cases where theyre confident their workers will generally cooperate. Thats why New York state, where all health care workers were required to get vaccinated or face termination as of Monday, is an especially important test case. (Five other states have similar deadlines coming up, according to the Washington Post.) So far, the results there seem encouraging, too. In the lead-up to this week, many hospitals worried about potential staff shortages, and Gov. Kathy Hochul called a formal health emergency that would allow National Guard troops to fill in where necessary. But the situation doesnt seem to be that dire. As the New York Times reported, the looming mandate led to a surge of last-minute vaccinations, and by Monday, 92 percent of the states 650,000 hospital and nursing home employees had received at least one dose. That was up from 84 percent of workers at hospitals and 82 percent at nursing homes the week before.
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There have certainly been some challenges and hiccups in the state. About 5,000 employees, or about 12 percent of the workers, remained unvaccinated at New York Citys public hospital system as of Monday, and as a result were barred from work and docked pay. Thats a fairly large chunk of the workforce. But for now, Mayor Bill de Blasio says the issue isnt expected to affect patient care, and city officials say they havent seen any evidence of major staff shortages yet (remember, these tallies dont just include front-line health care workers like doctors and nurses, but all employees). Elsewhere in the state, at least a couple of hospitals have suspended elective surgeries while reviewing their workforce situations, but one of them managed to get its staff 100 percent vaccinated by the end of Monday. There just havent been any obvious catastrophes.
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What about workers outside of health care? Well, we can look at how the vaccine mandate for New York Citys public schools, which went into effect Monday at midnight after getting the go-ahead from a panel of judges, is playing out. Much like the mandate for hospitals, the new rules for educators seem to have led to a crush of last-minute vaccinations. New York City schools reported on Wednesday morning that 92 percent of teachers and 89 percent of all Department of Education staff were vaccinated. Thats up from 87 percent of teachers and 80 of DOE staff as of Sept. 22. Losing 8 percent of the citys teaching staff would be a significant blow; to put it in a little perspective, the normal total turnover rate for a year is about 15 percent. But with thousands of staff getting vaccinated daily, the city seems to be on the path toward minimizing its losses. And most importantly, the vast majority of educators have gone along with the mandate.
And thats really the point here. Public and private vaccine mandates seem to be a promising route to getting this pandemic under control, but many states and businesses are hesitant to implement them, not just for ideological reasons, but out of a practical fear of how it will affect the workforce. By focusing its coverage on mass terminations and quits, the media is only going to amp up those concerns, when in reality, the overwhelming majority of people are being sensible by choosing to get vaxxed if it means keeping their paychecks.
Country's largest alternative energy supplier quits Slovak market
The company's current customers do not have to worry about being left without energy.
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The country's largest alternative energy supplier, Slovakia Energy, has asked the Regulatory Office for Network Industries (URSO) to revoke its licenses to trade in electricity and natural gas.
Slovakia Energy also requested that its activities on the Slovak energy market be terminated as soon as possible, the SITA newswire reported.
Growing prices
Behind this step is the current situation caused by the unbearable growth in energy prices on wholesale markets in connection to the state's regulation of pricing.
URSO will decide on the request within 30 days.
Electricity may become 15 percent more expensive for households Read more
The pressure to switch to emission-free energy sources, emission allowances, a long winter, and the expected increase in consumption for the development of electromobility are pushing energy prices steeply upwards in
wholesale markets, said spokesperson of Bohemia Energy Hana Novotna.
These are also the reasons why the largest independent supplier in Slovakia has decided to curtail its activities.
Customers won't be left without energy
However, the company's current customers do not have to worry about being left without energy. They can automatically terminate their contract with Slovakia Energy and switch to the supplier of their choice without breaching the existing contracts, Novotna explained.
Alternatively, up to three months from the termination of Slovakia
Energy's activities, a so-called last resort supplier will take care customers - the law ensures them this right.
30. Sep 2021 at 16:53 | Compiled by Spectator staff
https://sputniknews.com/20210929/eu-court-of-justice-strikes-down-morocco-trade-deal-over-western-sahara-exports-1089533151.html
EU Court of Justice Strikes Down Morocco Trade Deal over Western Sahara Exports
EU Court of Justice Strikes Down Morocco Trade Deal over Western Sahara Exports
The European Union Court of Justice has struck down a trade deal with Morocco it says didnt have consent from the Polisario Front, which has declared Western... 29.09.2021, Sputnik International
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In its Wednesday ruling, the EUs top court pointed to a ruling dating to 2016, which had said a trade deal could only include products from Western Sahara if the people of the territory consented to it and benefited from it.Politico reported in 2018, as the draft text was being negotiated in Rabat, that the Moroccan government had invited Saharawi civil society groups to Rabat in February in an attempt to establish consent. However, representatives from the Polisario Front said they were not invited to the meeting.The Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Rio de Oro (POLISARIO) was formed during the era of Spanish colonization to fight for an independent republic for the indigenous Saharawi people. After the Spanish left in 1975, Polisario continued to fight the Moroccan and Mauritanian forces that tried to claim the territory for their own. In a 1991 peace deal, the United Nations recognized Polisario as the legitimate representatives of the Saharawi people.The EU court made this central to its ruling on Wednesday, noting that due to Polisarios absence from the negotiating table, the steps taken by the EU authorities before the conclusion of the agreements at issue cannot be regarded as having secured the consent of the people of Western Sahara.According to RFI, the deal is valued at some 153 million over a four-year period. According to the Associated Press, the collapse of the deal will deprive Morocco of about 52 million a year on fishing alone. Three-quarters of the 128 EU fishing boats licensed to ply the waters off Western Sahara come from Spain.This is a victory for justice, and for the people of Western Sahara. We hope that EU Member States will now finally abide by the Courts rulings, and exclude Western Sahara from the broad scope of the Unions relations with Morocco. It is high time for the EU to stop being part of the problem in the last colony in Africa, and to become part of the solution, WRSW chief Sylvia Valentin said in the release.Genevra Forwood, an EU lawyer who represented Rabat, told Morocco World News they would appeal the verdict.Indeed, the ruling provided for the agreements to continue for a certain period to preserve the external action for the European Union and legal certainty of its international commitments.The Collective of Sahrawi Human Rights Defenders (CODESA), a non-governmental organization that advocates on behalf of Saharawi activists and journalists, welcomed the court ruling.The activists called on the EU to give clear instructions calling for the withdrawal of companies who continue to illegally trade and benefit from the natural resources of Western Sahara in violation of this ruling and to immediately engage with the POLISARIO Front in a responsible dialogue to secure the consent of the Saharawi people.The warm waters off the coast of Western Sahara hold some of the worlds most fertile fisheries, and are believed to hold petroleum reserves under the seafloor. In addition, while the territorys terrain is mostly barren, significant phosphate deposits exist in the north, which holds the worlds largest such mine at Boucraa.A 2018 report drafted by the European Parliaments fisheries committee noted that more than 90% of the catch by the EU fleet is taken in the waters adjacent to Western Sahara.Further, New York-based NGO Human Rights Watch noted in a February 2019 letter to MEPs that in practice, in order for Morocco, as an occupying power, to lawfully exploit Western Saharas resources, it would have to establish a fund with transparent bookkeeping that shows the resources utilized or exported, the revenue derived, and the channelling of those revenues to the sole benefit of the people of Western Sahara.
morocco
western sahara
africa
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morocco, western sahara, africa, european union, trade deal
https://sputniknews.com/20210929/norwegian-professor-under-investigation-for-allegedly-violating-nuclear-sanctions-on-iran---reports-1089532323.html
Norwegian Professor Under Investigation For Allegedly Violating Nuclear Sanctions on Iran - Reports
Norwegian Professor Under Investigation For Allegedly Violating Nuclear Sanctions on Iran - Reports
Norwegian Professor Under Investigation For Allegedly Violating Nuclear Sanctions on Iran
2021-09-29T23:48+0000
2021-09-29T23:48+0000
2021-09-29T23:48+0000
europe
norway
professor
anti-iranian sanctions
iranian nuclear program
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A German-Iranian from Norway was charged with violating sanctions imposed on Iran by inviting four Iranian researchers to a laboratory of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, AP reported on Wednesday.Norwegian authorities claimed that the foreign guests may have acquired information, which was claimed to be useful for Iran's nuclear program.The name of the professor hasnt been revealed, nor have the names of the Iranian scientists that stayed at NTNU for different periods from February 2018 to 2019. There is also no information about their specialty and area of scientific interest.Investigators reportedly believe that sensitive data was leaked when one of the guests from the Islamic Republic provided software that was later installed on the universitys computer system. The former was said to allow the Iranian scientist to get access to data even though he wasnt affiliated with the institution.According to him, the professor was charged with violating Iran sanctions, export control regulations and Norways data breach legislation. If found guilty, he could face up to 10 years in prison.The academic worker, who has reportedly left Norway, denies the accusations. According to his lawyer Brynjulf Risnes, the professor is ready to return and stand trial.The head of the engineering cybernetics department at NTNU told the university newspaper that the professor and foreign researchers used a special lab, called the nano-mechanical lab, relatively intensively over a short period.The lab is equipped for a wide range of procedures, including advanced analyses of the properties of various metal alloys, such as their strength and hardness.Sanctions on Iran include UN authorized restrictions, issued between 2006 and 2012, and initiatives undertaken by the US and the European Union. As Norway isnt part of the European bloc, it does not participate in the regulation of the Iranian nuclear program, but complies with UN resolutions.Iran has repeatedly stated it has no intention to acquire nuclear weapons, insisting its nuclear program is designed for peaceful purposes. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Reza Najafi said, speaking at the United Nations Tuesday, that countries must reduce their nuclear arsenals as achieving global nuclear disarmament and eliminating the threat of nuclear weapons is a legal, political and moral responsibility for all states, and the nuclear-weapon states, in particular.
astrodetective A nuclear capable Iran can only be a good thing 1
1
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Alexandra Kashirina
Alexandra Kashirina
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Alexandra Kashirina
europe, norway, professor, anti-iranian sanctions, iranian nuclear program
https://sputniknews.com/20210930/after-test-of-hypersonic-missile-able-to-evade-us-defences-dprk-vows-more-arms-to-deter-aggression-1089555951.html
After Test of Hypersonic Missile Able to Evade US Defences, DPRK Vows More Arms to Deter Aggression
After Test of Hypersonic Missile Able to Evade US Defences, DPRK Vows More Arms to Deter Aggression
On Tuesday, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK) successfully tested what it said was a new hypersonic missile. If confirmed, the test would put... 30.09.2021, Sputnik International
2021-09-30T17:00+0000
2021-09-30T17:00+0000
2021-09-30T19:09+0000
kim jong-un
missile
hypersonic
test
north korea
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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has accused Washington of becoming more cunning in its hostile policies against the DPRK, and assured that Pyongyang would continue to develop new weapons able to deter any provocations.Pointing to the continued arms buildup and large-scale exercises by South Korea and its US allies, Kim accused Seoul and Washington of destroying stability and balance in the region, and stressed that Pyongyang bitterly denounces these activities.The United States, according to the North Korean leader, has left its policy toward the DPRK utterly unchanged in posing military threats and pursuing a hostile policybut employs more cunning ways and methods of doing so, as proven by the deeds done over the past eight months since the emergence of the new administration.Kim characterized Washingtons promises of diplomatic engagement and dialogue without preconditions as a mere petty trick for deceiving the international community and hiding its hostile acts and an extension of the hostile policy pursued by successive US administrations.He went on to suggest that inter-Korean relations were at a crossroads of serious choices either to advance toward reconciliation and cooperation after warming the present cooled-off ties or to suffer from national division amid a vicious cycle of confrontation. Kim stressed that Pyongyang was prepared to restore north-south communications starting in October as part of the efforts for realizing the expectations and desire of the entire Korean nation to see the recovery of north-south relations from the present deadlock.Missile TestKims comments followed in the wake of three significant weapons tests by the DPRK this month, including a new ballistic missile launched from aboard a train car, a long-range cruise missile, and a new weapon the DPRK says is a hypersonic missile.The test came just days after the United States carried out its first successful test of a Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC) missile developed by Raytheon and DARPA, the Pentagons top-secret research agency, last week.The Japanese and South Korean militaries picked up on the North Korean missiles launch, but categorised it as an unidentified projectile likely to be an ordinary ballistic missile.The test was carried out by the Academy of Defence Science the entity responsible for the DPRKs arms research, from ships to tanks to missiles a field in which Pyongyang has progressed dramatically in recent years.Questions Related to Project's Breakneck PaceIts not immediately clear how North Korea was able to advance in the creation of hypersonic missile technology so quickly. Ordinarily, hypersonic weapons take many years or even decades to develop. For example, design work on Russias Avangard hypersonic glider, which was introduced into service in late 2019, began all the way back in the late 1980s.North Korea's Academy of Defence Science established a national Hypersonic Rocket Research Center only in April of 2021, and a separate college at the Kim Jong-un National Defence University, known as College No. 11, was set up to train defence-related science and technology specialists in mid-March.After the emergence of the Hwasong-14 the DPRKs first attempt at an ultra-long range ICBM, US observers postulated that the missile technology may have come from Ukraine once the home of some of the USSRs most advanced weapons projects. Kiev vocally denied supplying the technology, insisting the engine tech of the Hwasong-14 was not similar to that produced by Ukraine's Yuzhmash rocket factory.According to the KCNA, the countrys hypersonic missile is one of five priority tasks of the current five-year plan in the field of strategic arms. Set forth at the 8thParty Congress that was held in Pyongyang in January.A State Department spokesperson told Sputnik that Washington was aware of the reports of a hypersonic missile test by Pyongyang, and was working to confirm the specific nature of the recent launch event and consulting closely with our allies. We take reports of any new capability seriously.
https://sputniknews.com/20210929/kim-says-willing-to-restore-inter-korean-hotline-starting-in-october---report-1089529912.html
https://sputniknews.com/20210928/dprk-claims-tuesdays-missile-test-was-of-a-new-hypersonic-weapon-1089497903.html
https://sputniknews.com/20200919/putin-russia-was-forced-to-create-hypersonic-weapons-after-us-withdrew-from-missile-treaty-1080513306.html
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Ilya Tsukanov
Ilya Tsukanov
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Ilya Tsukanov
kim jong-un, missile, hypersonic, test, north korea
https://sputniknews.com/20210930/antibodies-in-fully-vaxxed-with-pfizer-astrazeneca-decline-steeply-after-several-months--study-1089538608.html
Antibodies in Fully Vaxxed With Pfizer, AstraZeneca Decline Steeply After Several Months Study
Antibodies in Fully Vaxxed With Pfizer, AstraZeneca Decline Steeply After Several Months Study
Swedish national broadcaster SVT described the new findings as a piece of the puzzle why Sweden and other heavily-vaccinated countries are now seeing more and... 30.09.2021, Sputnik International
2021-09-30T06:27+0000
2021-09-30T06:27+0000
2021-09-30T06:27+0000
news
sweden
pfizer
scandinavia
astrazeneca
vaccines
covid-19
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Antibody levels among fully vaccinated people wane faster than researchers previously thought, a major recent study performed in Sweden has concluded.In total, over 2,000 healthcare employees have been included in the Community Study, whose goal is to learn more about immunity after COVID-19 and the effect of vaccines, inasmuch as how quickly immunity wears off.For Pfizer-vaccinated people who haven't had COVID-19, antibody levels were halved after only three months. After seven months, only 15 percent of the original levels remained a decrease of 85 percent, national broadcaster SVT reported.Because the staff who received the AstraZeneca vaccine received the booster shot later, the researchers were only able to follow them for three months. Nevertheless, the decline was even steeper. After barely three months, AstraZeneca-vaccinated people had only one-fifth of the Pfizer-vaccinated antibody levels.A handful of participants received Moderna's vaccine, but that group was too small and had a too short follow-up time for the researchers to say anything conclusive.SVT described the new findings as a piece of the puzzle why Sweden and several other heavily-vaccinated countries have begun to see more and more breakthrough infections among those who have duly received their two shots. However, researchers still don't know where the protection line goes.Sweden, a nation of over 10 million, has vaccinated over 63 percent of its population. So far, it has had 1.15 million cases of the disease, with over 15,000 deaths.While famous for not introducing any comprehensive lockdowns even at the height of the pandemic, unlike its neighbours, earlier on Wednesday 29 September Sweden lifted the last restrictions in place. In practice, this means that the number of guests at events is no longer limited, that Swedes are no longer recommended to work from home and that the distancing requirements disappear.
vot tak Why not use an effective vaccine instead of this israeloamerican money making extortion trash? They do exist, you know, but zio-media and zio-colonial regimes don't mention them. 9
Nonyank After only 30 days after second Pfizer shot by blood work showed ZERO anti bodies in fact was identicle to non Pfizer bloodwork 6 months before the shots.....may as well have injected water! Seems my mask has worked regardles so sticking with it! 9
17
sweden
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Igor Kuznetsov
Igor Kuznetsov
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Igor Kuznetsov
news, sweden, pfizer, scandinavia, astrazeneca, vaccines, covid-19
https://sputniknews.com/20210930/as-uk-dismantles-furlough-lifeline-govt-pledges-efforts-to-maximise-employment-1089539499.html
As UK Dismantles Furlough Lifeline Govt Pledges Efforts to Maximise Employment
As UK Dismantles Furlough Lifeline Govt Pledges Efforts to Maximise Employment
Furlough was introduced in March 2020 to protect millions of jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced large parts of the economy to close. The UK... 30.09.2021, Sputnik International
2021-09-30T07:40+0000
2021-09-30T07:40+0000
2021-09-30T07:40+0000
uk
covid-19
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The wage-subsidy lifeline officially known as the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, or CJRS, that has propped up badly-hit sectors of the UK economy, helping pay the wages of 11.6 million workers, ends on 30 September. It was still supporting the incomes of around 1.6 million workers in late July, according to data from Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC), the tax authority of the UK. The CJRS accounts for approximately one-fifth of the money the government has funneled towards pandemic response. The UK Chancellor said he was "immensely proud of the furlough scheme, and even more proud of UK workers and businesses whose resolve has seen us through an immensely difficult time". Sunak launched the near 70bn scheme on 20 March last year, covering 80% of a furloughed employees wages - up to 2,500 a month. However, according to the Chancellor, the time had come to wrap it up. While usage of the scheme peaked in May 2020 to reach almost 9 million, the number of workers on furlough has been steadily declining throughout this year. The figures were driven by easing of lockdown restrictions and reopening of businesses. There are hopes that workers coming off furlough will be absorbed by the over one million job vacancies in the UK. New figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show there were an estimated 1,034,000 vacancies between June and August this year - the highest number since records began two decades ago. However, employment experts have cast doubt on this, citing mismatches between the registered vacancies and where most workers were furloughed.Furthermore, the Treasury touted the next phase of its "Plan for Jobs" - part of a 400bn spending package. Despite emergency support being wrapped up, the UK Government vowed continued efforts to maximise employment. It touted its 2bn Kickstart Scheme, offering jobs to young people at risk of long-term unemployment and continued support for employers to take on apprentices via an amended Apprenticeship Levy transfers system.The Recovery Loan scheme, reduced 12.5% VAT rate in the hospitality and tourism sectors and continuing business rates relief were all targeted to help businesses to bounce back, maintained the UK Treasury.Dismantling of 'Lifeline'The UK Chancellor Rishi Sunaks decision to end the furlough scheme introduced amid the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic has been decried by business leaders as fraught with intensifying Britains economic problems, according to The Guardian. Representatives of the countrys unions, business groups, employment experts and politicians have warned against dismantling the emergency pandemic support scheme amid faltering economic recovery compounded by pressures on supply chains experienced over the past few weeks. The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) believes that ending the furlough scheme would add to pressure on companies struggling to bounce back.Government ministers have been urged to rethink the end of furlough. A spokesperson for the Association of British Travel Agents was cited as warning that the sector still faced "extreme difficulties" because of continued pandemic travel restrictions. "The government needs to look at how it can support these businesses - particularly as the furlough scheme comes to an end - through a package of tailored financial support, including extending business rates relief and a specific grant scheme for travel companies," said the spokesperson. The Resolution Foundation hailed the scheme as a "great success", critical to fighting the pandemic crisis. However, the think-tanks recent studies indicated that a rise in unemployment was a "real risk" for those still on the scheme as it ends, particularly older workers. The Bank of England has also said it expected a small rise in unemployment after the scheme ended. Nevertheless, coming at the same time as growing energy bills and a planned Universal Credit cut back to its pre-pandemic level in October, the end of the furlough scheme will be tough for many to navigate," warn businesses and unions.
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Svetlana Ekimenko
Svetlana Ekimenko
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Svetlana Ekimenko
uk, covid-19
https://sputniknews.com/20210930/canadian-military-used-covid-19-to-test-afghan-like-propaganda-techniques-on-citizens-report-1089555621.html
Canadian Military Used COVID-19 to Test Afghan-Like Propaganda Techniques on Citizens: Report
Canadian Military Used COVID-19 to Test Afghan-Like Propaganda Techniques on Citizens: Report
The government in Ottawa reportedly didnt authorise a covert propaganda operation against its own citizens, according to a plan designed by Canada's military... 30.09.2021, Sputnik International
2021-09-30T17:20+0000
2021-09-30T17:20+0000
2021-09-30T17:20+0000
news
world
canada
coronavirus
covid-19
propaganda
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https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/04/0c/1082602851_0:291:3076:2021_1920x0_80_0_0_df0aa4718f4f87eb463d597dec1f95a5.jpg
The Canadian Joint Operations Command (CJOC) used the COVID-19 pandemic to test its propaganda techniques - similar to those used during the Afghanistan war - on its own citizens, the daily newspaper Ottawa Citizen reported, citing documents obtained through the Access to Information law.What the Operation Was AboutAccording to the newspaper, the plan was hatched last year by the CJOC, which at the time was headed by Lt-Gen Mike Rouleau. The operation called for shaping and exploiting information during the health crisis to make the governments messages about the pandemic more effective and prevent any civil disobedience from Canadians.The CJOC reportedly issued the directive for the plan on 8 April 2020 but it was quickly shut down by General Jonathan Vance, then-chief of the defence staff who stepped down from his post in January 2021.Vance was reportedly prompted to kill the initiative after hearing the concerns from his advisers about the schemes legality and ethics. The plan was still reportedly active until 2 May when the generals halting order finally took effect.Investigation LaunchedVance then invited retired Major-Gen Daniel Gosselin to investigate how the CJOC had been able to launch the propaganda scheme without getting authorisation from higher levels. Gosselins report concluded that military commanders were not seeking approval from the authorities because they apparently didnt believe they needed it. Canadas federal government never authorises initiatives, Gosselin argued.Gosselin cited the views of the bodys former chief of staff, Rear-Adm Brian Santarpia, who believed that the pandemic was an opportunity to monitor and collect public information to enhance awareness for better command decision-making.The report concluded that CJOC held a palpable dismissive attitude towards concerns of other military bodies and leaders when launching the scheme. Gosselin has recommended that Canadian Forces review their policies when it comes to information operations especially those concerning a domestic audience.Controversial Issue?Ottawa Citizen argues that military propaganda training and initiatives within Canada over the past year have proved controversial. The paper cites a recent incident in Nova Scotia, when a fake letter from the government designed by the military warned about wolves on the loose, causing panic among locals and officials who were unware about the ongoing operation.But revelations about the militarys reported move didnt simply stir controversy among some readers but downright outrage.As such, Lorne Gunter - a columnist on another daily newspaper, the Toronto Sun - has raged in a recent piece against censorship, propaganda and manipulation which typifies the Canadian government's toolkit.The military should never treat Canadian citizens as if they are the enemy, he wrote, suggesting that this attitude was increasingly popular among Canadian elites.Canadas political leaders have kept silent on the report so far.
TruePatriot So there' s the proof of how the Canadian scamdemic was launched and fostered. Time for those in the military that did that to be arrested and for the truth to be made known. End the tyranny. 1
1
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news, world, canada, coronavirus, covid-19, propaganda
https://sputniknews.com/20210930/clashes-between-rival-drug-gangs-in-ecuadorian-prison-leave-116-people-dead-some-of-them-beheaded-1089536081.html
Clashes Between Rival Drug Gangs in Ecuadorian Prison Leave 116 People Dead, Some of Them Beheaded
Clashes Between Rival Drug Gangs in Ecuadorian Prison Leave 116 People Dead, Some of Them Beheaded
MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) Clashes between criminal groups in a prison in the Ecuadorian city of Guayaquil have left 116 people dead and about 80 injured... 30.09.2021, Sputnik International
2021-09-30T03:19+0000
2021-09-30T03:19+0000
2021-09-30T03:22+0000
president
guillermo lasso
prison
deaths
ecuador
prison riot
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The clashes in Guayaquil's Litoral prison erupted after reports about shooting and explosions in the facility as well as the evacuation of staff. Police say automatic rifles and grenades were used during the clashes.According to some reports, at least five prisoners have been beheaded as a result of violence.The carnage was reportedly initiated by the gangs dubbed 'Los Lobos' (The Wolves) and 'Los Choneros' (originally from the city of Chone).Lasso declared a 60-day state of emergency in the national penitentiary system after consultations with senior officials.Conflicts between criminal groups and drug cartels in Ecuadorian prisons take place regularly, leaving multiple casualties.
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president, guillermo lasso, prison, deaths, ecuador, prison riot
https://sputniknews.com/20210930/congressional-committee-on-january-6-events-at-capitol-subpoenas-trump-ally-10-organizers-1089534019.html
Congressional Committee on January 6 Events at Capitol Subpoenas Trump Ally, 10 Organizers
Congressional Committee on January 6 Events at Capitol Subpoenas Trump Ally, 10 Organizers
Congressional Committee on January 6 Events at Capitol Subpoenas Trump Ally, 10 Organizers
2021-09-30T00:18+0000
2021-09-30T00:18+0000
2021-09-30T00:18+0000
us
us house select committee
subpoena
us lawmakers
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As the statement reads, "Chairman Bennie G. Thompson announced that the Select Committee has issued subpoenas for deposition testimony and records to individuals," related to the 6 January events.Also included among those subpoenaed is Maggie Mulvaney, who is the niece of former President Donald Trump's chief of staff Mick Mulvaney. The Select Committee said in the release that she was listed on permit paperwork for the January 6 rally as a VIP lead.Other subpoenaed organizers include Amy Kremer, Kylie Kremer, Cynthia Chafian, Carline Wren, Justin Caporale, Time Unes, Megan Powers, Hannah Salem and Lyndon Brentnall.On January 6, a group of Trump supporters entered the US Capitol to protest the lawmakers certifying the 2020 presidential election results from several US states that Trump claimed were subject to election and voter fraud. A protester, military veteran Ashli Bobbitt, was killed by police inside the Capitol. The authorities have charged some 500 people for participating in the event.
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us, us house select committee, subpoena, us lawmakers
https://sputniknews.com/20210930/defunding-law-enforcement-generally-texas-mayor-slams-democrats-over-border-crisis-1089558923.html
Defunding Law Enforcement Generally: Texas Mayor Slams Democrats Over Border Crisis
Defunding Law Enforcement Generally: Texas Mayor Slams Democrats Over Border Crisis
Defunding Law Enforcement Generally: Texas Mayor Slams Democrats Over Border Crisis
2021-09-30T21:01+0000
2021-09-30T21:01+0000
2021-09-30T21:01+0000
us
us-mexico border
illegal immigrants
border crossings
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The Trump-era's strict border policies produced results, while the actions undertaken by the current US administration have let the situation get out of hand, Pete Saenz, Democratic Mayor of Laredo, Texas, told the Washington Free Beacon on Thursday.Claiming that the border heeds to be fully secured, he noted that he hasnt seen any measures from the federal government to remedy this. Saenz stressed that local public services need financial aid, as they spend a lot of money on assisting and deporting immigrants.Some policies implemented by the previous administration, according to the mayor, had been helpful, including the Remain in Mexico program."No person wants to spend their last penny giving it to the cartels, then risking life and limb to travel to try and get all the way to the border," he added. "And then there's still the uncertainty that they may not even be granted asylum. At some point, they'll be fugitives."Saenz also noted that the border needs a wall, either physical or virtual, that would "deter or at least buy time, so to speak, for law enforcement." Otherwise, he stressed, people here will be begging for a wall, a physical structure, simply because of his lack of attention to the border and especially the size of these surges.As the situation at the border has intensified again in recent weeks, the Biden administration announced earlier this week that it would rescind another law imposed by Donald Trump, the Migrant Protection Protocols. The abolition of the program, which encouraged migrants to stay in Mexico while a decision was pending on their application, was earlier dismissed by the US federal court in Texas.
Erikao Excellent Pete. Does this mean that we can now get rid of that hideous graffiti mural in front of the court house? 0
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us, us-mexico border, illegal immigrants, border crossings
https://sputniknews.com/20210930/dems-strike-deal-with-gop-to-avert-govnt-shutdown-as-senate-schedules-thursday-vote-on-stopgap-bill-1089536920.html
Dems Strike Deal With GOP to Avert Govt Shutdown as Senate Schedules Thursday Vote on Stopgap Bill
Dems Strike Deal With GOP to Avert Govt Shutdown as Senate Schedules Thursday Vote on Stopgap Bill
US Democrats have been under pressure to avert two looming potential crises this week: a possible government shutdown and a default, as Treasury Secretary... 30.09.2021, Sputnik International
2021-09-30T05:16+0000
2021-09-30T05:16+0000
2021-09-30T09:21+0000
joe biden
us senate
mitch mcconnell
chuck schumer
janet yellen
us treasury
news
us
senate
afghanistan
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US Democrats have reached a deal with Republicans on a stopgap measure to avert a government shutdown. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced on Wednesday night that a vote on the continuing resolution (CR), a temporary funding measure to keep the government running into early December, has been scheduled for Thursday morning. Government funding is set to expire at midnight on Thursday,The stopgap bill, which will need to pass the House of Representatives, will include emergency funding for natural disaster relief and Afghan refugee resettlement.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi attempted to alleviate fears over a possible government shutdown, saying on Wednesday she believed there would be a big vote tomorrow."Looming CrisisThe stopgap measure up for vote on Thursday is aimed at averting just one looming crisis, as the country faces its first-ever potential default.Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Tuesday warned Congress that the US will likely exhaust extraordinary measures to service the nations debt by 18 October unless lawmakers raise or suspend the debt limit.Chuck Schumer said Wednesday that after the issue of funding the government has been resolved, Congress would need to "address the urgent matter of extending the debt ceiling".Government funding and the debt ceiling are separate fiscal issues, with the Democrats initially hoping to pair them and pass legislation that would resolve both.However, GOP opposition in the Senate prevented that, as the Republicans insisted on a "clean" stopgap funding bill that would not include a debt limit provision. The GOP argued that Democrats should address the debt limit on their own.The Democrat-controlled House of Representatives approved temporary legislation on 21 September, aimed at keeping the government funded through early December and raising the limit on federal borrowing through the end of 2022. The bill contained a rider for additional funding of the resettlement of Afghans evacuated from Kabul in August.However, on Monday, the Senate voted 50-48 to increase the debt ceiling, thus falling sort of the 60-vote supermajority required to approve the measure.Legislation was passed by the House of Representatives on 29 September in a 219-212 vote to suspend the US debt ceiling. All the Democrats with the exception of Reps. Jared Golden of Maine and Kurt Schrader of Oregon supported it, while the full body of Republicans with the exception of Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois opposed it. The GOP has vowed the bill will not pass the Senate.As Congress appears headed towards passing a funding bill without the debt limit attached, Schumer said that the Democrats were seeking a solution to dodge default, but slammed Republicans who have stymied us at every opportunity".Schumer denounced Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and the Senate GOP for failing to help Democrats raise the debt ceiling.While Democrats have the option of raising the debt limit on their own via a process known as budget reconciliation, Chuck Schumer has argued that would be too risky and "could well lead us to default."
vot tak They need to resolve this through reduction of pork barrel, mainly bank interest and mic extravaganze. 1
Tom Hanks Shocker, the world is not going to crumble....you poor russians are silly...lol 0
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afghanistan
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Svetlana Ekimenko
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Svetlana Ekimenko
joe biden, us senate, mitch mcconnell, chuck schumer, janet yellen, us treasury, news, us, senate, afghanistan, republicans, default, democrats
https://sputniknews.com/20210930/dont-know-who-is-taking-decisions-congress-politician-wants-party-to-discuss-the-debacle-within-1089521696.html
'Don't Know Who is Taking Decisions': Congress Politician Wants Party to Discuss the Debacle Within
'Don't Know Who is Taking Decisions': Congress Politician Wants Party to Discuss the Debacle Within
Last year, a group of 23 rebel Congress politicians, or G-23, wrote a letter to their party chief Sonia Gandhi, demanding sweeping changes and "visible and... 30.09.2021, Sputnik International
2021-09-30T19:37+0000
2021-09-30T19:37+0000
2021-09-30T20:07+0000
india
indian national congress
india
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Kapil Sibal, a senior parliamentarian from India's main opposition party - Congress - on Wednesday hit out at his own party's main leadership over a spate of resignations and defections of senior party leaders to other political parties. On Wednesday, Sibal, a senior Congress politician who has been a part of the G-23 rebel group, held a press conference and remarked: "In Congress, there is no elected president now. Who is taking calls? We don't know who is taking decisions in the party."Referring to G-23, Sibal said that it is not a group of "Ji-Huzoor" (Yes Men) and that members of the group will keep raising uncomfortable questions for the party in a bid to bring about improvement. His statement came amid recent developments in the poll-bound northern state of Punjab where Congress witnessed the resignations of two senior politicians from their posts within a gap of a few days due to infighting and one-upmanship within the party.While the Punjab state chief and senior-most Congress leader Captain Amarinder Singh resigned on 18 September, his party's state unit head, Singh's main rival Navjot Singh Sidhu, also stepped down on 28 September. Singh resigned days after Sidhu, backed by senior leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, was made the party's head for Punjab by Congress high command against the former's will. Sibals comments, however, spurred a strong reaction from several Congress supporters, who staged a protest outside his residence in the evening, condemning his remarks on the partys recent setbacks.One of the protesters while speaking to news channel Aaj Tak said, Kapil Sibal is among the senior-most leaders of the party but it is agonising to see that he is maligning the party publicly. There is no leadership crisis in Congress party.Meanwhile, another senior party leader, Ghulam Nabi Azad, has also written to Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi, calling for a meeting of the Congress' top authority (CWC) to elect a full-time party president.Azad is also part of the "G-23", a group of 23 dissenting Congress leaders that includes veterans in the party. Members of the group have been regularly voicing discordant notes with the top party leadership without directly naming the members of the Gandhi family, who have been at the helm of the party for decades.Apart from Punjab, severe infighting persists in Congress-ruled Rajasthan, where State Chief Ashok Gehlot is at loggerheads with fellow party leader Sachin Pilot. A veteran Goa leader Luizinho Faleiro also quit the party this week and joined Trinamool Congress in West Bengal state on Wednesday.
https://sputniknews.com/20210827/punjab-india-congress-chief-faces-heat-in-over-friend-of-imran-khan-label-ahead-of-2022-polls--1083700318.html
https://sputniknews.com/20210928/not-a-stable-man-ousted-punjab-state-chief-slams-congress-party-leader-1089489461.html
https://sputniknews.com/20210924/congress-is-a-sinking-ship-says-bjp-allied-nishad-party-chief-in-poll-bound-indias-uttar-pradesh-1089335744.html
india
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india, indian national congress, india
https://sputniknews.com/20210930/french-ex-president-nicolas-sarkozy-found-guilty-of-illegally-financing-2012-campaign--1089542224.html
Paris Court Convicts Ex-President Sarkozy to Year in 'Prison' for 2012 Illegal Campaign Financing
Paris Court Convicts Ex-President Sarkozy to Year in 'Prison' for 2012 Illegal Campaign Financing
The former French president did not arrive at the court to witness the announcement of the verdict. 30.09.2021, Sputnik International
2021-09-30T08:54+0000
2021-09-30T08:54+0000
2021-09-30T10:36+0000
france
nicolas sarkozy
europe
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A court in Paris convicted ex-French President Nicolas Sarkozy to one year of home imprisonment after finding him guilty of illegal campaign financing in his unsuccessful 2012 re-election bid.The ex-French president will serve the sentence at home under electronic surveillance, the judge said.The former French president was represented in court by his lawyer Thierry Herzog.The court found that Sarkozy was aware of the legal threshold for campaign spending and was warned of possible cost overruns. Despite this, Sarkozy continued his campaign rallies, the judge said.According to Sarkozy's lawyer Thierry Herzog, Nicolas Sarkozy will appeal against an earlier court ruling which found him guilty.The court hearings in this case were held from 20 May to 22 June. Sarkozy came to them only once to testify, according to the French media.The Paris court case has been dubbed Bygmalion by the media - after the PR agency that was involved in information support for Sarkozy's 2012 election campaign. According to the prosecution, the politician's campaign headquarters used fake accounts for the meetings organised by the agency to hide the excess spending on the presidential campaign. Within the framework of this case, 14 persons were charged; Sarkozy was charged with the illegal financing of the election campaign. The former president of France declared his innocence himself, denying the excess spending during this campaign. The prosecutor's office demanded that Sarkozy be sentenced to six months in prison. In addition, the prosecution asked for another six months' suspended prison sentence and a 3,750 euro ($4,349) fine.
https://sputniknews.com/20210304/french-economy-minister-says-politicians-should-avoid-commenting-on-sarkozys-sentence-1082256734.html
tsader Always good to see a Jew behind bars 2
feketehollo Check your facts. Hardly Jewish just because grandfather was a Jew who converted to Christianity. Wikipedia: "His grandfather was a Sephardic Jew by birth, but he was Catholic, so Sarkozy was given a Catholic upbringing at home."
2
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france, nicolas sarkozy, europe
https://sputniknews.com/20210930/incidents-at-border-with-china-will-continue-to-happen-indian-army-chief-1089540608.html
Incidents at Border with China Will Continue to Happen: Indian Army Chief
Incidents at Border with China Will Continue to Happen: Indian Army Chief
Although efforts are being made to calm border tensions, reports suggest fresh military assets deployment by India and China along the disputed 3,488-km Line... 30.09.2021, Sputnik International
2021-09-30T11:22+0000
2021-09-30T11:22+0000
2021-09-30T11:22+0000
pla
xi jinping
chinese people's liberation army (pla)
narendra modi
ladakh region
china
india
war
indian army
border dispute
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Amid reports of new "incursions" by China in the middle sector of the LAC, Indian Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane said that the country's armed forces are prepared to meet any misadventure that may occur along the border. Naravane, speaking at a function in Delhi on Thursday, underlined that incidents along the LAC have amplified the operational challenges.The statement has come days after over 100 Chinese troops reportedly crossed into the Indian territory in Barahoti, in the state of Uttarakhand, a region which has so far been relatively free of border tensions. The Indian army has deployed more sophisticated artillery to the LAC with China in Eastern Ladakh. Based on military sources, the media report said that three M777 howitzer regiments had been deployed in the region. China's foreign ministry on Wednesday blamed India for ongoing tensions in the region. The latest surveillance and Indian intelligence reports show that the People's Liberation Army has built new modular container-based accommodations for its soldiers at eight forward locations, namely, Wahab Zilga, Hot Springs, Changa La, Tashigong, Manza and Churup along the LAC.Moreover, China has reportedly deployed S-400 air missile defence systems at Hotan airbase in Xinjiang and Nyingchi airbase in Tibet. Army chief General Naravane also admitted that the Indian armed forces faced challenges because of COVID and the operational situation. "Developments along the LAC in eastern Ladakh added to the ongoing legacy challenges (border dispute) along our western and eastern borders," he said.The border stand-off between the two militaries escalated in June 2020 when 20 Indian soldiers and four PLA troops were killed in a violent clash in the Galwan Valley. The two sides have been talking at multiple levels to disengage from the stand-off areas in Eastern Ladakh.
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pla, xi jinping, chinese people's liberation army (pla), narendra modi, ladakh region, china, india, war, indian army, border dispute, m777 howitzers, india
https://sputniknews.com/20210930/irgc-issues-veiled-warning-to-azerbaijan-says-tehran-wont-tolerate-israeli-presence-near-borders-1089549744.html
IRGC Issues Veiled Warning to Azerbaijan, Says Tehran Wont Tolerate Israeli Presence Near Borders
IRGC Issues Veiled Warning to Azerbaijan, Says Tehran Wont Tolerate Israeli Presence Near Borders
Azerbaijan is one of about a dozen Muslim nations maintaining diplomatic relations with Israel, and the two countries have enjoyed close defence ties since... 30.09.2021, Sputnik International
2021-09-30T13:14+0000
2021-09-30T13:14+0000
2021-09-30T13:26+0000
azerbaijan
israel
iran
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Tehran will not allow Israel to use the territory of its neighbours as a safe haven for its devious schemes against the Islamic Republic, and neighbouring nations know perfectly well why Iran is forced to hold war games along border areas, a senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander has said.Pakpours comments follow remarks by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev earlier this week inquiring about why Iran had decided to carry out large-scale drills near the Azerbaijani border. In an interview with Turkeys Anadolu news agency on Monday, Aliyev called the exercises, which are set to kick off Friday, a very surprising event and asking why they were being carried out now, and why on our border?Iran offered a big hint regarding the answer to this question by naming the drills Conquerors of Khaybar, a reference to the 628 CE battle of Khaybar between early Muslims led by the Prophet Muhammad and Jewish tribesmen at an oasis in the northwestern Arabian Peninsula. The battle led to the Jewish tribes defeat, and tribesmen were allowed to continue living at the oasis in exchange for payment of tribute to Muhammad.We expect that the soil of our neighbours not be used as a breeding grounds for the evil deeds of the Zionists. The Islamic Republic expects our neighbours to be a safe and secure environment for other countries and the region, the commander stressed. He went on to accuse Israel of helping and supporting some nations in the region with the purpose of creating disagreements and rifts among Muslim nations.Pakpours remarks echoed comments by Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh earlier this week. In a statement Tuesday, Khatibzadeh called the border drills a question of sovereignty, and stressed that Tehran would take all measures it deems necessary for its national security.The comments out of Iran follow on reports last month that Azerbaijan was in talks with Israel to purchase up to $2 billion in additional weapons and military equipment from Israel, on top of the $7 billion plus Baku has already purchased from the Jewish State since 1992.Rollercoaster RelationsDiplomatic relations between modern-day Iran and Azerbaijan have seen a tendency to swing radically between improvement and deterioration, notwithstanding common historical, cultural and even ethnic ties (ethnic Azeris, living in northwestern Iran near the border with Azerbaijan make up as much as 1/5 of Irans population). Relations which enjoyed an upswing in the mid-2000s thanks to improved economic ties and the creation of a joint defence commission faltered after the election of Donald Trump, and Azerbaijans decision to support Israels claims to Jerusalem after the US moved its embassy there. Bakus suspension of the oil trade with Tehran in support of US sanctions, allegations by the Islamic Republic that its neighbour sponsors pan-Turkist separatists, and the oil and arms trade between Azerbaijan and Israel, have poisoned relations further. Ties have been further strained by the Turkish invasion of northern Syria in 2019 over Bakus support for Ankara. Iran has provided support for the Damascus government for nearly a decade, and has demanded that other countries respect Syria's territorial integrity.During the July 2020 Armenian-Azerbaijani clashes, and the September-November clashes in Nagorno-Karabakh the same year, Iran urged restraint, while reporting that several shells, rockets and several unmanned aerial vehicle had fallen onto Iranian territory during the fighting in Karabakh. Israel has sold billions of dollars worth of military equipment to Azerbaijan over the past decade, and the countrys military confirmed that Israeli-made attack drones were used extensively during the Karabakh crisis.Warning to IraqIn his remarks Wednesday, Pakpour also warned Baghdad that Iran would target terrorist formations in northern Iraq if the Iraqi government did not expel them. The officials of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region must evict the elements and members of the terrorist and anti-Revolutionary groups from northern Iraq immediately, otherwise we will destroy their strongholds and bases, he said.Iran already carried out several missile, artillery and drone attacks into Iraqi territory this month after warning that Tehran would not allow the buildup of militias launching cross-border attacks. In addition to targeting Daesh (ISIS)* and al-Qaeda* in Iraq and Syria, Iran has not hesitated to strike other groups it considers terrorists, including the so-called Kurdistan Free Life Party an Iraqi Kurdish militia group which has staged numerous attacks in Irans Kurdistan Province over the years against military and civilian targets. Iranian officials have claimed that the United States supports the militia.
https://sputniknews.com/20210929/iran-calls-on-nuclear-powers-to-scrap-their-arsenals-says-disarmament-a-moral-responsibility-1089514483.html
https://sputniknews.com/20210727/irans-intelligence-ministry-says-it-has-shattered-mossad-sleeper-cell-plotting-mass-unrest-1083471465.html
https://sputniknews.com/20210919/tehran-threatens-to-expand-strikes-against-terrorists-in-northern-iraq-demands-closure-of-us-base-1089211054.html
Ahson Iran would steamroll Azer bhaija republic in under 24 hrs with the IRGC sitting in Baku if this escalates. Iran will then gulag these turks back to the east torkestan of Xinjiang. Their original home. 23
2007harleydavidsonsg Turks are Russia tool nothing more 6
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Ilya Tsukanov
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azerbaijan, israel, iran
US Senate Will Pass Government Funding Bill on Thursday, Republican Minority Leader Says
The US Senate will pass a bill to allow funding of the federal government through 3 December to avert possible shutdown, Republican minority leader Mitch McConnell said on Thursday.
The Democratic majority has begun to realize that the way forward on basic governing duties matches the roadmap that Republicans have been laying out for months on government funding that Republicans laid out all along with a clean continuing resolution without the poison pill of a debt limit increase. That's exactly what will pass today, McConnell said during his remarks on the Senate floor.
https://sputniknews.com/20210930/panama-had-reportedly-sounded-the-alarm-to-biden-over-haitian-influx-warns-of-next-migrant-surge-1089542377.html
Panama Had Reportedly Sounded the Alarm to Biden Over Haitian Influx, Warns of Next Migrant Surge
Panama Had Reportedly Sounded the Alarm to Biden Over Haitian Influx, Warns of Next Migrant Surge
Thousands of migrants, largely from Haiti, had flooded an impromptu camp in the Texas town of Del Rio, waiting to be picked up by border authorities earlier... 30.09.2021, Sputnik International
2021-09-30T09:35+0000
2021-09-30T09:35+0000
2021-09-30T09:35+0000
joe biden
us
immigration
alejandro mayorkas
panama
migrants
homeland security
haitian
jovenel moise
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Panama Foreign Minister Erika Mouynes has warned that as many as 60,000 migrants, mostly Haitian, are poised to head towards the US-Mexico border, according to Axios.Mouynes also cast doubt on the fact that the administration of President Joe Biden was caught unawares by the Haitian migrant crisis, insisting her government had "sounded the alarm when we should have." While over 85,000 migrants have passed through Panama since January, most of them Haitians, with an estimated 25,000 already reaching their destination and entering the US, said the Panama official.As she cited Panamanian government estimates showing nearly 27,000 migrants are planning to cross this month through the Darien Gap the mountainous, roadless region that connects North and South America. This number is more than in all of 2019, the minister emphasised, added: Panama is where northbound migrants often receive their first help, in the form of medical assistance, food and shelter. Mouynes, who had been conducting meetings with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and members of Congress in Washington on Monday and Tuesday, urged Washington to get on board with countries in the region to enforce a strategy to deal with the migrant challenge. She also voiced support for enhanced engagement with Haiti. Latin American officials, according to the minister, had held task force meetings to hammer out a plan to deter charter planes from landing in countries with migrants, as well as to impose quotas at borders to slash numbers of migrants in transit countries. "If you can control migration, you can support it," said Mouynes.Panama is hoping to set in place migrant quota systems with its neighbours Peru and Brazil such as the one already functioning with Colombia and Costa Rica. A frustrated Colombia is currently holding back 30000 migrants seeking to cross into Panama and would prefer for her country to accept greater numbers, added Erika Mouynes.The Foreign Minister suggested meetings by Mayorkas or other top American officials with cabinet-level regional leaders to focus on the migrant issues. They could be seen as a follow-up to those held in August involving immigration officials and attorneys general from South American governments, Mexico, Canada and the US. There has not yet been any official comment from the Department of Homeland Security on the statements made by the Panama Foreign Minister. Haitian Influx This comes as the Biden administration cleared some 15,000-17,000 Haitian migrants from the Del Rio camp near the Mexican border last week. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas had visited Del Rio and weighed in on the challenging and heartbreaking situation, vowing to take swift action to resolve the migrant problem that a town of 35,000 residents had been facing. At a White House press briefing on 24 September the Homeland Security Secretary said that no migrants remained at the border camp under a bridge in Del Rio. US authorities encountered nearly 30,000 migrants in Del Rio since 9 September, according to Mayorkas. Alejandro Mayorkas said that approximately 2,000 Haitian nationals have been taken back to their native country on 17 repatriation flights organized by the DHS. According to Mayorka, approximately 10,000-12,000 Haitian migrants have been released by the US for their cases to be heard by immigration judges who will determine whether they will be deported or remain in America. Haiti has been devastated by two massive earthquakes, one in 2010 and the other in August of this year, with political instability also plaguing the Caribbean nation, exacerbated when President Jovenel Moise was killed in July. Total Chaos President Joe Biden has received massive bipartisan backlash for the administrations failure to address the crisis at the southern border.Ted Cruz (R-Texas) told Fox News Wednesday that this is all happening because Joe Biden and Kamala Harris refuse to enforce the law and have essentially said anyone who wants to come to America, theyre gonna resettle them, theyre gonna give them benefits, theyre gonna let em stay, and its resulting in a public health crisis and a humanitarian crisis. Illegal crossings on the US southern border have hit a 20-year high under Joe Biden as he sought to roll back the Trump-era hardline immigration policies. Over 200,000 southwest border crossings were registered in August alone a four-fold spurge from encounters documented a year ago. The Biden Administrations failure to enforce immigration laws and halt illegal crossings on a federal dam poses life-threatening risks to Texans and the migrants themselves, said Texas Governor Greg Abbott.
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joe biden, us, immigration, alejandro mayorkas, panama, migrants, homeland security, haitian, jovenel moise
https://sputniknews.com/20210930/photo-satellite-captures-alleged-iranian-missile-production-site-damaged-by-blast-1089560685.html
Photo: Satellite Captures Alleged Iranian Missile Production Site Damaged by Blast
Photo: Satellite Captures Alleged Iranian Missile Production Site Damaged by Blast
Earlier this week, Iranian media agencies reported a fire at one of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) research sites west of the capital of Tehran... 30.09.2021, Sputnik International
2021-09-30T22:41+0000
2021-09-30T22:41+0000
2021-09-30T22:41+0000
tehran
iran
satellite
explosion
iran's nuclear program
satellite imaging
iranian nuclear program
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A private Israeli intelligence organization on Thursday released satellite images of an alleged Iranian missile development facility outside of Tehran, showing the damage caused by a purported explosion earlier in the week. As seen in the satellite pictures, at least a quarter of the building, claimed to be a secret missile base belonging to the IRGC, was entirely demolished, with more damage seen on the roof of the entire structure on Monday shortly after the incident.ImageSat International, a satellite image analysis company, released the photos. The Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group was designated as the location by the company.According to reports, as a result of the blast at the facility at least two Guards' members were killed. The IRGC's Research and Self-Sufficiency Jihad Organization, which reportedly runs the damaged facility, was sanctioned by the US Treasury in 2017 for its efforts in "researching and developing ballistic missiles."Since July 2020, a succession of suspicious fires and explosions have occurred at Iran's nuclear, military, and industrial sites. According to Iran International, almost at the same time as the fire west of Tehran, another fire broke out at a military research complex in Tehran.
mandrake The jews illegally occupying palestine of course! The world will have to do something about them. It wontbe pretty but that is better than having the jews running amok like rabid dogs and what you do with rabid dogs is well known! 4
Rus Hammer Head Tom Hanks is a mess with all the under-age sex he has been indulging in!!! Besides, Iran is Persia, good luck if you think Paedophiles like Jeffrey Epstein will defeat Persia!!! 4
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https://sputniknews.com/20210930/serbia-kosovo-reach-de-escalation-agreement-in-brussels-1089546283.html
Serbia, Kosovo Reach De-Escalation Agreement in Brussels
Serbia, Kosovo Reach De-Escalation Agreement in Brussels
BRUSSELS (Sputnik) - Serbia and the self-proclaimed Republic of Kosovo have reached an agreement on de-escalation at their negotiations in Brussels, EU Special... 30.09.2021, Sputnik International
2021-09-30T11:04+0000
2021-09-30T11:04+0000
2021-09-30T11:04+0000
kosovo
serbia
news
europe
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Lajcak took to Twitter to announce the news. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has confirmed that his country has accepted the proposal on de-escalating tensions in the north of Kosovo.Earlier this week, NATO troops increased patrols in Kosovo near border crossings which have been blocked by local Serbs opposed to a ban on cars with Serbian licence plates entering the country. Kosovo declared independence in 2008 with support from the United States, the United Kingdom and most EU member states. However, Serbia has never recognised Kosovo's independence and has blocked its recognition at the United Nations.
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kosovo, serbia, news, europe, deal
https://sputniknews.com/20210930/something-doesnt-add-up-french-fm-accuses-australia-of-lying-over-sub-deal-betrayal-1089548654.html
Something Doesnt Add Up: French FM Accuses Australia of Lying Over Sub Deal Betrayal
Something Doesnt Add Up: French FM Accuses Australia of Lying Over Sub Deal Betrayal
Amid the diplomatic row between Paris and Canberra triggered by the AUKUS security alliance, Australias PM Scott Morrison has repeatedly defended the decision... 30.09.2021, Sputnik International
2021-09-30T13:10+0000
2021-09-30T13:10+0000
2021-09-30T13:10+0000
aukus
france
jean-yves le drian
australia
emmanuel macron
submarines
aukus
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France has slammed Australia for lying about its intentions regarding the now-scrapped conventionally-powered submarine deal with Paris worth tens of billions of dollars, reported The Guardian. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian was cited as telling a Foreign Affairs, Defence and Armed Forces Committee of the Parliaments upper house that France had never expressed doubts about the submarine contract before ditching it in favour of building a new class of nuclear attack submarines with the help of American and British nuclear reactor technology. According to Le Drian, Naval Group, majority owned by the French government, had received a letter on the same day the contract was ditched, saying Australia was satisfied with the strategic review of the submarines and was ready for the rapid signature for the second phase of the programme.The French Foreign Minister suggested someone lied, adding: Something doesnt add up and we dont know what. Tensions continue to flare between the two countries in the wake of the AUKUS pact announcement on 15 September that resulted in Canberra breaking the contract first announced in 2016 with the French contractor Naval Group. Canberras decision to abandon the multibillion submarine contract was met with stupor in Paris, said the French Foreign Minister. France's Armed Forces Ministry spokesman Herve Grandjean went on Twitter on Tuesday to similarly point to the letter in question as having stated that Australians were satisfied with the submarine's achievable performance and with the progress of the program. According to The Guardian, a spokesman for the Australian government confirmed that the letter had been sent, but noted that "this correspondence did not refer to, or authorise, commencement of the next phase of the programme, which remained subject to the announcement of decisions by the Australian government." On 16 September, Naval Group issued a statement concerning the matter, saying that the submarine deal fall-out was "a major disappointment" for the company "which was offering Australia a regionally superior conventional submarine with exceptional performance." The letter in question has not been publicly released, according to the outlet, with a spokesperson for Australias Department of Defence downplaying its significance. Breaking of Trust Jean-Yves Le Drian, who has referred to the move by Canberra as betrayal and a stab in the back, repeated that what was at stake was more than a commercial contract as it pertained to the broader strategic relationship between the two countries. According to the French FM, Australia had asked for conventional submarines as opposed to nuclear-powered ones. These are the facts and they speak for themselves, said Le Drian at the hearing, while underscoring that AUKUS would represent a total loss of sovereignty for Australia.According to the minister, the French ambassador would return to Australia when we have had a review. France had recalled its envoys to the US and Australia to show the gravity of this treason and breach of trust. Philippe Etienne, the French ambassador to the US, returned to Washington on 29 September after being away for nearly two weeks.Jean-Yves Le Drian emphasised that France had the support of the European Union on the issue, adding that Brussels was aware of what is at stake. This is a strategic European crisis, warned Le Drian. While acknowledging Frances disappointment, Australian prime minister, Scott Morrison, has maintained his decision was prompted by his countrys national security. The deal with France "would not have done the job that Australia needed to be done," he stated on Face the Nation.An Elysee official was cited as saying any future talks between Emmanuel Macron and Morrison would have to be seriously prepared and have substance.
linw Maybe a daft question but who is the threat to Australia exactly? 4
koursk koursk the big mafia, which reigns over the nato zone, is made up of billionaires, whose ancestors are mainly from northern europe *** so, inside the nato zone, these multi-billionaires have preferences for Anglo-Saxon, Germanic and Scandinavian countries, and a contempt for the Latins and the Slavs *** all the French Gauleiter elected with the influence of billionaire mobsters since 1945 have obeyed his ethnic, and economic classifications *** if the drian became a minister, is that he immediately accepted the idea that the Anglo-Saxons, the Germans and the Scandinavians were superior to the Latins and the Slavs *** France, the Latins and Slavs are the useful idiots of the nato zone *** gold France would have an equal consideration associated with the other members of the eurasian, of the territorial collective security organization and of the cooperation organization of shanghai, 3
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https://sputniknews.com/20210930/the-blunder-games-centcom-chief-blames-trump-for-afghan-armys-collapse-1089545342.html
The Blunder Games: CENTCOM Chief Blames Trump for Afghan Armys Collapse
The Blunder Games: CENTCOM Chief Blames Trump for Afghan Armys Collapse
Americas top generals faced two days of questioning by members of the Senate and House armed services committees, where they blamed the current president, the... 30.09.2021, Sputnik International
2021-09-30T10:28+0000
2021-09-30T10:28+0000
2021-09-30T10:42+0000
lloyd austin
pentagon
mark milley
hearing
kenneth mckenzie
us central command (centcom)
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Former president Donald Trumps decision to sign a peace deal with the Taliban* was a key factor in the dramatic mid-August disintegration of the Afghan security forces and government and the countrys takeover by the Islamist militants, General Frank McKenzie, head of US Central Command (USCENTCOM), has said.McKenzie insisted that he believed for quite a while that the Afghan government would inevitably collapse if the US reduced troop numbers below the 2,500 stationed in the country at the end of the Trump presidency, and that the military would follow if this took place. Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin echoed McKenzies complaints, both about the troop withdrawals and the Doha deal.We did not anticipate the snowballing effect caused by the deals that the Taliban commander struck with local leaders in the wake of the Doha agreement, and that the Doha agreement itself had a demoralising effect on Afghan soldiers, Austin said.The defence secretary also blamed Afghan military and civilian leaders, saying the US did its best to build a state, butcould not forge a nation.Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley, the third of the three senior military officer who took part in Wednesdays hearing, admitted that the Pentagon expected the Afghan government and military to collapse, but suggested intelligence was to blame for getting the timeline wrong.I think there was a lot of intelligence that clearly indicated that after we withdraw, that it was a likely outcome of a collapse of the military, a collapse of the government. Most of those intelligence assessments indicated that would occur late fall, perhaps early winter, [and that] Kabul might hold till next spring. While we were there though, up through 31 August, theres no intel assessment that says the government is going to collapse and the military is going to collapse in 11 days that Im aware of, Milley said, referring to the 11 days between the day that the Taliban captured its first city in early August, and the fall of Kabul on 15 August.Milley also blamed the State Department for waiting too long to order civilian evacuations out of Kabul, resulting in the chaos at the airport in the final two weeks of August.Before Wednesdays hearing, McKenzie, Austin and Milley appeared before the Senate armed services committee on Tuesday, where they defended the Afghan evacuation as a logistical success but a strategic failure and similarly indicated that Biden was to blame for ordering that the 2,500 troop-strong force be withdrawn in April.POTUS Deflects BlameBiden proactively deflected any attempts to finger him for the Afghan calamity last month, telling ABC News on 19 August that his generals didnt recommend keeping 2,500 troops in the country forever, and suggesting their advice was split.Biden and other White House staff have also justified the decision to withdraw by pointing to the Doha deal, and saying that if the US did not leave, they would be back at war with the Taliban and would need to send more troops into the war-torn country. If I had said, were gonna stay, then wed better prepare to put a whole hell of a lot more troops in, the president said.The war in Afghanistan was Americas longest war. Begun in late 2001, in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks on New York and Washington, the war is estimated to have cost taxpayers over $2.2 trillion (or about $300 million per day for almost 20 years), according to Brown Universitys Costs of War project. As many as 100,000 Afghan civilians were killed in the conflict, as were 70,500+ Afghan security forces personnel, tens of thousands of Taliban fighters, over 3,500 US and coalition troops, and 4,000+ western mercenaries.In February 2020, the Trump administration signed a peace agreement with the Taliban, committing the US to pull all troops out of Afghanistan by May 2021 in exchange for a halt to militant attacks, and promises not to allow terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda* and Daesh (ISIS)* to operate on Taliban-controlled territories. The agreement also pledged the Taliban to engage in negotiations with what was then the Afghan government to bring peace to the war-torn nation.* Deemed a terrorist group in Russia and many other countries.
https://sputniknews.com/20210929/afghan-pullout-was-developed-by-childs-mind-trump-says-after-senate-hearing-with-military-chiefs-1089502555.html
https://sputniknews.com/20210929/milley-blamed-state-department-for-hampering-afghanistan-evacuation--reports-1089531065.html
https://sputniknews.com/20210930/pakistani-eyewitnesses-say-operation-to-take-out-bin-laden-in-2011-staged-1089538309.html
TruePatriot Those that have committed war crimes and treason tend to blame everyone but themselves, as shown here. They should all be demoted, fired, then prosecuted. 1
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Ilya Tsukanov
lloyd austin, pentagon, mark milley, hearing, kenneth mckenzie, us central command (centcom)
https://sputniknews.com/20210930/the-sarah-everard-case-is-harrowing-and-is-part-of-epidemic-of-male-violence-says-uk-barrister-1089551731.html
The Sarah Everard Case is Harrowing and is Part of Epidemic of Male Violence, Says UK Barrister
The Sarah Everard Case is Harrowing and is Part of Epidemic of Male Violence, Says UK Barrister
Former Metropolitan Police Officer PC Wayne Couzens has been given a whole life sentence for kidnapping, raping and murdering Sarah Everard. The case triggered... 30.09.2021, Sputnik International
2021-09-30T14:46+0000
2021-09-30T14:46+0000
2021-09-30T14:49+0000
violence
rape
metropolitan police
cressida dick
sarah everard
news
uk
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Wayne Couzens will die in prison after being sentenced to a whole life term by a judge at the Old Bailey for abducting, raping and murdering Sarah Everard after carrying out a fake arrest on the grounds of breaching Covid-19 laws.Sarah vanished on 3 March as she walked home from a friend's house in south London. Her body was later found 80 miles away, burned and dumped in a pond in woods in Kent.But she said the recent murder of Sabina Nessa had highlighted the dangers for women and she told Sputnik: A woman is murdered every three days in this country by a man. That is staggering. Its an epidemic.Ms Proudman said male violence towards women, whether it was within relationships or as strangers, was insidious and corrosive.She said: Its not a small minority of men either. Around 1.6 million incidents of domestic abuse are reported every year. That is an enormous number.Miles Manning, a retired detective sergeant in the Metropolitan Police, described Couzens as an abomination and said: I dont know a single cop that doesnt think he should spent the rest of his miserable life in jail.Couzens, 48, will join 73 other inmates who are serving whole life sentences in British prisons. They include serial killer Rose West and MP Jo Coxs assassin, Thomas Mair.It is not known where he will spend his sentence but in view of the heinous nature of the crime and the fact that he is a former police officer, it is expected Couzens will spend much of his time in isolation and, also on suicide watch.Couzens showed Sarah his Metropolitan Police warrant card, pretended he was arresting her for breaching Covid laws, cuffed her hands behind her back and put her in the back of the hire car before taking her to Kent, raping and murdering her.West Midlands Victims' Commissioner Nicky Brennan welcomed the sentence and said: There are lessons to be learnt for all police forces from the murder of Sarah Everard and we all need to put a much greater emphasis on womens safety."She said: There is no getting away from the fact that violence against women and abuse of women needs to be tackled and a key part of that is challenging and changing the attitudes and behaviours of men who perpetrate that violence.Ms Proudman said the police itself needed reform and it was not clear if Cressida Dick was able to deliver it in the Metropolitan Police.She said: Her response to the vigil for Sarah Everard earlier this year, and the disproportionate force used by her officers was disgusting.Ms Proudman said record numbers of women had complained about domestic abuse by police officers.Its not just a few rotten apples. We need a public inquiry into violence against women and girls, she concluded.
African Honey Badger Ms Proudman is a narcissistic psychopath, who seeks to gain benefit from the fact that men suffer 73% of all murders, and 82% of violent crime. in total. Further females are 79% more likely to initiate domestic violence against men, than vice versa. Also, I told her that online, and so far she has not issued a writ against me. Why would she say that when the stats say something completely different. Well, feminists have a pathological requirement for attention, complaining when they have more rights in the west than men do, and as per their species a necessity for increased government spending on gynocentrism. Oh, if you are wondering, I was a victim of female violence and the South Wales Police Service covered it up. Now I am going to destroy the UK's reputation in four different international courts, for this precise idiocy. What is good for the goose... 1
African Honey Badger Oh, and to my gorgeously beautiful people at GCHQ... wake me up when September ends. I warned you not to come anywhere near my daughter. I understand that the feminists in your country hate their men, but you should leave innocent fathers alone, in peace. Finally, do you read the Bible? Well there is a scripture I have memorised for this exact occasion... Ezekiel 25.17. You know the words. 1
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violence, rape, metropolitan police, cressida dick, sarah everard, news, uk
https://sputniknews.com/20210930/tunisians-president-named-arabs-world-first-ever-female-prime-minister-1089534285.html
Tunisians President Named Arabs World First Ever Female Prime Minister
Tunisians President Named Arabs World First Ever Female Prime Minister
Tunisia's President Kais Saied appointed Najla Bouden Romdhane on Wednesday as the new Prime Minister, a crucial step in leading the country out of its... 30.09.2021, Sputnik International
2021-09-30T00:36+0000
2021-09-30T00:36+0000
2021-09-30T00:36+0000
tunisia
arab spring
political crisis
arab world
women in politics
prime minister
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Saied was allegedly under pressure to name a government since July amid growing domestic and international criticism that he has embarked on after dismissing the last Prime Minister, suspended parliament and seized power in what critics called a coup.The Tunisian Press Agency reported that President Saied recalled it being the first time in Tunisia's history that a woman held this position.Following the extended emergency measures that allow Saied to rule by decree, Romdhane will likely have less power than the previous prime ministers, but will nonetheless have to act quickly to secure release from the countrys exceedingly looming debt.Tunisias political crisis has stemmed after years of stagnation, aggravated by the pandemic and political uncertainty.Romdhane, 63, who did not speak on her first appearance in her new role, holds a doctorate in geology and is a higher education professor at the Tunis National School of Engineering.Before being appointed prime minister, Romdhane served as the World Banks Programme Implementation Officer at the Ministry of Higher Education. Aside from that, shes presumed to have insufficient government experience.Saied wasted no time in assigning the new prime minister her first task, where shes to propose a cabinet in the coming days.
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tunisia, arab spring, political crisis, arab world, women in politics, prime minister
https://sputniknews.com/20210930/uk-police-officer-given-whole-life-sentence-for-grotesquely-executed-murder-of-sarah-everard-1089543660.html
UK Police Officer Given Whole Life Sentence for 'Grotesquely Executed' Murder of Sarah Everard
UK Police Officer Given Whole Life Sentence for 'Grotesquely Executed' Murder of Sarah Everard
Former Metropolitan Police Officer PC Wayne Couzens admitted kidnapping, raping and murdering Sarah Everard after being confronted with a mountain of evidence... 30.09.2021, Sputnik International
2021-09-30T11:11+0000
2021-09-30T11:11+0000
2021-09-30T14:21+0000
murder
police
rape
sarah everard
news
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Wayne Couzens has become the first police officer to be given a whole life sentence after admitted abducting, raping and murdering Sarah Everard after carrying out a fake arrest on the grounds of breaching Covid-19 laws.Sarah vanished on 3 March as she walked home from a friend's house in south London. Her body was later found 80 miles away, burned and dumped in a pond in woods in Kent. Couzens had strangled her with his police belt.Couzens will join 73 other inmates who are serving whole life sentences in British prisons. They include serial killer Rose West and MP Jo Coxs assassin, Thomas Mair.The judge, Mr Justice Fulford, said: The police are in a unique position, which is essentially different from any other public servants. They have powers of coercion and control that are in an exceptional category.Couzens, who had joined the Metropolitan Police in September 2018, moved to the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command in February 2020.He had been on night duty outside the US Embassy before the murder and lied to his wife that he was doing overtime before driving a hire car up to London, driving around the city and eventually spotting Sarah as she walked home from her friends house.Couzens, 48, showed her his Metropolitan Police warrant card, pretended he was arresting her for breaching Covid laws, cuffed her hands behind her back and put her in the back of the hire car.He then drove her down to Dover, transferred her to his own car and then took her to Hoads Wood in Kent where he raped and strangled her.The following day he returned and torched her body in a discarded refrigerator. But, not satisfied, he came back again and carried her charred corpse in a builders bag to a pond where it was eventually discovered by police sniffer dogs.He said Couzens had shown genuine remorse and was filled with self-loathing and shame."This defendant, with his knowledge as a police officer, could have mounted a wicked defence which would have piled humiliation on the Everard family, said Mr Sturman.Mr Sturman admitted his client had initially offered "untenable and ridiculous lies" about an East European gang forcing him to abduct Sarah, but he confessed and pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and did not put the family through the torment of a trial.Sarahs mother, Susan Everard, told the Old Bailey on Wednesday 29 September: Sarah died in horrendous circumstances. It is torture to think of it. Sarah was handcuffed, unable to defend herself and there was no-one to rescue her.In court, Sarahs father Jeremy Everard told Couzens to look him in the eye but the killer simply buried his head in his hands.Mr Sturman referred to that on Thursday and said Couzens had not been able to look at Sarahs father because he was so ashamed.Mr Sturman said Couzens family were "staggered" by his "inexplicable" actions and he added: It is to be hoped that, in the decades to come, therapy in prison might unlock the reasons why he did what he did.The Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Cressida Dick, said: Sarahs kidnap, rape and murder was one of the most dreadful events in the 190-year-history of the Metropolitan Police Service...I am absolutely horrified that this man used his position of trust to deceive and coerce Sarah...His actions were a gross betrayal of everything policing stands for."The Everard case triggered protests by women against male violence and the Mets Commissioner, Cressida Dick, was urged to resign after her officers suppressed a vigil in Clapham for breaking COVID-19 rules against public gatherings.Earlier this week another man was charged with the murder of Sabina Nessa, a 28-year-old teacher who was killed only a few miles from where Sarah died, after talking a shortcut through a park after dark. On Thursday Koci Selamaj, 36, originally from Albania, appeared at the Old Bailey for a preliminary hearing.Prosecutor Alison Morgan QC said he was a stranger to Ms Nessa and it was a premeditated and predatory attack. Selamaj will go on trial next year.
Charlie McD Hang this piece of shyte. Hang him high!! 2
Willyspit Didn't he know that he needs to go the the USA if he wants to be a murderer and a police officer? 1
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https://sputniknews.com/20210930/us-drone-strike-reportedly-kills-senior-al-qaeda-leader-in-syria-1089562971.html
US Drone Strike Reportedly Kills Senior Al-Qaeda Leader in Syria
US Drone Strike Reportedly Kills Senior Al-Qaeda Leader in Syria
Media earlier reported that a drone strike on a vehicle traveling along a rural road in rebel-controlled northwestern Syria on September 20 left at least one... 30.09.2021, Sputnik International
2021-09-30T22:49+0000
2021-09-30T22:49+0000
2021-09-30T23:41+0000
us
drone strike
syria
al-qaeda
daesh
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A senior Al-Qaeda leader was killed in a US drone strike in Syria last week, Fox News reported on Thursday, citing defense officials.According to the report, the terrorist, Salim Abu-Ahmad, was killed in a US airstrike near Idlib, Syria. He was reportedly in charge of organizing, funding, and sanctioning Al-Qaeda strikes across multiple areas.The previously unnamed victim was reportedly lifted from the car near the Idlib-Binnish route east of Idlib province.American forces carried out a "kinetic counterterrorism strike" near Idlib province which targeted a senior leader of the extremist group, according to the US Central Command statement last week.The United States has previously carried out multiple attacks in the area, claiming to have targeted Al-Qaeda terrorists Daesh* late leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who was reportedly hiding in Idlib province after fleeing from eastern Syria.Despite the fact that the US has never acquired a UN Security Council mandate or a request from Damascus to send troops to the Arab Republic, American forces are stationed in Syria and the military is conducting operations there. The presence of American forces on Syrian soil, as well as their involvement in the exploitation and export of the country's natural resources, are deemed illegal by the Syrian government.Last week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip remarked that the US should withdraw its troops from other nations in the Middle East in the same way that it did from Afghanistan in late August. According to Erdogan, the US military contingents in Syria and Iraq should be withdrawn in order to "service peace around the world." *Al-Qaeda, Daesh (aka IS/ISIS) are terrorist organizations outlawed in Russia and many other states
https://sputniknews.com/20210914/us-considering-scenario-of-de-facto-partition-of-syria-russian-foreign-ministry--1089074632.html
TEP Correction: ... kills CIA operative in Syria. 5
mandrake Moronistan (aka usa) flies drones in a country where they arent welcome and the jews illegally occupying palestine are the scouts locating the odd al quaida operative to take out to make the moronistan/jew charade plausible! Moronistan is not allowed by the jews in palestine, aipac etc to leave the area and leave the jews all by themselves. 5
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https://sputniknews.com/20210930/us-navy-taps-atlantic-destroyer-task-group-to-hunt-for-russian-subs-citing-new-strategic-threats-1089545640.html
US Navy Taps Atlantic Destroyer Task Group to Hunt for Russian Subs, Citing New Strategic Threats
US Navy Taps Atlantic Destroyer Task Group to Hunt for Russian Subs, Citing New Strategic Threats
The East Coast of the United States was no longer considered an "uncontested" area or an automatic "safe haven" for its ships, said US Navy Vice Admiral Andrew... 30.09.2021, Sputnik International
2021-09-30T11:39+0000
2021-09-30T11:39+0000
2021-09-30T11:39+0000
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the atlantic
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The US Navy is gearing up to better protect its East Coast from perceived Russian submarine threats in the Atlantic Ocean as part of a new initiative called Task Group Greyhound, according to The Times and other US media reports. Embedded within the Navys Optimized Fleet Response Plan, it is aimed at ensuring that guided-missile destroyers that recently completed deployments are on-the-ready to deploy on short notice. He added that the ships will be ready to accomplish the full range of missions, including tracking Russian undersea activity in the Atlantic and maritime homeland defense for our nation. USS Donald Cook (DDG-75) and Thomas Hudner are the first destroyers to become part of the task group.USS The Sullivans (DDG-68), currently deployed with the UKs Queen Elizabeth Carrier Strike Group, will join the task group in January. USS Cole (DDG-67) and USS Gravely (DDG-107) will join the project after USS Donald Cook begins its maintenance period. Based at Mayport and Norfolk, Va., the task group is set for full operational capability by June 2022, according to McLane.The creation of the new task group comes as the US Navy has been refocusing efforts to address what is sees as Russias growing undersea capability in the Atlantic region. The Russian Navy was cited as having developed next-generation attack submarines armed with long-range missiles, prompting the US Navy to up its game.Last year, Vice Adm. Andrew Woody Lewis warned that the US East Coast was no longer seen by the Navy as an "uncontested" area for its ships and submarines due to increased Russian submarine activity in the Atlantic Ocean. "Our new reality is that when our sailors toss the lines over and set sail, they can expect to be operating in a contested space once they leave Norfolk. Our ships can no longer expect to operate in a safe haven on the East Coast or merely cross the Atlantic unhindered to operate in another location," Lewis said at a meeting of the US Naval Institute and the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank jointly hosted on 4 February 2020.Concerns were cited regarding Russias nuclear-powered attack submarines from the Project 945A Kondor class, also known as the Sierra II class, as well as Project 885 Yasen class guided missile submarine K-560 Severodvinsk.The latter can be armed with Kalibr missiles, among other weapons, and is known for having an especially low acoustic signature.The Russian Navys nuclear-powered special mission submarine, the K-329 Belgorod, a modified Oscar II class guided-missile sub, is designed to operate unmanned underwater vehicles. On 25 June 2021 the "Belgorod" left the Severodvinsk shipyard on her trial regimen by the builder Sevmash.Russia is also outfitting nuclear-powered submarines to carry state-of-the-art, 79-foot-long underwater Poseidon drones.The autonomous, nuclear-powered, and nuclear-armed unmanned underwater vehicle under development by Rubin Design Bureau is capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear payloads and was announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin on 1 March 2018.Its development incorporates use of stealth technology to elude acoustic tracking device.As Vladimir Putin unveiled the Poseidon nuclear-powered autonomous drone torpedo in 2018 with several other new strategic nuclear delivery systems it was underscored that the advanced weaponry was aimed at guaranteeing Moscows ability to retaliate in the event of a large-scale enemy strike. Russia has pledged not to use its strategic weapons unless attacked.
vot tak Don't these pathetic american navy brass know that all the Russian subs are fully occupied operating in swedish waters... ;-D 4
Thomas Turk 1st they say these damn noo Rushan subs are undetectable, in the next breath.. we gonna go out and gettem.. if we can find any seaworthy Navy ships. Rushans should occasionally pop up in site of say LA, and disappear again, to keep mad Murika awake at night. 3
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https://sputniknews.com/20210930/youtube-worldwide-crackdown-aipac-criticized-for-foreign-interference-1089533482.html
YouTube Worldwide Crackdown; AIPAC Criticized for Foreign Interference
YouTube Worldwide Crackdown; AIPAC Criticized for Foreign Interference
GOP Representative Tom Massie (R-KY) is complaining about foreign interference in US elections after AIPAC published Facebook ads against him. 30.09.2021, Sputnik International
2021-09-30T11:03+0000
2021-09-30T11:03+0000
2021-09-30T11:03+0000
julian assange
hunter biden
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jcpoa
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YouTube Worldwide Crackdown; AIPAC Criticized for Foreign Interference GOP Representative Tom Massie (R-KY) is complaining about foreign interference in US elections after AIPAC published Facebook ads against him.
Mark Sleboda, Moscow-based international relations security analyst, joins us to discuss YouTube censorship. Russia is contemplating action against YouTube after the Google-owned company shut down its pages for German-speaking shows. Also, YouTube has announced that they are cracking down on anti-vax content worldwide but has not clearly defined what that means.Scott Ritter, former UN weapon inspector in Iraq, joins us to discuss Europe. The Europeans are struggling with figuring out their positions both individually and collectively in the hierarchical structure of the US empire. We discuss an antiwar.com article that argues that the Europeans should pay for their own security.Dr. Linwood Tauheed, associate professor of economics at the University of Missouri- Kansas City, joins us to discuss domestic politics. Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren are joining House progressives in their battle to hold the corporate Democrats to their word in respect to the proposed spending bills. Sen. Sanders argues that if the House progressives do not "hold strong," the Senate will tank the party's agenda.Caleb Maupin, journalist and political analyst, joins us to discuss Syria. The US lost the war in Syria, but appears to have won the propaganda war against the US electorate using sophisticated propaganda techniques. We discuss the methods used and the success of the US empire in misleading, misinforming, and manipulating the US electorate.Laith Marouf, broadcaster and journalist based in Beirut, joins us to discuss the Middle East. It appears that the Iranians' move to send fuel to Lebanon and alleviate the pain from their fuel crisis has caught the attention of the US empire. The Empire is considering Egyptian and Jordanian electricity to the nation that is suffering from a US/EU economic assault.Dr. Jemima Pierre is an associate professor of Black studies and anthropology at the University of California. Dr. Pierre returns to The Critical Hour to discuss Haiti. The US oppression of Haiti has become so overt that President Biden's select envoy has resigned in protest. Daniel Foote, a US state department actor, has quit due to the policies of his boss. Dr. Pierre argues that regardless of which party is in charge, the people will suffer oppression from the policies of the US empire.Gerald Horne, professor of history at the University of Houston, author, historian, and researcher, joins us to discuss Afghanistan. Former US Marine Matthew Hoh has come out in opposition to US policy in Afghanistan. In 2009, Hoh resigned from his position in the State Department in Zabul Province, Afghanistan, over U.S. policy in the country, which he saw as both illogical and immoral. Our guest joins us to discuss a Mintpressnews.com article called "War is a Racket: Ex-State Department Official Matthew Hoh Speaks Out."Jim Kavanagh, writer at thepolemicist.net and CounterPunch, and author of "Danger to Society: Against Vaccine Passports," joins us to discuss Israel. GOP Representative Tom Massie (R-KY) is complaining about foreign interference in US elections after AIPAC published Facebook ads against him. Also, Former Ohio State Senator Nina Turner says that she was pushed to disavow The Squad by Israeli businessmen, and that her failure to act as they requested may have led to her loss.We'd love to get your feedback at radio@sputniknews.com
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https://sputniknews.com/20210930/zakharova-urges-berlin-to-assess-youtubes-decision-to-remove-rts-german-channels-1089553300.html
Zakharova Urges Berlin to Assess Youtube's Decision to Remove RT's German Channels
Zakharova Urges Berlin to Assess Youtube's Decision to Remove RT's German Channels
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has called on the German government to answer how it qualified Youtube's decision to... 30.09.2021, Sputnik International
2021-09-30T14:53+0000
2021-09-30T14:53+0000
2021-09-30T14:55+0000
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Earlier, German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said at a briefing that the decision to close Youtube channel RT Deutsch had been made exclusively by Youtube, the German authorities had nothing to do with this. Zakharova has also called on the German government to issue a broadcasting permit to RT DE channel.According to the spokeswoman, "the world stood still in anticipation of an affirmative from the German side."The German side's response should include assistance in solving artificially created banking problems, demonstration of a clear position on the inadmissibility of removing news content and its distribution resources by US Internet monopolies, termination of political negotiations with European countries with urgent requests not to issue broadcasting licenses to RT DE, Zakharova added.On Tuesday, YouTube blocked two German RT channels without indicating the possibility that it would reverse the decision. According to Sputnik and RT Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan, one of the deleted accounts, Berlin-based RT Deutsch (RT DE), ranked fourth among German-language media in terms of influence, hitting 21 million views in June. Simonyan urged Russian lawmakers to toughen punishment for global IT giants that censor the content posted by Russian media outlets.
Terranian The 1st I wouldn't count on it that the rotten Globalist Regime in Berlin assesses anything in this case...but they will blatanly lie to their teeth about it for sure. 2
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Delaware-sired two-year-old trotters completed their second preliminary leg of Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund competition, spread across five $20,000 divisions on Wednesday (Sept. 29) at Harrington Raceway.
Three divisions for males went to post, with Wolfpack Russ ($3.00, Corey Callahan) winning the first division for trainer Nick Callahan and owners Stuart Chambers, BCJM Stables, Divine Horse Racing and Cinebrew Enterprises. The Glidemaster gelding and Nick Callahan trainee completed a sweep of his eliminations with a 2:03.4 victory over Canoe Trip and Tua.
The second split saw some drama as LGs Reed O Wen's three-race win streak was snapped when he broke stride behind the gate, enabling Navy Blue ($4.00, Art Stafford Jr.) to march to a wire-to-wire win in 2:03. Snow Burst was second while LGs Reed O Wen recovered from the early miscue to finish third. A son of Anders Bluestone, Navy Blue notched his first career win for owner-trainer Stafford Jr. and co-owner Wyatt Starkey.
Legacy Racing of Delaware's Spooky Punk ($6.20, Victor Kirby) cruised to an easy win in the final division for colts and geldings over Czar Blue and Blue Bandit. The Hes Spooky gelding recorded his first career win for trainer Wayne Givens.
Rod Allen's Our Last Penny ($3.80, Allen) won the first of two filly divisions in 2:06. The CR Commando filly surged to the lead near the three-quarters and drew away from Xactly What I Want and Babe Ruthie for her maiden win for owner-trainer-driver Allen.
Bobby Myers' Miss Timber Wolf ($20.00, Billy Long) was a 2:05.1 winner in the remaining split for trainer Amber Tucker. She led at every call and was an open-length winner over Giant Arbitration and Just Pump It. The Anders Bluestone filly notched her maiden win.
The top eight point earners in each bracket will return to compete in the $100,000 final on Oct. 6.
Art Stafford Jr., Bret Brittingham and Pat Berry all had driving doubles.
(Harrington Raceway)
Emelia Gillespie is not a horse whisperer.
On any evening when one of her Standardbreds lines up behind the starting car at Woodbine Mohawk Park, the genial caretaker in the Blake MacIntosh barn can be both seen and heard.
I cheer them on down the stretch, said Gillespie, a native of Vetlanda, Sweden. And Im probably too loud most of the time. Im the one yelling, Dont stop! Keep going! if they are leading or close to the lead. I talk to them like theyre going to answer me. I have full conversations with them. It must be very interesting to listen to. People definitely know Im there.
That exuberance and heartfelt outpouring of emotion is the furthest thing from manufactured theatrics. Instead, it is, at its very core, a natural reaction for Gillespie whenever she stands railside to watch one of her horses compete.
By her own admission, those energetic expressions are somewhat of a sight to behold, a series of shouts accompanied by a particular action that she is at a loss to explain.
Im always slapping my leg. I dont know why, but everyone always tells me that Im doing it. I dont even know Im doing it. So, I scream and I slap my leg when theyre coming down the stretch. Its quite a sight. It doesnt matter what kind of race it is, you just want to see your horse do well. You work hard and you want to see those efforts pay off. When theres a chance for them to win, youll hear me screaming.
Gillespies foray into the Standardbred world began through an equine program in Sweden that offered a work placement opportunity in the United States, which would be the start of an eight-year stint there as a caretaker.
After making the move to Canada, Gillespie found caretaker work in the barn of Blake MacIntosh. Shes currently in her third season with the multiple stakes-winning conditioner.
Wherever shes found herself, in Europe or North America, shes always felt right at home around the horses.
Having that contact, that connection with the horse, is something that has always resonated with me. I enjoy the one-on-one interactions. After youve done jogging, its great to have that time to care for the horse. Thats my favourite time.
Gillespie has forged strong bonds with several Standardbreds over her career, including a standout trotter by the name of Strong Yankee.
When I worked with [legendary trainer] Trond Smedshammer, that horse became my all-time favourite, she said of the son of Muscles Yankee who went 11-9-2 from 31 starts and earned $1,495,805 lifetime. He had this awesome personality even before he became so good on the racetrack. For a stud, you never knew he was one. He was so big, but he was so kind. I dont know if Ill have a horse like him.
There have been other memorable ones along her horse racing journey.
Fast N First, a standout sophomore pacer who was a Grassroots champ and finished second to Southwind Ozzi in the 2019 edition of the Little Brown Jug, is another that comes to mind.
Currently on the sidelines recovering from an injury, the five-year-old son of Bettors Delight has been a consistent performer for the MacIntosh team.
The bay pacer, who MacIntosh co-owns with Ridgeway Racing, has 27 top-three finishes, including 14 wins, from 45 starts accompanied by nearly $400,000 in earnings.
Hes close to Strong Yankee in terms of personality, started Gillespie. Youd also never know he was a stud too. Their personalities are just so awesome.
Gillespie offers up similar praise for a rookie trotting filly who shares a name with a 1971 science fiction classic movie directed by Stanley Kubrick, a film thats based on Anthony Burgesss novel of the same name.
Clockwork Orange, an Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots winner on September 21 at Woodbine Mohawk Park, might not have the same personality traits as her male counterparts, but the daughter of Resolve has a presence about her, according to Gillespie.
Shes a horse that has a great personality too. She just has a way of drawing you in.
Almost all of them do, admitted Gillespie, who is married to Jim Gillespie, assistant racing secretary at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
As for who is more excited to see the other every morning, horse or human, when she first sets foot in the stable, Gillespie considers it a tie.
That alone makes her job a win-win.
I spoil them way too much. It starts the moment I walk in and see them. When they see me, they want to go outside. They know Im going to turn them out, and when they come in, they know that its treat time. They know how to get their treats. Some horses are smart enough to realize that when they are finished being brushed and taken care of, then ready to be put away, they will get a treat, but they will also know that they will get a treat when everyone is put away too. They get extremely spoiled, but thats okay. I just really love being around them and I miss then when Im not.
Although colder weather is on the way and winter isnt too far off, none of it rain, sleet, snow or otherwise will stop Gillespie from taking up residence at her coveted spot on the Mohawk apron.
She wont go unnoticed.
And when one of her horses is charging down the lane, the decibel level and number of leg slaps will noticeably increase.
These horses, they absolutely know when theyve won. Its a confidence booster for them. If theyve won a few in a row, they definitely know what theyve done. Theres no doubt in my mind that they do. You can just sense it and you can see it.
The same applies for their proud, and occasionally loud, caretaker.
When they win, you feel like you are on cloud nine. Its always the same feeling and its the best one you can have.
(With files from Woodbine)
The Grand Circuit's weekly overview highlights the upcoming races at The Red Mile and Hollywood Dayton Raceway.
This Week: Bluegrass Stakes, Red Mile, Lexington, Kentucky, and Dayton Pacing Derby, Dayton Trotting Derby, and Dayton Distaff Derby, Hollywood Dayton Raceway, Dayton, Ohio.
Schedule Of Events: Grand Circuit action kicks off on Friday, Oct. 1 at the Red Mile as the Lexington oval will feature five divisions in the $356,000 Bluegrass for two-year-old colt trotters and two divisions in the $289,000 Bluegrass for two-year-old filly pacers. On Saturday, Oct. 2, Red Mile will offer three divisions in the $330,000 Bluegrass for two-year-old colt pacers and five divisions in the $390,000 Bluegrass for two-year-old filly trotters. The first week of racing in Lexington will conclude on Sunday, Oct. 3 with $200,000 (est.) Bluegrass events for three-year-old male and female trotters and pacers.
Hollywood Dayton Raceway on Saturday night (Oct. 2) will feature a trio of Grand Circuit stakes in the $176,000 Dayton Pacing Derby for older pacers, the $175,000 Dayton Trotting Derby for older trotters and the $175,000 Dayton Distaff Derby for older female pacers.
Complete entries for the races are available on the USTA website at this link.
Last Time: The filly Venerable extended her unbeaten streak to eight in Saturday nights (Sept. 25) $1 million Mohawk Million but local favourite Duly Resolved made her earn that hefty cheque with a very exciting battle down the stretch. The rich contest for two-year-old trotters from across North America anchored a stakes-laden card at Woodbine Mohawk Park, the richest night of harness racing in Canada this year.
As the race got underway, it was Duly Resolved with his head down and determined from post eight to grab the lead early. His nemesis in the William Wellwood final, King Of The North, went off stride through the first turn, as did Mischevious Rose, and Duly Resolved headed the field by the opener in :27.1.
They were three-wide for a bit with Venerable and Selfie Queen both attempting to take over control, but the latter made a break and the former was successful, hitting the half in :56.3. Southwind Domino came to call and was at the leaders bike at the 1:26.1 third panel.
As the field headed down the stretch, Paul MacDonell was able to find a lane for Duly Resolved and he took full advantage. The Ontario-sired son of Resolve showed great resolve and was just short as the filly managed to hit the wire first in 1:54.2. Valentina Blu, another of the four fillies in the field, was third with The Mighty Hill taking fourth. King Of The North recovered from his early miscue to grab the final cheque.
Venerable is now eight-for-eight in her young career. The daughter of first crop sire Walner is owned by David McDuffee, Mel Hartman, Paul Bordogna and Steve Arnold. A $210,000 yearling at last years Lexington Selected Sale, she now has banked $1,011,255. Bred by Maumee River Stables, Black Creek Farm, Martin Schmucker, and Steve Stewart, she is the third foal of Jolene Jolene.
David Miller, who has driven Venerable in all of her starts for trainer Richard Nifty Norman, was all smiles after the race.
Its tremendous, a great, great feeling. I cant explain how game and tough she is. Her performance on the track is what shows it. She really (dug in).
My game plan was to try and get some cover (that didnt work). She got a pretty soft middle half and her heart and her guts got her to the wire.
Grand Circuit Standings: In 2021, the Grand Circuit leaders in three categories (driver, trainer and owner) will once again be tracked on a points system (20-10-5 for the top three finishers in divisions/finals and 10-5-2 for the top three finishers in eliminations/legs). Winbak Farms is the sponsor for the 2021 Grand Circuit awards.
Here are the leaders (through the races on 9-25-21):
Drivers: 1. Dexter Dunn 780; 2. Tim Tetrick 682; 3. Yannick Gingras 677; 4. David Miller 654; 5. Andrew McCarthy 542.5.
Trainers: 1. Ron Burke 832; 2. Nancy Takter 460; 3. Tony Alagna 434.5; 4. Nifty Norman 430; 5. Marcus Melander 390.
Owners: 1. Burke Racing Stable 170.3; 2. Weaver Bruscemi 151.6; 3t. Threelyonsracing 150; 3t. Determination 150; 5. Crawford Farms Racing 149.2.
Looking ahead: Grand Circuit action will be taking place next week at Lexingtons historic Red Mile. Featured will be the Kentucky Futurity, the third leg of Trottings Triple Crown for 3-year-olds. Also on tap will be the companion Kentucky Filly Futurity for the sophomore fillies, the Tattersalls Pace and the Glen Garnsey Memorial for 3-year-old pacers, four International Stallion Stakes races for 2-year-olds of both sexes and gaits, and four Allerage contests for open pacers and trotters.
(Grand Circuit)
Winston Watusi
Music Plus
Today's paper arrives on the first day of October; three quarters of the year has passed.
It always seems at around this point that the year has rushed by, and this year the feeling is particularly intense.
I put it down to the things we haven't been able to do. The year has passed quickly because it's been kind of a blank: fewer concerts, fewer meals out, fewer sporting contests, just less of everything really. If the year seems shorter perhaps it's because there is less to look back on.
Now it's October 1, which is a surprisingly prestigious day, though as Michael Caine would say, not a lot of people know that.
It is, for instance, International Coffee Day. If you need an excuse to drink coffee, this is it. But that's just the froth on the proverbial cappuccino.
It is also the first day of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
It is also International Raccoon Appreciation Day, though celebrations of that are generally muted in New Zealand, possibly due to the lack of raccoons in need of appreciation.
More relevant to us, it is also World Smile Day.
World Smile Day has been celebrated on the first Friday in October since 1999.
You might be pleased to hear this was the brainchild of the man who invented the smiley face logo in 1963, Harvey Ball, a commercial artist from Massachusetts.
In Ecuador
But wait, there's more! In Ecuador it is Dia del Pasillo Ecuatoriano, a celebration of music in honour of the country's biggest star Julio Jaramillo, born on this day in 1935.
Not to be outdone, Americans have named October 1 all of the following: National Manufacturing Day; Fire Pup Day; National Homemade Cookies Day; and National Hair Day.
If you can't find something to celebrate there, then you really don't know how to celebrate.
Meanwhile, in Britain it's World Vegetarian Day and at the United Nations it is International Day of Older Persons.
And in case that isn't enough, it's Chinese National Day, Botswana Day, Cypriot Independence Day, Nigeria Independence Day, San Marino Investiture Day and bet you didn't know this! - Uzbekistan Teacher's Day.
Let's move to cultural news...
Bob Dylan's latest dump of unreleased material, this time a mere five CD set (or a stripped-down two CDs) explores the early eighties with The Bootleg Series Vol. 16: Springtime in New York 19801985.
It was really this period that fans noticed Bob's propensity for leaving his best songs off albums. There was also a tendency, after the musically rigorous Infidels, for artificial eighties production techniques to overwhelm songs.
Dylan fans will be blown away actually, the two-disc set should blow away most folk but casual listeners may wonder at this unceasing musical archaeology.
Pee Wee Ellis
Pee Wee
Also in the music world, I note with sadness the passing of legendary sax player Pee Wee Ellis.
Born in 1941 and taught by Sonny Rollins, Ellis played with James Brown from 1965 to 1969 - arranging and co-writing several key songs - and many more, including George Benson, Hank Crawford and Esther Phillips.
But you might know him from music he made between 1979 and 1986, when he worked with Van Morrison's band as an arranger and musical director.
He returned to that gig from 1995 through 1999, eventually playing on 13 Van Morrison albums. R.I.P. Pee Wee, thanks for the music.
Moving to books, Quentin Tarantino's first is out now and very good it is too.
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is designed to look like a sixties' dime-store paperback and sits alongside the film in its own right, an addition as opposed to a retelling, all written in droll pulp fiction patois.
It is immensely enjoyable.
In other literary news, Chuck Palahniuk, author of Fight Club, has become the latest big name to serialise their work online, announcing a deal with newsletter platform Substack.
Palahniuks sixteenth novel, Greener Pastures, will be published in regular subscriber-only instalments from Monday.
It follows similar deals with Salman Rushdies and Patti Smith amongst others. Palahniuk is no stranger to experimental publishing: he has released two graphic novel sequels to Fight Club as well as two books for colouring in.
A Tauranga City Council commissioner insists he will act in the best interests of the city when it comes to Three Waters reform.
His comments come after a local lobbying group called for him to step aside from any reform amid claims of impartiality issues.
Council will consider and approve a response to the initial Three Waters feedback request to the Minister of Local Government Nanaia Mahuta at next Mondays Council meeting.
The Government asked for feedback from local government regarding plans to transfer management of New Zealands three water services - drinking water, wastewater and stormwater - from the 67 local councils to four regional entities before the end of September. Councils have not yet been asked to commit to any reform programme
The plans have received pushback from some members of the community, especially as the current Commission appointed to Council were done so by Minister Mahuta.
Lobbying group the Tauranga Ratepayers Alliance, whose steering group contains several previously elected Councillors, believe this represents a potential conflict of interest especially in the case of Stephen Selwood.
They suggest he has long advocated water amalgamation and is already in agreement with Mahuta on the issue. They believe Selwood should abstain from any vote related to the issue.
If you have a potential conflict of interest, you stand aside, says TRA spokesman Philip Brown.
Thats a principle of good governance.
If Selwood wont stand down, he should at least take the opportunity to publicly rule out accepting any future position on a new water entity.
If Mr Selwood fails to step aside, he is opening up the Council, and ratepayers, to huge cost if the decision is challenged via judicial review. He has to come to these decisions without predetermination. Clearly he cant.
However, Selwood says he will only be acting in the best interest of the Council and the city they represent and would be mindful of any potential conflict of interest.
All commissioners bring specialised knowledge and experience to the council table, says Selwood.
But it is a fundamental requirement of the governance role that we keep an open mind, listen to the views of others, consider the evidence and make informed decisions in the best interests of the city and the community.
Thats exactly the process I am following on this and every other matter that comes before me.
When the council is called upon to make a decision, if there was any possibility of a perceived conflict of interest, I would seek and take the advice of my fellow commissioners as to my involvement.
The Commissioner also clarifies that, at this stage, Council has not yet been asked to make any decisions on Three Waters reform.
The commissioners have actively sought and received feedback from the community and will be passing that on to the Government, along with the Councils views and those of Te Rangapu Mana Whenua o Tauranga Moana, he states.
Councils report to Commissioners, to be presented on Monday does highlight several concerns over Three Waters reform. These include the clarity of messaging to the public, the ability for Council to influence the new regional entity, details on transfer of assets and debt and more.
Local Government New Zealand have also highlighted several areas of improvement before the model can be deliverable based on the feedback received in the discovery stage.
We knew from the start that a centrally developed model was only going to work if it included on-the-ground governance and operational insights from councils, says LGNZ president Stuart Crosby, himself the former Mayor of Tauranga.
Their key areas of concern include governance and accountability, local voice and prioritization, integration with the planning system, Rural Water Schemes: and iwi/Maori co-governance.
Crosby says it is now up to Government to respond to these concerns, but is pleased the sectors are is working in partnership.
As expected, this period has been noisy, challenging and messy and it has got us exactly where we need to be to take this forward, he says.
Given our new partnership, we look forward to seeing local and central government working collaboratively to address these issues, and ultimately put a model in front of the public that is fit for purpose in Aotearoa New Zealand.
If you got scared by the recent storms that hit Indias eastern coast, you havent seen the biggest one yet. The biggest storm in the solar system is larger than the Earth itself, almost 3 times bigger than the diameter of the Earth. What has astronomers shocked and awed is that now, the Great Red SPot wind speeds are picking up, with the outer regions witnessing speeds of up to 640 kmph, which much more than the 432 kmph previously recorded.
The Great Red Spot on Jupiter has been around for several hundred years, and last time it was measured, the data showed 16,350 kms on the clock. With wind speeds increasing, scientists are wondering what is powering this vast storm in Jupiter that only makes it more ferocious.
Great Red Spot becomes stormy
Currently, the trusty old Hubble telescope can measure the speeds of the Great Red Spot from the outside. However, this is a very old space telescope and with its limited capabilities hindering the exploration, NASA will retire it soon. In its place will go the James Webb telescope that can look within the surface of the Jupiter.
Do the faster winds hint at something unusual? Is Jupiter undergoing a massive change right in front of our eyes? Scientists currently have no clue about this.
All we know about Jupiters Great Red Spot is that it is essentially a vent for all the hot gasses and liquid trapped within the confines of our solar systems largest planet. Jupiter, unlike, Earth, Venus, and Mars, does not have a solid surface. It is essentially a large ball of gases and liquid compressed together into a sphere.
It is said that this storm on Jupiter is similar to the volcanoes we have on our planet. Jupiter uses this storm to throw out hot gasses and fumes outwards. With the new James Webb telescope, humanity will be able to see what stays within this storm and maybe figure out reasons behind its existence.
Wondering why scientists dont drop a probe into the planet and find out directly? Sadly, Jupiters composition will vaporize anything from the Earth within seconds. Neighbouring gaseous planet Saturn had consumed the Cassini probe a few years ago when NASA scientists ditched it into the most iconic planet of our solar system.
This May 22, 2019 file photo, Emily Cunningham, left, speaks as Kathryn Dellinger, right, looks on during a news conference following Amazon's annual shareholders meeting in Seattle. Amazon is settling with the two former tech workers who accused the company of illegally firing them last year for speaking out against the company. The former employees, Cunningham and Costa, publicly criticized the Seattle-based company and pushed Amazon to better protect warehouse workers from COVID-19. Credit: AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, file
Amazon is settling with two former tech workers who accused the retail giant of illegally firing them last year for speaking out against the company.
The former employees, Emily Cunningham and Maren Costa, publicly criticized the company and pushed Amazon to better protect warehouse workers from COVID-19. They also wanted Amazon to do more to reduce its impact on climate change.
Cunningham and Costa said the settlement means Amazon will have to pay them lost wages and put up notices saying the company can't fire workers for organizing and exercising their rights.
"This is a win for protecting workers rights, and shows that we were right to stand up for each other, for justice, and for our world," Cunningham and Costa said in a statement.
In settling, Amazon also avoids a potentially lengthy hearing before the National Labor Relations Board. Amazon said in a statement Thursday that it welcomes "the resolution of this matter."
The former employees, who were user-experience designers at Amazon in Seattle, were the two most prominent voices among a group of workers who wanted the company to take more steps to combat climate change and stop doing business with oil and gas companies. They held protests and spoke to the media about their concerns.
Last year, as COVID-19 spread in the U.S., Cunningham and Costa were fired after helping to plan a call between Amazon warehouse and office workers to talk about unsafe conditions in the online shopping giant's warehouses, where people worked throughout the pandemic to pack and ship online orders.
At the time Amazon said it fired them for violating internal policies, not because they talked publicly about working conditions or sustainability.
Shortly after, an Amazon executive quit in protest, saying he couldn't stand by as whistleblowers were silenced.
___
This story has been corrected to remove a reference to a call between workers on safety conditions not happening. The call in fact still happened.
Explore further US labor board finds Amazon wrongly fired activist workers
2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
The term killer robot often conjures images of Terminator-like humanoid robots. Militaries around the world are working on autonomous machines that are less scary looking but no less lethal. Credit: John F. Williams/U.S. Navy
Autonomous weapon systemscommonly known as killer robotsmay have killed human beings for the first time ever last year, according to a recent United Nations Security Council report on the Libyan civil war. History could well identify this as the starting point of the next major arms race, one that has the potential to be humanity's final one.
Autonomous weapon systems are robots with lethal weapons that can operate independently, selecting and attacking targets without a human weighing in on those decisions. Militaries around the world are investing heavily in autonomous weapons research and development. The U.S. alone budgeted US$18 billion for autonomous weapons between 2016 and 2020.
Meanwhile, human rights and humanitarian organizations are racing to establish regulations and prohibitions on such weapons development. Without such checks, foreign policy experts warn that disruptive autonomous weapons technologies will dangerously destabilize current nuclear strategies, both because they could radically change perceptions of strategic dominance, increasing the risk of preemptive attacks, and because they could become combined with chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons themselves.
As a specialist in human rights with a focus on the weaponization of artificial intelligence, I find that autonomous weapons make the unsteady balances and fragmented safeguards of the nuclear worldfor example, the U.S. president's minimally constrained authority to launch a strikemore unsteady and more fragmented.
Lethal errors and black boxes
I see four primary dangers with autonomous weapons. The first is the problem of misidentification. When selecting a target, will autonomous weapons be able to distinguish between hostile soldiers and 12-year-olds playing with toy guns? Between civilians fleeing a conflict site and insurgents making a tactical retreat?
The problem here is not that machines will make such errors and humans won't. It's that the difference between human error and algorithmic error is like the difference between mailing a letter and tweeting. The scale, scope and speed of killer robot systemsruled by one targeting algorithm, deployed across an entire continentcould make misidentifications by individual humans like a recent U.S. drone strike in Afghanistan seem like mere rounding errors by comparison.
Autonomous weapons expert Paul Scharre uses the metaphor of the runaway gun to explain the difference. A runaway gun is a defective machine gun that continues to fire after a trigger is released. The gun continues to fire until ammunition is depleted because, so to speak, the gun does not know it is making an error. Runaway guns are extremely dangerous, but fortunately they have human operators who can break the ammunition link or try to point the weapon in a safe direction. Autonomous weapons, by definition, have no such safeguard.
Killer robots, like the drones in the 2017 short film Slaughterbots, have long been a major subgenre of science fiction. (Warning: graphic depictions of violence.)
Importantly, weaponized AI need not even be defective to produce the runaway gun effect. As multiple studies on algorithmic errors across industries have shown, the very best algorithmsoperating as designedcan generate internally correct outcomes that nonetheless spread terrible errors rapidly across populations.
For example, a neural net designed for use in Pittsburgh hospitals identified asthma as a risk-reducer in pneumonia cases; image recognition software used by Google identified African Americans as gorillas; and a machine-learning tool used by Amazon to rank job candidates systematically assigned negative scores to women.
The problem is not just that when AI systems err, they err in bulk. It is that when they err, their makers often don't know why they did and, therefore, how to correct them. The black box problem of AI makes it almost impossible to imagine morally responsible development of autonomous weapons systems.
The proliferation problems
The next two dangers are the problems of low-end and high-end proliferation. Let's start with the low end. The militaries developing autonomous weapons now are proceeding on the assumption that they will be able to contain and control the use of autonomous weapons. But if the history of weapons technology has taught the world anything, it's this: Weapons spread.
Market pressures could result in the creation and widespread sale of what can be thought of as the autonomous weapon equivalent of the Kalashnikov assault rifle: killer robots that are cheap, effective and almost impossible to contain as they circulate around the globe. "Kalashnikov" autonomous weapons could get into the hands of people outside of government control, including international and domestic terrorists.
High-end proliferation is just as bad, however. Nations could compete to develop increasingly devastating versions of autonomous weapons, including ones capable of mounting chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear arms. The moral dangers of escalating weapon lethality would be amplified by escalating weapon use.
High-end autonomous weapons are likely to lead to more frequent wars because they will decrease two of the primary forces that have historically prevented and shortened wars: concern for civilians abroad and concern for one's own soldiers. The weapons are likely to be equipped with expensive ethical governors designed to minimize collateral damage, using what U.N. Special Rapporteur Agnes Callamard has called the "myth of a surgical strike" to quell moral protests. Autonomous weapons will also reduce both the need for and risk to one's own soldiers, dramatically altering the cost-benefit analysis that nations undergo while launching and maintaining wars.
Asymmetric warsthat is, wars waged on the soil of nations that lack competing technologyare likely to become more common. Think about the global instability caused by Soviet and U.S. military interventions during the Cold War, from the first proxy war to the blowback experienced around the world today. Multiply that by every country currently aiming for high-end autonomous weapons.
The Kargu-2, made by a Turkish defense contractor, is a cross between a quadcopter drone and a bomb. It has artificial intelligence for finding and tracking targets, and might have been used autonomously in the Libyan civil war to attack people. Credit: Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, CC BY 4.0
Undermining the laws of war
Finally, autonomous weapons will undermine humanity's final stopgap against war crimes and atrocities: the international laws of war. These laws, codified in treaties reaching as far back as the 1864 Geneva Convention, are the international thin blue line separating war with honor from massacre. They are premised on the idea that people can be held accountable for their actions even during wartime, that the right to kill other soldiers during combat does not give the right to murder civilians. A prominent example of someone held to account is Slobodan Milosevic, former president of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, who was indicted on charges against humanity and war crimes by the U.N.'s International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.
But how can autonomous weapons be held accountable? Who is to blame for a robot that commits war crimes? Who would be put on trial? The weapon? The soldier? The soldier's commanders? The corporation that made the weapon? Nongovernmental organizations and experts in international law worry that autonomous weapons will lead to a serious accountability gap.
To hold a soldier criminally responsible for deploying an autonomous weapon that commits war crimes, prosecutors would need to prove both actus reus and mens rea, Latin terms describing a guilty act and a guilty mind. This would be difficult as a matter of law, and possibly unjust as a matter of morality, given that autonomous weapons are inherently unpredictable. I believe the distance separating the soldier from the independent decisions made by autonomous weapons in rapidly evolving environments is simply too great.
The legal and moral challenge is not made easier by shifting the blame up the chain of command or back to the site of production. In a world without regulations that mandate meaningful human control of autonomous weapons, there will be war crimes with no war criminals to hold accountable. The structure of the laws of war, along with their deterrent value, will be significantly weakened.
A new global arms race
Imagine a world in which militaries, insurgent groups and international and domestic terrorists can deploy theoretically unlimited lethal force at theoretically zero risk at times and places of their choosing, with no resulting legal accountability. It is a world where the sort of unavoidable algorithmic errors that plague even tech giants like Amazon and Google can now lead to the elimination of whole cities.
In my view, the world should not repeat the catastrophic mistakes of the nuclear arms race. It should not sleepwalk into dystopia.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
In this March 20, 2018 file photo, Facebook's head of global safety policy Antigone Davis speaks during a roundtable on cyberbullying with first lady Melania Trump, in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington. Facing lawmakers' outrage against Facebook over its handling of internal research on harm to teens from Instagram, Davis is telling Congress that the company is working to protect young people on its platforms, on Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File
Senators fired a barrage of criticism Thursday at a Facebook executive over the social-networking giant's handling of internal research on how its Instagram photo-sharing platform can harm teens.
The lawmakers accused Facebook of concealing the negative findings about Instagram and demanded a commitment from the company to make changes.
During testimony before a Senate Commerce subcommittee, Antigone Davis, Facebook's head of global safety, defended Instagram's efforts to protect young people using its platform. She disputed the way a recent newspaper story describes what the research shows.
"We care deeply about the safety and security of the people on our platform," Davis said. "We take the issue very seriously. ... We have put in place multiple protections to create safe and age-appropriate experiences for people between the ages of 13 and 17."
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., the subcommittee chairman, wasn't convinced.
"I don't understand how you can deny that Instagram is exploiting young users for its own profit," he told Davis.
The panel is examining Facebook's use of information from its own researchers that could indicate potential harm for some of its young users, especially girls, while it publicly downplayed the negative impacts. For some of the Instagram-devoted teens, the peer pressure generated by the visually focused app led to mental-health and body-image problems, and in some cases, eating disorders and suicidal thoughts, the research showed.
The revelations in a report by The Wall Street Journal, based on internal research leaked by a whistleblower at Facebook, have set off a wave of anger from lawmakers, critics of Big Tech, child-development experts and parents.
Comparisons to the tobacco industry's coverups of cigarettes' harmful effects abounded in a session that united senators of both parties in criticism of the giant social network and Instagram, the photo-sharing juggernaut valued at around $100 billion that Facebook has owned since 2012.
Said Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass.: "Instagram is that first childhood cigarette meant to get teens hooked early. Facebook is just like Big Tobacco, pushing a product they know is harmful to the health of young people."
In this Nov. 29, 2018, file photo, the Instagram app logo is displayed on a mobile screen in Los Angeles. Political adversaries in Congress are united in outrage against Facebook for privately compiling information that its Instagram photo-sharing service appeared to grievously harm some teens, especially girls, while publicly downplaying the popular platform's negative impact. Facebook's head of global safety, Antigone Davis, has been summoned to testify for a hearing Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021, by a Senate panel. Credit: AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File
The episode is quickly burgeoning into a scandal for Facebook approaching the level of the Cambridge Analytica debacle. Revelations in 2018 that the data mining firm had gathered details on as many as 87 million Facebook users without their permission similarly led to a public-relations offensive by Facebook and congressional hearings.
"It's abundantly clear that Facebook views the events of the last two weeks purely as a PR problem, and that the issues raised by the leaked research haven't led to any soul-searching or commitment to change," said Josh Golin, executive director of the children's online advertising group Fairplay. The group, formerly known as the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, doesn't take money from Facebook or companies, unlike the nonprofits Facebook tends to bring in for expert advice on its products.
Facebook's public response to the outcry over Instagram was to put on hold its work on a kids' version of Instagram, which the company says is meant mainly for tweens aged 10 to 12. On Monday, Instagram head Adam Mosseri said in a blog post that the company will use its time out "to work with parents, experts and policymakers to demonstrate the value and need for this product."
Already in July, Facebook said it was working with parents, experts and policymakers when it introduced safety measures for teens on its main Instagram platform. In fact, the company has been working with experts and other advisers for another product aimed at childrenits Messenger Kids app that launched in late 2017.
Pressed by senators, Davis wouldn't say how long the pause would last. "I don't have a specific date but I do have a commitment" that Facebook executives will consult with parents, policymakers and experts, she said. "We want to get this right."
Blumenthal and Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, the panel's senior Republican, also plan to take testimony next week from a Facebook whistleblower, believed to be the person who leaked the Instagram research documents to the Journal. An interview with the whistleblower is set to air on CBS' "60 Minutes" program Sunday.
Davis, a one-time middle school teacher and aide in the Maryland attorney general's office, insisted that the research on Instagram's impact on young people "is not a bombshell."
"This research is a bombshell," Blumenthal countered. "It is powerful, gripping, riveting evidence that Facebook knows of the harmful effects of its site on children, and that it has concealed those facts and findings."
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The research documents released Wednesday by the Wall Street Journal: s.wsj.net/public/resources/doc son-on-instagram.pdf
Explore further Foes united vs Facebook over Instagram's effect on teens
2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain
Chilean lawmakers on Wednesday approved a law establishing the rights to personal identity, free will and mental privacy, becoming the first country in the world to legislate on neurotechnology that can manipulate one's mind.
This bill, which already passed the Senate last year, could form the basis of future lawmaking in field of human rights in other countries in the face of advances in technology applied to the mind and the brain.
During debates preceding the vote, Senator Guido Girardi, one of the most vocal promoters of the law, said its aim is to protect "the last frontier" of the human being: the human psyche.
"We are happy that this is the start of a global assessment on how technology should be used for the good of humanity," Girardi said on Twitter.
The bill will now have to be signed into law by the president.
With this legislation, Chile is striving to be at the forefront of advances in neurotechnology.
Rafael Yuste, a biology professor at Columbia University and one of the world's top experts in the field, told AFP that researchers have already succeeded in implanting in the brain of mice images of things that they hadn't actually seen which affected their behavior.
This causes concern among some that such neurotechnology may be used to record people's mental data as well as to modify it.
That is why, Chile's law "establishes that scientific and technological development must be at the service of people and that it will be carried out with respect for life and physical and mental integrity", the Chamber of Deputies said in a statement.
It intends to safeguard people's "neurodata" and establish limits on how the contents of a person's brain can be analyzed and modified.
2021 AFP
BBC Two is to air a new drama telling the story of Marie Antoinette.
The eight-part historial drama comes from The Favourite writer Deborah Davis.
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It tells the story of the incredibly modern and avant-garde young queen who was barely 14 years old when she left Austria to marry the Dauphin of France.
Free, independent and feminist ahead of her time, the fearless queen will be played by Emilia Schule (Kudamm 56/ 63).
Joining Deborah Davis in writing the ambitious drama is Louise Ironside (The Split), Avril E. Russell (All on a Summers Day) and Chloe Moss (Run Sister Run). The series is directed by Pete Travis (Bloodlands) and Geoffrey Enthoven (Children of Love).
The drama will air on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer in the UK with a release date to be confirmed.
Sue Deeks, Head of Programme Acquisition, BBC, said: "Marie Antoinette possesses an enduring fascination and Deborah Davis has a very singular vision for her story - we are truly delighted to be bringing this ambitious project to BBC Two and iPlayer."
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Chris Stewart, SVP Sales, UK & Eire, Banijay Rights, added: "Marie Antoinette is an extraordinary fresh new take on one of Frances most iconic - and controversial - figures, filled with stunning scenery, fine performances and epic costumes.
"Following on from the success of Versailles on BBC Two, we are excited to again bring the extravagance and excitement of French court life to UK viewers."
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Russian authorities on Wednesday arrested and detained Ilya Sachkov, the founder of cybersecurity firm Group-IB, for two months in Moscow on charges of state treason following a search of its office on September 28.
The Russian company, which is headquartered in Singapore, confirmed the development but noted the "reason for the search was not yet clear," adding "The decentralized infrastructure of Group-IB allows us to keep our customer's data safe, maintain business operations and work without interruption across our offices in Russia and around the world."
Group IB said the raids at its Moscow office had commenced on Tuesday, with law enforcement authorities leaving that same evening. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the government was aware of the arrest but that it had no additional details about the case, Russian state news agency TASS reported.
The cybersecurity company relocated to Singapore in late 2018 as part of its attempts to distance itself from any ties to the Russian government. It's worth noting that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security banned Kaspersky products from all government departments on September 13 2017, alleging that the company had worked on secret projects with Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB).
Group-IB is known for its assistance in a number of law enforcement operations spanning Europe, often collaborating agencies such as Europol and Interpol on investigations that have led to the arrest of several organized cybercrime groups in recent years, including Fraud Family, Dr HeX, and three Nigerian nationals suspected of perpetrating business email compromise (BEC) scams.
If convicted of treason, Sachkov could be punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
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Job Title: Public Engagement Assistant (American Center Director)
Organisation: United States US Embassy in Kampala
Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda
Announcement Number: Kampala-2021-034
About US:
The United States Embassy in Kampala, Uganda has enjoyed diplomatic relations with Uganda for over 30 years. Ambassador Natalie E. Brown currently heads the U.S Mission to Uganda. The Mission is composed of several offices and organizations all working under the auspices of the Embassy and at the direction of the Ambassador.
Among the offices operating under the U.S Mission to Uganda are:
United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
Peace Corps
Job Summary: The American Center Director works under the direct supervision of the Public Affairs Officer(PAO) or PAO Designee. Develops and maintains ties with the Emerging Voices (EV) sector in the host country to support foreign policy goals. Is responsible for the day-to-day oversight, management, and operations of the Missions USG-owned and operated American Center. Develops Center-specific activities and programs to attract EV audiences at the Center, to engage audiences through posts mobile American Space, the Nile Explorer bus, and support Partner American Center audiences throughout the country; collaborates with non-Center Public Diplomacy (PD) staff on a range of other PD activities and projects to broaden the Centers EV activities and programs. This position has a large degree of autonomy as Director of a public access facility that is open during hours when the Embassy may be closed, may not be co-located with other Mission facilities, and must maintain a dynamic schedule of simultaneous activities and projects of interest to the public.
Supervises one IRC Technician, Grade 7 and position number 600065. Provides day-to-day work guidance to implementing partner program staff at the American Center in Kampala and the Nile Explorer mobile American Space.
Qualifications, Skills and Experience:
The applicant for the United States Embassy Public Engagement Assistant (American Center Director) job should hold a University degree in communications, library science, museum education, international affairs, American Studies, marketing, or local equivalent degree is required.
This position requires a total of at least four years of experience. Specifically: a) Minimum of three years of progressively responsible experience in a multilingual, multicultural, or multinational institution (such as a museum, public or community center, or education facility) that provides information resources or American Studies or International Relations content to the public is required, with communications, marketing or public relations duties as a significant part of the job; and b) at least an additional one year of supervisory experience is required.
Broad knowledge and understanding of regional, ethnic, socio-economic, cultural and linguistic factors and the influence of religious, cultural and educational institutions in shaping EV perceptions of the U.S. are all required. Must have general knowledge of project management, including defining project objectives, outcomes, and assessment methods.
Knowledge of marketing techniques, market analysis and analytics, and customer service standards in the host country; knowledge of trends in experiential learning and audience engagement; understanding of the communications/information environments in the host country and international environment; detailed knowledge of PD engagement tools, related policies and procedures for each; and knowledge of multiple PD resource streams and regulations for their use are all required.
Analytic skills: Must have strong analytic skills and the ability to conceptualize how best to use PD programs and projects to move host-country attitudes in positive ways. Must be able to advise senior PD /Mission leaders of opportunities to promote Mission objectives; identify, analyze, predict and continually assess EV audience attitudes; evaluate the impact of projects and modify approaches for greatest outcomes. Must be able to perceive the emergence of new influencers and adjust operations and programming accordingly.
Communication / Interpersonal skills: Must have excellent customer relations, interpersonal cross-cultural communication skills, and be able to identify and engage key figures critical to shaping local public opinion. Must have excellent written and oral communication skills, including public speaking, interviewing for evaluation purposes, writing reports and contributing materials for publication in both English and host-country language. Must be able to tailor communications to fit formal and information situations and different ethnic, religious and linguistic cultures, and, as necessary, through multi-media channels. Must be able to brief U.S. officers and visitors on a variety of issues and interpret between English and the host-country language for public programs.
Management skills: Strong management skills are required, including the ability to develop and oversee project budgets and to organize, run, and present professional and cultural projects such as workshops, seminars, digital video conferences, panel discussions, lectures and camps. Must be able to negotiate agreements with partner institutions and manage their fulfillment.
Technical skills: Good keyboarding and data entry skills and excellent familiarity with electronic discovery tools, in particular the Internet, and standard information retrieval practices and procedures are required. Thorough, detailed knowledge of various computer software programs, specifically Microsoft Word, Excel, graphic design and photo editing software, and PD-specific software, databases, and reporting tools is required. Full understanding of PD-specific funding authorities and their planning and reporting tools is required. Detailed knowledge of and ability to use social media and mobile platforms, photo and video sharing sites, podcast creation, and basic photo and video skills are all required. Must have good numerical skills to be able to develop and manage project and grant budgets; must be able to develop descriptive statistical analysis of target audience segments and impact of American Space activities and initiatives.
Availability: Must be available to travel throughout the host country to support American Center projects and activities.
Language: (Fluent) speaking/reading/writing of English is required. This may be tested
How to Apply:
All those interested in working with the US mission in Kampala should send their applications online at the link below.
Click Here
Deadline: 10th October 2021
For more of the latest jobs, please visit https://www.theugandanjobline.com or find us on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UgandanJobline
ONE of the surprises emerging from the presentation of the 2022 budget on Monday by Minister of Finance, Colm Imbert, was his announcement that the Government proposed to offer for sale 10,869,565 ordinary shares in First Citizens Holdings Ltd.
BEFORE the end of this year, the Appeal Court is expected to deliver its ruling on whether t
I appreciate the position taken by Mr Kevin Baldeosingh on the reasons why he will not get
Ho Chi Minh City officials have decided to ease coronavirus social distancing restrictions from October 1 to facilitate the recovery of socio-economic operations under 'new normal' conditions after months of lockdown.
The city will not reopen all activities after September 30 but follow a step-by-step road map, said the citys deputy chairman Le Hoa Binh at a press conference to announce a directive on updated COVID-19 control measures on Thursday.
Residents daily activities will be gradually restored under 'new normal' conditions but this does not mean everybody will flock to the streets, the official added, referring to Vietnam's new strategy to live safely with the virus instead of trying to pursue a 'zero-COVID' policy.
Under the directive, the city allows the reopening of production and trading establishments in industrial zones, processing and exporting zones, high-tech parks, as well as in districts and Thu Duc City.
Take-away food and drink providers, traditional markets, wholesale markets, shopping centers, and convenience stores are also permitted to resume operations.
Barbershops and hair salons are allowed to run at up to 50 percent of their capacity.
Also being allowed are medical service providers, pharmacies, public utility services, post and telecommunications, construction works, and warehouses.
Public transport service providers are permitted to reopen under the regulations of transport and health authorities.
Foreign businesses representative offices, foreign banks branches, and providers of business support services are also permitted to operate.
Tourist sites and resorts are allowed to operate at up to 50 percent of their capacity while weddings or funerals are limited to a maximum of 20 attendees each.
Gathering at each indoor activity is limited to 10 people and can be extended to a maximum of 70 people if all the attendees have fully been vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19.
The same limits are applicable to gatherings at religious and worship sites.
Meanwhile, the cap on outdoor gatherings is 100, subject to the same condition.
A woman is seen making movement declaration by holding up her QR code on her phone to a scanner on Pham Van Dong Street, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Quang Dinh / Tuoi Tre
The directive also stated that non-essential services and businesses, such as beauty salons, karaoke venues, discotheques, pubs, bars and massage parlors, and ware and lottery ticket peddling will remain closed.
The city will keep 12 checkpoints at its gateways and 39 other checkpoints at the entrances to other localities.
Authorities also require people to use a QR code during travels for checking by relevant agencies.
Without a QR code, people must have documents proving their recovery from COVID-19 for less than 180 days or have been injected with at least one shot no less than 14 days before travels.
"After September 30, travel passes will be no longer applied and an IT-based method will be used instead, the deputy chairman said.
The city asks people not to leave Ho Chi Minh City, except for absolutely necessary cases that are subject to instructions from local transport authorities.
Since the pandemic hit Vietnam in early 2020, the city has documented 381,390 COVID-19 cases, including 14,745 deaths, leading the country in both infections and deaths, the Ministry of Health reported on Wednesday.
Nationwide, the country has registered 779,398 infection cases, including 583,509 recoveries and 19,098 fatalities, in 62 out of its 63 cities and provinces.
The only locality staying free from COVID-19 in Vietnam is Cao Bang Province, where strict measures for COVID-19 prevention have been applied.
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Authorities of Vietnams Khanh Hoa Province and Russias Saint Petersburg City are discussing a plan for a non-stop flight route, which is anticipated to bring more Russian tourists to the provinces renowned beaches of Nha Trang City.
Before the shutdown of international tourism due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia was one of the biggest foreign tourist markets to Khanh Hoa, contributing 460,000 visits to the locales tourism sector in 2019, Nguyen Thi Le Thanh, deputy director of the provincial Department of Tourism, said during a conference on Wednesday.
The conference was held to discuss health and tourism collaboration between Khanh Hoa and Saint Petersburg.
Prior to the pandemic, tourism agencies such as Pegas, Anex, Focus, Coral Travel, and Summar Travel had been operating a total of four to six charter flights a day to bring visitors from Russian cities to Khanh Hoa Cam Ranh Airport.
However, due to the emergence of COVID-19, Vietnam has closed its borders to foreign tourists since March last year, effectively shuttering all international tourism activities in the country.
As the epidemic situation is more under control at the moment, the local Department of Tourism will seek the prime ministers approval for a plan to welcome back foreign tourists with vaccination certificates in November, Thanh stated.
Khanh Hoas tourism sector also suggests an early launch of a two-way, non-stop flight route connecting Saint Petersburg and Khanh Hoa to offer comfortable transport to tourists and help to promote tour packages.
Russian tourists coming to Khanh Hoa in pre-COVID times could choose from 28 flight routes operated by five airlines, of which Saint Petersburg is a viable departure point, said Le Thi Hong Minh, CEO of Cam Ranh International Terminal Joint Stock Company, which operates the namesake airport.
We hope that a Khanh Hoa - Saint Petersburg non-stop commercial flight route is soon available so that Russian tourists can reach Khanh Hoa more easily, plus Vietnamese can also have more options to visit Saint Petersburg, she said.
The outlook is bright for a relaunch of international flights after the pandemic, said Le Van Nghia, CEO of Nhat Minh Travel Joint Stock Company.
The first phase of the relaunch is slated to start in December and is waiting for the prime ministers approval.
Seeing the opportunity, the company has liaised with Siberia Airlines to organize a service from Saint Petersburg to Cam Ranh Airport with a transit point in Russias Novosibirsk, with four flights available per week.
Provided the route is lucrative, Nhat Minh will expand the flight operations to bring passengers from ten other Russian cities to Khanh Hoa, with a total frequency of 20 flights per week.
Speaking at the conference, Kalganov Vyacheslav Gennadievich, deputy chairman of the External Affairs Committee in Saint Petersburg, affirmed that the Russian city will focus on addressing the consequences of COVID-19 in order to continue its extensive cooperation with Vietnam, specifically in its collaborations with Khanh Hoa in cancer research and COVID-19 treatment.
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'Meet Vietnam in Newhaven,' an event hosted by Vietnams mission to the United Kingdom, was held on Tuesday in Newhaven, a small port town about 100km south of London which houses several monuments to late Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh.
The event was organized to give the citys residents the opportunity to learn more about Vietnams history, culture, and people through both its food and photo exhibitions showcasing the countrys cultural heritage.
Speaking at the event, Newhaven Mayor Lesley Boniface shared her pride in the historic ties between his city and late President Ho Chi Minh, who worked as a pastry chef after World War I on a ferry connecting Newhaven and the French town of Dieppe.
For his part, Vietnamese Ambassador to the UK Nguyen Hoang Long thanked the Newhaven administration for its support and coordination with his embassy in organizing 'Meet Vietnam in Newhaven' in September to align with Vietnams National Day a celebration of the Southeast Asian countrys sovereignty, during which it pays homage to President Ho Chi Minh.
The ambassador affirmed that the development of the Vietnam-UK strategic partnership is flourishing thanks to the constant efforts of both sides over the past 50 years, including the significant contribution of the administration and the people of Newhaven.
During his speech, Ambassador Long expressed his appreciation for the friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Newhaven, as well as the Vietnam-UK strategic partnership, which he hopes will continue to expand in the future, particularly as the two countries approach the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2023.
President Ho Chi Minh (1890-1969) was the founder of what is now the Communist Party of Vietnam.
During his time traveling the world as a youth, he spent several years in the UK, during which time he was first exposed to the works of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels both of whom served as inspiration for his later contribution to Vietnams national liberation revolution against colonizing forces.
In 2013, the administration of East Sussex county erected a stele in Newhaven harbor, marking the 100th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's arrival in the UK.
Images of the ferry where Ho Chi Minh worked over 100 years ago are now on display in the Newhaven town museum.
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A landslide killed two women and seriously injured two men in Lam Dong Province, situated in Vietnam's Central Highlands, on Wednesday afternoon.
The landslide occurred in the Ho Hong area of Lam Dongs Da Lat City at around 2:00 pm on Wednesday, when the four victims were taking shelter from rain in a shed below a slope.
Nguyen Thi Trang Dai, 30, and Tran Thi Bich Huyen, 18, both residents of Da Lat, were killed immediately.
Khong Minh Phuoc, 31, a Da Lat resident, and Nguyen Van Cang, 22, hailing from the neighboring province of Dak Lak, were hospitalized with severe injuries.
The landslide followed heavy rains.
There was no man-made infrastructure holding the slope in place.
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The military is expected to continue assisting COVID-19 prevention and control efforts in Ho Chi Minh City after September 30 as the business hub gradually reopens some activities to bolster economic growth.
Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam convened a meeting with steering committees for COVID-19 prevention and control in Ho Chi Minh City and southern provinces on Wednesday.
At the gathering, the deputy premier stated that southern localities would have to maintain measures to control the pandemic as vaccination has yet to be provided to all people.
Military units will remain in Ho Chi Minh City and southern provinces, but their missions will be gradually adjusted to suit the new situation.
Several of their current tasks will also be assigned to the local forces.
As Ho Chi Minh City slowly reopens some economic activities after a prolonged lockdown since May, military officers will play an important role in controlling travels from the city to other localities.
They will also continue taking part in COVID-19 testing and treatment in the metropolis.
According to Deputy Minister of National Defense Vo Minh Luong, the loosening of social distancing in the southern city will add more challenges to their missions in the coming time.
Luong suggested that military units keep fulfilling their duties in the city to raise awareness of pandemic response among local residents.
The missions in areas at lower risk of infection will be revised as residents will have easier access to essential goods and medical services.
The number of military medics will be adjusted based on the number of COVID-19 patients in each area.
However, military medics are expected to remain in the metropolis at least until the end of November to help slash the number of seriously-ill patients to the lowest, Deputy Minister Luong stressed.
Ho Chi Minh City is the hardest-hit locality in the country during the fourth wave, with 380,870 local infections recorded since April 27.
The city has implemented enhanced social distancing measures at various levels since May 31.
Military troops were mobilized to assist in pandemic prevention and control efforts in the metropolis from August 22.
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Functional forces have removed more COVID-19 checkpoints and barricades from many streets across Ho Chi Minh City after abolishing hundreds of others on alleyways earlier this week -- a signal for the beginning of a new normal in the biggest Vietnamese city.
Authorities in all districts and Thu Duc City accelerated the removal on Thursday morning as per an order of the municipal administration.
Iron wires, tables, chairs, and scaffolding no longer obstructed commuters on many streets in District 1 and District 3, including Dien Bien Phu, Mai Thi Luu, Hoang Sa, and Nguyen Phuc Nguyen Streets, at around 11:15 am on Thursday, according to the observation of Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.
The operations of COVID-19 checkpoints on other streets have also been suspended and pending their abolition.
Tran Quoc Hung, chairman of Linh Trung Ward in Thu Duc City, said that local functional forces have removed 36 out of 39 checkpoints on streets and alleys in the ward, leaving only three which border the neighboring province of Binh Duong in operation.
The same move was taken in Binh Thanh District on Thursday morning.
Functional forces remove barricades at a COVID-19 checkpoint in Linh Trung Ward, Thu Duc City under Ho Chi Minh City, September 30, 2021. Photo: Minh Hoa / Tuoi Tre
Local residents have expressed joy over the checkpoint removal.
Im happy to hear this news, said Dao Le Cung, a resident of Binh Tho Ward in Thu Duc City.
It removed our stress.
Even though Im old with little mobility, I feel more comfortable this way, said Le Thi Tam, a resident of the city.
Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City previously installed COVID-19 checkpoints and barricades, using as many kinds of objects as possible to create obstacles, in order to ensure local residents compliance with travel restrictions and the shelter-in-place mandate.
The clearance of these obstacles came as Ho Chi Minh City is set to start relaxing its coronavirus curbs, allowing more business and social activities after four months of lockdown and restoring some normalcy while coexisting with the virus starting October 1.
Barricades are removed from Xo Viet Nghe Tinh Street in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, September 30, 2021. Photo: Le Phan / Tuoi Tre
Functional forces began removing COVID-19 barricades from hundreds of alleys across the southern city on Monday.
However, the 12 checkpoints at the citys entrances and 39 others in areas bordering nearby provinces will remain active to ensure safety for the key southern economic region in general.
A business hub of about nine million people, Ho Chi Minh City has been the epicenter of the coronavirus crisis that has hit Vietnam since late April, with more than 380,000 local infections and over 14,600 deaths.
Those figures account for half of the countrys total 779,398 patients and about 77 percent of its 19,098 fatalities, as recorded since the COVID-19 pandemic first appeared early last year.
So far, health workers have administered over 6.8 million first vaccine doses and more than 3.3 million second shots to residents aged from 18 years old in the city, according to the national COVID-19 vaccinational portal.
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The Ministry of Health logged 11,357 more coronavirus cases in Vietnam on Thursday, together with 25,322 discharged patients and 159 deaths.
The new cases, including 11,354 local and three imported infections, were reported in 36 provinces and cities, the health ministry said.
The ministry had registered 8,744 locally-infected patients on Wednesday.
Ho Chi Minh City documented 7,789 of the latest cases, including 3,417 patients added from Tuesdays testing; Binh Duong Province 2,103; Dong Nai Province 626; An Giang Province 172; Long An Province 125; Can Tho 41; Da Nang two; and Hanoi one.
Vietnam has confirmed 786,208 community transmissions in 62 out of its 63 provinces and cities since the fourth and worst virus wave emerged in the country on April 27.
Ho Chi Minh City stays atop with 388,659 patients, followed by Binh Duong Province with 211,056, Dong Nai Province with 48,595, Long An Province with 32,395, Tien Giang Province with 14,000, Dong Thap Province with 8,242, Khanh Hoa Province with 7,806, Da Nang with 4,916, Hanoi with 4,213, and Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province with 4,136.
By comparison, Vietnam detected a combined 1,570 locally-transmitted infections in the previous three waves.
The health ministry announced 25,322 recoveries on Thursday, taking the total to 608,831.
The toll has mounted to 19,301 deaths after the ministry documented 159 fatalities on the same day, including 106 in Ho Chi Minh City and 30 in Binh Duong Province.
Vietnam has registered 790,755 patients since the COVID-19 pandemic first hit it early last year.
Health workers have administered over 42 million vaccine doses, including 983,839 shots on Wednesday, since vaccination was rolled out on March 8.
Nearly 9.5 million people have been fully vaccinated.
Health authorities aim to immunize at least two-thirds of a population of nearly 98 million people against COVID-19 by the first quarter of next year.
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A shipment of one million doses of UAE-produced Hayat-Vax COVID-19 vaccine has arrived in Vietnam, bringing the Southeast Asian country's total number of jabs to nearly 57 million.
Delivered under a contract between Vietnams Vimedimex Medi-pharma Joint Stock Company (Vimedimex) and the UAEs G42 Medications Trading LLC, the Haya-Vax vaccine batch reached Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on Wednesday.
Hayat-Vax vaccine is an inactivated vaccine produced by growing the SARS-CoV-2 in cell culture and then using chemicals to inactivate the virus.
It uses technology transferred from Chinas Sinopharm.
Hayat-Vax has undergone an international human clinical trial which involved 45,000 volunteers from 125 countries and measured protective efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity.
The trial results show that the vaccine has a protective effect of 78.89 percent and its generation of neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 virus is 99.52 percent.
There have been no serious side effects observed in people vaccinated with Hayat-Vax.
It can be stored at temperatures of two to eight degrees Celsius.
The Ministry of Health has approved Hayat-Vax for emergency use in Vietnam, along with seven others, including the UKs AstraZeneca, Chinas Sinopharm, Russias Sputnik V, Cubas Abdala, as well as Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson, all from the U.S.
Meanwhile, Vietnams Nano Covax vaccine is undergoing necessary procedures to be authorized for emergency use. Once approved, it would be the first made-in-Vietnam COVID-19 vaccine.
Vietnam has targeted to secure 150 million coronavirus vaccine doses to inoculate at least two-thirds of its 98-million population.
It has so far received nearly 57 million jabs from different sources, including COVAX Facility, contractual purchases, and donations.
The country is speeding up its vaccination campaign in an effort to lift COVID-19 lockdown restrictions in many localities by next month, with some 32.17 million first shots and over 8.98 million second doses administered nationwide as of Wednesday, according to health ministry reports.
Since the pandemic hit Vietnam in early 2020, the Southeast Asian country has registered 779,398 infections, including 583,509 recoveries and 19,098 fatalities.
Cao Bang is the only province of Vietnams 63 provinces and cities which has not seen a single case.
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A ward leader from the southern Vietnamese province of Binh Duong apologized to a woman who was physically forced to take a COVID-19 test earlier this week.
A delegation of officials representing both Vinh Phu Ward and Thuan An City in Binh Duong held a working session with Hoang Thi Phuong Lan, a resident of the Ehome 4 apartment complex, on Wednesday.
At the meeting, Vo Thanh Quan, secretary of the Vinh Phu Party Committee and head of the wards steering committee for COVID-19 prevention and control, issued a public apology to Lan for the use of force during her COVID-19 testing process.
On Tuesday morning, Lan was teaching an online yoga class at her apartment when someone knocked on the door and requested that she provide a nasal swab for COVID-19 testing.
Lan said she had already conducted a COVID-19 test by herself, adding that she did not want to come into contact with others, and that she was in the middle of teaching a class.
A group of officials, police officers, and members of the apartment complexs management board later forcefully opened the door of Lans apartment and took her to the buildings courtyard for nasal swab collection.
Several videos of the incident were shared to social media.
A representative of Vinh Phu Wards steering committee for COVID-19 prevention and control issued a statement the same day admitting to the use of force.
The representative also noted that Lan had refused to be sampled on several occasions and that her apartment is on the ground floor and at very high risk, as infections were once detected in her block.
Following the working session, the Thuan An City Party Committee stated that it plans to continue its investigation before releasing an official conclusion or issuing penalties to any parties found at fault.
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Production is underway in South Australia on a new preschool series, Beep and Mort, for ABC.
Produced by Windmill Pictures the series is based on their theatre show, Beep, and tells the story of two best friends from different worlds, solving their daily dilemmas and unexpected challenges through invention, play and adventure.
The series explores the ways the organic and the technological can work together and underlines empathy, community, and the enduring value of friendship.
Designed by Jonathon Oxlade Beep & Mort is written by Charlotte Rose Hamlyn (The Wild Adventures of Blinky Bill), Simon Butters (H20: Just Add Water), Amy Stewart (The Heights) Hunter Page-Lochard (Cleverman, Play School), Wendy Hanna (Love Child, Giggle and Hoot) and Lorin Clarke (Larry the Wonderpup).
Director, Rosemary Myers says, Throughout the creative development of this series, we have drawn on our theatrical roots but also integrated new technologies. The result is a contemporary hybrid form of puppetry that blends hand and rod puppets with post animated object puppets. In a screen landscape dominated by animation, we want to create a textured, built world that children feel they can almost step into and walk around in.
Head of ABC Childrens Content, Libbie Doherty says, From the minute Windmill pitched the series to us, we immediately fell in love with these two new preschool stars the unique and incredibly cute Beep and Mort. We are thrilled to be working in Adelaide with Kaye, Rose and the creative team who have created a beautifully warm and wholly original world, including a 6 metre high set! Designed for the youngest ABC audience this whimsical series will gently ignite their minds and warm their hearts.
Screen Australias Head of Content Sally Caplan says, Were proud to support this incredibly talented creative team, including Rosemary Myers first foray into television, bring this highly original project to life. Beep and Mort is a charming series exploring themes of self-discovery and the enduring value of friendship, and it is set to delight pre-schoolers and their families on ABC.
Kate Croser, CEO of the South Australian Film Corporation says, The SAFC is proud to support Windmill Pictures in producing their first TV series Beep and Mort, which will also be the first studio program for children made in South Australia for over a decade. With a majority South Australian cast and crew, this highly original new series will provide employment opportunities for South Australian specialist workers, and were particularly excited that the series will provide valuable first television credits for many of the key creative team, boosting the pool of credited South Australian writers, directors and producers.
It will premiere in late 2022.
Production Credit: Beep and Mort is a Windmill Pictures production for the ABC. Major production investment from Screen Australia in association with the ABC. Financed with support from the South Australian Film Corporation. ABC Commercial holds world distribution rights.
Ant Middleton is pretty grumpy again. this time around his previous UK series SAS: UK screening on 7plus.
The SAS Australia chief instructor took to Instagram to lash out at British cancel culture after he was dropped by Channel 4, which he accuses of cashing in on his name by screening the show down under.
Funny how the UK cancel culture supposedly sacked me but theyre still willing to make money from my profile, my brand, my name, my work and my show! And now that Ive opened up a market for myself in Australia they are capitalising on my success! Laughable, hypocritical and shameful but business is business and thats exactly what it is just business baby! he stated.
Many of his followers agreed, if not necessarily with insight into how distribution works
SAS: Who Dares Wins (as it is known in the UK) is owned by Minnow Films but first screened on Seven last November -well before he was let go by producers in March 2021, after urging his followers to carry on as normal despite coronavirus. There was also a backlash in June 2020 after he posted a video of violence at anti-racism protests in London, adding, The extreme left against the extreme right. BLM and EDL are not welcome on our streets, absolute scum. What a great example you are to your future generation. Bravo.
Seven having broadcast rights to the UK tape of SAS is standard in distribution when a local broadcaster takes format rights. Similarly, Seven has Got Talent editions for producing Australias Got Talent.
And whatever happened to no i in team? Its enough to make you VW.
This Sundays compelling episode of Fires stars acting royalty with Richard Roxburgh and Miranda Otto as dairy farmers returning to the remains of their burnt out property.
The ABC episode written by Jacqueline Perske is emotional viewing with knockout performances, even though bushfires are not sighted in the hours viewing.
Producer Tony Ayres recently told TV Tonight, the series also avoids getting bogged down in climate and political themes.
We didnt really want to bang people over the head with a message. We just wanted to start a conversation, he said.
Its not the right medium to be pointing a finger. Drama works better when we can make people feel things and then as a consequence of feeling they think about things.
I think people tune out when the message is on the nose.
The episode also features Taylor Ferguson, Bernard Curry and Steve Bastoni. For all its drama and heart-wrenching scenes, Ayres says there were two recurring themes.
The extraordinary courage of human beings in grave situations. Ordinary people in just surviving, in itself was an act of heroism. Thats one thing that we learned, he explains.
The other thing is people also survive through communities, through banding together and helping each other. That was crucial to how people not only survive, but also heal. Thats a recurring story, as well.
Fires continues 8:40pm Sunday on ABC.
By Carolyn Kroupa '22
Despite less than two weeks to prepare for a performance at Levitt Pavilion on Sept. 3 in the heart of downtown, the invitation was too good of an opportunity for University of Dayton Department of Music faculty and students to miss.
Nearly 200 students and 15 faculty performed for several hundred concert-goers, who listened and danced on the lawn during the two-hour musical showcase.
The performers included student groups UD Trumpet Ensemble, Pride of Dayton Marching Band (POD) and Dayton Jazz Ensemble; as well as the UD Faculty Brass Quintet, Faculty Jazztet, and faculty soloists Jim McCutcheon, guitarist and artist-in-residence; Minnita Daniel-Cox, associate professor and soprano; David Sievers, tenor and artist-in-residence and Andrea Arese-Elias, adjunct faculty on piano. Three May 2021 graduates also performed with the jazz ensemble.
Musical performers have been deprived of live audiences for the past 18 months because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Having the opportunity to perform live again has been incredible, said Derek Rempe, a senior music education major from Celina, Ohio, a POD marching band drum major. The energy of our audiences in Dayton is truly unmatched and it's something we'll never take for granted ever again.
Julia Randel, associate professor and department of music chair, said the audience response was gratifying.
People were up and dancing, including little kids, and you could feel people enjoying the music, she said.
Students are used to performing for family and friends on campus, but showcasing their talents for the Levitt Pavilion audience enriched their performing experience and increased connections across the University and Dayton communities.
Randel said the opportunity for students and faculty to share the stage at the venue provided students with valuable experiential learning skills. Performing and working with a professional sound and stage crew prepares students for their future, whether they plan to pursue a career in the arts or a different field.
For students going into music, the more experience they have performing the better, especially experience with professional crew and seasoned professional performers, Randel said. Many non-music majors participate and the hope is to help foster their love and commitment to music and the arts.
The majority of students in the ensembles are not music majors. Many chose to study in different academic fields, but still want to find community at the University through the music department.
We firmly believe doing music and thinking about the world in a different way is good for students as future engineers, doctors and any career path they follow, Randel said.
Marching band drum major Nicole Ortenzi, a junior accounting and finance major and music minor from Brecksville, Ohio, plans to pursue a career in accounting at a major U.S. accounting firm after graduation.
Being involved in music allows me to be human and explore those outlets I cannot always express in class, Ortenzi said. My future career is very extroverted and involves a lot of creativity, and POD fosters that within me.
The UD Department of Music has other public performances planned for the 2021-22 academic year, including the Christmas concert on Dec. 7 and Celebration of the Arts planned for early March. Randel hopes the Levitt Pavilion concert will become an annual event.
Performing for the greater Dayton community makes me grateful for this institution and all it has given me, Ortenzi said. Not only do I get to play great music and see new places, but I get to meet people from all walks of life. Having complete strangers compliment you on your conducting or playing makes you feel like the work you have been putting in over the years gets noticed. This art form gives me the space to honor my family, express myself and give back to the University that has given me everything.
For more information, please visit the UD Department of Music website.
No. 2115
THE COLOR OF WATER by John H. Lienhard
Today, let's measure the color of water. The University of Houston's College of Engineering presents this series about the machines that make our civilization run, and the people whose ingenuity created them.
T he Color of Water is the title of a book by Black author James McBride about his White mother. When asked which color God was, she told him, He is the color of water. The metaphor is powerful; however, water might have color after all.
But I'm ahead of my story. Let us back up and meet Walthere Victor Spring, born in Belgium in 1848. Spring's father was a physiology professor at Liege, and young Spring was a disappointment -- only a so-so scholar and especially weak in classical languages. So he quit school and went off to become a gunsmith -- a trade for which he had real talent.
As his confidence emerged, Spring retook the university entrance exams and passed them. He got a degree in mining engineering, but grew more interested in science. He went on to study physical chemistry with Friederich Kekule and Rudolph Clausius.
Like his father, he became a professor at the University of Liege. What served him there was not any mastery of classical languages, but his gunsmithing. He was a fine experimentalist who took a great interest in the writings of British physicist John Tyndall.
Tyndall, himself a great experimentalist and observer, wrote about how powdered snow was compacted into glaciers. Spring responded with experiments in which he compressed all sorts of granular materials in a specially designed screw press. Each turned into an extraordinarily dense solid. Then he used those same techniques to study phase equilibrium in solids.
He followed Tyndall's lead again in 1870. Tyndall had previously suggested that the sky appears to be blue because short wavelength light -- blue light -- is scattered sideways. Tyndall thought that particles in the air caused the scattering. Later, it turned out that the air molecules themselves scatter blue light. Tyndall also did a very clever experiment: he invented means for creating optically pure air, with no particulates at all.
He did not see any color in air, but Spring said, Wait a minute. Maybe if I create optically pure water, it will have a color of its own. He put his talent with apparatus to the creation of an 85-foot-long tube filled with almost perfectly clean water. Then he shone white light along it. It worked!
He was able to tell us that water is "a pure cerulean blue similar to that of the sky at its zenith when seen from a high mountain." Spring didn't try to explain that blue. But we now know that the long red wavelengths in his light beam were absorbed by the water. Only the blue got through, making it seem blue.
And, the color of God? That too seems to depend on how the light we cast returns to us. Others saw black or white, while McBride's mother saw no color at all. So, as for the color of water, I need to go back to Crater Lake, Oregon -- to contemplate its deep soul-settling blue while I think about measurement and perception.
I'm John Lienhard, at the University of Houston, where we're interested in the way inventive minds work.
(Theme music)
J. McBride, The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute toHis White Mother. (New York: Riverhead Books, 1996).
See this very nice discussion of the blueness of sky..
And here is an excellent discussion of the blueness of water:
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~etrnsfer/water.htm
(photos by JHL)
UH is part of a new consortium of Tier One Hispanic-Serving Institutions that has received a $5 million grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The University has a number of programs that serve Latino students and faculty members and advance scholarship in Latino humanities.
The University of Houston is part of a new consortium of Tier One Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) that has received a $5 million grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to enhance teaching, research, cultural programming and archives in the area of Latino humanities studies as well as prepare rising Latino researchers and scholars for faculty positions in humanities studies.
University of Houston graduates are leading humanities and Hispanic studies initiatives at premier institutions across the country, said UH President Renu Khator. The Mellon Foundation grant positions UH and the other members of the consortium to develop important pipelines for transitioning Latino undergraduates to graduate studies, and graduate and post-doctoral students to the become the next generation of professors and leaders in these fields of study.
Crossing Latinidades: Emerging Scholars and New Comparative Directions is the first initiative pursued by the consortium. The three-year, $5 million grant was awarded to the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC)the consortiums lead institution in support of this initiative. The grant will be shared by the consortiums 16 institutions, all of which are federally designated as Hispanic-Serving Institutions by the U.S. Department of Education and have Tier One status or very high research from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The consortium is led by the council of chancellors and presidents of the participating universities.
This award not only complements the continuing efforts to build diversity among our tenured and tenure-track faculty ranks at UH, but it will also improve the diversity of the larger academy of professors in the humanities, said Paula Myrick Short, UH senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. This multi-institutional model of research and professional training will support the growing population of Latino students who want to pursue careers at the highest levels of academia.
A key component of the initiative is the creation of an intensive yearly summer institute on Latino studies methodologies and theories and a mentorship program that aims to enhance the rising scholars comparative research skills, intellectual curiosity, creativity and critical thinking. Each university will send two pre-proposal graduate students to the summer institute, and 96 students in total will benefit from the institute and from an assigned mentor. The program also constructs a framework that will encourage comparative research across regions by faculty members drawn from the consortium institutions.
UHs participation in this consortium allows us to adopt best practices for supporting the professional development of Latino students, post-doctoral fellows and faculty members in the humanities, said Mark Clarke, UH associate provost for faculty development and faculty affairs. Effective training and mentor programs, and the creation of robust inter-institutional transfer pathways for these scholars to move amongst consortium members lays a strong foundation for their professional development and future success in the academy.
UH currently has a number of programs that serve Latino students and faculty members and advance scholarship in Latino humanities. The programs include the UH Undergraduate Mellon Research Scholars Program in the Honors College, the first-of-its-kind U.S. Latino Digital Humanities Program in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciencesboth funded by Mellon Foundation grants, Department of Hispanic Studies, Arte Publico Press and the Center for Mexican American Studies, which includes visiting scholar, graduate fellowship and faculty affiliate programs.
While the consortiums first initiative is focused on the humanities, plans are currently being developed to expand opportunities across more fields of study, including STEM.
Along with UH and UIC, the institutional partners in the consortium are the Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York; University of Arizona; University of California, Irvine; University of California, Riverside; University of California, Santa Barbara; University of California, Santa Cruz; Florida International University; University of Central Florida; University of New Mexico; University of Nevada, Las Vegas; University of North Texas; Texas Tech University; University of Texas, Arlington and University of Texas, El Paso.
Afghanistan is once again under Taliban control and people are seeing the abhorrent rules they are inflicting on the country. There are many psychological impacts and mental health issues affecting young girls.
Claims and contradictions
The Taliban took over Afghanistan in August after twenty years of conflict. The Taliban claimed they would respect girls human rights and let access to education for girls continue. They have not followed through.
The Human Rights Watch Report from September 2021 List of Taliban Policies Violating Womens Rights in Afghanistan reported women and girls rights decreasing rapidly since the Taliban came to power again.
A saddening and disgraceful decision has been made by the Taliban Education Ministry. Secondary school would re-open for boys only.
The belief that girls should only get a primary school education is shocking.
The United Nations Global perspective Human Stories in 2021 Afghanistan Women's Rights are Red Line, UN rights chief tell States expressed severe disapproval at the breach of human rights by the Taliban. They are urging the Human Rights Council to step in to prevent the abuse.
Facing the future
This does not only affect girls futures but also denies them simple human rights. It must surely affect their mental health and emotional and psychological well-being.
They are taught from a young age that they do not need or deserve anything more than a primary education.
This could be extremely psychologically damaging to these young girls in Afghanistan. The belief they are not worth more and are not equal to their male counterparts could destroy their confidence. It could cause anxiety and could increase feelings of low self-esteem and self-worth.
Inferiority will have been ingrained into their heads from a young age and it could affect them for the rest of their lives.
Being denied a higher education strips these girls of their human rights. It is a barrier to a full-filling future. It also strips them of their self-worth, self-belief and dignity. They are being treated as lesser humans and could grow up believing that themselves, merely because of their gender.
Afghan girls are likely to suffer from low self-esteem and depression in the future.
Many countries around the world are continuing to welcome Afghan refugees, and are offering equal access to education. These young girls could arrive with a battered mindset. They may find it extremely difficult to adjust to their new life and accept they have equal opportunities. It could still be an obstacle they will have to try and overcome in life.
No human being should be made to feel unequal and undeserving of equal rights.
Showing support
People around the world should be supporting these young Afghan girls. They should be reminding them that they are equal to their male counterparts, and they do not deserve anything less.
We need to recognise the protests people are continuing to do in Afghanistan.
Using social media is a great way to show your support.
You can share photos and videos of the protests. Sharing can reach millions of people around the world. The protestors voices will be heard in many corners of the world. It will raise awareness.
This is not just a problem limited to Afghanistan. It is the worlds problem.
(Getty/iStock)
The UK economy recovered faster than expected between April and June this year as spending surged after lockdown.
The Office for National Statistics said that gross domestic product (GDP) increased by 5.5 per cent in the second quarter of the year, after being revised up from the initial estimation of 4.8 per cent.
Shops reopening and a return to eating out helped fuel the upward GDP revision, with household spending contributing four percentage points of the 5.5 per cent increase.
The bounce-back recovery has slowed down in recent months, however, with economic growth easing to only 0.1 per cent in July. This was a drop from 1.4 per cent growth in June.
Jonathan Athow, deputy national statistician at the ONS, explained the new figures, saying: The economy grew more in the second quarter than previously estimated, with the latest data showing health services and the arts performing better than initially thought.
The revised figures also show households have been saving less in recent years than previously thought.
Household saving fell particularly strongly in the latest quarter from the record highs seen during the pandemic, as many people were again able to spend on shopping, eating out and driving their cars.
The upward revision of GDP growth will bring the UK economys performance in line with that of other G7 countries, said Samuel Tombs, chief UK economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics.
The gap between current growth levels and the pre-pandemic peak is now the same as in Germany, similar to the 3.2 per cent shortfall in France, and slightly better than the 3.8 per cent shortfall seen in Italy, The Financial Times reported.
The UKs rebound recovery still lags behind the US economy however.
Household spending jumped 7.9 per cent in the second quarter, while the savings ratio fell to 11.7 per cent from 18.4 per cent in the first three months of 2021.
The current supply chain crisis and lorry driver shortage has provoked The Bank of England to slash its expectations for economic growth in the third quarter of this year from 2.9 per cent to 2.1 per cent.
Story continues
The new statistics come as nearly 1 million workers are expected to be booted off the furlough scheme on Thursday.
Fidelity Internationals investment director, Maike Currie, said that no one really knows what is next. She added: I think what we can be certain of is that well see under-employment, where employees return to work but possibly not on a full-time basis and that they might need to supplement their income.
Employers should not expect the rush of workers coming off furlough to be able to help the supply chain crisis, one analyst warned.
Susannah Streeter, senior investment and markets analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: Any hope that the end of the furlough scheme might be the magic wand to solve the supply chain crisis is likely to be wishful thinking.
CEO of retailers association UK Hospitality, Kate Nicholls, warned that post-pandemic workers will be selective about the jobs they pick.
She said: Covid is providing the hospitality sector with a reset moment and we are looking at ways of working, hours and conditions. As people come back from furlough they are more selective about what they want to do and more demanding as employees.
Its about making sure that we look after our people because they are our most valued and valuable resource and we need to make sure that they can be as comfortable as possible at work.
Additional reporting from wires
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On Sept. 27, 2020, stalemate over Nagorno-Karabakh turned into a military conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia. For a long time, relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan had been tense over this territory, which is recognized internationally as a part of Azerbaijan but has been occupied by Armenians since 1994. That Second Karabakh War lasted 44 days and ended with a peace deal signed by Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia on Nov. 10 last year. Azerbaijan is now trying to cope with one of the biggest challenges it faces in the territories liberated from Armenian occupation after 30 years: There are still mines in the territories recaptured.
The Hill reports that post-war reconstruction continues in areas recaptured from Armenia, but clearing mines from these areas more quickly could facilitate further reconstruction efforts. Unexploded mines are a significant obstacle in resettling the territories and establishing transport and infrastructure not only in Azerbaijan, but also between Azerbaijan and other countries in the region.
Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia along with Turkmenistan, Krygzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, Romania and Bulgaria are already partners of the EU-financed Transport Corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia Project (TRACECA corridor). Stability and peace in the Caucasus could revitalize these kinds of projects, improve logistical infrastructure, and make reaching Asian and European markets easier for trade.
This August, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev called for a new era with Armenia if Yerevan shows its willingness. Both leaders said they are ready to cooperate with Armenia through developing economic relations and establishing multimodal transport lines that could facilitate trade among their countries.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian seems inclined to go along. Armenias problems with Azerbaijan and Turkey have meant their shared borders have been closed since the 1990s. If Pashinian adapts his foreign policy to this new reality, he may pave the way for Armenia to become a land-linked country for trade in the near future.
In his statement, Pashinian emphasized the importance of opening regional transport. Any project that helps to link Armenia though multimodal transportation to its neighboring countries Azerbaijan and Turkey would also be significant for trade. Every year Armenian youth emmigrate abroad due to economic difficulties at home. This new foreign policy approach based on make trade, not war could create a win-win situation.
There is a negative correlation between trade and conflict. Trade agreements that improve trade lessen the likelihood of conflicts and instabilities. Economic interdependence created by trade can prevent future conflicts and contribute to peace. It seems that there is a willingness from all sides in this case to make these aspirations concrete. Similar statements from Erdogan, Aliyev and Pashinian should be read from this perspective, I think.
In 2009, Turkey and Armenia signed an agrement to normalize relations, but never ratified it in their respective parliaments. This time, the opportunity that has emerged after the Second Karabakh War should not be missed but its realization depends on not breaching the ceasefire and fulfilling the commitments of peace deal.
On July 7, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree on the new division of economic regions in Azerbaijan. According to the decree, the number of economic regions increased from 11 to 14. The capital of the country has been allocated to a separate economic region, and the new Karabakh and East Zangazur were created.
Orkhan Baghirov, Leading advisor, Center of Analysis of International Relations in the article for Eurasia Review writes, that the Karabakh economic region covers Khankandi city, Aghjabadi, Aghdam, Barda, Fuzuli, Khojali, Khojavand, Susha and Tartar regions. In the document regarding the new Karabakh region, it was noted that it is important to create this region to ensure the restoration and rapid development of the ancient Karabakh region, which has a rich historical and cultural heritage and charming nature.
The other, newly created, Eastern Zangazur region includes the liberated Jabrayil, Kalbajar, Gubadli, Lachin, and Zangilan regions. Districts of this new region are located in the eastern part of the Zangezur plateau, surrounded by the Zangezur mountain range and covering a vast territory from Lachin and Kalbajar to Nakhchivan, on the border with Armenia, were historically located in the same geographic area. For many years, they were part of the Zangezur district, created in 1861, and were connected by traditional socio-economic, historical, and cultural ties, which necessitated the need to unite them in one economic region.
A new division of economic regions in Azerbaijan will ensure economic specialization, implementation of effective investment policies and flexible regional management. The creation of the new economic zones will provide an impetus for the restoration and development of the liberated territories following the 44 Day War. Therefore, the new division of economic regions can be considered as an important step in creating a unified plan for the development of the liberated territories. It is also important in terms of the reintegration of the liberated territories into the Azerbaijani economy, which requires increasing the efficiency of the work on planning the development of economic regions, ensuring efficiency in economic management, and revising the structure of these economic regions.
There is no doubt that the realization of the economic opportunities in the liberated territories after the restoration will significantly affect the economy of Azerbaijan. Because of the occupation, nearly 7000 establishments in Karabakh were closed, which were providing 24% of the grain revenues, 41% of liqueur production, 46% of the potato growth, 18% of the meat production and 34% of the milk production of the economy of Azerbaijan. The previously occupied lands also possess various rich deposits of mineral resources such as gold, copper, mercury, chromite, and lead-zinc, which were illegally exploited by Armenia during the occupation.
Restoration of these production capacities will substantially contribute to the development of different economic sectors, especially agriculture. According to preliminary estimates, the newly created East Zangezur economic region alone will be able to form about 4% of the Azerbaijani economy in the coming years as it has great opportunities in sectors such as industry, agriculture, livestock, and tourism. Although during the occupation, the regions share of the total GDP of Azerbaijan fell to 0.1%, in the near future it will be possible to produce about $1.76 billion of agricultural and industrial products in the Jabrayil, Kalbajar, Gubadli, Lachin, and Zangilan districts.
Liberated territories also have a substantial renewable, especially hydro energy potential. About 2,56 billion cubic meters of water, or 25% of Azerbaijans local water resources, are formed in Karabakh, which creates opportunities for the establishment of hydro power plants (HPP). During the 44 Days War, Azerbaijan gained control over the 30 HPPs which were operated using the mentioned water resources and destroyed by Armenian occupiers. Many of these power plants have been restored, and restoration work is continuing on others.
Karabakh also has a considerable solar and wind energy potential. According to the preliminary estimates of the International Renewable Energy Agency, the liberated areas have more than 4,000 megawatts of solar and up to 500 megawatts of wind energy potential. The Kalbajar and Lachin regions have large wind energy potential, whereas the Zangilan, Jabrayil, and Fizuli regions are rich with solar energy potential.
For the realization of the economic potential of liberated territories, it is also necessary to have a sustainable transport infrastructure. Therefore, one of the main directions of the restoration program for the liberated territories is the establishment of a comprehensive transport infrastructure. The Fuzuli International Airport, the first airport in Karabakh, has already been built and test flights have been carried out. The runway of this airport spans 3,000 meters in length and 60 meters in width. Foundations for the other two international airports in the Zengilan and Lachin districts of Karabakh were also laid.
Along with airports, Azerbaijan has also commenced work on restoring and expanding the network of local highways and railroads in liberated territories. Some highways have already been put into operation. These roads will enable access to Karabakh from the northern, eastern, and southern directions, transforming it into the transportation hub in the region.
All the mentioned economic capabilities of the liberated territories in agriculture, energy, transport, and other sectors demonstrate that their realization and effective management through the new division of the economic regions will significantly contribute to the economic development of Karabakh and the Azerbaijan economy. Hence, one of the main goals of the restoration of Karabakh is to bring its share in the Azerbaijani economy back to pre-occupation levels. The economic development of the Karabakh and East Zangazur economic regions and their access to the international north-south and east-west transport corridors, as well as the Zangezur corridor, will also transform Karabakh into the economic driver of the entire South Caucasus. As an economic driver, it will become the symbol of regional cooperation instead of the region of the conflict as it was during the Armenian occupation.
North Korea test-fired a newly developed hypersonic missile this week, state news media KCNA reported on Wednesday, joining a race headed by major military powers to deploy the advanced weapons system, Reuters writes. North Korea fired the missile off its east coast towards the sea on Tuesday, South Korea's military said, as Pyongyang called on the United States and South Korea to scrap their "double standards" on weapons programmes to restart diplomatic talks.
North Korea has been steadily developing its weapons systemsamid an impasse over talks aimed at dismantling its nuclear and ballistic missile arsenals in return for U.S. sanctions relief.Unlike ballistic missiles that fly into outer space before returning on steep trajectories, hypersonic weapons fly towards targets at lower altitudes and can achieve more than five times the speed of sound - or about 6,200 km per hour (3,850 mph).
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the North's hypersonic missile was at an early stage of development, judging by detected velocity and other data, and would take a "considerable period of time" until it could be deployed. The development of the weapons system increased North Korea's defence capabilities, KCNA said, describing the hypersonic missile as a "strategic weapon".
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un did not inspect the launch, according to the report. "In the first test-launch, national defence scientists confirmed the navigational control and stability of the missile," the report said. It said the missile, called the Hwasong-8, performed to its technical targets "including the guiding manoeuvrability and the gliding flight characteristics of the detached hypersonic gliding warhead."
Next generation of arms
Hypersonic weapons are considered the next generation of arms that aim to rob adversaries of reaction time and traditional defeat mechanisms. The test could mean the North is entering an accelerating race to deploy the weapon now involving the United States, Russia and China.
The United States on Monday said it had tested an air-breathing hypersonic weapon, marking the first successful test of the class of weapon since 2013. In July, Russia successfully tested a Tsirkon (Zircon) hypersonic cruise missile, a weapon President Vladimir Putin touted as part of a new generation of missile systems without equal in the world.
Chang Young-keun, a missile specialist at the Korea Aerospace University, said the North's test of the hypersonic gliding vehicle (HGV) was likely a failure, given the flight was clocked at Mach 2.5, citing reported assessment by South Korean military intelligence. "The North's HGV technology is not comparable to those of the U.S., Russia or China and for now seems to aim for short-range that can target South Korea or Japan," Chang said.
North Korea last week said it was willing to consider another summit with the South. The denuclearisation negotiations, initiated between former U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim in 2018, have stalled since 2019.
When it comes to elections Germany is still in some respects a divided country. In general, Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) dominated the south and west, while the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) came out strongest in the rest of the country, except for some areas of the former East Germany which are marked by strong support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).
Deutsche Welle reports that almost all of Bavaria is still dominated by the the CDU's Bavarian sister party, the CSU, despite its worst election performance since 1949. The exception is Bavaria's largest city, Munich, where the environmentalist Greens are now the largest party. The southwestern state of Baden-Wurttemberg is a bastion of the CDU, despite the Greens leading that state's government. The Greens, however, won the university cities of Freiburg, Tubingen and Heidelberg with their many young voters. There were also a few pockets of SPD support. Particularly interesting is Germany's most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia which stands as a kind of Germany in miniature. The SPD is strongest in the state's rust belt Ruhr area, while the CDU is strongest in the more rural districts.
In contrast, the eastern German states of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Brandenburg are completely red, indicating that the SPD performed the best in all constituencies. The northern states Schleswig-Holstein and Saxony-Anhalt likewise went strongly red, and to a lesser extent, parts of Lower Saxony. A crucial turning point was the outgoing chancellor's own constituency in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, which went red after the SPD candidate defeated the CDU candidate meant to replace Merkel.
Far-right stronghold in the east
There is now a clear far-right populist belt running through southeastern Germany. The AfD dominates almost all of Saxony as well as the southern part of Thuringia and the southern tip of Saxony-Anhalt. All three states were previously part of the communist German Democratic Republic, more widely referred to as East Germany. In Saxony, the AfD has become by far the strongest party, with almost one in four voters voting for them. There, the formerly dominant CDU slipped behind the SPD and into third place. The AfD also came in first place in Thuringia. Responding to the loss, Brandenburg CDU state chairman Jan Redmann wrote on Twitter that "the CDU must not become a West German party after Angela Merkel." The Greens have their strongholds scattered throughout Germany rather than concentrated in one state or region. All of those areas are major cities or university towns.
Who wins direct mandates where?
When it comes to direct mandates the first vote that allows Germans to vote directly for a candidate in Germany's two-vote system the results generally coincide with the second vote for party lists. A notable outlier was the Left Party, which won three direct mandate seats two in Berlin and one in Leipzig while earning less than just under 5% of the vote nationally, down over 4% from its 2017 national showing. Generally, parties that fail to clear the 5% hurdle do not receive proportional representation seats in German parliament. In this case, because the Left Party won three direct mandates, they will still receive party list seats.
In Germany, high-profile politicians often run both for direct mandates and their parties' lists. Green Party co-leader Robert Habeck won his Flensburg-Schleswig constituency, which was the first his party won in that state. The party's chancellor candidate and co-leader Annalena Baerbock faced off against SPD chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz in Potsdam, with Scholz winning the seat. The CDU lost many direct-mandate seats in eastern states, with 16 seats going to the AfD. The Greens also picked up 16 direct-mandate seats, but they were spread out across Germany.
How older and and younger groups voted
As Germany grays, that trend also shows itself in electoral results. The historic centrist big-tent parties the CDU/CSU and SPD are much more popular among older voters than with younger voters. The CDU/CSU won 38% of the over-70 vote, but just 10% of the under-25 vote. The SPD won 35% of the over-70 vote, and 15% of the under-25 vote. This appeal to older generations works to both parties' advantage, with older voters outnumbering younger voters and having a higher turnout rate. The Greens, FDP and the Left have similar problems. They all perform much better with younger than with older voters. The AfD underperforms in both categories and is mainly supported by middle-aged voters.
Slight gender gap
Do women in Germany vote differently from men? To some extent gender is reflected in party choice. The CDU/CSU and the Left Party are favored roughly equally by men and women. The SPD and the Greens have slightly more support among women than men. The AfD and FDP appeal more to men. The AfD has 4% more support among men than women. The FDP has 3% more support among men than women. This split is only partially reflected in the makeup of the next Bundestag. The Greens have a majority of women representatives, while 87% of the AfD's representatives are men. Although an equal number of women vote for the CDU/CSU, 77% of its representatives are men. While you're here: Every Tuesday, DW editors round up what is happening in German politics and society, with an eye toward understanding this year's elections and beyond. You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter Berlin Briefing, to stay on top of developments as Germany enters the post-Merkel era.
Several agreements were signed between Azerbaijan and Georgia within the meeting of the joint intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation, Azerbaijani Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov wrote on Twitter.
The minister tweeted that an intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in the fields of conformity assessment, standardization and metrology, as well as memorandums of understanding between Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO) and Small and Medium Business Development Agency (SMBDA) and respective agencies of Georgia were signed within a framework of the meeting of joint intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation between the Republic of Azerbaijan and Georgia.
"The implementation of issues arising from these documents will be important in the development of our mutually beneficial relations," the minister tweeted.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has described the talks he had with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Sochi on Wednesday as productive.
"We left Sochi after productive negotiations with my counterpart Putin," Erdogan wrote on his Telegram channel, attaching a photo of himself with the Russian president.
The meeting between Putin and Erdogan lasted almost three hours, no press statement was made afterwards.
Top U.S. general Mark Milley conceded in a stark admission on Wednesday that the United States "lost" the 20-year war in Afghanistan.
"It is clear, it is obvious to all of us, that the war in Afghanistan did not end on the terms we wanted, with the Taliban (the terrorist movement outlawed in Russia) in power in Kabul," General Mark Milley, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the House Armed Services Committee.
"The war was a strategic failure," Milley told a committee hearing about the U.S. troop pullout from Afghanistan and the chaotic evacuation from the capital Kabul.
"It wasn't lost in the last 20 days or even 20 months," Milley said.
"There's a cumulative effect to a series of strategic decisions that go way back," said the general, the top military advisor to President Joe Biden, who ordered an end to the 20-year U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan.
"Whenever you get some phenomenon like a war that is lost - and it has been, in the sense of we accomplished our strategic task of protecting America against Al-Qaeda (the terrorist movement outlawed in Russia), but certainly the end state is a whole lot different than what we wanted," Milley said.
Milley listed a number of factors responsible for the U.S. defeat, AFP reported.
The talks between Presidents of Russia and Turkey Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, held in Sochi the day before, were of great benefit to Moscow and Ankara, Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
"These were very constructive, timely and necessary contacts, very useful for both sides," TASS cited him as saying.
Peskov said that at the talks in Sochi, Putin and Erdogan discussed creation of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant (NPP) and the possibility of building new units,
"They discussed major projects on the joint agenda. First, the schedules for continuing construction and completing the first power unit of Akkuyu. They talked about the possible construction of new units and what needs to be done in general in terms of our cooperation for the emerging sector of the peaceful atom, nuclear energy in Turkey," Peskov said.
"A new, advanced, high-tech economic sector is being created in Turkey, clean in terms of all green transitions. Russia, of course, helps Turkey with this and intends to further expand cooperation," the Kremlin spokesman explained.
Peskov said that the Russian President and his Turkish counterpart discussed the development of the bilateral military and technical cooperation, including the broadening of contacts on Russias S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems.
"They spoke about extending cooperation in the military and technical sphere as well as the maintenance and future cooperation regarding S-400 [air defense systems], and discussed a possibility of manufacturing certain components of the [S-400 system] on the territory of Turkey," Peskov said.
According to Peskov, Putin and Erdogan underscored the necessity to push the remaining terrorists from Syrias Idlib province during their talks in Sochi.
"The sides underscored the necessity to fulfill [the previous agreements] in terms of pushing of terrorist elements from Syrias Idlib, who are still present there, may pose a threat and carry out aggressive offensive actions against the Syrian army," the spokesman said.
"I do not have full details," the spokesman explained. "But this topic was indeed discussed. The sides confirmed their adherence to the previous agreements."
The Russian presidential spokesman added that Moscow has turned its attention to an agreement between Ankara and Kiev on the construction of a facility in Ukraine to service Turkish unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and Turkey is well aware of Russias stance on the danger of using such combat systems in Donbass.
"The Kremlin has certainly took a notice of it," Peskov said at a news briefing in response to deliver a statement on the construction of the training and testing center in the Kiev Region to service Turkish combat drones Bayraktar.
"Our stance is well known that the handover of such systems to Ukraine may result in use of these weapons by the Ukrainian military against their people," he said. "Turkey is well aware of our stance as well."
Federal Security Service has detained in Russias Far Eastern Vladivostok the leader of a neo-Nazi group, who was plotting a terrorist attack, the Public Relations Center of the FSB said on Thursday.
"The FSBs department in Vladivostok prevented the preparation of a terrorist attack. The leader of the regional neo-Nazi group Pravyie Primorya, born in 2000, who was plotting a terrorist attack using an improvised explosive device, has been apprehended," the FSB reported.
The young man intended to commit a terrorist attack "in order to influence the governments decisions regarding migration policy," TASS reported.
FSB officers seized components for synthesizing explosives, instructions for the manufacture and use of an improvised explosive device, four bladed weapons as well as the charter of a right-wing radical group containing calls for violence. "A criminal case has been launched under Part 1 of Articles 30 and 205 of the Russian Criminal Code (preparing a terrorist attack)," the FSB stated.
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was sentenced Thursday for exceeding spending limits during his failed 2012 presidential campaign.
The former conservative president was sentenced to house arrest under electronic surveillance. Sarkozy will appeal the decision his lawyer Thierry Herzog told reporters outside the courtroom. This will suspend the sentence.
A Paris criminal court ruled Thursday morning that the former French president, along with 13 people involved in his campaign, breached French law, which imposes a 22.5 million cap on campaign expenses. His team falsified invoices to hide the real cost of campaign for the 2012 presidential election.
Sarkozy was aware that he had exceeded the cap in March 2012, less than one month before the vote, but he decided to continue spending, judge Caroline Viguier said as she announced the ruling, Le Monde reports. He deliberately spent approximately 16.2 million over the allowed cap.
Sarkozy failed in his re-election bid and the race was won by socialist Francois Hollande, Politico reported.
Earlier this year, public prosecutors asked the court for a six-month sentence, with six more months suspended and a 3,750 fine. The former French president didnt show up in court for the ruling and most of the trial.
Earlier this year, Sarkozy was convicted on corruption charges and sentenced to three years in jail, two of them suspended. He appealed that decision, which put the sentence on hold.
Russia is 6-7 years ahead of its competitors in development of unique nuclear power energy technologies for space, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during a meeting on development of the space industry.
"We have made a significant progress in development of unique space nuclear energy technologies. According to specialists, Russia is 6-7 years ahead of all its competitors, of the entire world," Putin said.
The president noted that this is a good achievement and it must be used by supporting breakthrough scientific research in cosmonautics and by accelerating the practical implementation of promising technological solutions.
"We will discuss the specific steps in this regard today, as well," he said.
According to the president, it is necessary to reinforce the ground infrastructure, in order to develop the orbital space industry and increase the number of launches.
The organization of new negotiations between President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan by the OSCE Minsk Group requires serious preparation, Deputy Foreign Ministry Spokesman Alexei Zaitsev said today, answering the question of Vestnik Kavkaza correspondent Oleg Kusov about the assessment of the Azerbaijani leader's readiness for a personal meeting with Armenian Prime Minister under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group.
"Russia has always proceeded from the fact that regular dialogue, especially at the high level, contributes to achieving mutual understanding and maintaining a constructive atmosphere for solving problematic issues," Alexey Zaitsev said in the first place.
"Thanks to the Russian president's intensive contacts with the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia that it was possible to stop the bloodshed in Karabakh and sign a trilateral statement of November 9, 2020, which laid the foundation for establishing a peaceful life in the region," the deputy official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
"As you understand, the organization of such meetings at the highest level requires serious preparation. We presume that the Minsk Group co-chairs' visit to the region will help create favorable conditions for this," he concluded.
Earlier, the President of Azerbaijan, answering a question about a possible call to Pashinyan, explained in an interview with France 24 TV that usually all summit meetings were held within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group, so that he never had a telephone conversation with any leader of Armenia.
"Probably, its not the right way to do it. But if the Minsk Group co-chairs suggest such a meeting, of course we will not be against it," the head of state emphasized.
Chairman of the Azerbaijani Parliament Sahiba Gafarova, who is in Kazakhstan on an official visit, met with the country's president, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, according to the Department of Public Relations and the press service of the Parliament.
President Tokayev welcomed Sahiba Gafarova and expressed satisfaction with the high level of bilateral relations and congratulated Azerbaijan on the victory in the second Karabakh war, noting the significant development of historical ties after the two states gained independence.
The relations developed by the Great Leader Heydar Aliyev and the First President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev are now successfully continued by the Heads of the two States, Tokayev said.
He asked to convey his greetings to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
Sahiba Gafarova expressed gratitude for the greetings to President Ilham Aliyev and said that relations between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan have reached a completely new level after the two states became independent.
Next year will mark the thirtieth anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, she added.
Bilateral relations are moving upward in the parliamentary dimension, and friendship groups operate in the legislative bodies of both countries, Gafarova said.
Azerbaijani and Kazakh MPs exchange visits and hold regular meetings under the influential international parliamentary organizations. This contributes to the development of bilateral relations, Gafarova noted, emphasizing the importance of cooperation within the TURKPA.
Other issues of mutual interest were also discussed at the meeting.
Electricity consumption has dropped sharply because of Covid-19. As a result, power plants have had to cut generation capacity.
Nguyen Van Quyen, a farmer in Gia Lai, last year decided to install a rooftop solar power system. The electricity generated by the system was used for farming and sold to the Electricity of Vietnam (EVN). He saved VND50 million a month thanks to the system.
Everything had been going smoothly until the Covid-19 pandemic broke out in southern provinces and led to an electricity excess.
We had to cut capacity by 50 percent in September and we have been informed that 70-73 percent of capacity will be cut the next month. The figure will be even higher, 75 percent, in November and December, he said.
Previously, I could collect VND240-250 million from electricity sale. But now I pocket VND80-90 million only. I wish to cut only 20 percent of capacity, he said.
Some days ago, Ninh Thuan sent a dispatch to Ministry of Investment and Trade (MOIT), requesting the ministry to instruct relevant units to prioritize using the electricity of the project in order to help the investor cover production costs.
The investor is bearing transmission costs for the 500KV Thuan Nam transformer station. The group invested in the 500KV and 200KV transmission lines, but saw the capacity cut, up by 80 percent sometimes.
The electricity excess has also affected gas-fired power plants. Ten days ago, the Ca Mau Peoples Committee asked MOIT to instruct EVN to increase the mobilization of electricity from Ca Mau 1&2.
In the first eight months of 2021, the gas supply capacity was 1.01 billion cubic meters, equal to the electricity output of 4.95 billion kwh. Meanwhile, only 3.49 billion kwh was used, or only 0.71 billion cubic meters of gas was consumed.
As a result, the indexes of the industry and construction sector in the province in H1 fell by 5.54 percent and the provinces GRDP was equal to 45.82 percent of the plan only.
However, analysts pointed out that capacity cutting is unavoidable.
The electricity consumption in HCM City in September and southern provinces is predicted to fall by 20 percent, while the 15 percent decrease has been predicted for the central region.
In the first half of September, the peak capacity in the entire country was 29,700MW and the output of the entire electricity system was 624.3 million kwh per day, which means that the electricity consumption was 24 percent lower than before social distancing, and 15 percent lower than the same period last year.
The total designed capacity of all electricity sources is 73,200MW, but the mobilized capacity is 28,200MW only in off-peak hours and 32,400MW in rush hours.
Luong Bang
Jan-Aug period sees 24 wind power plants commissioned Twenty-four wind power plants with a combined capacity of 963 MW began commercial operations in the year to August, according to the Vietnam Electricity Group (EVN).
More than 85,500 businesses, mostly small and medium enterprises (SMEs), have suspended operations or were dissolved in the first eight months of the year because of Covid-19, according to the General Statistics Office.
A survey by the Private Economic Development Research Board (Board IV) in August found that 69 percent of 21,517 polled enterprises and business households, or 14,890, had to suspend operation because of the pandemic. Most of them are small and micro enterprises.
Prior to that, the Hanoi SME Association, when surveying 1,500 member companies, found that 57 percent of them were operating at a moderate level, 2.61 percent had suspended operation or were following procedures for dissolution. Only 1.41 percent of businesses reported good operation during the pandemic.
To Hoai Nam, Deputy Chair of the Vietnam SME Association, said the revenue of many SMEs dropped by more than 50 percent during the fourth wave.
Capital is linked to the lifeblood of enterprises. Most SMEs are suffering from capital shortage, or anaemia. More than 40 percent of businesses said they only have money to maintain production for less than one month in the Board IVs survey.
Business households are the most vulnerable with 45 percent of them having enough money to maintain business for less than one month. The figure was 39.5 percent for limited and joint stock companies.
According to finance experts, 10,000 businesses suspended operation or were dissolved each month in the first eight months. They estimated that if the outbreak can be controlled by the end of the year, the figure may reach 100,000 or 150,000.
While SMEs are in dire need of financial sources to maintain and resume operation, its very difficult for them to access bank loans.
Commercial banks blame this on the lack of transparency of SMEs finance reports. Meanwhile, businesses dont have assets to mortgage for loans, which means high risks for banks when providing loans.
IFC and World Bank, in their report assessing the private sector in Vietnam, said the private sector plays an important role in Vietnams development, and the country needs to support a dynamic, diverse and innovative private sector for the post-Covid period.
The Government Resolution 105 dated September 9 on supporting businesses, cooperatives and business households during Covid-19 mentions prompt support in both administrative institutions and credit-finance to help them resume operation.
There should be a specific mechanism to support enterprises. First, they need preferential loans for 2-5 years, VND100 trillion for HCM City and VND300 trillion for the whole country.
If each client could borrow VND5 billion, the VND100 trillion worth of capital would help 20,000 businesses overcome their difficulties.
Tran Thuy
Businesses need to be given more autonomy in new normal A survey conducted by Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) in September of nearly 3,000 businesses found that 93.9 percent have been affected by the pandemic at a completely negative or mostly negative level.
A rapid testing kit sourced from China is being sold at three different price levels.
As of August 23, 2021, the Department of Medical Equipment and Construction under the Ministry of Health (MOH) had seven times updated the list of biological products/medical equipment for SARS-CoV-2 in vitro diagnostics and testing which have been granted registration codes and licensed for import.
The list has information about the supply capability and selling prices announced by suppliers.
The updates show a downward trend in rapid test kit prices.
The selling price of South Korean Humasis Covid-19 Ag Test quoted by Humasis Vina on July 13 was VND198,000 per test, while it fell to VND128,000 on August 23. The company imported the products in accordance with the Import License No 5045 dated June 23.
The selling prices of South Korean Standard Q Covid-19 Ag Test offered by Duc Minh Medicine JSC dropped from VND198,000 on July 13 to VND178,080 on August 23. The company imported products in accordance with the Import License No 4304 dated May 26.
Chinese Flowflex SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Rapid Test quoted by A Chau JSC was VND109,200 on July 28 and VND79,800 on August 23.
Meanwhile, Diep Hung Phat Trade and Service sold Covid-19 (SARS-CoV-2) Antigen Test Kit (Colloidal Gold) made in China at VND185,000 on July 28 and VND168,000 on August 23.
Analysts noted big differences in the selling prices of rapid test kits quoted by different import companies.
With the same Import License No 5787 dated July 20 and the Flowflex SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Rapid Test (China), A Chau JSC announced the selling price of VND109,200 on July 28, while My Solutions offered it at VND185,000. Later, the company lowered the selling price to VND109,200 on August 23.
After that, A Chau once again obtained the Import License No 5895 dated July 22. At that moment, the price of the same product dropped to VND79,800 only (the price announced on August 23).
As such, for the same test kit product sourced from China, there were three different reference price levels released within one month.
On August 23, the highest price level announced for one import test kit was VND4,452,000 per box of 25 tests, or VND178,080 per test (sourced from South Korea). Meanwhile, the lowest price was VND79,800 (China), which meant a price gap of VND100,000 per test.
A Chau JSC is the company with the best supply capability in the market which can supply 60 million tests a month. Duc Minh Medicine, the smallest supplier, can provide 1 million tests a month.
With the price decrease of VND20,000 per test, the revenue of Duc Minh will decrease by VND20 billion. The price adjustment will also affect the revenue of other companies, especially big suppliers.
On July 2, the department announced that there were only two rapid test kit importers. Meanwhile, the figure had risen to eight by August 23, including six in the north and two in the south.
The number of test kit importers increases proportionally with the increase in infection cases.
On July 2, there were 419 cases reported in HCM City. On August 23, the figure was 4,251. The figures were 13 and 3,183, respectively, in Binh Duong province.
Regarding the testing cost, a representative of a foreign invested enterprise in HCM City, which is following three on-the-site production with 500 workers, said each worker needs to test once a week at a cost of VND260,000 at minimum. As such, the enterprise has to pay VND520 million a month on testing alone. He called on state management agencies to control the testing fees.
Pham Van Viet, Deputy Chair of the HCM City Association of Garment Textile Embroidery-Knitting, thinks the State needs to intervene in the market to stabilize prices to prevent enterprises from seeking illegitimate profits during the pandemic.
Dang Hong Anh, Chair of the Vietnam Young Entrepreneur Association, said at the conference between the Prime Minister and local business communities on September 26 that Ministry of Health and local authorities should negotiate directly with manufacturers to buy test kits in large quantity of up to 100 million kits at the original price of $1.5, or VND34,500. This would save trillions of dong.
Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan said MOH doesnt purchase rapid antigen test kits. Instead, companies and localities make the procurement and bidding in accordance with current laws.
As far as I know, the tests used are mostly sponsored ones. HCM City, for example, has received 10 million sponsored tests, he said.
MOH now controls the testing service fee, but doesnt control the test. The selling prices of medical equipment are determined by market supply and demand.
Tran Chung
Germany offers 180,000 COVID-19 test kits to Vietnam A Vietnam Airlines flight carrying 180,000 rapid COVID-19 test kits worth 615,000 EUR (730,290 USD) donated by Germany to Vietnam left Frankfurt airport on September 3
The HCM City draft document guiding how to adapt to the new normal and control the Covid-19 outbreak notes at least 80 percent of people aged 50 and over should be fully vaccinated.
The indicator is very important to reduce the mortality rate and help the healthcare system avoid overloading if another outbreak occurs.
Reports show that the mortality rate is highest among people aged 50 and over, accounting for 81 percent of total deaths from Covid-19.
However, with the current pandemic developments and the vaccination situation in HCM City, which is striving to gradually reopen the economy from October 1, this is a goal that is difficult to reach.
At a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam and the Governments special taskforce on September 27, HCM City Mayor Phan Van Mai admitted it would be difficult to follow the guidance.
The city wants to replace "at least 80 percent of people 50 and over have been fully vaccinated" with "at least 80 percent of people aged 65 and over, or 50 percent of people aged 50 and over, have been fully vaccinated".
According to HCM City Center for Disease Control (HCDC), as of September 25, 1,107,266 people aged 65 and over and people with underlying health conditions have been vaccinated at least once.
The total vaccine injections in the city were 9,441,815 as of September 25.
According to eight business associations that have sent petitions to the Government, with the requirement "at least 80 percent of people aged over 50 have been fully vaccinated", HCM City would still be classified at the fourth level of pandemic for another 2-3 months. If so, this will seriously affect the citys economic development.
Associations have proposed that fully vaccinated people should be allowed to go to work. It would be better to refer to the number of hospital beds and the ICU bed occupancy rate when developing pandemic control measures, they said.
HCM City cannot wait two or three more months, HCM City Party Committee Secretary Nguyen Van Nen said.
Nguyen Thu Anh from the Woolcock Vietnam Institute of Medical Research (University of Sydney, Australia) said fully vaccinating people at high risk in HCM City will mitigate the risks in reopening.
She estimates that HCM City will need an additional 1 million doses to fully vaccinate 80 percent of people aged 50 and over.
This goal could be reached within a short time when the city receives more vaccines, provided that vulnerable people are given priority for vaccinations.
Truong Minh Huy Vu from HCM City National University agrees that the city needs to speed up the vaccination of people aged 50 and over in city districts.
I believe that its necessary to prioritize vaccinating people aged 50 and above in localities which play a very important socio-economic role and social distancing should not be extended, Anh said.
According to Anh, neighboring provinces, including Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Long An, Ba Ria Vung Tau and Tay Ninh, also need more vaccines.
Its estimated that the entire region, which makes up 45 percent of the countrys GDP, will need about 4.3 million doses more.
As for the remaining regions, the Mekong Delta needs 6.3 million doses to ensure full vaccination for 80 percent of people aged 50 and above while the northern key economic zone would need 4.5 million doses.
As such, the target will be met to "reopen the regions which make up three quarters of GDP of the country, Anh said.
Vu thinks HCM City can open its doors and exchange goods with the three provinces of Dong Nai, Long An and Binh Duong thanks to a reasonable first-shot coverage.
As for Tay Ninh and Ba Ria Vung Tau, its still necessary to consider requirements, because the vaccination rates are still low among people 50 and over
According to Vu, reports on pandemic developments, vaccinations and healthcare capability show that HCM City and most neighboring provinces will be able to control the outbreak in September.
Nevertheless, vaccination is just one element of the new normal. Many other provinces dont have vaccines. How will they implement the new regulation once the draft is approved?
Anh said that people play the decisive role in the fight against the pandemic.
When living together with coronavirus, people have to restrict traveling and gathering in crowds, and observe the 5K (in Vietnamese: Khau trang facemask, Khu khuan disinfection, Khoang cach distance, Khong tu tap - no gathering, Khai bao y te - health declaration) principle, she said.
Tu Giang
HCM City drafts plan to regulate traffic for October 1 reopening The HCM City Department of Transport has drafted travel regulations starting from October 1 that specify where vehicles can ply based on COVID-19 levels.
According to the Information Security Agency of the Ministry of Information and Communications, the number of cyber-attacks on Vietnam decreased in the first half of 2021, but the level of sophistication and damage was much greater.
Hoang Minh Tien, Deputy Director of the Information Security Agency, told a symposium held on September 29 that many serious information insecurity events occurred in the world and Vietnam was no exception. Attacks exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities aimed at controlling, APT attacks or creating large-scale Botnets, providing on-demand attack services, denial of service attacks...
Citing data in the first six months of this year, Tien said that although cyberattacks on Vietnam have decreased by 244 compared to 2019, the level of sophistication and damage was much greater.
The fact shows that no organization can guarantee 100% security of information systems, and the information security experts and officers of a single organization cannot handle all issues from ensuring safety to response to unsafe incidents or cyber-attacks.
Based on the model of computer security incident response team, or CSIRT, Vietnam has developed its own model, the National Network for Incident Response, to ensure security for the national network, and established the emergency response team to respond to national serious incidents, Tien said.
Nguyen Trong Thai, Head of the Information Security Department of the High Command 86, Ministry of National Defense, said that cyberattacks often occur on a large scale, causing heavy losses. Therefore, Vietnam should research them and practice to be ready to respond to future attacks.
Vietnam recorded 2,915 cyber attacks in the first six months of 2021, an increase of 898 compared with the same period last year.
On May 26, Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung issued Directive No 22/CT-BTTT on strengthening the prevention and combat of violations and crimes on the Internet
The Minister also requested the sector to continue to effectively implement the Prime Ministers Directive No 14/CT-TTg issued on June 7, 2019 on enhancing safety measures on cybersecurity which aims to improve Vietnam's rankings.
Vietnam jumped 25 places in two years to rank 25th out of 194 countries and territories worldwide in the Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) in 2020, according to a report released recently by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).
According to the report, Vietnam ranked seventh in the Asia-Pacific region and fourth among ASEAN countries.
The country posted a score of 94.59 with improved scores in all five reviewed pillars. The countrys efforts to build long-term development projects in personnel for cybersecurity were recognised, along with achievements in the creating of an ecosystem for safe Made in Vietnam products and cybersecurity.
Vietnam surpassed Thailand to clinch the fourth spot in ASEAN after Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.
The leading countries in the Asia-Pacific region are the Republic of Korea and Japan both with 98.52 points.
Van Anh
Vietnam reports over 3,900 cyberattacks in seven months Vietnam recorded more than 3,900 cyberattacks in the first seven months of 2021, according to the Authority of Information Security (AIS) under the Ministry of Information and Communications.
San Diego, CA Ed Bolen; President and CEO of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA); the Commemorative Air Force, which has the worlds definitive and largest collection of Warbirds; Eileen Collins, the amazing first female commander of the Space Shuttle and the first person to fly the Shuttle to two different space stations; Charlie Duke, Apollo 16 Moonwalker the youngest and tenth man to walk on the Moon and CAPCOM for the historic Apollo 11 Moon landing; FEDEX Air, the worlds largest full-service, all-cargo airline and serves every ZIP code in the U.S. and more than 220 countries and territories, with Founder and CEO Fred Smith present and accepting; Bryan Moss, President Emeritus of Gulfstream Aerospace, and former President and Executive Vice President of the Aerospace Group General Dynamics Corporation; Dee OHara, the official nurse to the Mercury Seven astronauts and an astronaut nurse during Americas groundbreaking Gemini, Apollo and Skylab programs; and Ross Perot, Jr., American businessman who became the first pilot to circumnavigate the globe in a helicopter at the age of 23; to be inducted at this years International Air & Space Hall of Fame Celebration, the San Diego Air & Space Museum announced on Tuesday.
The San Diego Air & Space Museum will celebrate the honorees on Saturday, November 20, 2021, in the Edwin D. McKellar Pavilion of Flight. Guests from around the world are assembling for a spectacular evening of fun and extraordinary recognition, as each guest is treated to a behind-the-scenes look into the lives of these true air and space legends. Since 1963, the International Air & Space Hall of Fame has honored the worlds most significant pilots, crew members, visionaries, inventors, aerospace engineers, business leaders, preservationists, designers, and space explorers.
Were exceptionally pleased to honor this exemplary Class of 2021 because these men and women are amongst the most talented figures in the history of air and space, said Jim Kidrick, President & CEO of the San Diego Air & Space Museum. Achievements in aviation and space, as embodied by the honorees in the prestigious International Air & Space Hall of Fame, directly represents the human pioneering and exploring spirit. This is a cant miss the event and something every guest will remember for the rest of their lives! Guests come from all over the globe just to be in the room with the Honorees and join in this momentous celebration.
The International Air & Space Hall of Fame Class of 2021:
Ed Bolen
Ed Bolen is the President and CEO of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) in Washington, DC., and a member of the Board of Directors of the National Aeronautic Association. Prior to joining NBAA, Bolen was President and CEO of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA). Bolen has also served as a member and chairperson of the Management Advisory Council (MAC) to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and a member of the Commission on the Future of the U.S. Aerospace Industry.
Commemorative Air Force (CAF)
The Commemorative Air Force (CAF), is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and has over 13,000 members in all 50 states and 28 foreign countries. It is the worlds largest flying museum with the ambitious goal to acquire, restore, and conserve combat aircraft in honor of American military aviation. The more than 240 aircraft currently in its fleet known as the CAF Ghost Squadron fly in air shows and events around the country with the purpose of educating the public about the men and women who have flown and fought for Americas freedom.
Eileen Collins
Eileen Collins is the first female commander of the Space Shuttle and the first person to fly the Shuttle to two different space stations. In total, she had logged over 6,750 hours of flight time in 30 different types of aircraft and spent over 38 days in space. Collins retired from the Air Force in 2005 as a Colonel and from NASA in 2006. She has been a strong advocate for women in the aerospace industry and has received numerous awards and honors, such as the Distinguished Flying Cross, NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, and the National Space Trophy.
Charlie Duke
On April 16, 1972, Astronaut and Apollo 16 Lunar Module Pilot Charlie Duke became the tenth and youngest human being to walk on the surface of the Moon. Apollo 16 was NASAs second scientific expedition of the Moon, during which time Duke logged 20.25 hours in extra-vehicular activities (EVA) and collected some 213 pounds of soil and geological samples. He took the only videos of the lunar rover in action as it skidded across the surface. Duke is also known for his crucial role as CAPCOM the Capsule Communicator during the hair-raising Moon landing of Apollo 11.
FedEx Air and Founder and CEO Fred Smith
Federal Express started in April 1973 with 389 team members and 14 small aircraft, becoming one of the first major shipping companies to offer overnight delivery as a flagship service. Today, FedEx Air is the worlds largest full-service, all-cargo airline and serves every ZIP code in the U.S. and more than 220 countries and territories. Their global network provides time-sensitive, air-ground express service through 650 airports worldwide. Founder and CEO Fred W. Smith will be present and accept for FedE Air.
Bryan Moss
Bryan Moss is the Vice Chairman of the Board at Jet Support Services and President Emeritus of Gulfstream Aerospace, following a four-year appointment as President and Executive Vice President of the Aerospace Group General Dynamics Corporation. He is also the former President of the Business Aircraft Division of Bombardier Aerospace Group. In 2007, Moss was awarded the National Business Aviation Associations Meritorious Service Aware, which is the associations highest award for service and contributions to the business aviation industry.
Dee OHara
In 1959, Dee OHara became the first aerospace nurse assigned to NASAs first seven astronauts, the Mercury Seven. Since then, OHara participated in every launch in the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs, allowing her to establish the foundations for the field of Space Nursing. After Skylab, she was invited to participate in the Apollo-Soyuz Test Program (ASTP) and the first shuttle flight in 1981. In 1974, OHara moved to the Ames Research Center where she managed the Human Research Facility until her retirement in 1997.
Ross Perot, Jr.
Ross Perot, Jr. is an American businessman best known in aviation circles for making the first circumnavigation of the world in a helicopter at the age of 23. He served as a pilot in the United States Air Force for over 8 years and was appointed chairman of the Air Force Memorial Foundation where he led a 14-year effort to build the United States Air Force Memorial in Washington, DC. In 1988, he developed the Fort Worth Alliance Airport, the countrys first industrial airport. Perot is one of the founders of Perot Systems Corporation and has served the company in various capacities including as CEO, Chairman of the Board, and a member of its Board of Directors.
The International Air & Space Hall of Fame is the most prestigious induction of its kind in the world and is composed of hundreds of air and space pioneers, engineers, inventors, and innovators, along with adventurers, scientists, and industry leaders. NASA Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo astronauts, and Russian cosmonauts are honored in the Hall, as well as famous legends such as the Wright Brothers, Charles Lindbergh, Neil Armstrong, and Amelia Earhart. Notable inductees also include Buzz Aldrin, Chuck Yeager, Igor Sikorsky, Wernher von Braun, Jack Northrop, Jackie Cochran, William Boeing, Sr., Reuben H. Fleet, Glenn Curtiss, Walter Zable Sr., Fran Bera, Wally Schirra, Bill Anders, Jim Lovell, T. Claude Ryan, Jimmy Doolittle, Bob Hoover, Ellen Ochoa, Peggy Whitson, Linden Blue, Jeff Bezos, Patty Wagstaff, and many more. See the following link: www.sandiegoairandspace.org
Proceeds from the prestigious International Air & Space Hall of Fame celebration benefit the Museums youth education programs. Inspiring kids to undertake tough science and engineering challenges is a critical first step for our future, Kidrick said. We must also give them the resources and impetus they need to pursue science education degrees.
More than 600 national and international business, aviation and space leaders are anticipated to attend the 2021 International Air & Space Hall of Fame Celebration, including prominent representatives and Hall of Fame members from prior years. Tickets are available on the Museums website at www.sandiegoairandspace.org
About The San Diego Air & Space Museum
The San Diego Air & Space Museum is Californias official air and space museum and education center. The Museum is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution and it was the first aero-themed Museum to be accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. The Museum is located at 2001 Pan American Plaza, Balboa Park, San Diego, CA 92101. The Museum and gift store are open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with admissions until 4:30 p.m. Closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
by Bryan R. Swopes of This Day in Aviation
On September 29, 1954, at Edwards Air Force Base in the high desert of southern California, McDonnell Aircraft Corporation test pilot Robert C. Little made the first flight of the first F-101A-1-MC Voodoo, 53-2418. During this flight, the new interceptor reached 0.9 Mach at 35,000 feet (10,668 meters).
The F-101A was a development of the earlier McDonnell XF-88 Voodoo and all were production aircraft. There were no prototypes. Robert C. Little flew P-51 Mustang fighters during World War II. He joined McDonnell Aircraft Corporation as a test pilot in 1948. He flew the FH Phantom and made the first flights of the F3H Demon, the F-101A Voodoo, and the F-101B. He was next assigned as McDonnells chief test pilot and base manager at Edwards Air Force Base. He made the first flight of the YF4H-1 Phantom II and conducted the early company tests of the airplane, then became the F4H program manager.
Outside the cockpit, Little rose through the companys ranks and after the merger with Douglas, became a corporate vice president, overseeing the operations of McDonnell-Douglas at St. Louis and McDonnell-Douglas Helicopters at Mesa, Arizona.
The McDonnell F-101A Voodoo was a single-seat twin-engine supersonic interceptor. It was 67 feet, 5 inches (20.549 meters) long with a wingspan of 39 feet, 8 inches (12.090 meters), and an overall height of 18 feet (5.486 meters). The total wing area was 368 square feet (34.19 square meters). The wings sweep was 36 36 at 25% chord. The angle of incidence was 1. There was no twist or dihedral. The F-101A weighed 24,970 pounds (11,326 kilograms) empty and had a maximum takeoff weight of 49,998 pounds (22,679 kilograms).
Power was supplied by two Pratt & Whitney J57-P-13 axial-flow turbojet engines. The J57 was a two-spool axial-flow turbojet that had a 16-stage compressor (9 low- and 7 high-pressure stages), and a 3-stage turbine (1 high- and 2 low-pressure stages). The J57-P-13 maximum continuous power rating of 8,700 pounds of thrust (38.70 kilonewtons); military power, 10,200 pounds (45.37 kilonewtons) (30-minute limit); and 15,000 pounds (66.72 kilonewtons) with afterburner (5-minute limit). The -P-13 was 3 feet, 4.3 inches (1.024 meters) in diameter, 17 feet, 7.0 inches (5.359 meters) long, and weighed 5,025 pounds (2,279 kilograms).
The F-101A had a maximum speed of 866 knots (997 miles per hour/1,604 kilometers per hour) at 35,000 feet (10,668 meters). Its service ceiling was 45,800 feet (13,960 meters). The airplanes combat radius was 1,011 nautical miles (1,163 statute miles/1,872 kilometers). The maximum ferry range was 2,541 nautical miles (2,924 statute miles/4,706 kilometers).
The Voodoo was armed with four 20mm M39 autocannons with 200 rounds of ammunition per gun. It could carry a single Mark 7, Mark 28 or Mark 43 tactical nuclear bomb. Of 807 F-101 Voodoos built, 77 were F-101As.
F-101A 53-2418 was transferred to General Electric for testing the J79 afterburning turbojet engine which would later power the McDonnell F-4 Phantom II. In this configuration it was designated NF-101A. General Electric returned the Voodoo to the Air Force in 1959. By that time obsolete, it was used as a maintenance trainer at Shepard Air Force Base, Texas.
53-2418 was next turned over to a civilian aviation maintenance school and assigned a civil registration number by the Federal Aviation Administration, N9250Z. The airplane was sold as scrap but was purchased by Mr. Dennis Kelsey. In 2009, Mrs. Kelsey had the airplane placed in the care of the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum, McMinnville, Oregon. After being partially restored by Evergreen Air Center, Marana, Arizona, 53-2418 was placed on display at the Evergreen Museum.
For more aviation anniversaries please visit www.thisdayinaviation.com
As regular readers will know, we have been following the airworthy rebuild of combat-veteran Vought F4U-1D Corsair BuNo.82460 at Mareeba, near the city of Cairns in northern Queensland, Australia for some years now. Following news of further engine runs earlier this month, we reached out to the aircrafts owner, Mike Spaulding, for a progress report on the aircrafts status. We got some pretty exciting news, too!
Mike Spaulding: We are doing fine here and our Corsair is finished. Our test pilot is interstate, which is currently locked down so as you can see in one of the attached pictures our Corsair is parked in our hangar awaiting its first flight since the war. We have started our next project which is a Texan T-6D, which we are anticipating to be a little easier and quicker!
So this means that the restoration work is complete and that the aircraft is clear to make her first test flight. The only difficulty is that the proposed pilot for the first flight lives outside of Queensland, and presently, interstate travel is effectively impossible until the lockdown lifts. According to the latest news, that should be sometime in mid-October, so hopefully soon after, we shall get to see this remarkable aircraft back in the air again!
Many thanks to Mike Spaulding for the update and images, with additional images most gratefully received from Jonathan Williams (via Phil Buckley). Many thanks to Phil as usual! For details on the aircrafts history, please see our earlier articles HERE.
4
2021
If you're not up for the whole production of doing a turkey at home, you can still stay local without settling for Chinese takeout (not that we don't love boxed noodles delivered to our door).
Enjoy a proper Thanksgiving feast with all the fixingsplus a few decadent surprisesat these restaurants from San Francisco to Berkeley to St. Helena.
Park Tavern Park Tavern San Francisco on Instagram: workin it by @swinging_dick_of_advertising @annaweinbergmarlowe This Washington Square Park favorite is pulling out the stops for a cozy, holiday meal out. Enjoy fall dishes like spiced pumpkin soup, stuffing, wild mushroom raviolo, herb-roasted turkey breast, caramelized onion and mushroom stuffing, cranberry sauce, and more. Wine pairings will be sourced from wineries hurt by Sonoma's Kincade Fire. // $95/adults, $35/kids; seatings (11:45am to 8pm) by reservations at Tock; 1652 Stockton St. (North Beach), parktavernsf.com.
Big 4 Huntington Hotel on Instagram: Classics aren't born, they're made. Time-honored dishes and drinks are what make @TheBig4Restaurant a San Francisco legend. If it's classic vibes you seek, slink into a booth and enjoy some live piano music at Big 4. Thanksgiving Day dishes will include roasted butternut squash soup, turkey with cornbread and fall herb stuffing, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin and pecan pie. // $165 per person; seatings (5:30pm to 10pm) can be reserved by calling 415.771.1140; 1075 California St. (Nob Hill), huntingtonhotel.com.
Berkeley Boathouse The Berkeley Boathouse on Instagram: We'll never not brag about the view from our brand new patio. Come stop by for the full view of Berkeley Marina! . . . #berkeleyboathouse For East Bay friendsgivings, Berkley Boathouse is a lovely spot to celebrate with marina views. Four courses will include butternut squash soup; apple, pecan, and cranberry salad; and turkey or honey ham with sides. Save room for a spread of pies (pumpkin, apple, and pecan), cakes, tortes, French pastries, and chocolate mousse. // $40-$45/adults, $16-$20/kids; reservations for seatings (noon to 4pm) can be made online or by calling 510.665.7171; 200 Marina Blvd. (Berkeley), berkeleyboathouse.com.
Americano Hotel Vitale on Instagram: Gather, enjoy, and & drink, all at Americano Restaurant & Bar. This sleek spot on Embarcadero will be serving an impressive three-course prix fixe Thanksgiving menu that starts with options like last year's warm butternut squash panzenella and follows with mains that include prime rib with gorgonzola bread pudding or heritage turkey with sausage stuffing, glazed carrots and gravy. Finish with your choice of delectable desserts, like the apple fritters or pumpkin pie tartlets, and then walk it off with a stroll along the Embarcadero. // $70/person; seatings (2pm and 7pm) available by reservation at OpenTable.com; Hotel Vitale, 8 Mission St. (Embarcadero), americanorestaurant.com.
Scala's Bistro Scalas Bistro Restaurant on Instagram: Happy Sunday San Francisco . . . . . #scalasbistro #unionsquaresf #foodiessf #italianfood #brunchinsf #lunch #dinner #toprestaurantssf Hop off the cable car at Powell Street and into newly updated Scala's Bistro for a holiday menu inspired by French and Italian flavors. The three-course menu includes options like butternut squash soup with creme fraiche, roasted polenta with wild mushroom ragu, and cranberry and pear tart Tatin, but doesn't miss staples like turkey breast and confit leg and thigh and pumpkin cheesecake. // $75/adult, $40/child, 11:30 am to 3 pm; 432 Powell St. (Union Square), scalasbistro.com.
Fog Harbor Fish House Fog Harbor Fish House on Instagram: Discover why Fog Harbor Fish House ranked Top 5 most popular restaurants by @yelp @oinker.eats Waterfront favorite Fog Harbor Fish House will be open for business this Thanksgiving, offering a traditional holiday dinner (think turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, stuffing, and gravy) alongside its seafood-based regular menu. Don't miss the pumpkin bread pudding or the sweeping views of the Bay and Golden Gate Bridge from the prime location on Pier 39. // 11am to 10pm at Pier 39, fogharbor.com.
Michael Mina Michael Mina on Instagram: A beautiful fall dish by Chef @r_dixit at @michaelminasf... Sunchoke Pancakes and 000 Platinum Osetra Caviar If anyone can outdo a home-cooked Thanksgiving, it's Michael Mina. At the chef's signature restaurant downtown, a three-course gourmet dinner will feature unexpected offerings such as white truffle tagliatelle with parmesan foam, Maine lobster with saffron acquerello rice, and Schmitz Ranch prime ribeye with king trumpet mushroom, parsnip-potato pave and red wine jus. Also expect shareable sides of classic Thanksgiving favorites, indulgent desserts, and an optional wine pairing. // $179/person, $135 beverage pairing; 252 California St. (FiDi), michaelmina.net, reservations on opentable.com.
Lake Chalet Lake Chalet on Instagram: Looking for a place to have your holiday event? Email us through our website and we can help! #lakechalet #lakeevents #holidayparty Views of Lake Merritt pair with a three-course prix-fixe menu. Dishes include classic roasted turkey, pan-roasted king salmon, slow-roasted lamb shank, and fresh egg pasta, bookended by autumn-inspired starters and desserts. For an all-out extravaganza, opt for the buffet with carving stations for pork, turkey, and prime rib, a chilled seafood bar, and an array of sides, salads, and desserts. Thanksgiving specials also available at SF sister restaurants, Park Chalet and Beach Chalet. // $65/adult and $29/child for prix fixe, $79/person for buffet; seatings from 1 am to 9:45 pm; 1520 Lakeside Drive (Oakland), thelakechalet.com.
Left Bank Brasserie Left Bank Brasserie on Instagram: Do something fun and French for your holiday party this year. Our experienced events team will take care of all the details. Along with its other locations in the Bay, Left Bank Brasserie in Larkspur will be serving prix-fixe and a la carte Thanksgiving menus. Expect gussied-up French versions of your holiday favorites like butternut squash soup topped with creme fraiche and roasted pumpkin seeds, smoked honey-mustard-glazed pork, and autumn mushroom risotto imbued with Brussels sprouts, truffle oil, and parmesan. Don't worrythey didn't skip the pumpkin pie. // $59/adult, $12/child, noon to 8pm; 507 Magnolia Ave. (Larkspur), leftbank.com.
The Girl & The Fig Experience Sonoma Valley on Instagram: Date night? The Duck Confit at the girl & the fig is always a great choice. Dont have a reservation tonight? The bar is always first come Foodie favorite The Girl & The Fig will be open and serving Thanksgiving dinner at both its Sonoma restaurant and sister cafe in Glen Ellen. At the Sonoma flagship, the four-course experience ($60/adult, $20/child, $18 wine pairing) includes starters like roasted cauliflower bisque or pear salad; entrees of roast turkey breast, wild mushroom risotto, sauteed flounder, or smoked short ribs; and an array of dessert choices, including a certain chocolate-caramel cream tart. The three-course feast at Glen Ellen's The Fig Cafe features equally impressive plates ($45/adult, $20/child, $15 wine pairing). Reservations by phone encouraged. // Noon to 8 pm at The Girl & The Fig, 110 West Spain St. (Sonoma); 1pm-6pm at The Fig Cafe, 13690 Arnold Dr. (Glen Ellen), thegirlandthefig.com and thefigcafe.com.
What is caregiver discrimination?
Understanding what constitutes caregiver discrimination in the workplace is the first step. Discrimination means that an employer treats a caregiving employee differently than a non-caregiving employee. Showing a preference for non-caregiving employees or making it more difficult for caregiving employees to do their jobs may be discriminatory. Making assumptions about your caregiving duties (like expecting that if you have a spouse, they should be handling the at-home caregiving or that you wont work hard because of your caregiving or age) may also be discriminatory.
Caregiver discrimination lawsuits more than tripled between the early to mid 2000s. This discrimination affects all genders, backgrounds, and ages, but impacts women, older workers, and minorities more than others. Women caregivers drop out of the workplace three times more than males and 2 out of 3 workers over 50 adjust or leave their jobs to provide care. Make no bones about it: most older caregivers do not retire early by choice. In fact, 75 percent of workers who retired early from work because of family caregiving report that they would have stayed on the job if they had access to better support. Minority workers are also penalized more for attending to their caregiving roles. Although companies are rolling out diversity and inclusion initiatives, this has not yet caught up to the negative work impacts minority caregivers face compared to their work counterparts.
Even if these issues dont affect you directly, caregiver discrimination affects society as a whole and we can all take responsibility to minimize and prevent it.
Learn about legal protections and workplace policies. Which legal protections apply to you depend on whether you work for a private or government organization and the laws in your area. There are no explicit federal laws protecting caregivers, although certain caregivers are covered by FMLA and the ADA. Only a few states specifically include family caregivers as a protected class in their laws, but almost two dozen localities have passed family responsibility discrimination protections. Its a work in progress and more states should follow suit. Second, the organization may have procedures that give employees flexibility and accommodation during caregiving stints. Paid family leave is not guaranteed, but around 50 percent of workers do have some access to paid leave and other supportive policies and benefits through their employers.
Discuss and support. Two-thirds of employees surveyed expressed concerns about their manager attitudes and skills relating to their ability to be flexible with a caregiving employee. Talk to your human resources professionals and supervisors about the importance of becoming a caring company. There is sufficient long-term data that show how it benefits companies to help its caregiver employees and that the U.S. economy will benefit by trillions of dollars sheerly by keeping caregivers in their jobs rather than terminating or forcing early retirement. Share this information and ask about your companys plans for the future.
Take an interest in your co-workers' well-being and success. If you see a colleague struggling, reach out and ask how you can help. If it is possible to take a team approach to tasks or assignments, offer to do so. If you feel that other workers are picking up the slack for a caregiving co-worker, collaboratively approach a way to address it. Sometimes, we have to manage up and show our supervisors workarounds for problems. Creation of a respectful workplace culture is in the hands of all who are a part of it. A proactive and empathetic approach will make your workplace better and benefit you personally should caregiving ever become a part of your life.
Document experiences. Whether you observe incidents of discrimination happening to another or experience them yourself, keep good notes of whats happened. Address your concerns with your supervisors and human resources and document your efforts. Follow up with an email reflecting your understanding of the conversations you had. If you feel that you will be retaliated against for raising the issue, remember that if an employee has been the victim of retaliation for discussing incidents of discrimination, then that alone may be the basis of a claim against the employer.
Consult and report. If you feel that the employer has not addressed the issue or you have been terminated or otherwise harmed, you may file a complaint against your employer. Depending on your circumstances and location, the complaint could be with a federal or state agency or both. A state or local anti-discrimination agency or a licensed attorney in your state can help guide you in the process. There will be deadlines for filing complaints and certain steps you need to take before filing a lawsuit, so dont delay if this is an avenue you must pursue.
Looking ahead to the explosive numbers of Americans who will need care by the year 2030, the vast majority of employed people will also be caregiving at home. These gaps in support for our nations caregivers at work highlight where the countrys laws and our cultural attitudes and participation to help ourselves and others will all grow together to create necessary change.
The Caregiver
Carl Koppelman took a long time to find his purpose. He grew up in El Segundo, a beach city in Los Angeles County, the youngest of five. He had a talent for drawing faces, covering his school folders in doodled caricatures of teachers.
As he got older, he partied with friends at the beach and got into trouble for scaling fences to skateboard in empty backyard pools. After graduating from high school in 1981, he stayed on in his childhood home, taking jobs in construction and at an aerospace-industry sheet metal fabrication shop.
The backdrop to Koppelmans teen years was a media landscape filled with news of serial killers, and Koppelman, like many of us, found these stories at once repulsive and fascinating. He can recall seven serial killers who terrorized his part of Californiatheir nicknames, their methods, the types of victims they chose. He absorbed the horrible details of a case that came close to him: A teenage boy he knew was shot and dismembered by a man known as the Trash Bag Killer. Koppelman could not know it then, but his preoccupation with true crime would fuel his direction decades later.
Something else would become part of his purpose. In his mid-20s, at his moms urging, Koppelman started college, pursuing accounting because it seemed like a stable, good-paying profession. Along the way he found he had an aptitude for spreadsheets. He bought a book on Excel and started studying sophisticated tools for parsing data.
Koppelmans mother, Shirley Merrill, had been 40 when he was born, and by the time her youngest was mastering adulthood, Shirley was becoming elderly. A devout Catholic, Shirley was Koppelmans moral compass. Shed worked as a public health nurse, raised five kids and fostered a child. Koppelman didnt absorb her religiosity, but her compassion and humility were lessons he took seriously. Mother and son were close so close that, priced out of the local housing market and concerned for Shirleys well-being, Koppelman chose to stay on in his childhood home. In his 30s, when he was in a serious relationship and talk turned to marriage, he told his girlfriend not to wait for him. Shirley needed him. As the years went by, she needed him more. She developed heart problems and pulmonary disease and started needing a walker to get around.
Part of Koppelmans devotion to his mother came from the knowledge of all shed been through. Abandoned by her father at age 2, raised by a mentally ill mother and by other relatives who stepped in when things got bad, Shirley had been a lonely child. Her marriage to Koppelmans father had also been lonely and unfulfilling, and ended in divorce.
She had gone through so much abandonment in her own life, and I wasnt about to abandon her in old age, he says.
By the late 2000s, Shirley required a wheelchair. By then a senior financial analyst for a large entertainment company in Burbank, Koppelman had been working long hours and commuting two to three hours a day, and he found he couldnt manage the hours and still be home enough to help his mom out of bed and make her meals. So, he told his manager he couldnt continue to work the long hours. As a result, he was fired. Thats how Koppelman became Shirleys round-the-clock caregiver. Nearing 50, he was already one of the nearly 42 million Americans who look after aging loved ones. Now, with the loss of his job, he joined the many caregivers whose unpaid second job at home affects their careers. Working caregivers often feel squeezed by competing demands; lack of workplace flexibility can make the squeeze worse. Currently, more than half of family caregivers must arrive at work late, leave early or take time off to provide care, while 6 percent, like Koppelman, give up working altogether to tend to their loved ones needs.
Koppelman threw himself into his new role. He helped his mom out of bed in the morning and made her oatmeal with fruit. He drove her to doctor appointments and to Mass every morning. Because of Koppelman, Shirley never had to go into an assisted living facility which is pretty amazing, says his sister Annie Ellison. He put his own life on hold.
It was a tough time. Koppelman told me he knew what he was doing was good and important, but he found himself a bit depressed, cut off from intellectual challenges. Thats when he discovered that the interests hed been nurturing throughout his life the artistic talent, the fascination with true crime, the facility with spreadsheets might have a larger purpose.
The spark was lit one morning in 2009, when he was reading the news before his mom woke up. The media were reporting that Jaycee Dugard, an 11-year-old who had disappeared without a trace in 1991, had surfaced alive after 18 years in harrowing captivity.
It was just like a miracle, he recalled on a warm fall day. Like somebody coming back from the dead.
Reading up on Dugard, Koppelman stumbled onto Websleuths, an online crime discussion forum. There he read about cases with drastically different endings: the bodies of men and women, boys and girls, never identified. It turned out that Websleuths was part of a network of passionate hobbyists who worked on mysteries the overworked pros had been unable to crack. Sometimes viewed with appreciation by cold case investigators and other times with caution, depending on their motives and methods, these amateur detectives kept cases alive and occasionally managed to break them open. Koppelman was intrigued.
The need is real. According to the federal National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, known as NamUs, the number of missing and unidentified is a kind of recurring mass disaster. Each year about 4,400 unidentified bodies are recovered in the U.S., of which a thousand or so remain unidentified a year later. So, even as cases get solved through the efforts of law enforcement, medical examiners, NamUs and others, new cases arise. In that sense, returning identities to the dead is a Sisyphean task.
Koppelman put his Excel skills to work, organizing unsolved cases spread across various websites such as the Charley Project, the Doe Network and NamUs. Writing a computer program that allowed him to filter by different parameters, he created two master spreadsheets: one for all the missing-persons cases he could find and one for all the unidentified bodies. He figured that if he kept these lists comprehensive, updated and easy to search, he might be able to match names to remains. Eventually, these spreadsheets would become prodigious; Koppelmans repository on the missing, for instance, came to number 19,000 people, with information indexed 13 different ways.
Around this time, another of Koppelmans skills came into play. He happened upon the case of a John Doe who had died by accident inside an abandoned hotel in Philadelphia a few years earlier. Comparing the mans postmortem photograph with the rendering by a sketch artist, he realized the sketch was way off the mans jaw was too square; his forehead, too large. The image struck Koppelman as a challenge.
I said to myself, I can do better than that.
By Koppelmans current standards, the result of this first effort was crude. But he posted it to Websleuths, and a volunteer working Doe cases asked him to do another. Slowly, Koppelman got better. The man who passed away at a Los Angeles soup kitchen? Solved when a family member spotted a listing accompanied by Koppelmans image. The young man who jumped or fell off a building in Brooklyn? Solved, he was later told, after a friend of the victims came across an entry with Koppelmans portrait on Websleuths. All told, hes drawn more than 250 portraits, many of them revised over the course of years.
Annual Report to Shareholders 2021
Sydney, Sep 30, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Vango Mining Limited ( ASX:VAN ) is progressing a deliberate strategy of growing its highgrade gold endowment to support its ambitions of becoming a significant high-grade Western Australian gold miner. Our exploration programme is designed to expand our current 1-millionounce resource, much of which has never been drill tested below 200 metres.Current drilling is specifically designed to deliver a resource increase (Indicated and Inferred) to the existing Marymia resource base and to enhance the understanding of the mineralised zones within the initial eleven targeted open pits for the benefit of Vango's mine planning.In the near term, drilling campaigns will be designed to deliver 'critical mass' to increase the mine life of a proposed future mining operation from Marymia's resource base. They will specifically target increases in total ounces and tonnes to ensure that mill capacity and Project life of mine are maximised. This allows assessment of appropriate financing levels for the Company's proposed stand-alone mining operation.The Plutonic gold mine has produced in excess of 5.5moz of gold and sits along strike, immediately to the southwest of the Marymia Project in a geological sequence known as the Mine Mafic. This same geological sequence extends across Marymia and most of it has never been drill tested to depth.Success of the Company's targeted exploration strategy has the potential to deliver a material change to the scale of Vango's high grade resource base and its planned gold mining operations.To view the Annual Report, please visit:About Vango Mining Limited
Vango Mining Limited (ASX:VAN) is an exploration mining company with ambitions of becoming a high-grade WA gold miner by developing the 100% owned Marymia Gold Project (Marymia) located in the mid-west region of Western Australia, consisting of 45 granted mining leases over 300km2.
Marymia has an established high-grade resource of 1Moz @ 3 g/t Au, underpinned by Trident - 410koz @ 8 g/t Au, with immediate extensions open at depth/along strike.
Acquiring Moblan Project to Boost Quebec Lithium Base
Brisbane, Sep 30, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Emerging lithium producer Sayona Mining Limited ( ASX:SYA ) ( FRA:DML ) ( OTCMKTS:SYAXF ) has taken another major step forward in securing North America's leading lithium asset base, agreeing to acquire the world-class Moblan Lithium Project in the Eeyou-Istchee James Bay region of Northern Quebec (Moblan Project).Under an agreement with Lithium Royalty Corp. (LRC), Sayona will acquire LRC's right to purchase the 60% interest in the Moblan project (Moblan Interest) held by Guo Ao Lithium Ltd (Guo Ao) and will acquire the Moblan Interest from Guo Ao for a consideration of US$86.5 million. SOQUEM Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Investissement Quebec and a 40% partner in the project, has waived its right of first refusal in connection with Sayona's acquisition of the Moblan Interest.Sayona's Managing Director, Brett Lynch commented: "We are delighted to be extending our relationship with Investissement Quebec, which has invested billions of dollars in lithium and other resources projects across Quebec, including North American Lithium (NAL), Moblan and Nemaska Lithium."The recent rise in lithium prices reflects the importance of securing quality supply and there is no better place to be than Quebec as we develop a lithium resource base to supply North America's fast-growing electric vehicle and battery industry."Located about 130km north-west of Chibougamau, Moblan is host to high-grade spodumene mineralisation, with a Mineral Resource Foreign Estimate of 12.03Mt @ 1.4% Li2O (refer Table 1* below and Cautionary Statement). It is hosted in a well-studied deposit, with previous exploration work comprising 132 diamond drill holes for more than 17,559m, establishing a 1.5km strike.The broad thickness of mineralisation, typically 20-30m width, combined with a shallow 30-35 degree dip results in a favourable mining geometry, with a low waste to ore strip ratio of 2.9 to 1.Sayona has identified the opportunity for a potential expansion of the resource, including following up previous geotechnical drilling which intersected up to 29.1m of continuous spodumene-bearing pegmatites outside the resource envelope.The project is located in a proven lithium mining province, Eeyou-Istchee James Bay, which hosts proven world-class lithium resources including Nemaska Lithium's Whabouchi mine. It is well serviced by key infrastructure and transport and has access to low-cost, environmentally friendly hydro power.Mr Lynch added: "Moblan is a tier-one project comparable to any of the region's top hard rock lithium mines. It has potential for further expansion and will be an important asset for Sayona's future growth."We have been monitoring opportunities for further expansion in Quebec and this ticks all the right boxes. There is a huge opportunity here for Sayona to develop a new lithium asset base in Northern Quebec, adding to our Abitibi lithium hub."This will further drive our transformation into the leading lithium producer in North America, supplying its accelerating demand for this key battery metal."Consistent with the Company's focus on sustainable development, Sayona will engage in ongoing community consultation to ensure maximum benefits flow to the local community, including First Nations and other key stakeholders.Transaction termsGuo Ao's 60% interest in the project includes certain mineral claims, technical data and studies as well as the rights of Guo Ao in the joint venture formed with SOQUEM, Guo Ao's 40% partner. The purchase price in consideration for Guo Ao's 60% interest is payable by Sayona on closing of the transaction, expected on or prior to 15 October 2021, subject to financing and other customary conditions.In consideration for the assignment by LRC of its rights to acquire the Moblan Interest, Sayona has agreed to the following terms with LRC:a) in consideration for a US$5 million payment by LRC, the grant by Sayona to LRC of a Gross Overriding Revenue (GOR) Royalty on the Moblan Interest, calculated as follows:(i) 2.5% for the first 1 million tonnes (Mt) of ore per annum produced from the Moblan Project;(ii) 1.5% for any tonne of ore per annum produced from the Moblan Project in excess of the first 1 Mt.b) in consideration for a US$3 million payment by LRC, Sayona will cause the transfer to LRC of the 2% Net Smelter Return (NSR) Royalty currently owned by Quebec Precious Metals Inc. on the Tansim project;c) in consideration for a US$500,000 payment by LRC, the grant by Sayona to LRC of a 1.5% GOR Royalty on Sayona's Mallina Project in Western Australia;d) Sayona and LRC have also agreed to enter into an offtake agreement with respect to the Moblan Project on the following key terms:(i) 10% of Sayona's ownership participation in the Moblan Project of the annual production for life of mine;(ii) price at a 5% discount to the prevailing market terms; ande) Payment by Sayona to LRC of a US$1 million structuring fee on closing of the acquisition of LRC's rights to acquire the Moblan Interest.Moblan Project OutlineThe Moblan Project is host to high-grade spodumene mineralisation intruding a gabbro sequence in the Frotet-Evans greenstone terrane. Lithium was first discovered in the property during the 1970s, with first drilling conducted in 2007. A total of 132 diamond drill holes for 17,559m have been completed to date.Resources and Reserves Foreign EstimatesIn 2019, DRA/Met-Chem completed a Feasibility Study on the Moblan lithium project for Guo Ao. The report dated 24 August 2019 detailed a Mineral Resource Estimate and a Mineral Reserve Estimate which are reported in the Table below as Foreign Estimates (refer Tables 1* below and Table 2* at the end of this report for study parameters).- Tonnages have been rounded to the nearest 0.01 Mt to reflect their approximate nature.- Mineral Resources are not Mineral Reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. There is no certainty that all or any part of the Mineral Resources estimated will be converted into Mineral Reserves. The quantity and grade of reported Inferred resources in this Mineral Resource Estimate are uncertain in nature and there has been insufficient exploration to define these Inferred resources as Indicated or Measured, and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in upgrading them to these categories.Sayona regards the Moblan acquisition as a significant transaction based on the known high-grade mineralisation and opportunity for expansion of the resource base.Key attributes include:- Premium high-grade lithium mineralisation of 1.40% Li2O.- Low stripping ratio of waste rock to ore of 2.9 to 1.- Typically hosted in a single thick, tabular pegmatite with true width commonly 20 - 30m (see Figure 1* below).Exploration UpsideSignificant opportunity to expand Moblan's lithium resource base has been identified. The resource mineralisation is open to the east and at depth, with planning for step-back and extensional drilling underway.Subsequent to the resource calculation, 10 geotechnical holes were drilled in November 2018. One of the holes, GD-18-03, intersected 21.9m of continuous spodumene-bearing pegmatite to the north of the eastern resource area, indicating a potential for the expansion of the resource extents.A number of subparallel footwall dykes are mapped on surface to the immediate south of the resource and which remain untested by drilling. Also, to the east, offset spodumene pegmatites have returned economic grades and remain to be drill tested. Similarly to the west, faulting has offset the main pegmatite with no drilling carried out to test for the offset extension.In addition, Guo Ao drilled condemnation hole CD-18-08 to sterilise a proposed tailing dam on the western adjacent property. This intersected 26.45m of continuous spodumene mineralisation, indicating the high prospectivity of the project area for new discoveries, even when pegmatite does not crop out at surface.Exploration drill planning is underway and will focus on the search for additional high-grade pegmatite mineralisation. This includes step out drilling from the resource area as well as three priority targets in parallel bodies to the south and to the east and west of the resource area (see Figure 2* below).Project BackgroundThe Moblan property is located approximately 130km to the north-west of the town of Chibougamau and 600km north of Montreal. Access is via Highway 167 onto the all-weather Route du Nord road and then via gravel roads to the project.The project is located in the western Superior Province, within the eastern segment of the Frotet-Evans greenstone belt (FEGB), which extends over some 250km from Lac Mistassini to the Nottaway River.The main spodumene pegmatite dyke (Main Dyke) has an east-west strike of 1,500m length, a dip of 35deg to the north and widths ranging between 20 to 30m (Figure 1* and 2), with the spodumene content commonly present as coarsely grained crystals, accompanied by quartz, feldspar and muscovite.A swarm of Li-spodumene and barren pegmatite dykes outcrop on the north and the south of the Main dyke, in the Gabbro sill. One narrow, parallel dyke occurs on the footwall of the Main dyke ("Footwall dyke"). North to south oriented pegmatite dykes are present at the Moblan East prospect, with outcrops of 150m strike length and widths of around 10m.Sayona continues to expand its Quebec lithium assets, having recently announced the potential for a significant resource expansion at its newly acquired North American Lithium (NAL) mine (refer ASX announcement 13 September 2021).Recent drilling conducted at the Company's nearby Authier Lithium Project also has the potential to increase its lithium resource, together with planned drilling at the emerging Tansim Lithium Project.Sayona's moves to strengthen its asset base follow accelerating lithium demand in North America, with lithium prices recently hitting three-year highs amid an upsurge in sales of electric vehicles and following multi-billion dollar investments by North American automakers and governments.To view tables and figures, please visit:About Sayona Mining Ltd
Sayona Mining Limited (ASX:SYA) (OTCMKTS:SYAXF) is an Australian, ASX-listed (SYA) company focused on sourcing and developing the raw materials required to construct lithium-ion batteries for use in the rapidly growing new and green technology sectors. The Company has lithium projects in Quebec, Canada and in Western Australia.
Please visit us as at www.sayonamining.com.au
Board Changes
Perth, Sep 30, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Wiluna Mining Corporation Limited ( ASX:WMC ) ( FRA:NZ3 ) ( OTCMKTS:WMXCF ) is pleased to announce the following changes to its Board of Directors.Experienced Company Director and Mining and Oil and Gas Executive Lisa Mitchell will join the Board of Directors, effective 1 October 2021. Ms Mitchell was born and raised in Melbourne and has resided in the United Kingdom for the past 10 years. Ms Mitchell is a FCPA (Aust) and has significant experience as a CFO, Company Secretary and Executive Director of several Australian and London listed companies (across ASX, LSE and AIM bourses).Ms Mitchell's strengths include financial management, leadership, debt and equity raising capabilities, LSE compliance and M&A. She has significant experience with the LSE (having worked for former FTSE 250 Ophir Energy plc) and will bring valuable experience to Wiluna Mining's upcoming LSE listing.Ms Mitchell has been appointed as a Non-Executive Director and is considered by the Board to be Independent.Long serving Executive Operations Director Neil Meadows is stepping down from the Board of Directors effective 1 October 2021 to focus less on corporate activities and solely on operations and planning. Mr Meadows will continue as a Senior Executive at the Company in the role of Chief Operating Officer ("COO"), where he will be focused on overseeing WMC's operations and transition to, and commissioning of, Stage 1 as well as the Feasibility Studies and the resource and reserve upgrade works for Stage 2.We welcome Ms Mitchell to the Board, and we would like to thank Mr Meadows for his time and efforts as a Director and look forward to his continued input as COO.About Wiluna Mining Corporation Ltd
Wiluna Mining Corporation (ASX:WMC) (OTCMKTS:WMXCF) is a Perth based, ASX listed gold mining company that controls over 1,600 square kilometres of the Yilgarn Craton in the Northern Goldfields of WA. The Yilgarn Craton has a historic and current gold endowment of over 380 million ounces, making it one of most prolific gold regions in the world. The Company owns 100% of the Wiluna Gold Operation which has a defined resource of 8.04M oz at 1.67 g/t au. In May 2019, a new highly skilled management team took control of the Company with a clear plan to leverage the Wiluna Gold Operation's multi-million-ounce potential.
Full Year Statutory Accounts
Perth, Sep 30, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - During the year, Okapi Resources Ltd ( ASX:OKR ) ( FRA:26O ) continued to assess mineral resources projects and investment opportunities that would complement its existing portfolio of assets. The Company entered into a joint venture with Australia Lithium NL to earn in 75% interest on tenement E63/1903. The Company also applied for tenement E63/2039 which lies adjacent to E63/1903. Tenement E63/2039 was subsequently granted during the year.In December, Okapi entered into a binding heads of agreement with Providence Gold and Minerals Pty Ltd to acquire 100% of the Enmore Gold Project. In conjunction with the Enmore acquisition, the Company completed a placement in two separate tranches, raising $2.5 million (before costs). The placement comprised 13,157,896 shares at 19 cents per share with one for one free attaching options (13,157,896 Options) exercisable 30 cents expiring 31 March 2023. The placement was issued to sophisticated and professional investors.PAC Partners Security Pty Ltd acted as Lead Manager to the offer and was issued 1,500,000 Options exercisable at 30 cents expiring 31 March 2023. These options were subsequently listed as OKRO in May 2021.A total of 14,658,896 Options exercisable at 30 cents expiring 31 March 2023 were listed as OKRO in May 2021.In May 2021, Okapi entered into a binding heads of agreement to acquire Bulk Mineral Holdings Pty Ltd ("Bulk Minerals") which holds two (2) granted exploration licenses in Western Australia and four (4) exploration licence applications in South Australia. Subsequent to year end, both parties have mutually agreed to terminate the proposed acquisition.The Company raised a further $650,000 through the issue of 3,095,239 shares at 21 cents each with one for one free attaching listed options (3,095,239 Options) exercisable 30 cents expiring 31 March 2023. The placement was issued to sophisticated and professional investors.GBA Capital Pty Ltd acted as Lead Manager to the placement.During the year, the Company has withdrawn from the Mambasa Project Joint Venture with Kalubamba SARL.Okapi has yet to earn in any interest in the Mambasa Project and from the results obtained from the exploration activities conducted, the Board has decided not to further pursue interest in this project.Subsequent to year end, the Company completed the acquisition of Tallahassee Resources Pty Ltd which holds a portfolio of large, high-grade uranium projects in the United States of America.To view the full year Accounts, please visit:About Okapi Resources Ltd
Okapi Resources Limited (ASX:OKR) is a minerals exploration company focused on the discovery and commercialisation of mineral deposits in Australia. Okapi's primary objective is to discover and develop mineral resources from its current portfolio. The Company has carefully selected projects with historical workings and excellent results. Okapi has a team of professionals with an exemplary record of success and with a particular history in Australia. Okapi is also pursuing a growth strategy that aims to appraise and secure further exploration and development opportunities within gold and mineral endowed districts.
Its been a year since Eyahne on the Horizon had its maiden voyage.
The hot air balloon, which serves as an ambassador for the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, will make its debut at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, which takes place Oct. 2-10.
Eyahne means blessings in the Keres Native American language, and the unique balloon features a distinctive, Pueblo-inspired design that symbolizes the sacred beliefs and culture of the Pueblo peoples of New Mexico.
IPCCs balloon is a partnership with Rainbow Ryders, the Southwests premier hot air balloon company. In honor of the 19 Pueblos of New Mexico, Rainbow Ryders chose the N-Number N19NM when registering the aircraft with the FAA.
Michael Canfield, IPCC president and CEO, says the 2020 event was scheduled to be the first fiesta for the balloon. But that didnt deter the excitement.
That makes our participation in Octobers Balloon Fiesta even more special, Canfield said. We couldnt be more excited to see Eyahne on the Horizon take her place among the iconic balloons in the skies over Albuquerque when this spectacular show makes its eagerly anticipated return. We are also delighted to partner with Scott Appelman and his excellent team at Rainbow Ryders.
Eyahne on the Horizon was made in Ann Arbor, Michigan, by Cameron Balloons, the worlds largest balloon manufacturer. The balloon is 275,000 cubic feet in size, measures 86 feet tall and 68 feet wide and is capable of lifting 6,000 pounds, or 12 to 14 passengers, plus the pilot. It is one of the largest ride balloons in New Mexico.
Canfield said the IPCC is putting together 11 days of events that coincide with the Balloon Fiesta, beginning Friday, Oct. 1. They are:
IPCCs Albuquerque American Indian Arts Festival from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 2, and Sunday, Oct. 3. The IPCC Albuquerque American Indian Arts Festival is the only authentic, allNative American art show in town during the Balloon Fiesta. This premiere event will showcase the work of 45 artists and gives visitors the opportunity to meet, talk with, and shop directly from Native artists. The two-day festival also will also include cultural Native dances and artist demonstrations.
An expanded schedule of cultural Native dances from Friday, Oct. 1, to Oct. 11. From 9 a.m.-4 p.m. daily, IPCCS mural-lined courtyard will have multiple Native dances and be filled with Native artists selling their handcrafted art and jewelry.
IPCCs museum exhibits include the permanent exhibit We Are of This Place: The Pueblo Story and rotating exhibits HERitage: Pueblo Women Paving Cultural Pathways and ReLocated: Urban Migration, Perseverance and Adaptation. Guests can also experience the Artists Circle Gallery, which is now showing an exhibit by Laura Fragua-Cota (Jemez Pueblo) called Our Ancestors: Our Historical Strength.
From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 11, members of New Mexicos Native American tribes will gather with civic officials and the public at IPCC to celebrate New Mexicos statewide Indigenous Peoples Day. This event is open to all and will include dignitaries, Native dances, a historical presentation and artist demonstrations. Admission is free.
We look forward to welcoming guests from around the world for what will be a very special 11 days at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, said Beverlee McClure, vice president for cultural and community engagement at IPCC. We will offer a truly unforgettable cultural experience, with amazing art, dance, history, food and of course our celebrated Pueblo hospitality.
International officials must work together to research and conserve shared groundwater supplies, experts from New Mexico, Texas and the Mexican state of Chihuahua said during a virtual conference this week.
Sam Fernald, director of the New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute, said that how the countries choose to use water now will influence the border regions environment and economy for the next 1,000 years.
Our shared aquifers are more important than ever in the face of diminished surface water supplies due to drought and climate change, Fernald said.
The Two Nations, One Water conference featured university and government presentations about acequias, water quality and measuring agricultural water use.
Luis Carlos Alatorre, an engineer with Mexicos National Water Commission, said the two countries need to improve wastewater systems to protect common water supplies.
There is a lot of opportunity here, Alatorre said. But, we have to put these projects into play at the government-to-government level.
The Mesilla Basin aquifer system serves Las Cruces, El Paso and Ciudad Juarez.
The U.S. Geological Surveys latest report on the aquifer states that declining water levels, deteriorating water quality, and increasing use of groundwater resources by municipal, industrial and agricultural water-users on both sides of the international border have raised concerns about the long-term availability of this supply.
Maria-Elena Giner, U.S. commissioner of the International Boundary and Water Commission for the U.S. and Mexico, urged groups to share data that can help politicians advocate for funding regional water infrastructure.
The commission is headquartered in El Paso, and manages water treaties, and international reservoirs and treatment plants.
The science piece and the technical piece seems to always work well, Giner said. It is in the case of actual transboundary work where Ive noticed that there has been challenges is in the legal frameworks. So, its about how we get beyond just talking science and modeling.
The conference will conclude Thursday.
Theresa Davis is a Report for America corps member covering water and the environment for the Albuquerque Journal.
Copyright 2021 Albuquerque Journal
SANTA FE A new report issued by legislative analysts in New Mexico questions the accuracy of information shared this summer by former Children, Youth and Families Secretary Brian Blalock.
It says child maltreatment rates in New Mexico were the sixth highest in the nation in 2019 the last year with full data available not below the national average, as stated in a July presentation.
The nine-page memo also found that New Mexicos child abuse death rate more than doubled in 2020, that high turnover within CYFD is likely impairing its performance and that child-welfare oversight mechanisms have shortcomings.
A memo outlining the findings was delivered to high-ranking lawmakers last week after legislators and others raised concerns about transparency and data shared during a presentation by Blalock in July.
In a brief interview Wednesday, Blalock said the data in question came from the state Department of Health, as noted in his presentation. He said he and others within CYFD took steps to ensure they shared accurate information with legislators.
Every presentation in front of a legislative body or anyone else that data is vetted by the data teams, Blalock said.
Rep. Marian Matthews, D-Albuquerque, called the legislative memo scathing and said it illustrates the need for more meaningful public reporting by CYFD.
I was stunned by the amount of misinformation we had been given by this agency, Matthews said Wednesday.
She was among the state lawmakers this summer who asked legislative analysts to examine the departments data.
In the July presentation, Blalock submitted a slide stating that New Mexico is below the national average in both child abuse-related fatalities and child maltreatment, based on state Department of Health data.
But analysts and staff for the Legislative Finance Committee said in their memo that New Mexicos child maltreatment and child safety measures rank among the worst in the nation. In fact, they reported:
n The maltreatment rate in New Mexico stood at 16.9 per 1,000 children in 2019, sixth highest in the nation and well above the national average of 8.9.
n The rate of child maltreatment fatalities in New Mexico more than doubled from 2.3 per 1,000 children in 2019 to 4.8 in 2020.
n New Mexico has the second-highest percentage of children suffering from repeat maltreatment in the nation. In 2019, about 12% of the states children who were victims of maltreatment had another case of maltreatment within six months, higher than every state but New York.
Blalock stepped down in August, citing a desire to support his wifes job opportunities in California. He had faced criticism over the departments use of a secure messaging app and the agencys handling of high-profile child abuse cases, in addition to a whistleblower lawsuit.
But Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, said the agency had made a host of improvements under Blalock, such as reducing staff vacancy rates and completing child abuse investigations more quickly.
Lujan Grisham appointed former state Supreme Court Justice Barbara Vigil to succeed Blalock.
The legislative report noted that the department has had four different Cabinet secretaries in four years.
Charlie Moore-Pabst, a spokesperson for the Children, Youth and Families Department, said the agency is under new leadership and will analyze the legislative memo..
The department will approach this issue, and all of its work to protect and improve child wellbeing with a commitment to transparency, collaboration and accountability, Moore-Pabst said. The department will fully analyze the LFC memo, including the supporting data, in addition to the previously presented information and take any steps deemed necessary upon that full analysis, including reporting back to the legislature.
Name: Josefina Josie Dominguez
Political party: Nonpartisan race
Age: 63
Education: Masters in literature, New Mexico State University, 2009; Spanish certification, University of Texas Austin, 1984/85 and Colorado College, 1982/83; B.A. in English, Colorado College, 1981
Occupation: Retired in 2013 from teaching
Family: Two adult APS graduates; five grandchildren two in APS
Relevant experience: Twenty-eight years as a classroom English and Spanish middle school/high school teacher in seven districts, spanning Colorado, Texas, New Mexico; 2008-2010 writing facilitator for NMSU BioMedical students in RISE Program (Research Initiative and Scientific Enrichment)
Campaign website: josieforaps.com, facebook.com/JosieForPublicSchools
Whats the biggest issue APS faces? How would you address it?
The health and safety of the classroom and school are the priority not only for APS but also, I would argue, for the Albuquerque community at large. We need more trained professionals on all campuses to ensure students are safe, physically and mentally. Classrooms need the correct number of purifiers.
In your opinion, what is the primary role of a school board member?
School board members are mandated by voters to advocate for students and parents, especially the most vulnerable, across the district but particularly in their district. This includes setting goals for the superintendent that are measurable and establishing a budgeting process that is transparent at all levels.
How would you evaluate the current school boards performance?
Under Dr. David Peercys leadership, our board worked tirelessly, especially during the pandemic of 2020-2021. They made safety and health the priorities, even as they faced unfair attacks on their personal lives. As always, work remains to be done, especially given state and local realities.
What experience do you have overseeing a budget?
As an English department chair, I worked closely with the principal to allocate monies for books and personnel. As a union representative, I relied on the local bargaining agents access to district budgets to understand the complexities driving decisions. I know professionally that campuses need to be THE priority.
Would you support a vaccine mandate for APS students who are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine? Why or why not?
If the community wants or needs students to be in school and the surge in COVID cases increases, mandates will have to be considered. The health and safety of staff, students and families must be a priority. I would have to balance science and legal considerations.
Whats your position on mask mandates at schools?
I will follow the law and the science. I will, above all, do everything in my ability to keep students, staff, and community safe.
Under what circumstances, if any, would you support a return to remote learning?
If COVID infections return to what they were in early 2020, I would be compelled to support a return to remote learning. However, I believe that the current board and administration have established policies and procedures that would make for an improved remote learning experience for students and families.
Do you think superintendent applications should be public?
Applicants who submit an application of interest often appreciate a private vetting process. We limit the applicant pool if we divulge names during this process. A private head hunter firm can also limit choices if they are beholden to the administration. After vetting, the process correctly is public.
How would you evaluate APS as a whole?
APS has innovative programs and successes across the district. Unfortunately, they are overshadowed by budgetary problems and system and procedural failures. The budget problems, to a great extent, are created by a poorly funded state formula, which means there is no room for waste.
Whats your stance on charter schools?
They provide an important choice for students and parents. They also provide innovative ideas that we can replicate in neighborhood schools. Charter schools are part of the district and must be supported and commended, as long as they are following the rules and guidelines that govern them.
APS has been sued numerous times for failing to release public records. What, if anything, would you do to ensure that the school district is adhering to state transparency laws, such as the Inspection of Public Records Act?
This is unacceptable if we are losing money and failing to follow the law, intentionally or unintentionally. I want to ensure that first, we follow the law and equally important that we stop paying fees and penalties unnecessarily. We are already strapped for money, and budget transparency is a priority.
Personal background
1. Have you or your business, if you are a business owner, ever been the subject of any state or federal tax liens?
No.
2. Have you ever been involved in a personal or business bankruptcy proceeding?
No.
3, Have you ever been arrested for, charged with, or convicted of drunken driving, or any misdemeanor or felony?
No.
Name: Nicholas Bevins
Political party: Independent
Age: 25
Education: New Mexico public schools, UNM, and CNM
Occupation: Community activist
Family: I am one of 5 sons
Relevant experience: At 25-years-old, I will be the only school-board-member to have attended New Mexico public schools throughout the 21st century. I understand how to address cyber bullying, testing culture and online learning because I grew up in it. I bring recent first-hand experience to the table regarding the modern education system.
Campaign website: NicholasForABQ.org
Whats the biggest issue APS faces? How would you address it?
Our 3 biggest issues are the testing culture which needs to be replaced with a model of interest-based learning and life skills, low pay for our staff which needs to be increased by reallocating parts of the budget and utilizing the Land Grant Permanent Fund, and class sizes which need to be cut in half at minimum.
In your opinion, what is the primary role of a school board member?
To empower our students, teachers and support staff by providing them with the resources they need to succeed, the freedom they need to innovate, and the inclusive policies to accommodate everyone.
How would you evaluate the current school boards performance?
We rank 50th nationwide in education. No further commentary is needed.
What experience do you have overseeing a budget?
Living below the poverty line, one learns to be frugal wherever necessary.
Would you support a vaccine mandate for APS students who are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine? Why or why not?
Yes, because we all have a civil responsibility to ensure the safety of our community. Vaccine requirements have a clear precedent in the United States in general, and in the school system in particular.
Whats your position on mask mandates at schools?
Strongly in favor until the pandemic is thoroughly under control and our vaccination rate is over 90% as a state.
Under what circumstances, if any, would you support a return to remote learning?
Under the recommendation of epidemiologists from the CDC or the New Mexico Department of Health.
Do you think superintendent applications should be public?
Yes, absolutely. We need a much wider pool of candidates than we currently have.
How would you evaluate APS as a whole?
Our teachers, support staff and students are all doing their parts. The administration, however, is utterly incompetent. The allocation of financial resources needs to be shifted away from overhead and redirected toward the classroom.
Whats your stance on charter schools?
At best they are a distraction from addressing the deficiencies in our public education system, at worst they are an attempt to privatize the school system. I am not in favor of allocating tax-payer dollars to charter schools.
APS has been sued numerous times for failing to release public records. What, if anything, would you do to ensure that the school district is adhering to state transparency laws, such as the Inspection of Public Records Act?
All internal documentation, other than that pertaining to the privacy of students and staff, should be made public as a matter of principle.
Personal background
1. Have you or your business, if you are a business owner, ever been the subject of any state or federal tax liens?
No.
2. Have you ever been involved in a personal or business bankruptcy proceeding?
No.
3. Have you ever been arrested for, charged with, or convicted of drunken driving, or any misdemeanor or felony?
No.
The front-page headlines in last weeks Albuquerque Journal paint the picture of a system in crisis.
NM struggles with teacher vacancies; Staggering number of 1,000 openings, up from 570 last year (Sept. 22).
Pandemic learning loss may lead to more school; After 43 of 89 districts reject adding days voluntarily, mandate a possibility (Sept. 23).
Alarming: NM education retirements increase 40%; Wave comes amid severe shortage of teachers (Sept. 25).
As has been reported again and again, New Mexicos K-12 system ranks among the worst nationally a WalletHub study using 32 metrics earlier this year pegged the state as 51st. It now faces the challenge of helping students who fell even further behind during remote learning brought on by COVID-19, and, at the same time, teachers in record numbers are opting to either leave for greener pastures or simply retire. And all this is happening at the same time as lawmakers are considering ways to have kids spend more time in the classroom through an extended school year.
You dont have to be the class valedictorian to figure this isnt going to work without some fundamental changes in how we both approach and fund public education.
Legislators are correct when they say more school time is needed for our kids both to catch up from COVID and to become more competitive in general. A report presented to the Legislative Finance Committee showed academic proficiency for younger elementary school students dropped from 37% at the end of the 2018-19 school year to 31% at the end of the 2020-21 year. Devastating.
It is important we help our students try to regain ground lost to the pandemic and put our schools on a par with other states. Whether we add more school days every year or perhaps longer school days a model followed by the 2,200 students at the successful Mission Achievement and Success Charter School (MAS) in Albuquerque is open to debate. But this isnt: We cannot continue to operate on a school year that has its roots in American agriculture when kids were needed to work in the field at certain times of year. We need to compete nationally and globally in a high-tech world.
And our students deserve to be set up for success.
New Mexico lawmakers have appropriated money for extended learning days, but have made them voluntary. As the headline above notes, many schools opted not to use the additional funding. Legislators may have to consider a longer school year mandate, as well as funding such flexible programs as longer school days that produce results.
But you cant do that without teachers, and they are leaving in droves. Professional teachers who produce results should be compensated much more than they are now. But they cite lack of support from their employers, and concerns they arent given the training and resources they need to deal with their students, and the problems and challenges those students face.
Rep. Andres Romero Albuquerque Democrat, chairman of the House Education Committee and a high school social studies teacher says he and other policymakers will delve into the data to try to determine why so many teachers are leaving and how to improve retention.
Its really concerning and alarming thats happened, he said of the recent retirement wave. Thats an understatement, given that 1,269 teachers turned in retirement papers for July 1 of this year. It should be noted that teaching is a field that has always offered an appealing retirement package. Teachers can retire at 70.5% of their salary after 30 years, making that an attractive prospect for a person in his or her early 50s who might collect that monthly check and get a new job in a private or parochial school.
Veteran teachers are critical to a successful education environment and a focus needs to be on incentives to get them to stay. As in other professions, most teachers get better with experience, not just with students, but also serving as mentors for younger employees. Relatively inexperienced teachers, by the way, are significantly over-represented in high-poverty schools where the challenges are greatest.
So, yes, the state needs to move quickly to shore up the teacher workforce, whether through such financial incentives as waiving the one-year sit-out requirement for teachers to double dip (collecting your pension while still working) for a few years, and perhaps attracting alternative license or J-1 and H-1B visa program teachers from other countries to the classroom. Then, they need to be supported.
But its not just about staffing up. Or throwing money wildly at the problem. Teacher salaries here have improved; according to salary.com, the median is $54,411 a year. (That would increase automatically if more school days were added to the calendar.) While we are still ranked low for salaries, the website Teaching Certification.com lists New Mexico at No. 30 when it comes to per-pupil school funding right behind California and Washington, and ahead of Oregon and Colorado.
As they tackle a problem that is both longstanding and boiling over, the governor and legislators need to look at what works elsewhere and come up with an approach that, at the end of the day, is focused absolutely on New Mexico students and their progress. If we see approaches that work in successful charter schools, expand those options or emulate that success in traditional public schools. If we need to allocate more money to education, ensure it goes to programs that have produced results.
Because, as it stands now, our kids are not being served well. And neither are those tasked with teaching them.
This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.
Name: Julie Brenning
Political party: Non-partisan race
Age: 34
Education: Masters degree in Asian studies, University of Utah, 2013; Bachelor of Science in political science, Brigham Young University, 2011
Occupation: Policy analyst since 2013
Family: Married to Kurt Brenning, three children
Relevant experience: I created a comprehensive evaluation system for 40 APS community schools. This new system will be implemented this year to vastly improve leadership and school practices. I also worked with APS as a community program specialist. I created a new high school curriculum for employment and education preparation.
Campaign website: www.JulieforNM.com
Whats the biggest issue APS faces? How would you address it?
Adverse childhood experiences (ACES) such as drug use, poverty and neglect in the home, are a barrier to the likelihood of academic success in Albuquerque. I will establish task forces that work with our community and APS leadership to implement policies that get to the root of the problems.
In your opinion, what is the primary role of a school board member?
According to New Mexico law, there are three roles of a school board member: 1. Create and set district policy, 2. Review and pass the APS budget and 3. Evaluate, hire and fire the superintendent. I commit to performing these duties with honesty, professionalism and transparency.
How would you evaluate the current school boards performance?
I am honored to have the endorsements of Dr. Dave Peercy, current School Board president, and board members Barbara Petersen, Elizabeth Armijo and Yolanda Montoya-Cordova. They know what kind of skills and leadership are required for this position. I want to improve school board transparency and communication with our community.
What experience do you have overseeing a budget?
In my role in the Bernalillo County Commission, I managed the applications and allocation of taxpayer monies to local community and nonprofit organizations. As a policy analyst for the New Mexico State Legislature, I analyze bills that include large, complicated budgets. In my analysis, I include allocations, impact and costs.
Would you support a vaccine mandate for APS students who are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine? Why or why not?
My top two priorities are keeping our students learning in the classroom and keeping them safe. I support science-based safety measures. I would strongly encourage, but not currently mandate, vaccines for students, teachers and staff. This is the best way to avoid COVID-19 outbreaks and keep our students learning in-person.
Whats your position on mask mandates at schools?
We need to keep our students safely learning in the classroom. Research shows students need in-person learning and the best way to do that is to slow the spread of COVID-19 outbreaks. I therefore support science-based safety measures such as masks, social distancing, ventilation and even outdoor classrooms.
Under what circumstances, if any, would you support a return to remote learning?
I support in-person learning if at all possible. However, the school board is under jurisdiction of the New Mexico Public Education Department. By law, the school board must obey the PED statutes. If the PED requires remote learning, I must by law, comply.
Do you think superintendent applications should be public?
Yes, superintendent applications should be public. I believe in full transparency of our hiring and firing of the superintendent. I commit to that and public participation in my joint decision-making. I will strive to gather all parties around the table as we work on solutions to the challenges we face.
How would you evaluate APS as a whole?
As a school board member, I will not be evaluating APS as a whole. I will, however, be evaluating our superintendent. The board should make these three characteristics central when evaluating our APS superintendent: 1. Dynamic leadership, 2. Decision-making based on best practices and 3. Anti-corruption measures.
Whats your stance on charter schools?
I support our current public charter schools. I think the bigger question is, why are there charter schools? And I believe the answer lies in barriers to innovation. I will strive to give principals and teachers the ability to be innovative, flexible and promote experiential learning in our APS schools.
APS has been sued numerous times for failing to release public records. What, if anything, would you do to ensure that the school district is adhering to state transparency laws, such as the Inspection of Public Records Act?
The IPRA specifies that each public body subject to the Act designates a custodian who receives and responds to requests. I would work with our board to develop a monthly public reporting process to the board by the custodian on the status of each request since the last board meeting.
Personal background
1. Have you or your business, if you are a business owner, ever been the subject of any state or federal tax liens?
No.
2. Have you ever been involved in a personal or business bankruptcy proceeding?
No.
3. Have you ever been arrested for, charged with, or convicted of drunken driving, or any misdemeanor or felony?
No.
Copyright 2021 Albuquerque Journal
SANTA FE New Mexicos latest COVID-19 wave may be receding, but top state health officials said Wednesday hospitals around the state and the nation remain largely full due to a mix of virus-related cases and those stemming from other causes.
While New Mexico hospitalizations due to COVID-19 have decreased in recent days and hit their lowest number in six weeks, acting state Health Secretary David Scrase said there were only 10 available intensive care beds around New Mexico as of Tuesday morning.
He added that, as of this week, there were 19 out-of-state residents being treated for COVID-19 in New Mexico compared to 86 New Mexicans who were hospitalized in other states with virus-related symptoms.
I think New Mexico is like everywhere else we just started with a lower baseline, Scrase said, referring to a New Mexico health care system with a limited number of beds and nurses.
The drop in cases and largely full hospitals comes as the state has begun giving booster doses of a COVID-19 vaccine to certain eligible residents age 50 and older.
A federal agency authorized the Pfizer booster shots last week and some New Mexico residents who meet the criteria those between ages 50 to 64 must have an underlying health condition started getting the doses on Monday. All residents age 65 and older who got their vaccine doses at least six months ago are also eligible, but only if they received the Pfizer vaccine.
One state legislator even got a text message notification that we was eligible for the booster shot during a committee hearing this week.
But top health officials said Wednesday theres still ongoing scientific debate over the benefit of the booster shots and whether theyll eventually be considered necessary for residents.
What we consider fully vaccinated may change in the future, said Christine Ross, the state epidemiologist with the Department of Health, during an online briefing with reporters.
State health officials also said the reason for delaying eligibility for younger front-line workers to get a booster shot until Oct. 11 was made in order to give elderly state residents priority amid a current paucity of mass vaccination sites.
We really dont have a vaccine supply issue, said Deputy DOH Secretary Laura Parajon. We wanted to give the older people a head start.
New Mexico has one of the nations highest COVID-19 vaccine administration rates. A total of 79.9% of state residents age 18 and older had received at least one vaccine dose as of Wednesday, while 70.5% of adults had gotten all shots necessary to be considered fully vaccinated.
Even before this week, third doses of the vaccine have been available to adult New Mexicans with compromised immune systems.
Despite the largely full hospitals statewide, hospitals around New Mexico have generally not had to deny or ration care to patients during the recent wave of cases fueled by the highly contagious delta variant of COVID-19.
Such crisis care standards have been invoked in some other western states, including Idaho, Wyoming and Montana, according to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services data.
Im not aware of someone who needed a hospital bed who couldnt find one somewhere, Scrase said Wednesday.
But he acknowledged there have been logistical challenges, including the fact oxygen tanks typically dont last long enough to transfer seriously ill patients from Hobbs to Albuquerque.
Meanwhile, most of New Mexicos recent COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths have occurred among unvaccinated individuals.
During a four-week period that ended Sept. 27, a total of 78.2% of new virus cases and 86.8% of hospitalizations were unvaccinated residents. Among the 147 deaths during that time period, 137 of the people who died or 93.2% were not vaccinated.
State health officials reported 12 additional deaths related to COVID-19 on Wednesday, bringing the states death toll to 4,788 since the pandemic began in March 2020.
There were also 287 people hospitalized around New Mexico due to the virus down from 359 hospitalizations a week earlier.
New Mexicos top health official also presented more details Wednesday about two deaths linked to ivermectin, an anti-parasite drug commonly sold at veterinary supply stores.
Both individuals who died a 38-year old woman and a 79-year old man contracted COVID-19 but delayed seeking medical care because they thought ivermectin might alleviate their symptoms, Scrase said.
He said the jury is still out on the drugs effectiveness at treating COVID-19, but said some New Mexicans have taken far more than the recommended dosage in their attempts to prevent the virus or treat its symptoms.
Ivermectin can be prescribed for humans to treat intestinal worms and other conditions. But the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has urged people not to take the drug for COVID-19. More testing is needed, the agency has maintained, in order to determine whether it can be used safely to treat the disease.
Since the start of August, there have been 15 ivermectin exposures reported to the University of New Mexico Poison Control Center, according to Department of Health data.
Of those 15 cases, 11 ultimately received treatment at a hospital or urgent care setting and two individuals died.
Without a doubt, we are going through life-changing times. Even when we are finally able to move freely without masks and hug our family and friends without worry, these days will be more than a memory. They have transformed society and us, and if were smart and compassionate, we can take this opportunity and make over New Mexicos future, to shift the trajectory of our children, our families, our communities and our state.
First, we have to recognize everything is interconnected. Children cannot succeed if theyre not healthy, with good food and clean air and water, safe homes and schools, and enriching environments. Parents cannot help them succeed if they are under stress and ill-prepared, damaged by their own childhoods and poverty. Businesses will not want to invest in communities if there is no quality of life and no skilled workers. And the state cannot succeed if the economy is failing, if taxes scare off business activity, or tax policy serves business but fails to generate the revenue needed to support critical services.
Members of the Legislative Finance Committee are keeping all this in mind as they enter budget season this fall. With a stronger-than-expected state economy and an unprecedented influx of one-time federal stimulus money, we have an unusual opportunity to invest in our state with an emphasis on programs with demonstrated success for long-term impact and a recognition that what we do ripples through all that we do.
These principles are reflected in this years LFC budget guidelines, which will shape the plan the committee will present to the full Legislature in January. Overall, the committees highest priority continues to be education, from early childhood to advanced degrees. At the same time, we recognize the importance of public health, workforce development, public safety, economic growth and transportation infrastructure. Larger increases will be reserved for programs that give New Mexicans the biggest bang for their tax buck. Potential reductions will focus on services that are ineffective or inefficient or where the workload has dropped because of declining enrollment.
On the revenue side, the focus continues to be on broadening New Mexicos tax base to make it possible to lower tax rates. For too long, the states reliance on the oil and natural gas industry as important as it is to our resource-rich state has kept us on a financial roller coaster that fails our economy and our people.
But fiscal stability cannot be built on tax reform alone. It must include investments into businesses committed to New Mexico that will help diversify our economy and investments into a healthy and well-educated populace with options for better-paying jobs.
Many of these budget guidelines echo those of past years: The goal is always to spend the taxpayers hard-earned dollars wisely and provide for a more prosperous future. But rarely have budget drafters had both the resources and impetus for change that we have this year. The pandemic rattled the world to its bones, and sometimes thats what is needed to really wake us up.
Finally, legislators represent you and need to hear from you. Thats the essence of a representational democracy. We do not and should not pretend we have all the answers. Reach out to your state senators and representatives. We want to hear from you.
Sen. Pete Campos is also a member of the Legislative Finance, Revenue Stabilization and Tax Policy and Water and Natural Resources committees. He has served as president of Luna Community College, superintendent of the Las Vegas City Schools, and mayor of Santa Rosa.
In a rare moment of alignment and consensus, it seems like everyone agrees we need to pay early childhood educators more. The Legislative Finance Committee (LFC) released a report last month calling for more state resources specifically targeted at raising wages for child care professionals, and the Journal recently echoed these sentiments. The good news is that Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams administration has already taken bold steps toward the goal of increasing compensation and credentials for early childhood educators. In just the first year since the new departments launch, the New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department (ECECD) has:
Tripled enrollment in our wage supplement program for teachers making less than $16/hr.
Launched a PreK pay parity program to better align private sector PreK teacher salaries with public school PreK teachers, increasing qualifying teachers annual income between $10,000 and $20,000.
Created a $1,500 hero bonus for every early childhood teacher in recognition of their indispensable service to New Mexicos children and families throughout the pandemic.
Created a $1,500 bonus to early childhood educators who are certified bilingual.
ECECD is also working to fix the systemic problems that keep early childhood educators wages low most pressing among them being the fact neither parent tuition nor state subsidy payments cover the actual cost of quality child care. That is why this summer ECECD announced a major step toward fixing this broken child care market.
The single most important revenue stream for child care is the subsidy the state pays on behalf of families who qualify for child care assistance. Traditionally, these rates are set by the local child care market, or the tuition families pay, but if the market itself is broken this only serves to entrench the market failures that keep wages low. New Mexico is now the first state in the country to use an alternative method called a cost estimation model to set rates based on the actual cost of providing quality care. With this new model, we calibrated subsidy rates to support a minimum wage of $12.10 for all child care workers in our state, substantially raising the subsidy rates for all child care providers across the board.
While these new rates are a significant improvement for the child care sector, legislators from the LFC were quick to point out teacher pay still needs to be much higher to attract and retain qualified educators. We completely agree. Now that the cost model is in place, we can easily calibrate our future rates to support truly competitive wages for educators all we need is the political will to do so. If the American Families Plan passes Congress, early childhood educators will be guaranteed a minimum $15/hour wage, and if next fall New Mexicans vote to approve using a small portion of the Land Grant Permanent Fund to support early education, we may be able to push wages even higher.
We are already well on our way to improving compensation for early childhood educators, and we will continue doing everything in our power to ensure these professionals, who are so critical to the development and growth of our children and the future success of our state, get the respect and professional compensation they deserve.
Copyright 2021 Albuquerque Journal
A judge has ordered a payment of $157,500 in restitution to a victim of human trafficking stemming from a 2013 case in which a man was sentenced to 48 years in prison.
The restitution is intended to compensate the unidentified victim for forced labor, future medical treatment, lost wages and other harms she suffered, Attorney General Hector Balderas office said this week in a written statement.
Traffickers should not profit from their exploitation of the most vulnerable, and this restitution award represents to survivors everywhere that we will fight for survivors of this horrific crime, Balderas said in the statement.
A 2nd Judicial District Court convicted Wallace Carson, 56, in 2015 of eight felony counts, including kidnapping, human trafficking, promoting prostitution, accepting earnings of a prostitute, and other charges, court records show.
A judge sentenced Carson in May to 48 years in prison after the state Court of Appeals partially modified the original sentence.
Second Judicial District Judge Britt Baca-Miller last week ordered the restitution paid from Carsons prison fund as he serves his sentence, according to the statement.
Carson was charged with human trafficking in 2013 for recruiting and confining a child for the purpose of engaging in commercial sexual activity, according to court records.
TUCSON, Ariz. A longtime deputy Pima County attorney reported missing on a fishing trip in northern Arizona was found dead Wednesday, authorities said.
Coconino County Sheriffs officials said the death of 64-year-old Chris Straub appears to be an accident, but didnt release any details.
An autopsy will be performed by the Coconino County Medical Examiner to determine the cause of death.
Authorities said Straub was an avid hiker and fisherman who went fly fishing at Oak Creek Canyon near Sedona.
When he didnt return as expected Tuesday, Straubs wife alerted law enforcement that he was missing.
A search and rescue team found the body in thick overgrowth near the Orchid Canyon Resort at Oak Creek Canyon shortly after noon Wednesday.
Straub served more than 30 years with the Pima County Attorneys Office and most recently was the head of its public records unit.
DEVELOPING... Story will be updated as new information can be verified. Updated 4 times
WASHINGTON Senators fired a barrage of criticism Thursday at a Facebook executive over the social-networking giants handling of internal research on how its Instagram photo-sharing platform can harm teens.
The lawmakers accused Facebook of concealing the negative findings about Instagram and demanded a commitment from the company to make changes.
During testimony before a Senate Commerce subcommittee, Antigone Davis, Facebooks head of global safety, defended Instagrams efforts to protect young people using its platform. She disputed the way a recent newspaper story describes what the research shows.
We care deeply about the safety and security of the people on our platform, Davis said. We take the issue very seriously. We have put in place multiple protections to create safe and age-appropriate experiences for people between the ages of 13 and 17.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., the subcommittee chairman, wasnt convinced.
I dont understand how you can deny that Instagram is exploiting young users for its own profit, he told Davis.
The panel is examining Facebooks use of information from its own researchers that could indicate potential harm for some of its young users, especially girls, while it publicly downplayed the negative impacts. For some of the Instagram-devoted teens, the peer pressure generated by the visually focused app led to mental-health and body-image problems, and in some cases, eating disorders and suicidal thoughts, the research showed.
The revelations in a report by The Wall Street Journal, based on internal research leaked by a whistleblower at Facebook, have set off a wave of anger from lawmakers, critics of Big Tech, child-development experts and parents.
Comparisons to the tobacco industrys coverups of cigarettes harmful effects abounded in a session that united senators of both parties in criticism of the giant social network and Instagram, the photo-sharing juggernaut valued at around $100 billion that Facebook has owned since 2012.
Said Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass.: Instagram is that first childhood cigarette meant to get teens hooked early. Facebook is just like Big Tobacco, pushing a product they know is harmful to the health of young people.
The episode is quickly burgeoning into a scandal for Facebook approaching the level of the Cambridge Analytica debacle. Revelations in 2018 that the data mining firm had gathered details on as many as 87 million Facebook users without their permission similarly led to a public-relations offensive by Facebook and congressional hearings.
Its abundantly clear that Facebook views the events of the last two weeks purely as a PR problem, and that the issues raised by the leaked research havent led to any soul-searching or commitment to change, said Josh Golin, executive director of the childrens online watchdog group Fairplay. The group, formerly known as the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, doesnt take money from Facebook or companies, unlike the nonprofits Facebook tends to bring in for expert advice on its products.
Facebooks public response to the outcry over Instagram was to put on hold its work on a kids version of Instagram, which the company says is meant mainly for tweens aged 10 to 12. On Monday, Instagram head Adam Mosseri said in a blog post that the company will use its time out to work with parents, experts and policymakers to demonstrate the value and need for this product.
Already in July, Facebook said it was working with parents, experts and policymakers when it introduced safety measures for teens on its main Instagram platform. In fact, the company has been working with experts and other advisers for another product aimed at children its Messenger Kids app that launched in late 2017.
Pressed by senators, Davis wouldnt say how long the pause would last. I dont have a specific date but I do have a commitment that Facebook executives will consult with parents, policymakers and experts, she said. We want to get this right.
Blumenthal and Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, the panels senior Republican, also plan to take testimony next week from a Facebook whistleblower, believed to be the person who leaked the Instagram research documents to the Journal. An interview with the whistleblower is set to air on CBS 60 Minutes program Sunday.
Davis, a one-time middle school teacher and aide in the Maryland attorney generals office, insisted that the research on Instagrams impact on young people is not a bombshell.
This research is a bombshell, Blumenthal countered. It is powerful, gripping, riveting evidence that Facebook knows of the harmful effects of its site on children, and that it has concealed those facts and findings.
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The research documents released Wednesday by the Wall Street Journal: https://s.wsj.net/public/resources/documents/teen-girls-body-image-and-social-comparison-on-instagram.pdf
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Ortutay reported from Oakland, California. Associated Press writer Amanda Seitz in Columbus, Ohio, contributed to this report.
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Follow Marcy Gordon at https://twitter.com/mgordonap
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This story has been corrected to show that Fairplay is a childrens online watchdog group, not a childrens online advertising group.
SEOUL, South Korea North Korea leader Kim Jong Un expressed willingness to restore stalled communication lines with South Korea in coming days while shrugging off U.S. offers for dialogue as cunning ways to conceal its hostility against the North, state media reported Thursday.
Kims statement is an apparent effort to drive a wedge between Seoul and Washington as he wants South Korea to help him win relief from crippling U.S.-led economic sanctions and other concessions. Pyongyang this month has offered conditional talks with Seoul alongside its first missile firings in six months and stepped-up criticism of the United States.
The U.N. Security Council delayed an emergency closed meeting to discuss North Koreas recent tests from Thursday morning until Friday at the request of Russia, China and other council members who said they needed more time to prepare, diplomats said. The meeting was requested by the United States, the U.K. and France.
During a speech at his countrys rubber-stamp parliament on Wednesday, Kim said the restoration in early October of cross-border hotlines which have been largely dormant for more than a year would realize the Korean peoples wishes for a peace between the two Koreas, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.
Kim still accused South Korea of being bent on begging external support and cooperation while clamoring for international cooperation in servitude to the U.S., rather than committing to resolving the matters independently between the Koreas.
Kim echoed his powerful sister Kim Yo Jongs calls for Seoul to abandon double-dealing attitude and hostile viewpoint over the Norths missile tests and other developments. Some experts say North Korea is pressuring South Korea to tone down its criticism of its ballistic missile tests, which are banned by U.N. Security Council resolutions, as part of its quest to receive an international recognition as a nuclear power.
South Koreas Unification Ministry responded that itll prepare for the restoration of the hotlines that it said is needed to discuss and resolve many pending issues. It said it expects them to operate smoothly because their restoration was directly instructed by Kim Jong Un.
On the United States, Kim Jong Un dismissed repeated U.S. offers to resume talks without preconditions, calling them an attempt to hide Americas hostile policy and military threats that he said remain unchanged.
The Biden administration is touting diplomatic engagement and dialogue without preconditions but it is no more than a petty trick for deceiving the international community and hiding its hostile acts, Kim said.
He added: The U.S. remains utterly unchanged in posing military threats and pursuing hostile policy toward (North Korea) but employs more cunning ways and methods in doing so.
He has warned he would bolster his nuclear arsenal and stay away from negotiations with Washington unless it drops its hostile policy, a term used to describe the U.S.-led sanctions and regular military drills between Washington and Seoul.
U.S. officials have repeatedly expressed hope to sit down for talks with North Korea anywhere and at any time, but have maintained they will continue sanctions until the North takes concrete steps toward denuclearization. The diplomacy has been stalled for 2 years due to disagreements over easing of sanctions in return for limited denuclearization steps.
China, North Koreas last major ally, said Thursday it hopes the hotlines restoration would help improve ties between the two Koreas. But it also urged the U.S. to roll back some of the sanctions targeting the Norths civilian economy.
The U.S. should avoid repeating empty slogans, but rather show its sincerity by presenting an appealing plan, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said. It should invoke the rollback terms of the Security Councils (North Korea)-related resolutions as soon as possible and make necessary adjustments to relevant sanctions.
President Joe Biden told the U.N. General Assembly last week that his administration would seek serious and sustained diplomacy to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.
North Koreas outreach to Seoul came after South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who seeks progress in his appeasement policy on North Korea before he leaves office next May, proposed a symbolic peace declaration during his U.N. speech last week.
Kim Jong Un will likely continue to use South Korea to move the Biden administration in its favor, Kwak Gil Sup, head of One Korea Center, a website specializing in North Korea affairs, wrote on Facebook. Hell make more outright attempts to wedge South Korea and the U.S. apart. Its a highly sophisticated strategy to make the best use of the impatience of the (Moon) government preoccupied with producing progress in its peace process on the Korean Peninsula in its final months in office.
Meanwhile, Kims sister was elected as a member of the State Affairs Commission led by her brother during this weeks Supreme Peoples Assembly session, KCNA reported. The appointment of Kim Yo Jong, who already is a senior ruling party official who handles Pyongyangs relations with Seoul, is another sign Kim is solidifying his familys rule in the face of mounting economic difficulties caused by the pandemic and the sanctions.
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Associated Press journalists Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations and Liu Zheng in Beijing contributed to this report.
DEVELOPING... Story will be updated as new information can be verified. Updated 3 times
Three Democratic members of Congress on Thursday offered deeply personal testimony about their own abortions as a congressional committee examined how to respond to conservative states that are passing laws limiting abortion access.
Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri said she was raped on a church youth trip. Rep. Barbara Lee of California said she received a back-alley abortion in Mexico after a teenage pregnancy. And Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington said she opted for an abortion after being told her pregnancy would be high risk for her and the baby.
Choosing to have an abortion was the hardest decision I had ever made, but at 18 years old, I knew it was the right decision for me, Bush told the House Committee on Oversight Reform.
The hearing comes weeks after a Texas law took effect that bans abortions after six weeks of pregnancy with no exception for rape or incest. Other conservative states are considering similar measures.
Meanwhile, a federal appeals court is weighing the fate of a Missouri law that bans abortions after eight weeks of pregnancy, also with no rape or incest exceptions. And, the U.S. Supreme Court in December will hear arguments over a Mississippi law that would ban abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
The hearing also looked at what the federal government can do to ensure abortion access. Options include ending the Hyde Amendment, which restricts government funding for most abortions, and passing a law guaranteeing a womans right to an abortion. The House passed that measure last week, but Republican opposition would almost certainly doom it in the Senate.
Committee Chairwoman Carolyn B. Maloney, a Democrat from New York, said the majority of Americans support abortion rights.
But with a hostile Supreme Court, extremist state governments are no longer chipping away at constitutional rights they are bulldozing right through them, Maloney said.
Republican Rep. James Comen of Kentucky said the oversight committee should focus on problems with President Joe Bidens administration, not a state matter over which it has absolutely no jurisdiction. Another Republican, Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, said abortion only compounds the sorrow.
Whether a pregnancy is planned or unplanned, or even the result of horrific circumstances, ending that childs life with an abortion to empower or protect the, quote, freedom, end quote, of the mother is not an answer, Foxx said.
Bush, a 45-year-old first-term lawmaker from St. Louis, testified that she had just graduated from high school in the summer of 1994 and went on a church youth trip to Mississippi. She said she befriended a man who was about 20. She said they flirted and he asked to go to the room she was sharing with another girl. Her roommate was already asleep when the man showed up.
I answered the door and quietly told him he could come in, imagining that we would talk and laugh like we had done over the phone, Bush said. But the next thing I knew, he was on top of me, messing with my clothes, and not saying anything at all.
When it was over, Bush said, she was confused.
I was embarrassed, I was ashamed, she said. I asked myself, Was it something Id done?'
About a month later, soon after she turned 18, Bush learned she was pregnant.
To all the Black women and girls who have had abortions or will have abortions know this: We have nothing to be ashamed of, Bush said.
Jayapal said her first child, Janak, now 25, was born prematurely and weighed less than 2 pounds, which resulted in medical conditions that frequently required his hospitalization. Jayapal said other stresses combined with the sick baby resulted in postpartum depression so bad that she contemplated suicide.
She said that when she became pregnant again, she consulted with doctors who told me that any future pregnancy would likely also be high risk to me and the child, similar to what I had gone through with Janak.
I very much wanted to have more children, she said, but I simply could not imagine going through that again.
Ending the pregnancy was the most difficult choice Ive made in my life, but it was my choice, Jayapal said.
Lee became pregnant at age 16 in the mid-1960s. Abortion in California was illegal at the time so a family friend helped send her to a back-alley clinic in Mexico, she said.
She had no ill effects from the procedure, but she said many other women werent so lucky in that era.
In the 1960s, unsafe septic abortions were the primary killer primary killer of African American women, Lee said.
A Republican lawmaker had her own personal story about an abortion that didnt happen.
Rep. Kat Cammack of Florida said her mother suffered a stroke while pregnant with Cammacks older sister. Years later, when pregnant with Cammack, Cammacks mother was urged by doctors to have an abortion.
But because of her strength, Cammack said, she chose life.
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Salter reported from OFallon, Missouri.
CHICAGO When Democrats passed President Joe Bidens $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, Republicans called it liberal pet projects disguised as pandemic aid.
But now that Republican governors and local leaders have the money in hand, they are using it for things on their wish lists, too.
Alabama lawmakers are advancing a plan to use $400 million of the states share toward building prisons in what Gov. Kay Ivey says is a great deal for taxpayers. In Texas, a Republican-led county is sending deputies to assist police along the U.S.-Mexico border and pledged to help Gov. Greg Abbott revive former President Donald Trumps plans for a border wall.
In other places, the money has been used to score political points or as leverage in partisan fights over COVID-19 precautions.
Decrying a defund the police, soft on crime liberal agenda, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp announced $1,000 bonuses for first responders paid for with the relief money. In Wyoming, a Republican legislative leader suggested the money could be used to pay the federal fines of businesses that defy Bidens vaccine mandate.
This probably isnt what the bills supporters had in mind when Democrats approved the American Rescue Plan along party lines in March, and some Democrats have complained that Republicans are misusing the money. But its the inevitable result of Washington sending money with few strings attached to places with very different and partisan ideas about how best to spend public dollars.
Democrats also are using the cash to fund their priorities, including expanding Medicaid benefits, putting in place a child tax credit and offering $4 billion in debt forgiveness for farmers of color. In Illinois, Republicans blasted the Democrats who control state government for handing out over $1 billion for capital projects and groups in Democrat-held districts. That included $250,000 for Black Lives Matter to do youth mentoring and $300,000 for a suburban Chicago drill team and drum corps.
The federal aid package provided $350 billion to states, counties, towns and tribes. It was billed as money for fighting the coronavirus, providing economic relief to small businesses and households, replacing revenue that governments lost during the pandemic and improving local water, sewer and broadband infrastructure. It also allowed for premium pay for essential workers, such as police officers, who faced the biggest health risks.
There were some clear restrictions, such as prohibiting funds from being used toward pensions or to cut taxes, and that led Republican attorneys general to sue. But the money came with more flexibility than most federal funding and a longer deadline for spending it. Officials say that will enable governments to deal with the current crisis and make more innovative, longer-term investments.
The Treasury Department says it has received roughly 1,000 public comments on proposed rules outlining how the money may be spent, including requests for clarifications of eligible uses. The department is monitoring expenditures and will require governments to repay any federal dollars that were used inappropriately, an official said.
But what qualifies as fighting COVID-19 or promoting economic recovery is often left up to the people spending the money.
In Galveston County, Texas, Republican county commissioners approved a plan to spend $6.6 million of its total $27 million in coronavirus relief money for security roughly 350 miles (560 kilometers) away on the U.S.-Mexico border. They say the money will protect residents from COVID-19 and other dangers brought by people entering the United States illegally. They approved a disaster declaration that says extraordinary measures must be taken, given an increase in the number of border crossings.
We have a deliberate public health and humanitarian crisis unfolding on our southern border that the Biden administration refuses to address, County Judge Mark Henry said.
So far, the county has spent $165,000 to send three constables deputies and five sheriffs deputies to the border, including to Del Rio, where thousands of Haitians convened recently at a makeshift encampment after crossing the Rio Grande. Galveston County plans to apply for reimbursement from the state, spokesman Zach Davidson said, after Texas legislators voted to approve reimbursements for counties that assist on the border.
In some places, lawmakers say American Rescue Plan dollars intended to make up for lost revenue are fair game to use as they see fit. Thats the argument Ivey and other Republicans made as a plan advanced in the statehouse to use $400 million of Alabamas $2.2 billion share toward prison construction. After Democratic Rep. Jerrold Nadler of New York, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, wrote Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Tuesday seeking to block the $1.3 billion construction plan as a misuse of money, Ivey shot back with a letter of her own.
The fact is, the American Rescue Plan Act allows these funds to be used for lost revenue and sending a letter in the last hour will not change the way the law is written, Ivey said. These prisons need to be built, and we have crafted a fiscally conservative plan that will cost Alabamians the least amount of money to get to the solution required.
Asked Wednesday about Alabamas plan, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, I would be surprised if that was the intention of the funding.
Democrats in Texas congressional delegation want Yellen to block Abbott from using coronavirus relief money for the border wall. They sent a letter after Abbott announced new, tougher plans to fight illegal immigration, including shifting $250 million in state money toward finishing Trumps border wall.
The costly monstrosity certainly should not be paid for directly or indirectly with coronavirus relief money, the Democrats wrote.
Texas legislators are expected to debate how to use the states share of funds during a special session now underway.
In northwest Iowa, the Republican-led Woodbury County Board of Supervisors voted to use about $15 million in rescue funds to cover higher-than-projected costs for a new jail in Sioux City. Some residents said the money could be put to better use, but board members contended that it was a proper use of the money because the larger facility will allow inmates to be less crowded, helping prevent the spread of COVID-19.
In Wyoming, GOP Senate Majority Floor Leader Ogden Driskill suggested to a conservative online publication that a more creative approach to using the money would be to push back against Bidens vaccine mandate by paying any fines imposed on businesses that ignore it.
Its obviously COVID-related, Driskill said.
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Associated Press writers Kim Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama, Mead Gruver in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Paul Weber in Austin, Texas, contributed to this report.
Hospitals and nursing homes around the U.S. are bracing for worsening staff shortages as state deadlines arrive for health care workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
With ultimatums taking effect this week in states like New York, California, Rhode Island and Connecticut, the fear is that some employees will quit or let themselves be fired or suspended rather than get the vaccine.
How this is going to play out, we dont know. We are concerned about how it will exacerbate an already quite serious staffing problem, said California Hospital Association spokesperson Jan Emerson-Shea, adding that the organization absolutely supports the states vaccination requirement.
New York health care employees had until the end of the day Monday to get at least one dose, but some hospitals had already begun suspending or otherwise taking action against holdouts.
Erie County Medical Center Corp. in Buffalo said about 5% of its hospital workforce has been put on unpaid leave for not being vaccinated, along with 20% of staff at its nursing home. And the states largest health care provider, Northwell Health, said it has begun removing unvaccinated workers from its system, though it said its workforce is nearly 100% vaccinated.
To those who have not yet made that decision, please do the right thing, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said.
Some New York hospitals prepared contingency plans that included cutting back on noncritical services and limiting nursing home admissions. The governor also drew up plans to summon help from National Guard members with medical training, retirees or vaccinated workers from outside the state.
About a dozen states have vaccination mandates covering health care workers in hospitals, long-term care facilities or both. Some allow exemptions on medical or religious grounds, but those employees often must submit to regular COVID-19 testing.
States that have set such requirements tend to have high vaccination rates already. The highest rates are concentrated in the Northeast, the lowest ones in the South and Midwest.
The Biden administration also will require the roughly 17 million workers at health facilities that receive federal Medicare or Medicaid to be fully vaccinated under a rule still being developed.
That has worried some hospital officials, particularly in rural communities where vaccination rates tend to be lower.
We are looking at the need to reallocate staff, in some cases just to maintain services that are essential, and there are going to be some delays in care, said Troy Bruntz, president and CEO at Community Hospital in McCook, Nebraska.
He said 25 of the hospitals 330 employees said they would definitely resign if they were required to be vaccinated. The remainder of the approximately 100 unvaccinated employees a group that includes nurses as well as cleaning and maintenance staff havent decided.
He also worries that it will be difficult to hire new workers when the hospital is already short-handed.
It doesnt make us feel too confident that this isnt going to turn into something short of a nightmare for American health care, he said.
Many hospitals and nursing homes are already suffering staff shortages because many nurses and others have quit as a result of pandemic-related burnout or have left for lucrative jobs traveling from state to state.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki noted that hospitals in Houston and Maine lost a relatively small number of employees recently after requiring employees to get vaccinated.
Were seeing in a lot of places that this is working, its effective. Its creating more certainty and protection in their workforces, Psaki said.
In California, where health care workers have until Thursday to get fully vaccinated, some hospitals are anticipating firings, suspensions or the moving of people to other positions, Emerson-Shea said. She said many traveling nurses have declined assignments in California because of the states vaccine requirement.
But with a statewide mandate, health workers wont be able to just quit their jobs and go to other hospitals, said Dr. Jeff Smith, chief operating officer and executive vice president of hospital operations at Los Angeles-based Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
He expects that about 97 percent of Cedars-Sinais almost 17,000 employees affected by the vaccine mandate will comply by the deadline. Another 1 percent have applied for medical or religious exemptions. Those who dont comply by Friday will be suspended for a week, and fired on Oct. 8 if they dont comply or if there are not extenuating circumstances, he said.
The hospital also was able to hire over 100 nurses in the past month and uses some travel nurses.
Were in a good place but dont want to minimize the challenges other hospitals are likely facing, Smith said.
In Rhode Island, where the vaccine mandate takes effect Friday, the state said hospitals can allow unvaccinated employees to keep working 30 days past the deadline in cases where firing them would compromise patient safety. The mandate is being challenged in court because it doesnt allow religious exemptions.
In states that dont have mandates, some hospitals are imposing their own.
Ginger Robertson, a registered nurse who works in a mental health clinic at a hospital in Bismarck, North Dakota, has requested a religious exemption from her hospitals vaccination requirement. She said she will look for other work if she doesnt get it.
Honestly, I really love my job. I am good at it. I enjoy my patients. I enjoy where I am at, she said. So this is a really hard place, to have to choose between two things I dont want to do. I dont want to leave, and I dont want to get the vaccine.
She said other nurses are also considering leaving over what she called the insulting mandate.
We feel demoralized, like as though we arent intelligent enough to make these choices for ourselves, Robertson said.
A North Carolina-based hospital system announced Monday that more than 175 of its 35,000-plus employees have been fired for failing to comply with its COVID-19 vaccination requirement.
Last week, Novant Health announced 375 workers had been suspended and given five days to comply. Nearly 200 of them did so including those who submitted approved exemptions before the Friday deadline, spokesperson Megan Rivers said.
Massachusetts mandate, issued by Republican Gov. Charlie Baker, applies only to rest homes, assisted living facilities, hospice programs and home care programs. It allows for medical and religious exemptions but doesnt require regular testing. The deadline is Oct. 31.
In Connecticut, a vaccine mandate for employees of state-run hospitals took effect on Monday. It does not apply to privately run hospitals, some of which are imposing their own requirements. Medical and religious exemptions are possible, but anyone else who fails to get vaccinated will be barred from the workplace.
About 84% of over 450,000 hospital workers in New York were fully vaccinated as of Wednesday, according to state data. Nursing home data through Sunday showed about 89% of nursing home workers fully vaccinated.
New York Citys hospital system reported a 95% vaccination rate for nurses and a higher rate for doctors.
In Missouri, which became a severe COVID-19 hot spot over the summer, the Mercy hospital system is requiring vaccinations among staff at its hundreds of medical centers and clinics in Missouri and neighboring states by Thursday.
Anyone who doesnt comply by then will be placed on a 30-day unpaid suspension, said Mercy spokeswoman Bethany Pope.
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Webber reported from Fenton, Michigan, and Hollingsworth from Mission, Kansas. Philip Marcelo and Mark Pratt in Boston; Michael Melia in Hartford, Connecticut; Michael Hill in Albany, New York; Skip Foreman in Charlotte, North Carolina; and Zeke Miller in Washington contributed to this story.
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This story was first published on September 27, 2021. It was updated on September 30, 2021, to correct the title of Dr. Jeff Smith to chief operating officer, not CEO.
Copyright 2021 Albuquerque Journal
SANTA FE The number of new COVID-19 infections surged to 1,009 cases in New Mexico on Thursday the highest one-day total reported by the state in eight months.
Hospitalizations for the disease jumped to 336 patients, a 17% increase over the previous day.
Thursdays case total could just be reporting blip, as the number of recent infections had appeared to reach a plateau earlier this month. But state health officials also have warned that the late-summer growth in cases largely fueled by the highly contagious delta variant might not be over yet.
The Department of Health on Thursday also reported:
13 additional COVID-19 deaths, bringing the official state total to 4,801 fatalities. Four of the deaths announced Thursday were adults from Bernalillo County.
People who arent fully vaccinated make up about 93% of the deaths over the last four weeks.
70.8% of New Mexico adults have completed their vaccine series and 80.1% have had at least one dose.
The 1,009 cases reported Thursday include 303 in Bernalillo County and 140 in San Juan County. Its the most announced for a day since Jan. 29, before vaccines were widely available.
The state reported more cases one day in August, but the total included historical, not just recent, cases.
The state also launched an online questionnaire to help people determine whether theyre eligible for a booster shot of the Pfizer vaccine.
Visit vaccineNM.org and click on the blue link near the top of the page. An online questionnaire will help people determine their eligibility and, if they qualify, allow them to schedule an appointment for the shot.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends Pfizer boosters for individuals who completed their Pfizer vaccine series at least six months ago and meet certain other requirements.
Justice Samuel Alito pushed back Thursday against criticism, including some from colleagues, that recent Supreme Court actions in major cases have been done hastily and in the shadows. A dangerous cabal improperly deciding important matters hardly, he said.
Alito, in remarks at the University of Notre Dame, took aim at critics of three recent decisions in which the courts conservatives prevailed over dissents by liberals.
In rapid succession beginning in late August, the court reinstated a Trump-era immigration program, allowed evictions that had been paused by the coronavirus pandemic to resume and let a Texas law severely limiting abortion go into effect.
All three cases came to the court as emergency motions, and were decided quickly and without the courts more typical full briefing and oral argument. That process has been called the courts shadow docket.
Our decisions in these three emergency matters have been criticized by those who think we should have decided them the other way, and I have no trouble with fair criticism of the substance of those decisions, Alito said.
He added: My complaint concerns all the media and political talk about our sinister shadow docket. The truth of the matter is that there was nothing new or shadowy about the procedures we followed in those cases its hard to see how we could handle most emergency matters any differently.
Alito noted that its not up to the court but to the parties in cases when they bring emergency motions. He said the recent criticism has suggested that a dangerous cabal is deciding important issues in a novel, secretive, improper way in the middle of the night, hidden from public view, without waiting for the lower courts to consider the issues.
Alito said that picture is very sinister and threatening, but it is also very misleading.
The string of recent emergency decisions began with a 6-3 vote to reinstate a Trump administration program that forces people to wait in Mexico while seeking asylum in the United States. A majority of the court said the Biden administration likely violated federal law in trying to end the program.
Days later, the justices, again on a 6-3 vote, blocked the Biden administration from enforcing a temporary ban on evictions that was put in place because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Most recently, the high court on a 5-4 vote declined to block a Texas law that has resulted in a near-total ban on abortion in the state. The unsigned majority opinion in that case was issued around midnight and was not even two full pages. Unlike the previous two emergency cases, Chief Justice John Roberts joined his liberal colleagues.
Alito said it was false and inflammatory for critics to claim that the conservatives in the Texas case effectively nullified the landmark Roe v. Wade decision guaranteeing a womans right to an abortion. Critics have said that by letting the law take effect, the court has allowed the state to sharply curtail abortions in the nations second-largest state.
It was also in that decision that Alitos colleague, Justice Elena Kagan, said the majoritys ruling illustrates just how far the Courts shadow-docket decisions may depart from the usual principles of appellate process.
The majority made a significant ruling without any guidance from an appeals court and then after reviewing only the most cursory party submissions, and then only hastily, Kagan wrote. She accused her colleagues of barely bothering to explain their conclusion.
In all these ways, the majoritys decision is emblematic of too much of this Courts shadow docket decisionmaking which every day becomes more unreasoned, inconsistent, and impossible to defend, she said.
Roberts also criticized the cases path to the court, saying the justices were asked to resolve these novel questions at least preliminarily in the first instance, in the course of two days without oral argument, additional briefs and guidance from lower courts.
Alito went through and rejected 10 different criticisms of the courts emergency practices, from the argument that emergency orders are secretive to the fact that they arent typically signed by the justice who wrote them.
Alito acknowledged there have been more emergency motions in recent years but he attributed that to an influx of civil cases brought about by President Donald Trumps initiatives, as well as issues sparked by the coronavirus, including those relating to prisons and religious freedom.
Alito said he wasnt suggesting that our current practice is perfect and that possible changes should not be considered. But he said that the recent portrayal of the court feeds unprecedented efforts to intimidate the court or damage it as an independent institution.
Alitos speech came just days before the justices planned return to their courtroom for oral arguments, more than a year and a half after the in-person sessions were halted because of the coronavirus pandemic. The justices had been hearing cases by phone during the pandemic but are currently on their summer break.
Justice Clarence Thomas also recently spoke at Notre Dame, where Justice Amy Coney Barrett attended law school and taught for many years.
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Gresko reported from Washington. Casey Smith, who reported from South Bend, Indiana, 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.
YUBA CITY, Calif. - Two teenagers at Yuba City High School were arrested after they were found carrying a weapon and ammunition on campus, according to the Yuba City Police Department.
Police received a report around 10:40 a.m. Wednesday that a student at Yuba City High School was in possession of a handgun.
Officials said the 14-year-old was quickly detained when a witness pointed him out to the Yuba City Police School Resource Officer.
The student admitted he was in possession of a 9mm Smith and Wesson handgun and a loaded magazine.
The firearm was handed over to the officer and the student said he was given the gun before the school day by a different 14-year-old.
The student said the teenager who gave him the gun was in possession of another loaded magazine.
Police located the other 14-year-old who admitted to being in possession of another loaded magazine. He said he didnt want to carry the gun for the day and asked the other student to carry it.
Both students said they had no intention of using the gun.
The students were arrested and booked into the Yuba/Sutter Juvenile Hall and are facing charges of carrying a weapon on school and carrying a concealed weapon.
The parents of the students were notified and spoke to school officials about the incident.
Police said this appears to be an isolated event and they are still investigating.
CHICO, Calif. - The deadline for all healthcare workers to be vaccinated is tomorrow. Some are handling it well while others are struggling with it.
Being told that you are going to lose your job if you dont put something in your body, said one healthcare worker who did not want to be identified. How are we ever going to motivate people to want to be healthcare workers in the future?
Protecting my patients anyone I come in contact with, said a nurse who did not want to be identified. Especially people with health conditions and who are elderly. So, yeah it was really important for me to get my vaccine.
Some nurses who did not want to be identified are feeling uneasy about the vaccine mandate while others are not.
One nurse says her biggest hesitation for getting the shot was the fear of not being able to get pregnant.
I was trying to get pregnant and there were no studies on any pregnant woman, said a healthcare worker who did not want to be identified. The wonderful thing was two months later I ended up getting pregnant.
Some nurses and healthcare workers said throughout most of the pandemic they have been treating people while wearing things like a mask and gloves and say this has protected them enough so the question why they are now being forced to get a vaccine in order to be protected.
A majority of people who have been working in healthcare have been exposed to COVID so many times, said a healthcare worker who did not want to be identified. So their natural immunity is probably 10 times more than someone who isnt in healthcare and hasnt had the vaccine.
I am not really sure where that comes from, said a nurse who did not want to be identified. Ive heard people say I want to maintain my personal freedom but I think it is about more than that. You are putting other people at risk.
Some people are already prepared to leave their jobs in healthcare due to the mandate.
I have seen people begin to pack up their things, I have seen people meet with their supervisors and CEOs, said a healthcare worker who did not want to be identified. They are trying to do exemptions.
The human resources manager for Chico Immediate Care breaks down how they go about their religious or medical exemption process.
To be honest it is a special accommodation for both, for medical and religious, Zach Kennedy said. We would just talk with those employees and go through the accommodation process.
Kennedy said the accommodation process at the Immediate Care is some form of written documentation that is submitted to the facility.
Governor Gavin Newsom first announced this vaccine mandate for healthcare workers on Aug. 5 and gave healthcare workers until Sept. 30 to get vaccinated.
CONCOW, Calif. The Community Action Agency (CAA) will distribute food to the public at a County Food Action Agency Expansion Program event, scheduled for Friday.
It will be held at Pine Hardware, located at 11300 Miller Flat Rd. in Yankee Hill. The giveaway will be held from 10 a.m. to noon or until supplies of food run out, the CAA said in a news release.
The CAA North State Food Bank will give away boxes of healthy, shelf-stable and perishable food. The boxes will be weighing between 12 and 17 pounds.
Food boxes will be put into the vehicles for people who drive through the line at the event. The drive-through method is intended to provide maximum protection to members of the public.
REDDING, Calif. - At Columbia Elementary School, parent volunteers are required to be fingerprinted. Superintendent Clay Ross says this system has worked for many years -- that is until a sex offender who was caught bypassed the system.
"He gained access to the classroom and was volunteering which should have never happened. We have protocols in place to make sure all our parent volunteers are fingerprinted. That didn't happen in this case, and so when we were made aware of it we terminated the situation," Superintendent of Columbia Elementary School Clay Ross said.
The Redding Police Department confirms that the suspect's name is Sean Green. Ross says the school takes situations like these very seriously.
"We are still working on what long term things we are going to implement, in terms of single-point access all visitors having to go through the office, instead of having access to the campus without doing so, just figuring out the best way that is going to work on our campus," Ross said.
Meanwhile, Leroy Max has a niece that goes to Columbia Elementary and he says this situation upset and concerned him.
"A little upset and very scared, I guess you can say, just knowing that there is a possibility he could have been alone with my niece, and for the most part there is no way we really know. It's a scary situation you wouldn't want any child to be put in," Leroy said.
Ross tells Action News Now, he has kids of his own and is going to do his best so this situation wont happen again.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA - The Catholic Diocese of Sacramento added six new allegations of sexual abuse that it says are credible involving five priests that previously worked in the North State.
The priests previously appeared on the list for other allegations.
The new entries result from the completion of the Independent Compensation Program which ran from Sept. 2019 to the summer of 2021.
This independent program did what we prayed it would do, Bishop Soto said. First and foremost, it created a venue where victims of clergy abuse could come forward and seek justice and healing for the pain that was inflicted on them by men who betrayed their trust. Second, it provided information that we are using to ensure that our reckoning of the past is as thorough and transparent as it needs to be if we are to seek Gods mercy.
The ICP allowed individuals to seek compensation in a confidential process for claims of abuse by diocesan priests. The claims were reviewed regardless of when the abuse occurred and did not require going to court.
Independent program administrators reviewed the claims and made decisions regarding offers of settlements.
The new allegations are listed under the following names:
Gerardo Beltran Rico
William Feeser
Francisco Javier Garcia
William Hold
Uriel Ojeda
The current status of the priests, according to the Diocese of Sacramento, are as follows:
Rico is listed as a fugitive of justice after fleeing to Mexico in Dec. 1991 when a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Feeser died in 2012.
Garcia fled to Mexico after criminal warrants were issued for his arrest in 1995.
Hold died in 2012.
Ojeda pleaded no contest to sexual molestation of a minor in 2013. He was sentenced to eight years in prison and released in 2019.
The five priests served in several North State communities including Sacramento, Redding, Red Bluff, Corning, Orland, Winters, and Colusa.
The diocese says it encourages anyone who may be a victim of clergy sexual abuse, or who knows someone who may be, to report it to law enforcement, and to seek help for the pain it has caused.
The Dioceses Pastoral Care Coordinator may be reached at 866-777-9133.
As an official partner of Expo 2020 Dubai, taking place in the UAE from the 1st of October 2021 to the 31st of March, 2022, LOreal Paris will be showcasing to visitors its corporate social responsibility commitments as well as its new beauty and products innovations. LOreal Paris will continue the global implementation of its Stand Up Against Street Harassment program by organizing 3 live events aimed at educating and training people on what they can do when witnessing or experiencing street harassment, as well as raising awareness on the topic. These activations will be spread throughout the duration of Expo 2020 to encourage people to join the movement. LOreal Paris will also be unveiling its La Maison LOreal Paris Beauty concept store, bringing a unique and innovative store experience to visitors.
A WORTHY CAUSE: STAND UP AGAINST STREET HARASSMENT
Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo taking place in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia region, with 192 countries attending. On this occasion, LOreal Paris will continue to give women the confidence and power to take the place they deserve in society by setting up 3 activations dedicated to the program: Stand Up Against Street Harassment.
On September 28th , LOreal Paris dazzled the spectators of Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, with a showstopping projection to invite media and influencers to the Stand Up Against Street Harassment events taking place.
On October 5th , LOreal Paris and its international spokespeople Aja Naomi King, Aishwarya Rai, Aseel Omran and Mona Zaki will be holding the largest Stand Up Against Street Harassment trainings ever done since the launch of the program. Thousands of women and men are expected to attend this training session hosted in the Dubai Millennium Amphitheatre at Expo 2020, or to watch it online as the event is broadcasted live across the world.
On December 12th , a final training session will be hosted by LOreal Paris spokesperson Eva Longoria and local celebrities in the Dubai Millennium Amphitheatre at Expo 2020.
For Delphine Viguier-Hovasse, Global Brand President, LOreal Paris, LOreal Paris has always been committed to empowering women through Beauty, and now through its program Stand Up Against Street Harassment. As an official Expo 2020 Dubai partner, we will accelerate the raising awareness on street harassment and share, with as many people as possible, the 5D's methodology*. It is the key to give women the confidence and power to walk freely toward their destiny.
LA MAISON LOREAL PARIS BEAUTY CONCEPT STORE
On October 1st, 2021, as part of its 50th year anniversary celebration of its iconic tagline, Because Were Worth It, LOreal Paris will unveil La Maison LOreal Paris beauty concept store in the Opportunity District at Expo 2020. A 400 sqm flagship store showcasing the brands product and service innovations and bringing new exciting store experiences to Expo 2020 Dubai visitors.
The beauty store will be highlighting the brands three main values:
Pioneering science, with its new launches and hero products from skincare, makeup, haircare to men in addition to the beauty technology services like Skin Genius Women empowerment, sustained by its continuous efforts in causes such as the Stand Up Campaign, Because Were Worth It mission. LOreal Paris will introduce a Carrousel corner aimed at empowering women with strong messages inspired by their spokes community and supported by the Stand Up Against Street Harassment program. The Parisian heritage, embracing an iconic element of Parisian culture by welcoming visitors into beauty store with a modern cafe corner and comfortable terraces.
Hind Alowais, Senior Vice President, Participant Management, Expo 2020 Dubai, said : We applaud our Official Beauty Products and Services Partner, LOreal, for their commitment to empowering women and girls. The beauty brand LOreal Paris is not only raising awareness on the important issue of harassment, but is also enabling women to speak up and act, which aligns with Expos focus on gender equality as an essential component to solving some of humanitys biggest challenges. Women and girls are at the heart of what we do at Expo 2020 and were proud to have partnered with a leading beauty company who shares the same principles.
Expo 2020 is a powerful platform to encourage dialogue and action on some of the worlds most pressing issues. Gender equality and womens empowerment are at the heart of Expos programming as it seeks to celebrate, empower and enable women and girls as agents of change in a shared mission for human progress.
The flagship store will also showcase LOreals sustainability commitment and program by reducing its carbon footprint. The beauty store has been developed and built in a way where most of the furniture in store will be reused after the Expo 2020 Dubai.
With this event, LOreal Paris hopes to create a space that supports women to empower each other, encourage each other, and take charge in fighting for their place in this world. Expo 2020 Dubai will bring together more than 200 participants, including 192 countries and millions of visitors from around the globe, allowing for LOreal Paris mission to reach women in every corner of the world.
Online travel company, Cleartrip, has recently appointed Lowe Lintas to manage its creative duties. The scope of the agency will primarily include reinvigorating the brand and crafting a robust communication strategy to navigate the brand in the new industry landscape.
Over the past year, the travel industry has undergone a seismic shift. The pandemic has left the tourism and travel industry worldwide forever changed. Now, with vaccines rolled out to the masses, the travel and tourism industry will see a resurgence in domestic and international markets.
Speaking on the onboarding, Prahlad Krishnamurthi, Chief Business Officer, Cleartrip said: We are happy to onboard Lowe Lintas as our creative partner. Our approach will be to not only build an innovative portfolio but one that is represented by a brand persona that is memorable and impactful. We will be closely working with the Lowe Lintas team and expect that their strategic, innovative, and forward-looking approach will contribute immensely to further building the Cleartrip brand and propelling our growth. We look forward to a rewarding and long-standing partnership.
Companies in the travel and tourism industry must reposition themselves for the post-pandemic market and adapt to the mindset of a new, cautious breed of consumer. Lowe Lintas will play an integral role in positioning Cleartrip as the go-to travel partner in the minds of these travellers.
Commenting on the win, Sonali Khanna, Executive Director and Branch Head - South, Lowe Lintas said: "The last year and a half has really taught us the true meaning of a 'VUCA' world. In order for impacted industries, like Travel & Tourism, to get back on track, we need to devise transformational strategies. Lowe Lintas is no stranger to bold new ideas, and were delighted to partner with Cleartrip to meet this challenge head-on."
The Bangalore office of Lowe Lintas will handle the creative mandate for Cleartrip.
Come autumn and everybody seems to get into the festive mode, which starts pretty much from Mahalaya. Mahalaya, which marks the beginning of Devi-Paksha and the end of the Pitri-Paksha is an auspicious day for Bengalis, who celebrate it with much enthusiasm. On the auspicious day of Mahalaya, through a mythological tale, the origin of the 9 forms of the divine Goddess will be shown through NABARUPE MAHADURGA only on COLORS Bangla. The show presenting the nine forms of Durga will go on air on 6th October at 5 am.
Nabarupe Mahadurga promises to celebrate the 9 avatars of Maa Durga. Each of the nine manifested forms are separately venerated during the festival. The show will be about the timeless story of Ma Durga how she comes into being and saves the Gods and mankind from the evil of Mahisasur. Woven in the story, will be introduced the 9 different forms of the goddess - Shailaputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skandamata, Katyayani, Kaalratri, Mahagauri, and Siddhidatri. The entire show will be heavily based on dance and music which has never been seen before on Bengali television.
Popular actress Koel Mullick will essay the role of Maa Durga and will be sporting Mahisasur Mardini look and Parvati look. The show will have an ensemble cast showcasing some of COLORS Banglas most popular artists portraying Devis many forms like Adrija Roy, Tumpa Ghosh, Titiksha Das and Pallabi Roy. Alongwith them popular actresses like Jasmine Roy, Ushoshi Roy, Devlina Kumar and Saoli Chattopadhyay will be seen in different avatars of Durga. Samrat Mukherjee will be seen portraying the role of Mahisashur. Popular actor Gaurab Chatterjee as an anchor will narrate the nine forms of Durga.
The show has been directed by none other than the renowned director Anirban Mullick. The music for the program has been arranged by exemplary music director Debajyoti Mishra. Speaking on the occasion Sagnik Ghosh, Business Head, COLORS Bangla said, Mahalaya is not just an important day but an emotion as it ends the year-long wait for Durga Puja, the most important festival celebrated by Bengalis. It describes the journey of Maa Durga and her triumph over evil. Keeping this in mind the show will be about the timeless story of Ma Durga how she comes into being and saves the Gods and mankind from the evil of Mahisasur. As the name suggests Nabarupe Mahadurga, we will introduce the 9 different forms of the goddess. We have roped in popular actress Koel Mullick to play the role of Durga and we are extremely excited to bring to our viewers this powerful act.
The channel has recently rolled out a fresh new look along with the introduction of a slate of new original programmes. On the communication approach the channel will be cross promoting on other channels. On the digital front interesting trivia about the nine forms of Durga, facts decoding Maa Durgas weapons will be shared.
So, watch this star-studded dance drama act on the special occasion of Mahalaya on 6th October at 5 am only on COLORS Bangla!!
The podcast company of HT Media Ltd. is celebrating its second year of existence on a high. It reached a phenomenal 50 Million+ listens in less than 2 years. It has successfully climbed up to an average of 5 Million+ listens per month. With this as motivation, it continues to stay true to its mission of producing engaging content that speaks to its growing base of listeners from the moment they press play.
On this International Podcast Day, they have decided to raise awareness of a growing industry and the opportunities it brings for brands and podcasters alike while highlighting talent from all over the country.
HT Smartcasts podcaster community delivers content that creates new perspectives, starts conversation and promotes exploration. They have a podcast like Whatsapp University: Jhakaas ya Bakwaas that busts fake news, F Wala Pyaar and Streedom that cover new age love and living from male and female perspectives respectively, Mera Wala grief focuses on how celebrities like Chef Vikas Khanna and Journalist Barkha Dutt are dealing their lifes losses with special focus on the importance of mental health and the fast-becoming popular fiction Boondon se baatien. They also have podcasts that drive thought leadership, like Leadership Lessons that has its own unique following. There are celebrity exclusives where Kareena Kapoor spoke about the second pregnancy and Sabyasachi spoke about his H&M Controversy.
Deepti Ahuja (Producer and Content Head, HT Smartcast) says Podcasts do 3 things: Educate, engage and entertain, and if your listening experience is lacking either or one of these 3 then you must explore the 40+ genres of podcasts that we have waiting for you. HT Smartcast is present on 17+ audio platforms across the country and is growing its base internationally, offering podcasts in 6 different Indian languages.
Authenticity of voice in delivering a brand message has been at the core of every episode they create. As they get back to work after 10 days of celebrations, they are looking forward to September 30 - a worldwide celebration of the power of podcasts. Thanks to each podcast listener, distribution partner and audio enthusiast who has made the last two years possible.
Mr.Ramesh Menon (CEO, Fever FM and HT Smartcast) says Its been an incredible start to our journey, from an idea to 170+ curated podcasts, 2000+ Episodes, 100+ first time podcasters and over 5 million listens a month. Listeners and podcasters have enthusiastically jumped on the podcasting bandwagon. Its time for brands and advertisers to experience the potential of an immersive medium that breaks through the clutter and takes your proposition right through without interruption. How many other mediums can claim to do that?
We are moving forward with programmatic advertising in podcasts in India with a special focus on branded podcasts that have created lasting impacts with an 89% awareness increase and influenced 1 in 4 listeners to research the brand. We plan to replicate and increase this impact in the country with flexible solutions. Our collaborations have always helped brands grow and the journey has been nothing short of an adventure. Heres looking at many more.
At a time of rising digital Ad frauds, mFilterIt, a leading global digital trust and integrity partner of leading brands and organisations today announced the launch of OCIS (Online Communities Integrity Suite) a suite for managing online communities with integrity to build trustworthy and real engagements with fans and other community members. As per mfilterIt estimates around 17%-18% of fraud spent are incurred on managing communities in India and with help of mFilterIt OCIS offering, brands can save upto 10-15 % in managing online communities.
To cap it all, the suite offers comprehensive real-time monitoring and protection to elevate the community engagement so that genuine fans dont get cheated or fall prey to false information bringing a discredit to the brand with which they get associated.
Announcing the suite, Amit Relan, Co-Founder and Director, mFilterIt said, Co-creation has become the essence of digital led products and services. The participation of fans and their say is on the rise and brands, especially in the sectors like consumer electronics, smartphones and fashion are nurturing communities that run into millions engaging them actively in product co-development, beta testing and other areas. Also, these are engaged in loyalty programmes and social snowballing to become new-age brand influencers and promoters.
It is very critical of brands to ensure integrity of community platforms so that there are no data breach, privacy or scams with the genuine community members who also develop an emotional association with the brand. No brand can afford to lose this emotional equity, concluded Amit.
With the help of Online Communities Integration Suite, the average fraud spends are expected to significantly come down to about 1%. Some of the unique issues solved by the implementation of OCIS include: -
BOT signups: Scammers use BOTs to signup such communities for various reasons. These range from potential cyber security issues to scams. In some rare instances, it could also be a regressive competition tactics to downgrade reputation of the brand. The suite identifies and blocks all BOT signups resulting only in genuine signups.
Fake offers and coupons: Throughout the year, especially during periods like upcoming online festival sales season, fake offers and coupons are spread like wildfire exploiting the power of chatting applications and other social media channels. These are hacks and click baits to generate traffic on poor and inappropriate websites as well as potential channels of installing malware on smartphones and laptops. The incent wall and coupon tracking module reports any such fake offers to save community members from a digital compromise.
Account Take Over or ATO protection: Fake sites and forms are floated by scammers infringing the brand identity to disguise as a real brand outreach to its community members. They fill up details on signup and the account is taken over with authentic credentials by scammers. They can then consume the loyalty points as well as run a calling scam on behalf of the brand sharing account facts like history of purchase, etc., to establish as a genuine and authorised brand representative for further cheating which is most of the times monetary in nature. The brand infringement module does active tracking of all such fake or mirror websites, forms, etc., so that community members are saved from engaging with them well in time.
Fake Engagements: BOTs are also being used for spamming with comments, likes / dislikes, etc., to change the sentiment of an engagement. This not only spreads wrong information but also risks losing potential buyers who research about products and their features by reading these comments. The suite also filters real versus fake engagements to gauge the real sentiment.
Database collection: Fake lookalike websites are launched by scammers with subtle changes in the URLs along with very aggressive SEM (Search Engine Marketing). The potential community members search for the community portals and many-a-times land up infringed websites where the scammers collect data for further frauds and scams. This database is also then sold to tele-calling agencies increasing the threat of unsolicited calls.
Highlighting the unique capabilities of the suite, Dhiraj Gupta, Co-Founder and CTO, mFilterIt said, We use a very complex algorithm to actively monitor surface as well as dark web spaces and then using ML and AI convert them into meaningful and actionable reports helping brand custodians and community owners to proactively safeguard from any potential harm to the identity and privacy of their community members.
As responsible brands it should be one of the critical focus areas of the digital transformation process of organisations to implement such systems giving communities confidence of engaging more openly, concluded Dhiraj.
Ad Fraud is estimated to cost advertisers and brands around $44 billion by 2022. Studies also indicate that each year $1.5 billion is lost due to affiliate marketing fraud. Its the ad fraud which is plaguing the digital landscape. Around 65000 fake apps were detected alone on Google play store in 2019 according to McAfee Mobile Threat Report 2019. According to a reliable report, during May-Nov 2020, against total installs of around 2.3 crores, install fraud was around 44% and unique event fraud was at 29%.
The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (digital media division) has directed news aggregators, news websites, and news agencies to abide by the guidelines concerning FDI, which limits foreign holding at 26%. Till the FDI policy for digital news was framed, no limitation on foreign holding in digital news companies existed.
In a reminder sent on September 7, 2021, the MIB has directed non-compliant digital news websites to provide details required by the government. The Ministry had directed all those non-compliant digital platforms to take all needed actions within a three-week timeframe.
In 2020 November, the MIB had directed such platforms with foreign investment less than 26% to provide details such as names and addresses of shareholders or directors, shareholding pattern, latest audited/ unaudited account details, etc., within one month.
The Ministry also asked for a confirmation regarding compliance on documentation, reporting requirements, pricing, etc., under the FDI Policy, Foreign Exchange Management (Non-debt Instruments) Rules, 2019 and Foreign Exchange Management (Mode of Payment and Reporting of Non-debt Instruments) Regulations.
Digital news platforms with more than 26% foreign holding must provide such formation to the Ministry within a month from the issue of the notice, and initiate the needed measures for bringing down the FDI cap to 26% by October 15 2021.
The MIBs reminder dated September 7, states, While some entities have ensured compliance in accordance with the Public Notice, it is requested that the entities which are yet to comply with the same may take necessary action within three weeks of the issue of this reminder.
Netflix has informed that it has bought video game creator Night School Studio and rolled out five mobile gaming titles in some European markets.
Founded by Sean Krankel and Adam Hines in 2014, Night School Studio is best known for their critically acclaimed debut game Oxenfree. This is the first gaming studio purchase by the streaming giant.
Were inspired by their bold mission to set a new bar for storytelling in games. Their commitment to artistic excellence and proven track record makes them invaluable partners as we build out the creative capabilities and library of Netflix games together, said Mike Verdu, VP, Game Development, at Netflix.
Well continue working with developers around the world and hiring the best talent in the industry to deliver a great collection of exclusive games designed for every kind of gamer and any level of play. Like our shows and films, these games will all be included as part of your Netflix membership all with no ads and no in-app purchases, added Mike.
The studio's games are available on Sony's PlayStation, Microsoft's Xbox, Nintendo Switch and PCs. These non-mobile titles are the newly created video game portfolio in the Netflix kitty.
It may be recalled that the streamer had given indications about its plans to foray into gaming during its last quarterly earnings. The competition in the space of late has been growing with the likes of HBO Max and Disney+ rapidly gaining subscribers.
Bumble, the women-first social networking app, has partnered with actor Hansika Motwani to encourage single Indians to find meaningful connections and navigate the new world of dating.
In this fun and engaging video, Hansika Motwani shares tips and tricks on how to make a meaningful profile on Bumble and make the first move in finding a new connection.
Speaking on the partnership, Hansika Motwani commented, "Getting to be a part of the Bumble family was so much fun. At this time, the brand is incredibly relevant, encouraging millions of women to make the first move and feel empowered. I totally recommend you try Bumble to build and maintain healthier connections!"
Samarpita Samaddar, Communications Director, Bumble India said, In these changing times, Bumble continues to empower its community to make healthy and equitable relationships as they get more intentional about dating. We are delighted to partner with Hansika Motwani and hope our Gen Z and millennial audiences will be inspired to make the first move and forge healthy and meaningful connections.
Rahi, a leading global integrated IT enterprise solutions provider, today announced that Co-founder and Managing Director - Sushil Goyal has been elevated to a new position as the Chief Executive Officer at Rahi. Sushil had been in charge of the company's operations in India up until recently. He has moved into a larger international role with the aim of driving higher business outcomes. He will assume responsibilities in this new role later in the month. Rohit Singal, General Manager at Rahi, will now head Indias operations.
Sushil's new position at Rahi will entail helping the company's executive team create, grow, and establish a world-class, industry-leading organization. He will be a mentor to the staff and lead the organization in forging strategic alliances with various stakeholders and fulfill the business plan and overall vision of the company. Further, he will be working closely with the CEO, CFO, and other key executive team members to achieve favorable financial results with respect to sales, profitability, and cash flow.
Sushil will spearhead the development, communication, and implementation of effective growth strategies and processes. He will also promote a growth-oriented, positive environment while holding employees and management accountable for company policies, procedures, and guidelines.
Sushil second in line to Tarun Raisoni, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Rahi, will manage operations across the USA, EMEA, South Africa, and APAC regions, Sushil is excited to be a part of leading the company into its next phase of global innovation and operational excellence, he is definitely qualified to drive strategic prioritization and accountability within Rahi.
Commenting on his new role Sushil Goyal said, "I'm thrilled to be helming Rahi into a new direction. In this role, my primary objectives are to enhance communication and encourage professional development among the company's executive team and employees across all our offices in the world. This is a key position, and I want to carve an aggressive growth path for our global operations. At Rahi, we want to raise the bar of customer satisfaction in all the countries where we operate.
Sushil is a seasoned engineer with over two decades of experience in the information technology industry. He specializes in enterprise network infrastructure, access control and security, and complete data center solutions.
Sushil has been the driving force behind the creation, development, and maintenance of external user profile import modules, various spanning tree protocols, and unit and integration testing for new technologies. He co-founded Rahi in the year 2012 with the agenda to create an integrated environment that drives efficiencies, enhances customer service, and creates competitive advantages. Sushil expanded Rahi's business in India as the company's Managing Director, overseeing year after year of revenue growth.
Taco Bell, the world's leading Mexican-inspired restaurant brand, introduces two new delightful offerings for its consumers with the launch of Grilled Cheese Burrito and Quesadilla.
A cheese lovers paradise, the Grilled Cheese Burrito and Quesadilla is a unique offering being added to Taco Bell Indias diverse product portfolio. The latest innovation offers consumers an opportunity to feel the real cheese experience they deserve at an introductory price of just INR 129 (for vegetarian variant) and INR 149 (for non-vegetarian variant). The brand's objective behind this new launch is to provide a satisfying yet unapologetic experience for its fans with every bite of the product.
With grilled cheese on the outside and two blend cheese on the inside, the Grilled Cheese Burrito and Quesadilla are the perfect choices for a scrumptious treat. While the former is a soft tortilla roll, filled with the goodness of Taco Bells signature exotic ingredients such as two blend cheese, spicy ranch sauce and jalapeno rice, the latter is a soft grilled tortilla, folded with loads of cheesy goodness and creamy jalapeno sauce.
Commenting on the new launch, Gaurav Burman, Director, Burman Hospitality Private Limited, Taco Bells exclusive franchise partner in India, said, At Taco Bell, it has been our constant endeavor to innovate and create craveable offerings for our consumers and the launch of Grilled Cheese Burrito and Quesadilla is a testimony to those efforts. We are truly excited for consumers to try these never-before-seen additions to our product portfolio that have grilled cheese on the outside and two blend cheese on the inside, an absolute must have for all die-hard cheese fans. Our previous menu additions such as the Taco Party Feast and Best of Bell menu received an overwhelming consumer response, and we are positive that both our latest and unique offerings are sure to win hearts yet again.
A perfect way to kick-start the festive season, the Grilled Cheese Burrito and Quesadilla is sure to satiate all your cheesy cravings. After the inaugural period ends, each product will be available on the a la carte menu, priced at INR 149 (for vegetarian variant) and INR 169 (for non-vegetarian variant). They are available across all platforms Online, Contactless Dine-in, and Take-away, with high standard safety guarantee.
So, what are you waiting for? Visit your nearest Taco Bell restaurant or order online (via the Taco Bell App or food aggregators) and dive into an unforgettable cheesy experience!
Vedantu, the pioneer in LIVE online tutoring, announces US$100 million in their Series E round, led by Singapore based impact investing fund ABC World Asia. The round also saw strong participation from existing investors Coatue, Tiger Global, GGV Capital, Westbridge among others. With this round of funding, Vedantus valuation is at US$1 billion, and it underlines its status as the largest K-12 LIVE online tutoring company in India.
Challenging the status quo in Indias K-12 tutoring space, Vedantu was the first company to offer LIVE online classes in 2014 and is credited with creating the category. It has continued to be a pioneer in the space with several first-time innovations that include WAVE, its proprietary LIVE teaching platform, and the 2-teacher model. Both these innovations are playing a big role in improving student outcomes for the company. Some of the company's innovations have been granted patents in the US. Company looks to continue to innovate further on the LIVE teaching format and penetrate deeper in the K-12 segment by reaching more students. The funds will be primarily used to strengthen product engineering functions as well as expanding into newer categories through both organic and inorganic routes.
Today, Vedantu offers tutoring courses to young students from 3 years old to 18 years old, as well as preparation for competitive exams such as IIT-JEE, NEET, Commerce, CBSE, ICSE, and state exams such as Maharashtra boards. Through its newest offering and fastest growing vertical, SuperKids, it offers extracurricular classes like English Speaking, Reading, and Coding.
Vamsi Krishna, CEO, and Co-Founder, Vedantu said, "Back in 2014, when we held our first LIVE class, nobody believed this would work. It is super satisfying to see this format becoming mainstream and Vedantu leading the way in innovative online delivery experiences. Our vision is simple: Unleash the potential in every child. We will continue to innovate to reach as many students as possible and create 10x better experiences and outcomes for every child at Vedantu. Even though we have made quality teaching affordable and enabled it to reach masses since our inception, it's still very early, much more transformation is still to come which we wish to drive forth. Fundamentally, I believe education has a long cycle, and changes take time to manifest. Seeing any significant change requires patience and the tenacity to sustain long term. With that in mind, we want to create a company that outlasts our lives and continues to innovate for decades to come."
Sugandhi Matta, Chief Impact Officer, ABC World Asia, said, Vedantu embodies our investment themes of providing better access to quality education and using digital technology to improve lives and livelihoods. In India, online education has the potential to extend the scope of Right to Education to students in the underserved community and capture the Next Half Billion income group, representing over half of the countrys student population. With EdTech experiencing meteoric growth in India, Vedantu as the pioneer and category creator in LIVE online tutoring is driving the tectonic shift towards online learning. Vedantu's innovative platform empowers teachers who have delivered excellent results to offer personalized education to many students at once, creating the potential for impact at scale. We are pleased to partner with Vamsi and the Vedantu team as they continue to scale and shape learning outcomes for students in India.
Vedantu is the leader in K-12 LIVE tutoring space. Each month, over 35 million users access Vedantu through its app and web for free. Its YouTube channel gets 65 million views, the highest in the K-12 segment for any educational company in India. Students also access Vedantu through its dedicated Channels on Airtel TV and TATA Sky. Vedantu catered to over 200,000 paying students last year, a 300% growth over the previous year. This growth was accompanied by a revenue increase of 4.5x over the previous year, making it the fastest growing online education company in this space and the overall second-largest company in K-12 in terms of revenue and number of students.
Vedantu continues its run of successes by joining the $1 bn club with this latest round which will close over the next few weeks, with more investors joining in subsequent tranches. The Rainmaker Group acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Vedantu on their fundraising.
Another pull on the noose. YouTube will remove all vaccine misinformation. CHD was removed. In GroupSpeak its called deplatforming. In America it used to be called censorship. In N Korea its called loyalty to dear leader.
What if autism was the test? Once America swallowed the lies that autism is genetic and has always been here and could never have been from vaccines, the runway was ready for what we are seeing today. Once tens of thousands of kids were booted from school for lack of a vaccine, the jets were scrambled. Vaccines will be our nuclear missiles - protecting us from the evil viruses. The shadowy powers that be - and we claim NO inkling of who it is (both Republican and Democrat administrations have forsaken us) are on a mad tear to vaccinate. At any cost. At every cost. We're still here. I hope our tiny size is our shield.
From a NYT article that we can't link:
YouTube said on Wednesday that it was banning the accounts of several prominent anti-vaccine activists from its platform, including those of Joseph Mercola and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. , as part of an effort to remove all content that falsely claims that approved vaccines are dangerous.
In a blog post, YouTube said it would remove videos claiming that vaccines do not reduce rates of transmission or contraction of disease, and content that includes misinformation on the makeup of the vaccines. Claims that approved vaccines cause autism, cancer or infertility, or that the vaccines contain trackers, will also be removed.
The platform, which is owned by Google, has had a similar ban on misinformation about the Covid-19 vaccines. But the new policy expands the rules to misleading claims about long-approved vaccines, such as those against measles and hepatitis B, as well as to falsehoods about vaccines in general, YouTube said. Personal testimonies relating to vaccines, content about vaccine policies and new vaccine trials, and historical videos about vaccine successes or failures will be allowed to remain on the site.
Todays policy update is an important step to address vaccine and health misinformation on our platform, and well continue to invest across the board in policies that bring its users high-quality information, the company said in its announcement.
In addition to barring Dr. Mercola and Mr. Kennedy, YouTube removed
the accounts of other prominent anti-vaccination activists such as Erin Elizabeth and Sherri Tenpenny, a company spokeswoman said.
The accounts of such high-profile anti-vaccination activists like Dr. Mercola and Mr. Kennedy remain active on Facebook and Twitter although Instagram, which Facebook owns, has suspended Mr. Kennedys account....
When I was 19, I met a giant among men. Sgt Major Ellis was a Marines Marine that stood as proud as the uniform he wore. He knew everyone in the battalion by name (all 1,000, or so) and could outrun most Marines a decade younger than him. He was killed by a suicide bomber. His story is not unique.
The white graves that mark Arlington, and countless other cemeteries across America represent a story like his. That is why veterans feel bitter, angry, and betrayed after the slipshod pullout of Afghanistan. Not only because of the way it was conducted, but because this was a war we could have and should have won.
The takeaways from Afghanistan might be horrendous. Consider if we draw the lesson: the military does not work. Coupled with Chinas aggressive imperialistic designs, this could be existentially fatal. That is why it is imperative to get this issue right.
Wars are won by breaking an enemys will to fight. Not by making them like you, but by making them fear you. This was the case in WWII. Almost every major city in Germany and Japan was pulverized. This had the effect of not only crippling their ability to wage war, but also sapping their will to take up arms.
The Civil War is another example. Shermans march to the sea destroyed the confederacy supply chain and demoralized Lees troops. This is not a phenomenon of a past age. The Afghan army, after losing American support, folded in days to the Taliban after realizing their cause was futile. Victory in war is achievable.
After 9/11 we choose a different path. Not doing his best impression of Churchill, President Bush once said: I dont think you can win itI dont have anydefinite end (for the war).[1] This defeatist attitude set the tone for the campaign. First, we refused to name the enemy -- a political movement that sought to impose a radical form of Islam on the world. Bush called it a war on terrorism. Terrorism is a tactic. This would be like declaring war on Kamikaze missions during WWII. This made it almost impossible to think about 9/11 clearly.
Moreover, we refused to use whatever force was necessary to break the will of that movement. Self-effacing rules of engagement hampered our military. Soldiers could not return fire from mosques. Levels of force had to be authorized by bureaucrats and lawyers. A Pentagon study reported, every group of soldiers and Marines interviewed reported that they felt the existing ROEs (rules of engagement) tied their hands, preventing them from doing what needed to be done to win the war.[2]
During the battle of Tora Bora, we allowed Al Qaida leaders (including Osama Bin Laden) to escape for fear of civilian casualties, and many times gave the Taliban advance notice of attacks.[3] In Iraq, we allowed fighters to leave the city before the battle of Fallujah, and then Marines were ordered to halt their attack.[4]
This strategy was influenced by just war theory. In the WestPoint popular book Just and Unjust Wars, Michael Walzer, explains in no uncertain terms that his view is that the chief aim of militaries is for humanitarian crises. Not self-defense. He writes: the chief dilemma of international politics is whether people in danger should be rescued by military forces from outside.[5] Or consider this head-scratcher: In our judgment of the fighting, we abstract from all consideration of the justice of the cause. We do this because the moral status of individual soldiers on both sides is very much the same. They face one another as moral equals[6] This raises so many questions. First and foremost: why are you fighting a war against people who are your moral equal?
On a political level, American policy attempted to promote democracy in the Middle East, even if that meant allowing countries to vote our enemies into power. Once when Bush was asked if the U.S. would accept a theocratic, militant regime in Iraq, he said yes. Democracy is democracy... if thats what the people choose, thats what the people choose.[7]
This mindset emboldened the enemy. It is essentially saying: what you did on 9/11what you do to women and gays, and everyone who does not share your faiththat is all okay so long as a majority voted for it. In fact, they did vote in warlords who were not much different than the people who attacked us. Failure was not owned by one administration. Obama surged the level of troops in Afghanistan. Not as a new strategy that resembled victory, but as a way to double down on Bushs legacy. Trump even invited the Taliban to Camp David to broker a peace deal.
Why did we choose this path? The simple answer is that Americans do not believe we have the right to stand up for ourselves. Consciously or unconsciously, we have absorbed the rhetoric (with varying degrees) that all cultures and governments are equal. We desperately need to shed ourselves from this neuroticism. A culture that stones unveiled women or throws gays off of buildings is not the moral equivalent of one that protects peoples freedoms. What would a rational foreign policy look like? For our military, it means destroying threats as swiftly as possible. Not just the immediate threat, but defeating him thoroughly enough so that we have drained his motivation to fight. Our military should not be treated as fodder to go on dangerous missions to safeguard elections or supervise the construction of sewers.
Pundits sometimes argue this type of war will create more enemies. This is groundless and ahistorical. If this were true, Japan would be an enemy after WWII. Ditto for Germany, and the Confederacy. When an enemy is thoroughly defeated, materially and spiritually; he realizes that his cause was futile and misguided.
Oftentimes, former addicts talk about hitting rock bottom. This often involves a rejection from another person. A spouse leaving them, fired from their job, or getting arrested. What the former addict finally realizes at this moment is that it is the result of their actions alone that caused this. Even in the cognitive fog of addiction, they see this.
A similar revelation happens on a cultural scale to a defeated army. They grasp that they were in the wrong and deluded by irrational ideologies. That is why the Japanese navy minister Yonai Mitsumasa called the atomic bombs gifts from heaven.[8] That is not to say every city that harbors a threat needs to be flattened. But it is to say that every legitimate threat should be met with whatever force is necessary to defeat it. Civilian casualties, while tragic, are crimes of the aggressing actor.
As easy as it is to become bitter about Afghanistan, there is a comforting thought that assuages it. The men and women who fought never wavered in their tenacity. In two decades of fighting their ferocity and skill was every bit as present on the tarmacs of Kabul as it was on September 12th, 2001. It is this fighting spirit that gives me hope for America. The same cannot be said about their leaders. They do not deserve the men and women that serve under them.
Undoubtedly, the Afghanistan fiasco will result in more terrorism, more bloodshed, and emboldened adversaries. With the equal vigor that our fighting men and women displayed on the battlefield, the promise of American exceptionalism must be intellectually fought for. It is the dissemination of this knowledge that will nurture our sense of life, and help us grow to become a people with an upright and proud self-esteem. That -- and only that -- will stop the bleeding and ensure a free and prosperous future- one that our fallen comrades would be proud of.
Photo credit: Petr Kratochvil Public Domain Pictures
At the height of the COVID-19 scare --- say, around March and April 2020 --- when the virus and its accompanying hysteria were at their apex, Democrats scored their most effective and damaging hits upon public confidence in President Trumps pandemic leadership, the effects of which persisted clear through to the November election.
Their cynical, hurtful strategy was simple enough: Heap as much ridicule as necessary upon his determined efforts to produce safe and effective vaccines, while reserving special scorn for his attempts to identify as many viable therapeutic treatments as possible to serve as stopgaps until the vaccines were ready and beyond.
Admittedly, Mr. Trump sometimes aided those ignoble efforts at political derision by his undisciplined, stream-of-consciousness ruminations over how certain substances might work in the human body, or his inexplicable willingness to be sucked into pointless rows with the biased, partisan press corps. Also clearly counterproductive was his undisguised disdain for mask-wearing, despite the legitimate, if overblown fears of ordinary people.
But Trump is Trump and hell always do it his way --- come what may. And those instances where Trump stepped on his own message or created a verbal shroud over his considerable managerial skill nevertheless cant erase how much better off we all were with #45 calling the signals in comparison to todays sclerotic leadership.
And lo and behold, despite the predictable Dem misdirection, the vaccines arrived just as Trump predicted, and the wisdom of concurrently pursuing effective treatments became crystal clear to anyone, subsequently vaccinated or not, who later contracted COVID.
So its only now, when Trumps careful thought processes and sound judgments have been replaced by Joe Bidens blinkered cart-horse rigidity and petulant obstinacy, that some --- but not all --- can begin to appreciate the flexibility and foresight that sometimes laid hidden behind Trumps overly combative, off-putting style.
Sadly, it appears that here in the U.S. weve finally reached a critical mass of people who can only learn their lessons the hard way --- and best believe, it wont get much harder than enduring the remainder of Joe Bidens already disastrous term.
Observing Bidens single-track, my-way-or-the-highway insistence upon vaccinating anyone and everyone no matter their personal history or medical circumstances, one cant help but long for Trumps far more nuanced and sophisticated approach. Over the lengthening course of this China-born plague, the person the Democrats tried to paint as a would-be Mussolini was in fact scrupulously respectful of both individual liberties and the constitutionally- prescribed prerogatives of the several States. The emerging autocrat Bidens pandemic fighting inclinations in stark contrast seem more aligned with those of Xi-Xin Ping than any American leader in memory.
In the midst of an election year, no official ever staked more reputation or political capital than did Donald Trump, squarely on the efficacy of the then-nascent COVID vaccines. Any serious setback or time-consuming obstacle affecting their development would have been blared to the heavens by the skeptical, failure-seeking Dems and their media lackeys, and probably would have meant a sure landslide defeat for Trump.
Yet Trumps confidence in their timely arrival never wavered; even going so far as to assume the still greater risk of guaranteeing payment for millions of doses of the as yet widely untried drugs (another action the second-guessing Dems would have blasted had it backfired.)
Of course the drug companies, thus beneficiaries of guaranteed billions in revenue, rewarded Trumps confidence by delaying the announcement of the impending readiness of the vaccines until after the election, helping Biden immeasurably. Now theres gratitude for you!
Under such circumstances, given the risks hed run without apparent appreciation, in his last few months in office Trump might have been forgiven for taking the coercive approach to vaccination that Biden has mindlessly embraced. But he didnt --- sticking to the more reasonable two-track strategy of providing enough vaccines for those who want it, while still seeking effective treatments for the sick among the arsenal of tried-and-true (but alas, less profitable) medicines. Unlike Biden, Trump knew that a successful track record worked more effectively to persuade the vaccine-hesitant than the bludgeoning hand of government.
Despite Joes typically grandiose, gruel-for-dummies pronouncements about shutting down the virus, Trumps overall framework for combating COVID has remained in place among those actually on the frontlines. However, now that theyre fully in power, the Democrats still insist upon continuing to denigrate traditional, off-patent medicines. Ivermectin has now joined Hydroxychloroquine on the wanted poster of cheap medicinal outlaws unfit for enlightened society.
Diminished capacity and questionable judgment have not though dulled the Biden feel for exploiting the nexus between government procurement and regulation, and the needs of deep-pocketed businesses. Whereas Trump, while guaranteeing federal payment for the coming vaccines, nevertheless earned Big Pharmas ire by insisting that all Americans be first in line when they were finally ready for delivery, Biden now curries favor by attempting to sidestep his own FDA. His premature announcement of boosters for all before justifying data is fully compiled was meant to hurry the federal purchase of hundreds of millions more doses, for Americans and millions abroad.
He may forget the Aussie Prime Ministers name, but Joe needs no index card to recall how political bread is buttered. Somewhere down the road, you can count on drug companies once again rewarding Biden, this time for accelerating their sales and boosting near-term profits.
I suppose sucking up to giant industries (see also: credit cards) is much akin to riding that proverbial bicycle --- once you learn .
Whether the issue is the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan, the hemorrhaging border, or the stubbornly persistent COVID pandemic, uninformed inflexibility is the hallmark of the Biden style of leadership. Creating a crisis by short-sighted, incompetent actions, and then pretending that the resulting damage is merely a consequence of bad luck or extraneous circumstances, is another infuriating feature of the Biden style
But I predict what well ultimately miss most about the Trump years will be his compulsive, almost obscene transparency. He made sure you knew what he thought about everyone and everything --- even facts you devoutly wished not to know. So many revelations coming at you, it almost made you feel like a public affairs voyeur.
Biden, by necessity, cant help but be the polar opposite. His severe limitations dictate that he must attempt to govern mainly through secrecy and obfuscation, often relying upon outright lies to cover his tracks. So he employs underlings practiced --- if not entirely skilled --- at those deceptive arts. Big liars dont necessarily make good ones, and that unsettling lack of candor explains why confidence in his leadership has plummeted so precipitously as his errors mount.
What were left with is a burned-out front man for the extreme left-wing who traded what little soul he possessed for the honor of finally being called Mr. President.
Thus is an adult back in charge.
Image: Elvert Barnes, via Flickr // CC BY-SA 2.0
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A moderate Muslim cleric and counter-terrorism advisor to the U.K. government was recently caught on film referring to Israel as a terrorist state and praising martyrsjihadist code for suicide bombers.
During his speech, Imam Irfan Chishti told the crowd that if they wanted to become mujahideen, holy warriors, then they should emulate the Muslim general Saladin, who expelled the Crusaders from Palestine in 1187. He then lamented, Where is the modern-day Saladin?
The choice of Saladin is interesting in that he is in many ways emblematic of Palestinian terrorism: widely seen, especially in the West, as a freedom fighter and liberator, the sultan was in fact a terrorist of the ISIS variety.
Consider some brief facts about this historical figure that is otherwise extolled both in the Muslim and Western worlds. According to his biographer, Baha al-Din, Saladin loved hearing Koran recitals, prayed punctually, and hated philosophers, heretics, and materialists and all opponents of the sharia (a fitting description of all those Western apologists who currently praise him).
After defeating the crusaders at the Battle of Hattin in 1187, rather than ransoming or enslaving them, as was common then, Saladin had the warrior monks of the military orders of the Temple and Hospital butchered before him in a scene that has long informed ISISs propagandistic execution videos.* He then had the True Cross, Christendoms most precious relic, seized and paraded upside down in dirt and dung to Muslim jeers and spits.
Naturally, Saladins Western apologists couldn't care less about these incidents; after all, the crusaders had it coming to them. Besides, all warsincluding Saladins war of liberationget messy.
What, then, does one make of the fact that he severely persecuted Egypts indigenous Christians, the Coptsincluding by crucifying or hanging many thousands of them and routinely breaking the crosses off and tarring their churcheseven though the Copts, who refer to Saladin as the Oppressor of the Cross Worshippers, had nothing to do with the Franks or the crusades? (See A Sword Over the Nile, pp. 127, 131, 141, and 142.)
In fact, Saladin had a virulent hatred for Christianitythe sort expressed by ISIS and their ilkabove and beyond his conflict with the crusaders. Saladins retirement wish, moreover, was, according to his Muslim biographer, to invade and wage jihad on Christian Europe, until there shall not remain on the face of this earth one unbeliever in Allah, or I will die in the attempt.
None of this has stopped Western historians from holding Saladin as a model of virtueone that the West can learn from. Thus, according to an esteemed American historian, Dana Carleton Munro,
When we contrast with this [the Crusader conquest of Jerusalem in 1099] the conduct of Saladin when he captured Jerusalem from the Christians in 1187, we have a striking illustration of the difference between the two civilizations and realize what the Christians might learn from contact with the Saracens [Muslims] in the Holy Land.
Note the present tense: might learn. Saladina hero for ISIS and militant terrorists the world overis to be held up in the West as an example from whom todays intolerant Christians need to learn.
In reality, the aftermath of the Saladins conquest of Jerusalem in 1187 looks, again, like something straight out of ISISs playbook. Although he allowed many Christians to be ransomed, Saladin also ordered some fifteen thousand Christians sold into slavery. Women and children together came to 8,000 and were quickly divided up among us, bringing a smile to Muslim faces at their lamentation, wrote Muhammad al-Isfahani, one of Saladins confidants who was present at Jerusalems capitulation, before he launched into a sadomasochistic tirade extolling the sexual debasement of European women at the hands of Muslim men:
How many well-guarded women were profaned, and miserly women forced to yield themselves, and women who had been kept hidden [nuns] stripped of their modesty and free women occupied [meaning penetrated], and precious ones used for hard work, and pretty things put to the test, and virgins dishonoured and proud women deflowered and happy ones made to weep! How many [Muslim] noblemen took them as concubines, how many ardent men blazed for one of them, and celibates were satisfied by them, and thirsty men sated by them, and turbulent men able to give vent to their passion.
Such, then, is the true Saladin of history. As seen, however, none of these ISIS-like aspects interest those many Western historians devoted to whitewashing premodern Islam; instead, they focus on and highlight the one aspect of his career that can be made to appear positivethat he liberated Jerusalem from the crusader occupiers, that he was a Muslim defender against Christian offenders.
Interestingly, this exact pattern is duplicated by those many Western commentators devoted to whitewashing modern Islam. Thus, even though Islamic terror groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah share in ISISs worldview, their Western apologists focus on and highlight the one aspect of their actions that can be made to appear positivethat they are fighting a war of liberation against the Zionist occupiers, that they are Muslim defenders against Jewish offenders.
At any rate, from here one can understand why all Imam Irfan Chishti had to do was apologize to be reinstated to his high paying job as a counter terrorist expert in the UK: Some of my words reflect a clear error of judgment, in the heat of the moment, he said, and do not reflect my sentiments or the sentiments of the audience. I now appreciate that my ill-chosen words will have caused offense and hurt to the Jewish community and I tender my most profound apologies.
Of course, of all his ill-chosen words, surely those concerning Saladin are not among those he would take back; for few in the West know who the true Saladin was or what the Saladin paradigm is: the Western penchant to find, extrapolate, and obsess over one noble aspect of Muslims who otherwise were Islamic terroristsa paradigm alive and well today.
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After boasting I shall purify the land of these two impure races [Templars and Hospitallers], Saladin ordered that they should be beheaded, choosing to have them dead rather than in prison, writes eyewitness Baha al-Din: With him was a whole band of scholars and Sufis and a certain number of devout men and ascetics; each begged to be allowed to kill one of them, and drew his scimitar and rolled back his sleeve. Saladin, his face joyful, was sitting on his dais; the infidels showed black despair, the troops were drawn up in their ranks, the amirs stood in double file. There were some who slashed and cut cleanly, and were thanked for it. After saying that some of these would-be executioners did not have the stomach to continue in the ritual slaughter, Baha al-Din focused on one who killed unbelief to give life to Islam: I saw there the man who laughed scornfully and slaughtered, who spoke and acted; how many promises he fulfilled, how much praise he won, the eternal rewards he secured with the blood he shed, the pious works added to his account with a neck severed by him (Gabrieli, 138-139).
Raymond Ibrahim, author most recently of Sword and Scimitar: Fourteen Centuries of War between Islam and the West, is a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center; a Judith Rosen Friedman Fellow at the Middle East Forum; and a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Gatestone Institute.
Image: Osterreichische Nationalbibliothek - Austrian National Library, via Picryl / Public Domain Mark 1.0
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In August, a slew of healthcare groups gave their employees deadlines to take COVID-19 vaccines or face termination. Although these mandates on paper allowed for religious and medical exemptions, in multiple cases, when exemptions proved hard to come by, employees facing threats of termination resorted to lawsuits to hold onto their jobs.
How did these lawsuits turn out, and who eventually submitted to the will of the other: the healthcare group or the plaintiffs?
University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Health Systems: A Win for the Right to Medical Privacy
Earlier this month, the University of Alabama at Birmingham Health Systems, a state healthcare group, paused its COVID-19 vaccine mandate until further federal guidance about the Biden administrations mandate for all businesses with more than 100 employees.
This pause in the mandate came about one week after UAB Health Systems received a letter from a conservative public-interest firm, Alabama Center for Law and Liberty (ACLL), threatening a lawsuit. The outcome of this letter, sent on September 10th, while a great victory, could only have been possible in the context of a recently passed bill, Senate Bill 267, which Alabama Governor Kay Ivey signed into law in May of this year.
Iveys senate bill prohibited state entities from requiring vaccination or proof of vaccination as a condition for receiving a government service or for entry into a government building.
As a result of that measure, a state employees vaccination status became a private matter that, if disclosed, would result in criminal prosecution. That is precisely what happened when Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall warned health care providers to immediately cease using the state immunization registry, known as ImmPRINT, to determine employees vaccination status or face criminal prosecution.
ACLL President Matthew Clark also used this bill as justification for a possible injunction against UAB Health Systems, in a letter sent to that organization on September 10.
As the Supreme Court of Alabama has recognized, UAB Hospital is a state-run hospital. Consequently, UAB Hospital may not require its employees to disclose whether they have been vaccinated or not.
One week later, UAB Health Systems announced that, facing the threat of lawsuit, it was dropping the COVID-19 vaccination mandates and that they would wait for federal guidance to ensure full compliance with federal law.
Houston Methodist Hospital: Employees of Non-State Entities Are Out of Luck
Unfortunately, unlike UAB, Houston Methodist (HM) is not a state-affiliated hospital, and Texas law simply does not protect employees working for private businesses from forced vaccination as a condition of continued employment.
Looking back now, the bill Governor Greg Abbott signed in June does not have enough teeth. In June, Abbott signed into law a bill much like SB 267 in Alabama. Abbotts measure prohibited state entities from creating vaccine passport requirements as a condition of employment and discouraged private businesses in Texas from requiring COVID-19 vaccine passports from customers, but the law does not impose any fines or penalties for its violation, and just like in Alabama, there is no measure restricting the ability of private businesses to require COVID-19 vaccines of their employees as a condition of employment.
Perhaps this is why former Houston Methodist employees case of wrongful termination was dismissed out of hand as frivolous by both the administration and U.S. District Court Judge Lynn Hughes. The five-page ruling filed on June 12, 2021, in the Southern District of Texas makes the astonishing argument that former HM employee Jennifer Bridges opinion that the vaccine is experimental and dangerous is irrelevant to the lawsuit. She writes in her Order on Dismissal:
Bridge argues that, if she is fired for refusing to be injected with a vaccine, she will be wrongfully terminated. Vaccine safety and efficacy are not considered in adjudicating this issue.
So, if the safety of the vaccine is not in consideration in the adjudication process, according to Hughes, then what is? Bridges is not being asked by Houston Methodist to engage in criminal activity, says the judge. If she were, she would, of course, have the right to refuse, but the right to put into her body only what she deems healthy and good is not a right that Hughes federal court recognizes.
Alabama and Texas State Law are Cautionary Tales
Both of these legal battles show that, while government employees in states with strong anti-vaccine passport measures can hope to enjoy legal protection from mandates, non-state employees in those same states simply do not have that luxury. These anti-vaccine passport bills are a step in the right direction, but they do not go far enough. All citizens, not just those working for state entities, need strong measures in place that will protect their constitutional rights to medical privacy and to autonomy over their own bodies.
Image: Pixabay
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Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller is confined to the brig because, to put it in Marine speak, because he would not "STFU" about holding leaders accountable. I will leave it to a military judge to review his being silenced with brig confinement. Such an order appears to be petty, disgusting, and an overreach made out of fear since he offered to resign.
It is not often that a point like Lt. Col. Scheller's that some of the most senior military leaders in charge are found wanting is so quickly validated. SecDef Lloyd Austin, Chairman JCS Milley, and CENTCOM's General McKenzie make his point in their own words that they are not being held accountable. Nor, apparently, will they resign in disgrace by holding themselves accountable for the greatest military defeat in American battlefield history.
It is that simple. And a special note to General Milley: Invoking your dad on Iwo, my only uncle, whom I am named after, also did not have the ability to resign because he was KIA on Iwo Jima, so enough with self-serving red herrings.
YouTube screen grab.
Americans who never served in the military have now finally observed what many in uniform have seen: there is one thing worse than an arrogant, pompous general, and that is an ignorant arrogant, pompous general.
In my opinion, fear and flop sweat were visible as they watched their carefully constructed Washington edifice of performance crumble in a bipartisan fashion during Senate and House hearings. Life will go on, but as those being left behind enemy lines tell their stories of suffering in perhaps unimaginable ways, the devil's brew created by our feckless American leaders will fester and boil over.
"Leave no one behind" is U.S. military holy writ. Now, in the blink of an eye, that has become a hollow pledge.
The other Afghan issue is the logic of twenty years of combat being turned on its head. Lt. Col. Scheller is calling for full transparent public accountability covering the self-serving buffoonery of many during the twenty-year span of senior commanders. The consequences we created in Afghanistan are not going away. After all, if the basic argument for staying the course was that we have to fight Islamic crazy fanatical killers there so they do not come here, meaning the U.S. and western Europe, then the Biden administration just gave them billions and billions of nasty deadly weapons.
Way to go, guys!
Both Milley and McKenzie, the top U.S. military commander in the Middle East, acknowledged that while no U.S. troops remain on the ground in Afghanistan, neither the war on terror nor the war in Afghanistan is over.
McKenzie also said he was not confident in the U.S.'s ability to prevent ISIS and al-Qaeda from using Afghanistan as a launchpad for terrorist activity in the future.
Milley said he believes that U.S. credibility has been damaged after the U.S. withdrawal, which triggered the withdrawal of all NATO allied troops stationed in Afghanistan alongside Americans.
"I think that our credibility with allies and partners around the world, and with adversaries, is being intensely reviewed by them to see which way this is going to go. And I think that 'damage' is one word that could be used, yes," Milley told Sen. Roger Wicker, a Republican from Mississippi.
However, most importantly, what should never be lost in the quest for the truth in the fog of losing Afghanistan is General Milley's strategic calls to China about U.S. nuclear deterrence.
I suspect that, not anticipating the Afghan debacle, General Milley, being a legend in his own mind, leaked his brilliance to Bob Woodward. Putting himself in the strategic nuclear response chain of command was so arrogant and ignorant that it defies belief.
When I was Secretary Weinberger's principal director of mobilization and requirements for President Reagan, we made sure world leaders, both friend and advisories alike, knew beyond any doubt that the president has the launch codes and, if ever executed, those orders go directly to our strategic forces. Even in those Cold War days, we measured response inside thirty minutes. Coordinating with anyone outside that direct link would have cost us millions of lives lost.
Americans should not excuse the chairman's call to the Peoples Republic of China because it is incredibly dangerous, beyond his stewardship of the Afghan debacle, and should be a firing offense. It is simple: just look at what happened to a previous ignorant, arrogant general, who became secretary of state on the day President Reagan was shot;
"[A]s doctors struggled to save the president and reporters clamored for information, Secretary of State Alexander Haig repeatedly insisted wrongly that he was in charge of the federal government. "Constitutionally, gentlemen, you have the president, the vice president and the secretary of state, in that order, and should the president decide he wants to transfer the helm to the vice president, he will do so," Haig explained to reporters in the White House press room, apparently forgetting that the House speaker and the Senate's president pro tempore come before the secretary of state in the line of succession. And then, in a dozen words that would become famous, he said, "As of now, I am in control here, in the White House."
Note that the Reagan Team immediately pushed back on Haig's arrogant stupidity:
Haig stormed into the press room and said he was in charge of the government. "That's a mistake!" one yelled. "What's this all about?" demanded Treasury Secretary Don Regan. "Is he mad?" "He's wrong! He doesn't have such authority," said Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger.
Where were the other senior leaders telling General Milley, "You do not have that authority!" when he was briefing them on his role and mission in strategic nuclear deterrence?
That would be part of the across-the-board accountability that is Lt. Col. Scheller's courageous point.
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Americans discovered on Wednesday that, on Saturday, Democrats had slipped something awful into their $3.5-trillion ironically named "Build Back Better Bill." If the bill becomes law (and the only thing currently stopping it is that Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin are saying "no"), employers can be charged as much as $700,000 per unvaccinated employee. This is madness.
The Daily Mail had the story:
The Biden administration has included a vaccine enforcement mechanism in the $3.5 trillion, 2,465-page 'Build Back Better Bill' which will enable the government to enforce fines on employers whose employees do not get the vaccine. The mechanism, buried on page 168 of the Democrats' 'reconciliation' spending bill, will allow a tenfold increase in fines for businesses with 100 or more employees that 'wilfully and repeatedly,' violate a section of labor law that deals with workplace hazards, of which Covid-19 is now a part. The increased fines on employers could go as high as $70,000 for serious infractions, and $700,000 for wilful or repeated violations a sum which can be applied to each instance of a violation rather than a total limit. If enacted into law, the fines could rapidly bankrupt companies whose employees are not vaccinated, in effect forcing businesses to comply with Biden's inoculation drive.
As you contemplate Congress brutally forcing businesses to fire unvaccinated employees, these facts should be at the forefront of your brain. (Note, I'm not a physician, and this is not medical advice; it's just an aggregation of information available on the internet.)
Accepting as true the core elements of the above info a low virus mortality rate and a relatively high vaccine risk rate the Democrats' aggressive push to vaccinate people makes no sense. Moreover, even as the Democrats attack conservatives, the people avoiding vaccines are Blacks, Hispanics, and nurses, all core demographics for Democrats. These are the people the Biden administration is forcing into being unemployed and uninsured, without even the benefit of unemployment benefits.
As the Democrats get more shrill and more vindictive, increasing numbers of people are going to assume that Democrats are acting from either insanity or malevolence. Either is a terrible choice for a once free country's political leadership.
That's my summary of what's going on here. Tucker's is better:
Image: A masked, vaccinated Joe Biden, on a TV set with a fake White House, purports to get a booster shot. YouTube screen grab.
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Joe Biden can't help himself. It seems that every day, he's tweeting about making "the rich" pay their "fair share" of taxes. He's trying to lecture us to feel jealous of others' success and shill his monster spendathon plan worth at least $3.5 trillion. And he's trying to expand the budget and reach of the IRS to go after the little guy the one who makes $600 deposits. But this kind of talk coming from him, and his billionaire allies, reeks of hypocrisy.
Joe and Jill Biden set up a Subchapter S corporation so they could shield a substantial amount of Joe's income from his worthless speeches from Medicare taxes.
Biden has been corrupt and greedy throughout his career, with a substantial amount of wealth and income coming from huge foreign kickbacks to Hunter and his brother. He's "the big guy" according to Hunter's emails, who always gets "ten percent." Here's what he did on the tax front alone to avoid paying taxes:
Does Joe Biden owe up to $500,000 in back taxes? Republicans say non-partisan report indicates the president improperly avoided paying Medicare taxes before he took office The report, done by the Congressional Research Service, proves the possibility that Biden owes the IRS as much as $500,000 in back taxes The Bidens improperly used their two 'S corporations' to avoid paying Medicare tax on speaking fees and book sales in 2017 and 2018 They routed more than $13million through S corporations and counted less than $800,000 of it as salary eligible for Medicare tax, the Wall Street Journal said They exempted the rest of their income from what would have been a rate of 3.8 percent
The New York Times, the Washington Post, and other media outlets did endless reports on Trump and his finances, but most are silent about the Biden corruption, which includes his taxes.
It is disgusting that Biden would demand that others pay more taxes to help pay for expansion and other entitlements while he intentionally made sure he paid $500,000 less for Medicare taxes.
It is even more disgusting that journalists, who are supposed to hold the powerful to account, intentionally hide the truth about corrupt politicians they are campaigning for, such as Biden and the Clintons, while continually lying, as with Russian collusion, about people they oppose.
Why should anyone trust supposed journalists who are so intentionally dishonest?
The hypocrisy is all over from those who call for higher taxes. It's not just Biden, but the Democrat party's many billionaire allies.
Remember billionaire Warren Buffett? He supports candidates who want higher tax rates and complains that he pays a lower tax rate than his secretary. If he meant that, he would have his main investment company, Berkshire Hathaway, pay a dividend to its shareholders, but it never has.
There is an existing tax, called the accumulated earnings tax, which is meant to prevent big companies from accumulating too much cash. It is supposed to be used by the IRS to force companies to pay a dividend, have a use for the money, or pay a 20% tax to the government.
What Is an Accumulated Earnings Tax? An accumulated earnings tax is a tax on retained earnings that are considered unreasonable, which should be paid out as dividends. The government taxes accumulated earnings so as to prevent corporations from not paying dividends to its shareholders. Dividends are taxed higher than capital gains so it is financially beneficial for shareholders to avoid paying taxes on dividends. The accumulated earnings tax rate is 20%.
The current qualified dividend rate can be as high as 23.8 percent plus state taxes. Dividends are also not deductible to the corporation, so they pay 21% plus state taxes. Essentially, dividends are double-taxed, with total rates higher than 50%.
Here is the amount of cash six large companies had on hand at the end of 2020 and their dividend rates:
Berkshire Hathaway; $138 billion, Dividend Zero
Apple: $196 Billion; Dividend 0.6%
Amazon: $84 Billion; Dividend Zero
Microsoft: $137 Billion; Dividend 0.83%
Google: $137 Billion; Dividend Zero
Facebook: $62 Billion; Dividend Zero
As for Buffett, he's hoarding: "Warren Buffett still hesitant about stocks as Berkshire hoards cash again."
Another purpose of the law is to prevent companies from becoming too powerful so they can devour or quash their competition. Democrats should be for that. I know I am.
The IRS could collect hundreds of billions if it just enforced this existing law, and it wouldn't need a bigger budget to do it.
My guess is that if these companies donated to Tea Partysupporters instead of Democrats, they would be targeted.
The CEOs and billionaires seem to be protected from hassle as long as they donate to Democrats and support their agenda, including pretending they support higher taxes. They can buy mansions, own yachts, and fly in private jets as long as they pretend to care about their carbon footprint.
The hypocrisy continues and continues.
Bill Gates always pretends he wants to pay more taxes, but Microsoft and other big companies pretend their income comes from countries where it doesn't. Look at how they do it.
Google shifted $23 billion to tax haven Bermuda in 2017: filing Google moved 19.9 billion euros ($22.7 billion) through a Dutch shell company to Bermuda in 2017, as part of an arrangement that allows it to reduce its foreign tax bill, according to documents filed at the Dutch Chamber of Commerce. Microsoft's Irish subsidiary posted a 220B profit in a single year. Microsoft Round Island One has no employees except directors An Irish subsidiary of Microsoft recorded a profit of $315bn (222bn) last year. The profit generated by Microsoft Round Island One is equal to nearly three-quarters of Ireland's gross domestic product even though the company has no employees. The subsidiary, which is resident for tax purposes in Bermuda and collects licence fees for the use of copyrighted Microsoft software around the world, recorded an annual profit of $314.7bn in the year to the end of June 2020, according to accounts filed at the Irish Companies Registration Office.
There is no legitimate reason for Microsoft, Google, and others to divert their income to other countries, but it massively inflates their earnings, stock price, and wealth.
The IRS would not need a bigger budget to go after the big companies that manipulate their earnings. They could just closely follow this accounting maneuver. Forcing these companies to pay more in taxes as the law allows would raise huge amounts of money.
Why don't House speaker Nancy Pelosi and her sidekick, Rep. Adam Schiff, go after these big companies and billionaires instead of conducting endless witch hunts on a former president?
Gates, Zuckerberg, Buffett, and other billionaires also save huge amounts of money by donating inflated stock to charities at market value instead of cost. This drastically lowers their federal and state taxes because they never have to pay capital gains taxes on the appreciation of the stock.
I have been a CPA for 44 years and have seen schemes for the individuals and companies I have worked for to divert income overseas, to pretend ordinary income was capital gains income, and to pretend income came from states where it didn't. We turned them all down, even though we like paying lower taxes because they were essentially fraudulent schemes.
I have no problem with companies and individuals paying taxes according to the tax code. I am appalled that companies and individuals manipulate the code improperly to save taxes especially billionaires who tell others to pay higher rates.
Summary: The IRS does not need more money. It should enforce existing laws to go after the big fish. Congress should change charitable giving laws by only allowing deductions at lower cost or market. These enforcement actions and one minor change would raise hundreds of billions.
We should not raise rates, especially since the lower rates have raised more money and cause greater economic growth.
Biden says a lot of stupid things, but one of the dumbest ever, which is a new Democrat talking point, is that his massive $5-trillion slush fund proposal is "free" for taxpayers because he pretends he will confiscate that much from the private sector.
Then he should pay the $500,000 in additional Medicare taxes he saved, because, according to him, that is free.
Jack Hellner is a certified public accountant.
Image: Pixabay, Pixabay License.
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I don't understand the commotion over oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico from drilling operations after Hurricane Ida. Oil has always oozed out of the ground to foul land, lakes, and oceans. That's how people first discovered the stuff.
In nature, some oil on the surface evaporates off as naphtha (probably the basis of the ancient Greek fire). Other oil is digested by bacteria, converting it into simple organic compounds that other organisms feast on, leading to localized exuberant biodiversity. The heavier components of oil remain as lumps called bitumen or asphalt.
The Dead Sea was called Lake Asphaltites because of the gooey pebbles that floated onto the surface from underwater seeps. This asphalt was used on Egyptian mummies. Oil found floating on lakes or in puddles was used by Indians to caulk canoes and as medicines. In California's uber-environmentalist Santa Barbara County, an estimated 11 to 160 barrels of oil seep into the ocean daily and have for countless centuries. The locals have made attempts at capping it.
A sphere of oil bubbling up in a Santa Barbara oil seepage.
Photo credit: Royalty-free image via Dreamstime.
Oil exists beneath the surface of the Earth under pressure that causes it to seep to the surface by any available route. When a well is drilled into a pocket of contained oil, the pressure forces it to gush out and over the wellhead. The pressure in the pool of drilled oil gradually falls, and the seep ceases. In this way, oil drilling actually has stopped numerous spills of oil onto the surface, where it fouled land and water for eons.
If environmentalists really wanted to preserve pristine nature, they would be appalled that drilling for oil has interfered with widespread oil seeps that enriched the environment before mankind messed things up.
Erwin Haas, M.D., MBA, an infectious diseases consultant, served as a flight surgeon in Vietnam and as a city commissioner in Kentwood, Michigan. He is a policy adviser at the Heartland Institute and has published 12 articles in peer-reviewed scientific medical journals and also in the American Thinker, Liberty Magazine, Lew Rockwell, and Medical Economics and wrote several books including A Brewery Worker's Boy in Vietnam.
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Americans think public education should prepare children to succeed in the modern world and to have general knowledge of their country and government. Leftists, though, believe education is about indoctrination. Lately, this has involved teaching children Critical Race Theory and pushing transgenderism. Parents are appalled. That's why it mattered that, during the gubernatorial debate in Virginia, Democrat Terry McAuliffe said the left's quiet part out loud: "I don't think parents should be telling schools what they should teach."
America's founders strongly supported education. Here's George Washington:
A primary object should be the education of our youth in the science of government. In a republic, what species of knowledge can be equally important? And what duty more pressing ... than ... communicating it to those who are to be the future guardians of the liberties of the country?
For more than two centuries, Washington's vision mostly held sway. Education was about reading, writing, and arithmetic. With increased immigration after the Civil War, education was used to create a common American culture. After WWII, when America was the major player in the world theater, schools expanded the breadth, if not the depth, of what children should know.
Also, after WWII, leftists pushed to teach children that America is a cruel, hate-filled country and that socialism is the only good and fair system of government. In the 1960s through 1980s (my years getting educated), these principles were like a silent current underlying education but they were never overt.
Beginning in the 1990s, though, and with accelerating pressure over the last 20 years, leftism has aggressively taken over classrooms. The anti-American history book by the open socialist Howard Zinn, A People's History of the United States, is the most used American history textbook in colleges and high schools. In California's best high schools, students don't read Twain, Shakespeare, Dickens, or Austen, but they will read about life in a South African brothel, complete with incomprehensible dialect writing. And then there's climate change's lesson, which is to give government power or we're all going to die.
Parents mostly accepted this as the price of a modern education. You can't fight the system because the teachers (many of whom are uneducated and vindictive) will make your child suffer.
Things changed in 2020. COVID lockdowns meant that kids sat at the kitchen table and listened to their teachers and, for the first time, parents heard those teachers. What they heard horrified them because it had gone beyond "America bad" and "we're all going to die." The new classroom dialectic was that Blacks are perpetual victims and Whites are inherently evil. Moreover, "White values," such as self-discipline, accuracy, ambition, and grammar, are also inherently evil.
Then there was the obsession with transgenderism. It's one thing for children to be taught to be tolerant of differences. It's another thing to encourage children to abandon their biological sex or for pornographic books encouraging pedophilia to sit on the library shelves.
No school districts have been more prominently featured this aggressive cultural Marxism than two in Virginia: Loudoun and Fairfax. Consequently, no parents have been more active than the ones in those counties in pushing back against the cultural Marxism being foisted on their innocent children. So it happened that, in the increasingly close gubernatorial race in Virginia, with former governor Terry McAuliffe representing Democrats and Glenn Youngkin seeking the Republican vote, education came up during the candidates' debate.
Youngkin decried it, in the context of schools making pornographic material available to students. He raised the fact that when McAuliffe was governor, he vetoed legislation that would have sent a notice to parents when school materials were sexually explicit.
McAuliffe, instead of acknowledging that we're not looking at the old "birds and the bees" stuff, pushed back. When he's back in the governor's mansion, he said, "I'm not going to let parents come into schools and actually take books out and make their own decisions."
And then McAuliffe uttered the magic leftist words: "I don't think parents should be telling schools what they should teach."
Terry McAuliffe: "I don't think parents should be telling schools what they should teach." pic.twitter.com/7S15pTv1gY Greg Price (@greg_price11) September 28, 2021
There it is: leftists don't view "public schools" as community schools that reflect the values of the parents who entrust their children to those institutions. Instead, these are government schools, where the government (read: leftists) imposes on children the values that benefit the political party that controls schools (read: almost invariably Democrats through the hard-left teachers' unions).
Unsurprisingly, by Wednesday, Youngkin had put out a powerful 30-second ad:
Parents will put up with a lot, but when they think their children are threatened being accused of being racists or perpetual victims or being encouraged to embrace damaging alternative sexual behaviors and identities they will fight back with Mama Bear fury. The one thing that might still save America from Democrat depredation is parents.
Image: Terry McAuliffe. Twitter screen grab (image edited).
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You don't have to spend much time in China to notice the mystifying glut of half-built apartment complexes, neighborhoods, and even ghost cities. There are certainly legitimate residences getting built, but the buildings I have in mind are concrete frameworks with no doors or window frames. They feature sky cranes and scaffolding but no construction workers. Buildings sit in this condition month after month. China is estimated to have enough unsold "housing" of this type for 90 million people.
These empty buildings are a manifestation of China's enormous property bubble. The real estate sector has grown to at least 25 percent of the county's GDP. This makes China's bubble significantly larger than historic bubbles in, for example, Spain and Japan.
Turmoil at Evergrande, the country's second-largest developer, has drawn attention in the international press. Evergrande's bond prices are now only a fourth of what they were in March.
Although Chinese culture emphasizes thrift and savings, there is no tradition of ordinary people investing in anything other than real estate. They can't invest abroad. Local stocks and bonds have a poor reputation.
The empty buildings are essentially a form of land speculation. Developers must build something on the land, or it reverts to the government after a certain amount of time.
The government runs Chinese banks. They often finance shell projects and unneeded infrastructure as a way of padding GDP statistics. At the beginning of the pandemic, the government responded by encouraging loans of this type. But it later reversed course.
The banks began cracking down on property-related loans a year ago, triggering the crisis at Evergrande. Under the "three red lines" policy, developers must now bring their debt load below specified levels.
Evergrande is not expected to survive an upcoming series of payment deadlines. The Wall Street Journal is confident that the government can prevent the contagion from spreading, while the Epoch Times expects a larger collapse.
If the bubble is successfully popped, that would mean more affordable housing for the younger generation. At the same time, many older Chinese would lose some of their savings, and economic growth will be slowed. Perhaps China's collective savings can be redirected to something more productive than empty buildings and stalled cranes. "Homes are for living in, not for speculation," according to a mantra that officials have been repeating lately.
The reason why Evergrande can't lead to an economic collapse is that China lacks a financial free market. There is no issue of bankers panicking in response to an unexpected turn in the market. Risk and concerns about profitability won't stop the banks from lending, either. The People's Bank of China, the country's central bank, directs the lending policy of the commercial bank in accordance with the dictates of the Communist Party.
The factors that are likely to determine China's economic prospects in the near term are the overall debt level and corporate transparency. China's debt increased to 270 percent of GDP in 2020 at the start of the pandemic. But it has since come under control.
On the other hand, Xi Jinping's policy of shielding China and its businesses from scrutiny could lead to a backlash from foreign investors. Although China has significant savings of its own, such investment still plays a crucial role in the economy, as the dysfunctional property market illustrates.
Fresh from his victory over the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong, Xi is imposing a dystopian vision on one sector of Chinese society after another. Alibaba boss Jack Ma and the other tech moguls, China's swaggering elite until just last October, have been brought to heel.
Ma was planning the largest initial public offering ever when the party demanded that he pull the plug. The tech giants have turned over months of profits to the government to show their loyalty. Popular actors have been erased from the internet with no explanation given.
Paid private tutoring on core subjects, such as English, has been banned. Chinese high school students focus their studies on passing the college entrance exam, which once emphasized English. Courses on "Xi Jinping Thought" are replacing those that taught English.
For many years, China focused on economic growth and catching up with the West. Not for the first time, the country has turned inward. This follows a recurring pattern in Chinese history that scholars call "anti-foreignism." Previous examples include the Boxer Rebellion of 1900 and the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s. The "Great Firewall" keeps foreign influence off the Chinese internet. The communications technologies once thought to be a bulwark of freedom have been repurposed as tools of authoritarianism.
Peter Kauffner lives in Sequim, Washington.
Image: A Chinese ghost city. YouTube screen grab.
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The ethical corruption of our national new media has extended to a degree that once would have seemed unimaginable. We were exposed to yet another remarkable example with the reporting on the long-awaited audit of the 2020 presidential election results in Arizona.
Widespread election fraud had been suspected in Maricopa County, the largest in the state, and the state Legislature authorized a thorough forensic investigation. A draft of the election report was leaked to the press last week, and every news outlet quickly released selectively chosen details. The message was straightforward. The audit proved that Joe Biden had actually won the state's presidential election by even more than originally reported and thoroughly discredited charges of election fraud.
While the audit did find that a hand-recount of all of the original ballots did widen Joe Biden's margin by several hundred votes, the press deliberately and steadfastly ignored and left unreported the most critical results of the draft audit. Included among those original ballots, the most comprehensive election audit ever conducted established the following:
More than 23,000 mail-in votes were cast under voter IDs from people who should not have received their ballots by mail because they had moved.
More than 10,000 voters cast ballots in more than one county.
More than 9,000 mail-in ballots were returned and counted than had been mailed out of registered voters.
Thousands of official results did not match those who voted, and thousands more were cast in-person in the name of those who had moved out of state.
Logs and data files related to the election had been deliberately erased from the Election Management System (EMS) server, in violation of the law.
Thousands of original ballots were duplicated more than once.
Auditors were never provided with the required chain-of-custody documentation for the ballots, causing increased ambiguity regarding the accuracy of the election results.
None of the various systems related to the election had numbers that would balance and agree with one another.
Maricopa County officials actively interfered with the audit, withheld subpoena items, and refused to answer questions that are normally standard in such audits.
These and innumerable other irregularities were clearly identified and discussed in detail throughout the 114-page draft audit, but the mainstream press focused on a single paragraph that reported a slight difference in the hand recount of the original ballots that included a large number of apparently fraudulently cast votes.
Details of the audit will be sent to the Arizona attorney general for a possible criminal prosecution, and a number of recommendations are on the way to the state Legislature seeking laws to eliminate widespread election fraud. The purpose of the forensic audit was not to overturn the 2020 election but to prevent future election corruption that was rampant in Maricopa County and elsewhere last year. The news media reported none of this.
In 2000, the presidential election between George W. Bush and Al Gore was extended for weeks by seven Democrat appointees on the rogue Florida Supreme Court. And the media, which had done all they could to manipulate the reporting on Election Day by falsely declaring the swing state's outcome, desperately stayed on in hopes of finding proof their candidate should have won.
A consortium of a dozen major news outlets spent more than a million dollars and a year of effort only to reluctantly concede that Bush had won after all. But twenty years later, the same companies had not the slightest interest to investigate innumerable reports of election fraud nationwide, while ridiculing all those who wanted to find out what really happened.
The performance of the press was shameful twenty years ago. It is repugnant now.
Image: Tom Arthur via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
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For as long as I can remember, and for a lot longer than that, the backbone of many museums across America has been the docent, a knowledgeable volunteer who gives out information and guides tours at the museum. Mostly, these docents are White women who have retired from work or have a spouse or other partner who earns enough so that the lady can volunteer. White, though, is bad, so the latest news from the leftists' race wars is that the Art Institute of Chicago has fired all its (mostly White) volunteers.
The Art Institute once had a huge cohort of volunteers around 150 or so almost all of them White women who did the job with knowledge, verve, and passion. However, the Chicago Tribune's digital edition reports that those days are over:
Anyone with some tread on their tires who's been fired by email can recognize the protocol. The writer blathers on about your years of dedication to your job, their gratitude for all you have done for all this time, and then hits you with some self-justifying jargon: the need to "update systems," maybe, or the need to "rebuild" or "better serve" someone or some group. These days, perhaps even in the name of "equity" or "inclusion." By then you know what's coming after all the disingenuous paragraphs: You're canned, most likely in favor of a newer model. Just such a weaselly letter was sent out Sept. 3 by Veronica Stein, the Woman's Board executive director of learning and engagement at the Art Institute of Chicago. The recipients were the museum's 150 or so volunteer docents, a beloved mainstay of the venerable cultural institution for decades and the main providers of fine, learned tours to Chicagoans, tourists, students from Chicago Public Schools and myriad other visitors to our great museum. Once you cut through the blather, the letter basically said the museum had looked critically at its corps of docents, a group dominated by mostly (but not entirely) white, retired women with some time to spare, and found them wanting as a demographic.
When the docents learned in March 2021 that Veronica Stein, a young Black woman, was hired as the "Woman's Board executive director of learning and engagement," they should have seen the writing on the wall. In the press release about her hiring, Stein isn't so much interested in art as she is in effecting social change:
"I am delighted that the Art Institute shares the priorities that have guided my work throughout my career: designing culturally responsive programming and anti-racist curricula, cultivating fully accessible spaces, and ensuring staff wellness and learning," said Stein. "Setting the newly enhanced Ryan Learning Center in motion, and further strengthening partnerships with the Chicago Park District, Chicago Public Schools, and BIPOC cultural institutions, will be central to my work."
The docents do have the consolation of being in good company. Last year, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art forced out its senior curator because he thought the museum, while opening itself more to artists of different races, should still show works from White artists. Being a leftist himself, instead of castigating the museum for its George Wallace approach to art ("segregation today...segregation tomorrow...segregation forever), he groveled apologetically for his race crimes.
The curator, in any event, must have recognized a trend when he saw it and realized that his day in the sun was done. Already back in 2013, a writer named Seema Rao wrote a whole jargon-filled post about the fact that Whiteness and privilege go hand in hand in museums.
By 2018, NPR's "Code Switch: Race. In Your Face." a taxpayer-funded venue for racial supremacy "news" published an article entitled "Not Enough Color in American Art Museums," which reported about the Brooklyn Museum's grave racial offense when it hired a White woman to oversee its African art collection. I find this story especially funny because my second cousin, a Jewish White woman, was one of the museum's important Africana contributors and left her collection to the museum when she died.
One year later, the site Art Museum Teaching reflected on "Interrupting White Dominant Culture in Museums." And in 2020, another writer was angry about "Uncovering White Supremacy Culture in Museum Work."
For many decades, people of all races and cultures were invited into America's museums to see art from all over the world. In many cases, it was White collectors' passion for indigenous art and architecture that saved these things from being recycled or ignored into oblivion in their own lands. And of course, Western art reached a height of sophisticated technique that few other cultures (if any) matched.
Henceforth, though, museums will be niche places, for and about non-White people. It's just another piece of evidence that leftist revolutions never build; they only destroy.
Hat tip: Peter von Buol.
Image: The kind of White Privilege art people see at the Art Institute of Chicago. YouTube screen grab.
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British engineer and aviator Sir George Cayley suggested, as early as 1843, that an airplane with multiple wings will generate more uplift and become airborne with less effort. Many aircrafts introduced during the early years of flight adopted this principle. A clear majority of aircrafts taking part in the Great War were biplanes. The Fokker Dr.I, made famous by the German ace fighter Manfred von Richthofen, had three wings and it was a great airplane. The success of the Fokker Dr.I triplane persuaded airplane designer Anthony Fokker to add more wings to his craft, leading to the five-winged Fokker V.8. Unlike its successful cousin, it barely flew and was soon abandoned.
Horatio Frederick Phillips also loved wings on his airplane, but he did not stop at five. In 1893, Philips built a flying machine with 50 wings. He upped this number to 120 in 1902. His final airplane, built in 1907, had an incredible 200 individual lifting surfaces.
Horatio Phillips was born in 1845 in Streatham, a suburb of London. The son of a gunsmith, Philips reportedly became interested in aviation at a young age, and closely followed the research conducted by the Royal Aeronautical Society using a whirling arm and wind tunnel. In the early 1880s, Philip began experimenting with airfoil design in a wind tunnel of his own design. Philips wind tunnel used a steam injector to suck air in through the entrance of the tunnel, producing an airstream that was of better quality than earlier wind tunnels had produced.
Airfoil shapes patented by Horatio Phillips
Phillips used the results obtained in his wind tunnel experiments to design a series of cambered airfoils based on the shapes of birds' wings. He called these the Phillips entry, or blades for deflecting air. These airfoils had greater curvature on the top than on the bottom, that he called double-surface airfoils. When the curvature of the upper surface of a wing is greater than that of its under surface, the air flows over the upper surface at a greater velocity and produce lower pressures than on the underside. This creates an upward force known as lift. This is the basic working principle behind all heavier-than-air flight. Horatio Phillips was not the first to discover this concept; it was Sir George Cayley, who is deservedly knows as the father of aviation. However, Philips did contribute immensely to the design of cambered wings.
In 1884, Phillips received a patent for eight of these airfoil sections, which were of various widths and curvatures. He received a second patent in 1891. In the 1891 patent, he describes his double-surface airfoils:
The particles of air struck by the convex upper surface 4 at the point E are deflected upward, as indicated by the dotted lines, thereby causing a partial vacuum over the greater portion of the upper surface. The particles of air under the point E follow the lower convex and concave surface C D until they arrive at about the point G, where they are brought to rest. From this point G the particles of air are gradually put into motion in a downward direction, the motion being an accelerating one until the after edge F of the blade is passed. In this way a greater pressure than the atmospheric pressure is produced on the under surface of the blade.
While other aviators soon adopted cambered airfoils and attained success (Otto Lilienthal in Germany, and Samuel Langley and the Wright brothers in America), Philips himself failed miserably because he was too absorbed in increasing the number of wings and neglected to pay attention to other aspects of flight. His experiments, however, were certainly dramatic.
In his first attempt in 1893, Phillips created a contraption that rather resembled a Venetian blind than an airplane. Known simply as the Phillips Flying Machine, it consisted of a long, slender, cigar-shaped fuselage with a rectangular frame fitted with 50 narrow wings called sustainers. The sustainers were between 19 feet and 22 feet long but only by 1.5 inches wide, and they were mounted two inches apart. Motive power was derived by a coal-fired 6-horsepower engine that turned a single twin-bladed pusher propeller at a rate of 400 revolutions per minute. The entire machine weighed about 160 kilograms. Instead of a pilot, the machine was tethered to a central post and ran around in circles over a circular wooden track 200 feet in diameter. Under the pressure of air generated under the sustainers, the machine rose some 2 to 3 feet in the air when at a speed of 40 miles an hour.
Horatio Phillipss 1893 multiplane.
In 1904, Horatio Philips made another machine, this time that could be flown by a person. It had 21 wings and a cross-shaped tail control surface for improved stability and was supported by a three-wheeled undercarriage. The multiplane was powered by a 22-horsepower four-cylinder water-cooled in-line engine that Phillips built himself. The machine was 13 feet long and 10 feet tall and weighed 270 kilograms. Phillips managed to take the multiplane on at least one short hop covering about 50 feet in distance, while travelling at 34 miles per hour.
The 20-winged multiplane built in 1904.
For his final attempt in 1907, Philips built a machine with four banks of 50 wings each, for a total of 200 wings. The multiplane was powered by a 22-horsepower engine, similar to that of his 1904 Multiplane, driving an 8 foot propeller. The weight of the machine, excluding the pilot, was 225 kg. It was in this machine that Phillips had the most success, flying for about 500 feet.
The 200-winged monster.
While Philipss achievements were soon eclipsed by the likes of the Wright brothers, the English aviation pioneer did help demonstrate the importance of cambered wings. After his final flight in 1907, Philips stopped making airplanes but he lived long enough to witness the rapid advances in aviation that occurred during and after World War I. He died in 1924.
References:
# Horatio Phillips & Multiplanes, Aerospaceweb
# Horatio Phillips and Cambered Wing Design, Centennial of Flight
# Horatio F. Phillips, Flying Wings
Googles dominance in the online search business is common knowledge. However, the company has landed itself in legal trouble in the European Union over this premise. As per a report by Bloomberg (via), a submission by Googles lawyer states that the most popular search term on Microsofts Bing search engine is Google.
The company is trying to illustrate that its dominance in the search business is mainly due to its superior product. Google has drawn the attention of regulators on multiple occasions for its practices. It is currently appealing a $5 billion fine imposed by the EU over its alleged anti-competitive practices with Android.
Googles lawyers gave out the information at the EU General Court
People use Google because they choose to, not because they are forced to. Googles market share in general search is consistent with consumer surveys showing that 95% of users prefer Google to rival search engines, said Alfonso Lamadrid, the lawyer representing Alphabet Inc.
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The ruling in this case previously said that Google unfairly killed rival search apps by making Google Search the default option. Bing happens to be the default browser on Microsofts Windows operating systems. It is also the default search engine on the Microsoft Edge browser.
Earlier this week, Googles lawyers accused EU regulators of ignoring Apple and its violations. The company also alleged that regulators downplayed the potent constraint imposed by the highly powerful Apple.
However, the counsel representing the Commission, Nicholas Khan, rejected the allegations. He added that the two companies have different business models. Furthermore, the lawyer said that Google paid manufacturers to install Google Search on their phones.
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In a separate case, EU authorities started investigations into allegations that Google was forcing companies to use Google Assistant as the default virtual assistant on phones and tablets. In June this year, EU regulators said that several OEMs have expressed dissatisfaction with the companys move.
With the likes of Amazon, Apple, and Google currently dominating the smart home market, regulators are monitoring the situation closely. Data gathering by companies also remains a lingering concern for users as well as the authorities.
In July this year, French authorities issued a 500 million fine on Google for refusing to negotiate a fair deal with news publishers. The penalty was imposed based on the Digital Copyright Directive Law passed by French authorities in 2019.
The international variant of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 has already grabbed the September 2021 security update earlier this month. Fast forward to now, the carrier and unlocked variants of Galaxy Z Fold 3 is picking up the September update.
During the last 3-4 years, Samsung has really geared itself up and become one of the best, if not the best, brands to provide regular security and firmware updates.
The company has always been one of the first smartphone brands to provide the latest security updates for its devices. If you look back in time, this was not the case.
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As of now, all the carriers have pushed the new security update for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3. Now, it is time for the unlocked variants and the carrier-locked Galaxy Z Fold 3 variants in the US to receive the latest security update.
The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is the latest foldable from the company, and it is selling like hotcakes at the moment. To recall, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 comes with a Snapdragon 888 SoC, under-display camera, improved screen, 120Hz out screen, full-screen inner display with no interruptions, and much more.
Galaxy Z Fold 3 September 2021 security update fixes over 40 major security vulnerabilities
Samsung debuted the Galaxy Z Fold 3 with One UI 3.1.1 which is based on Android 11. The foldable is set to receive regular security updates along with 3-major Android OS updates.
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So, if you own a Galaxy Z Fold 3, 3-major OS updates confirm Android 14 for your phone.
Talking about the new update, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 carrier-locked models are picking up the update with firmware F926USQU1AUI4. Whereas, the unlocked units are getting the update with version F926U1UEU1AUI4.
The update is purely incremental in nature. Meaning it does not bring any new features as a bundle. However, it is very important that you download and install the September 2021 update, as it fixes over 40 major security vulnerabilities.
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For more information on the September security update, you can head over to the official Samsung bulletin. Along with the security and privacy fixes, the update also improves the overall system stability and phones performance.
If you havent yet received the update notification on your carrier or unlocked Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3, then you can manually check for the update as well.
For that, you need to head over to Settings > System Updates. Here, hit the Download and Install button. Your devices system will check for the update and if available in your region, it will notify you.
(ANSA) - ROME, SEP 30 - Police on Thursday clashed with climate protestors who were seeking to block access to the Milan Conference Centre, MiCO, the venue for the Pre-COP meeting that opens today and runs until Saturday.
A video seen by ANSA shows police in riot gear use batons on the young protestors.
Italian President Sergio Mattarella, Premier Mario Draghi and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday are taking part in the Pre-COP, which is the final formal, multilateral opportunity for ministers to shape the negotiations in detail ahead of the COP26 UN Climate Conference in Glasgow in November.
They are also set to address the Youth4Climate conference, in which young activists such as Swede Greta Thunberg, Uganda's Vanessa Nakate and Italy's Martina Comparelli are demanding immediate climate action.
Draghi met Thunberg, Nakate and Comparelli at the offices of the Milan prefect on Thursday. (ANSA).
(ANSA) - ROME, SEP 30 - Premier Mario Draghi said Thursday that he agreed with young people demanding world leaders take immediate action to combat the climate crisis.
"The young people are right," Draghi said as he opened the Pre-COP meeting at the Milan Conference Centre, MiCO.
"The ecological transition is not a choice, it is a necessity.
"Acting later would mean having to pay the much higher price of a climate disaster".
Draghi, who was briefly interrupted by protestors during his speech, said that the NRRP Recovery Plan, which is being financed by almost 200 billion euros in EU funds, would enable Italy to invest more in renewables and in protecting biodiversity.
Early on Thursday Draghi met young activists Greta Thunberg of Sweden, Uganda's Vanessa Nakate and Italy's Martina Comparelli, who are taking part in the Youth4Climate conference, at the offices of the Milan prefect.
Draghi said that the meeting went "really well". (ANSA).
LJUBLJANA - Thousands of people gathered in Ljubljana for the third consecutive Wednesday evening in front of the seat of Parliament to protest the introduction of new restrictive measures - vaccination or proof of recovery - to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
The protest was organised by Resnica (Truth), a movement aligned with anti-vax principles and led by a city councillor from Kranj.
The protesters marched along roads in the centre and reached the city's northern ring road, which was blocked for a couple hours and then closed to traffic in both directions to allow police to intervene.
Demonstrators are calling for an end to the restrictions as well as the resignation of the Slovenian government of conservative Prime Minister Janez Jansa and early elections.
At the start of the demonstration, a father spoke about his 20-year-old daughter who died Wednesday of suspected complications from the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
"She only wanted to buy her freedom, just like all the others," he said, prior to a minute of silence in memory of the woman.
The Slovenian health ministry established a commission to verify whether there is a correlation between the death and the vaccination.
TUNIS - Algeria's foreign minister summoned France's ambassador to protest the French government's decision to reduce the number of visas to Algerian citizens.
On Tuesday, France announced the drastic reduction of the number of visas granted to people from Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, accusing the former French colonies of not doing enough to allow for the return of undocumented migrants. French ambassador to Algeria Francois Gouyette received a "formal protest" from Algeria, which called the decision to reduce the number of visas an "unfortunate act" that has caused "confusion and ambiguity on its motivation and its scope".
Morocco called France's decision "unjustified".
Tunisia, on the other hand, did not react officially, but many of its citizens demonstrated their concern on Wednesday in front of the offices of TLS Contact, the only private company in Tunisia authorised to accept visa applications for France.
French government spokesperson Gabriel Attal told Europe 1 radio on Tuesday that the decision was "drastic and unprecedented, but made necessary by the fact that these countries refuse to take back citizens we don't want and we can't support in France".
Attal said French President Emmanuel Macron made the decision a month ago after diplomatic efforts with the three North African countries failed.
BRUSSELS - The EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, tweeted on Thursday that a deal has been reached regarding the issue of changing license plates for vehicles entering North Kosovo from Serbia.
"After two days of intense negotiations, an agreement on de-escalation and the way forward has just been reached. I thank Besnik Bislimi and Petar Petkovic for their readiness to negotiate and agree for the good of the people," Lajcak tweeted.
The deal announced by Lajcak on Thursday foresees the withdrawal on Saturday of Kosovar special forces police (KFOR) deployed at the border crossings of Jarinje and Brnjak, as well as the simultaneous removal of road blocks.
KFOR officers will be at the border crossings prior to the start of the operations and will remain for two weeks to ensure security and free movement.
Starting Monday, adhesive labels will be used instead of changing license plates, pending a permanent solution.
A work group to be composed of representatives from the EU, Serbia and Kosovo will work to find a definitive solution based on European practices and standards.
The work group will start work on October 21 in Brussels and will present its conclusions within six months.
The agreement comes following talks in recent days in Brussels between Lajcak and the Serbian delegation.
On Wednesday, the two delegations - the Serbian one led by Petkovic and the Kosovar one led by Bislimi - had a series of separate bilateral meetings with Lajcak, without any collective meeting between all three.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke about the situation in North Kosovo in talks she had in recent days with leaders of the Western Balkans, where she has been on an official visit since Tuesday.
On Wednesday evening, von der Leyen arrived in Belgrade, where she met with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.
On Thursday, von der Leyen and Vucic will travel to Nis, in the country's south, to attend the inauguration of work to renovate a railway to the Macedonian border, as well as the signing of an accord to build a highway between Nis and Pristina, in Kosovo.
LOCRI - A southern Italian ex-mayor who won worldwide plaudits for the way he helped migrants integrate and revive his small town on Thursday got over 13 years in jail for irregularities in managing asylum seekers.
Domenico Lucano, 63, settled 450 refugees in Riace, a town of 1,800 inhabitants, revitalising it and preventing the closure of the local school.
He came second in the 2010 World Mayor competition and was named 40th in a Fortune poll of the world's greatest leaders in 2016.
Lucano was sentenced to 13 years and two months in jail, a sentence he will appeal while staying out of jail.
In Italy sentences only become definitive after two appeals, the second to the supreme court.
The sentence was almost double the seven years and 11 months requested by prosecutors.
Lucano has initially been charged with arranging marriages for citizenship but that charge was struck down by the supreme Cassation Court.
However, he faced other charges of abuse of office and irregularities in managing migrants and asylum seekers.
Lucano, who served from 2004 to 2018, frequently crossed swords with anti-migrant nationalist League party leader Matteo Salvini.
Speaking after Thursday's verdict Lucano said "it's unheard-of, I expected to be acquitted".
Lucano's defence attorneys, Giuliano Pisapia and Andrea Dacqua, said "this is an out-of-this-world sentence and a wholly disproportionate conviction that totally contrasts with the trail evidence".
They said they would file an appeal once the explanation of the sentence comes out - usually within 60 days.
The Communist Refoundation party said "Mimmo deserves a medal and instead gets crucified" while the Italian Left party said the sentence was "incredible".
Centre-left Demcoratic Party MP Laura Boldrini, a former UN refugee spokesperson for southern Europe, said "I have known Mimmo for years and I have appreciated his work in making Riace a place of rebirth and welcome. I voice sympathy with Mimmo Lucano over an abnormal conviction. I'm sure that the truth will emerge in the subsequent stages of justice".
League Senator Tony Iwobi, the upper house foreign affairs committee deputy chair, said the verdict "is the umpteenth confirmation of how the migrants policies conducted by the left over the years have been an inevitable failure as well as a waste of public money. After being lauded as defender of rights by the radical chic, the picture that emerges from the sentence is starkly different: not only favouring clandestine immigration and illicit gains from the management of migrants but also criminal conspiracy, abuse of office, fraud, embezzlement, extortion, bid rigging and false statements...showing what the League has always said, that illegal immigration was a business".
Another League Senator, Roberto Calderoli, accused the left of double standards in attacking the judiciary over Lucano's sentence while praising judicial efforts to convict Salvini over his closed-ports policy for NGO migrant rescue ships during his 2018-2019 stint as strongman interior minister.
In Thursday's sentence, Lucano was also ordered to repay 500,000 euros of public money for migrant reception received from the European Union and the Italian government.
Lucano was hailed for his model of successful integration of migrants and the regeneration of dying towns.
In 2017 he was awarded the Dresden Peace Prize.
In October 2018, the Italian police put Lucano under house arrest for allegedly helping illegal migrants to stay in the country by organising "marriages of convenience" - the offence that was later struck down by the high court.
In April 2019, Lucano was indicted with other 26 people on charges of abuse of power and aiding illegal immigration.[ In the same month, he faced another probe regarding alleged false public statement and fraud.
A man accused of causing the death of a two-week-old boy by dangerous driving has had his trial adjourned until next year.
Ciaran Leigh Morris was being pushed along the pavement in a pram by family in High Street, Brownhills, Walsall, at about 4pm on Easter Sunday, when he was struck by a car.
James Paul Davis, 35, previously entered pleas of not guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and a separate offence of causing death by driving while uninsured, in connection with the incident.
Davis, of Croxtalls Avenue, Walsall, appeared at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Thursday for an administrative hearing, ahead of what was due to be the start of his trial, next week.
Ciaran Leigh Morris (West Midlands Police/PA)
However, the court heard that delays in getting case reports meant the trial, estimated to last up to five days, would now have to move to 2022.
The Recorder of Wolverhampton, judge Michael Chambers QC, told Davis: There was to be a trial on October 4, but that had to be vacated.
He added: The first date at which the court can accommodate this case, due to pressure of cases caused by the Covid pandemic, is March 21 2022.
Ciarans funeral took place on April 28, with the cortege, led by a horse-drawn hearse, passing near to the scene of the crash.
An inquest was opened and adjourned earlier this month pending the outcome of the criminal investigation.
Flowers and tributes left at the scene in Brownhills (Jacob King/PA)
A crowdfunding appeal to support the family raised almost 39,000, with 2,149 people making donations.
Ciarans parents paid an emotional tribute to their son, in a statement released shortly after the crash.
They said: Mommys and Daddys hearts will always ache, we love you more than anything.
We didnt get to keep you for long but we are happy we had the chance to meet you, look after you and call you our son.
Fly high angel.
A father claims a health board knew about water contamination issues at a hospital where his daughter was treated for cancer years before it supposedly admitted to them.
Alfie Rawsons daughter was diagnosed with leukaemia in August 2018 when she was two and a half, and she was treated as both an in and outpatient at the Royal Hospital for Children and the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) in Glasgow for more than two years.
During the course of her treatment, Mr Rawson said his daughter contracted multiple infections after bathing and showering at the hospital.
He also noticed children in the hospitals Schiehallion Ward, where his daughter was being treated, were told to wash with bottled water and water from the tap was being doused in chlorine dioxide.
Mr Rawson carried out his own investigations and claims there were issues with the hospitals water supply as far back as 2015, when the building first opened, which NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde knew about.
He said the health board claims to have only been made aware of these concerns in 2018.
Lord Brodie is currently chairing an inquiry into several of Scotlands flagship hospitals (Jane Barlow/PA)
The construction of the QEUH campus is being investigated by the Scottish Hospital Inquiry after issues at the flagship site were linked to the deaths of two children.
It is also examining the construction of the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People and Department of Clinical Neurosciences in Edinburgh.
Speaking at a hearing in Edinburgh on Thursday, Mr Rawson said NHSGGC commissioned a water treatment company to carry out inspections just days after the QEUH opened in April 2015.
He told the inquiry the companys report found issues with the water supply.
Mr Rawson said: There was stagnating water found in parts of the 14-storey building.
The hot and cold water were not running at correct temperatures.
Five rooms were considered high risk due to builders debris found within them.
And the tanks were recommended to be disinfected.
This report never reached boardroom level, or so we are told.
Mr Rawson said the recommendations in the report werent followed up by the NHSGGC.
He told the inquiry between 2016 and 2018, there was a spate of infections related to the hospitals water supply despite parents being told that everything is OK in the hospital.
He said his daughter was put on extra medication to fight infections that were linked to the hospitals environment, the inquiry heard.
Alastair Duncan QC, counsel to the inquiry, asked Mr Rawson if his own investigations have raised more questions about the health boards handling of the hospitals environment concerns to which he replied: Of course.
Its the fact that nothing was actually done.
The infections started in 2016, the hospital knew about these infections, it knew something was wrong with the water supply.
To put children through this unnecessary treatment, drugs, sickness, when it was an easy fix. It beggars belief.
Earlier on Friday the inquiry heard from Mr Rawsons partner Charmaine Lacock who said she felt her childs life was put at risk during her time in a hospital.
Mr Duncan asked Ms Lacock: How do you feel about the fact that your daughter had four infections in the hospital, and possibly that there is a connection between that and the hospital?
To which she replied: I feel angry, I feel that stole time that I could have had with my other girls and I felt that they put my childs life at risk.
I felt that every time we had to stop chemo for treating an infection, that increased her risk of relapse and potentially death. I felt angry.
Im petrified to think that she could relapse and we have to go back there.
The inquiry was ordered after patients at the Glasgow hospital died from infections linked to pigeon droppings and the water supply, and the opening of the Edinburgh site was delayed due to concerns over the ventilation system.
Earlier this year, an independent review found the deaths of two children at the QEUH campus were at least in part the result of infections linked to the hospital environment.
The inquiry in Edinburgh, chaired by Lord Brodie, continues.
Health boards will be giving evidence at a later stage in the inquiry.
One of the largest operations reviewing murders and serious crimes during Northern Irelands troubled past is to publish an interim report.
Operation Kenova is currently investigating and reviewing more than 200 murders as well as offences of kidnap and torture.
They include the activities of Stakeknife, the Armys top agent within the IRA, the IRAs murder of Tom Oliver in Co Louth and the notorious loyalist Glenanne Gang.
The announcement comes amid uncertainty over how Troubles crimes will be investigated in the future, following the announcement of plans by the UK Government for a statute of limitations which would end all prosecutions for Troubles incidents up to April 1998.
The proposals, which Prime Minister Boris Johnson 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.
Former chief constable Jon Boutcher (left), with Eugene Oliver, as they make a fresh appeal for information relating to the murder of his father, Tom Oliver (Arthur Carron/PA)
Former Bedfordshire chief constable Jon Boutcher, who leads Kenova, said the interim report will address high level themes and issues concentrating on findings of the three key investigations.
The report will focus on what was, and was not, happening between organisations; the Provisional IRA and its Internal Security Unit, the police, armed forces, intelligence services and their agents and informants.
In particular, the report will focus on the organisation that committed the offences, state intervention or otherwise, and whether steps were, or were not, taken before serious criminal conduct was carried out or subsequent to it to prevent a full investigation.
Mr Boutcher has announced a public consultation, allowing 30 days for people to feed back on the plans before it closes on October 29.
At the very outset of Kenova I made a promise to all the affected families that I would produce a public-facing report outlining our findings to give them the truth of what happened to their loved ones, including who was involved and in what capacity, he said.
After five years, and with more than 30 files with the Public Prosecution Service NI for consideration, we are now in a position to start preparing for the interim reports release.
The reports content will hold great importance to all of those who were involved.
Im keen to stress the protocol is a process map only. It says nothing about the contents or outcome of any report.
I am acutely conscious that different stakeholders with different perspectives are concerned that our reports will say either too much, or too little.
The aim of the protocol is to ensure that we do neither. I am committed to finding and reporting the truth openly and transparently and without fear or favour towards any party.
I simply need to find a process which will allow me to do this fairly and lawfully.
Kenova plans to have finalised the protocol by November 2021; with the interim report due to be released within 12 months of the protocol being agreed.
Submissions can be made via email to kenova@met.police.uk; and/or by post to Operation Kenova, c/o National Crime Agency, PO Box 8000, London, SE11 5EN.
NEW YORK (AP) Ferocious tantrums. Family gossip. Petty nicknames.
Stephanie Grisham, once a White House press secretary and chief of staff to first lady Melania Trump, is out with a book next week that paints a deeply unflattering picture of Donald Trump a man with a terrifying temper who ogled a young aide and tried to impress dictators while president, she writes.
Grisham, who holds the distinction of having never held a press briefing while serving as White House press secretary, charts her path from low-level press wrangler to the Trumps' inner circles, and her gradual disillusionment with the family and eventual resignation following the Jan. 6 insurrection.
As have the many books critical of Trump, Grisham's Ill Take Your Questions Now: What I Saw at the Trump White House has drawn Trump's ire. He bashed the book and its author in deeply personal terms, saying in a statement that Grisham was paid by a radical left-leaning publisher to say bad and untrue things."
Highlights of the book include:
ON MELANIA TRUMP
Grisham describes the former first lady as a Marie Antoinette figure who refused to condemn the violence at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 as Trump's supporters stormed the building to try to halt certification of the 2020 election results.
Grisham writes that she texted Melania Trump as the scene unfolded. Do you want to tweet that peaceful protests are the right of every American, but there is no place for lawlessness and violence?" she says she asked. She writes that "literally one minute later and while she was preparing a photo shoot of a new rug she had selected yes, you read that right Melania Trump sent me back a one-word response: No.
It was a breaking point for Grisham, who both praises the former first lady's off-camera temperament and offers insight into her peculiarities. She writes that Melania Trump's habit of avoiding public appearances was so extreme that the Secret Service unofficially dubbed her Rapunzel because she remained in her tower, never descending."
She also writes that Melania Trump responded to the saga of adult film star Stormy Daniels and allegations of her husband's infidelity by tweeting a photo of herself on the arm of a handsome military aide and insisting at one point that she travel alone.
I do not want to be like Hillary Clinton," Melania Trump reportedly told Grisham. "She walked to Marine One holding the hands with her husband after Monica news and it did not look good.
ON TRUMP
His temper was terrifying. And it could be directed at anyone, whether he or she deserved it or not," Grisham writes. He questioned peoples confidence, their looks, their intelligence whatever he thought would do the most damage to someones psych."
Trump had particular contempt, she says, for the White House lawyers. He didn't like them telling him that things he wanted to do were unethical or illegal."
Staff, she recounts, often deceived Trump to avoid his wrath, and tried to temper his worst impulses by stalling or distracting in a White House where everything was like a clown car on fire running at full speed into a warehouse full of fireworks."
FILE- In this Oct. 3, 2019 file photo, White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham listens as President Donald Trump speaks to the media on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington. Grisham, the former White House press secretary and chief of staff to former first lady Melania Trump, is out with a new book next week that paints a deeply unflattering picture of the former president. She describes him as a man with a terrifying temper who ogled a young aide and tried to impress dictators. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
#METOO
Grisham writes that, while serving as press secretary, she noticed Trump taking an unusual interest in a young, highly attractive press wrangler" on her team, asking where the woman was, whether she would be traveling with him on foreign trips, and asking Grisham to bring the aide to his office cabin on Air Force One.
Put her on TV. Keep her happy, promote her," she claims Trump would tell her. Lets bring her up here and look at her ass," she says she was told he had once said.
Grisham also recalls uncomfortable encounters she had with the president, including him noting one day that she didn't wear pantyhose. On one occasion, she writes, he asked her then-boyfriend whether she was good in bed.
On still another occasion, he asked me to reach out to a prominent supporter in Arizona. He wanted me to advise her to no longer wear sleeveless dresses and tops, saying they werent flattering to her and it wasn't a good look.
"You talk to her though, he allegedly told her. I can't with MeToo and all.
AN AWKWARD CALL
Trump allegedly felt compelled to respond to Daniels' charges about the size of his genitalia. Grisham says she received an awkward telephone call from the president from aboard Air Force One, who assured her that everything down there is fine."
Uh, yes, sir," she says she replied. Not in two million years had I ever thought I'd have a conversation with the president of the United States about his penis. Thankfully the call ended shortly after that.
DICTATORS
He always seemed to want dictators to respect him, Grisham writes, pointing in particular to Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom staff suspected of arranging for an attractive interpreter and coughing to throw Trump off-guard.
She described one encounter at the meeting of the Group of 20 nations in Osaka in 2019 when Trump seemed intent on placating the Russian leader. Okay, Im going to act a little tougher with you for a few minutes. But its for the cameras, and after they leave well talk. You understand, she recounts Trump saying.
Grisham also writes that Trump frequently said insane things to foreign leaders that ranged from absurd to disconcerting.
Trump loved to order cabinet secretaries, staff, or whoever else was sitting near him to give this dictator or that whatever it was he wanted," she writes. "I believe he must have thought it made him look tough and powerful. As for us? We generally slow walked or ignored the president and very rarely did exactly what he asked.
JEALOUSY
The book describes deep jealousy among staff and within the Trump family. Melania Trump had a nickname for Ivanka Trump, the presidents eldest daughter and senior White House adviser: The Princess," she claims.
Princess always runs to her father, Grisham recounted the first lady as often complaining.
Grisham recalls how she and her husband, Jared Kushner, had jockeyed to be part of an official greeting ahead of a state dinner in the United Kingdom hosted by Queen Elizabeth II.
Jared and Ivanka thought they were the royal family of the United States on the same level as William and Kate in the United Kingdom," she writes. She also blames Kushner for Trump's loss last November.
ON HER ROLE
One reason, Grisham writes, that she didnt want to hold formal press briefings was that she knew that sooner or later the president would want me to tell the public something that was not true or that would make me sound like a lunatic.
Indeed, at one point, she says, Trump asked her to reenact his perfect phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, which led to his first impeachment, and use two voices on the briefing room stage. She writes that Trump also asked her constantly whether the press could be removed from the White House.
THE HAIR
Trumps hair, she writes, is much longer than I had imagined, like multiple inches from end to end. He cuts it himself with a pair of huge scissors that could probably cut a ribbon at an opening of one of his properties.
And as for his distinctive hue? She says there was no tanning bed in the White House. The presidents look was created with makeup that he put on his face every morning, as if he were going to be appearing on a TV show. Which, in a sense, he was.
The world premiere of the new-generation G-Class (model series 464) for emergency crews working on behalf of the state and authorities took place: in Graz, Mercedes-Benz is opening a new chapter in the success story of the off-road vehicle with the largest product revision of the G-Class for Rescue and Special Operations in 29 years (here, special operations must be understood as uncommon use, not militarily speaking, as special ops vehicle are designed in a much different shape). A very robust vehicle, the new G-Class for Rescue and Special Operations (model series 464) ensures maximum mobility even under the most difficult conditions. The already brilliant reputation will certainly get new credentials. The first vehicles are already in production for some customers.
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Demonstration of some of the stunning capabilities of the new G-Class 464 model at Graz on September 28, 2021 (Picture source: Army Recognition)
The constant overall design of the vehicle results from the customers demand (compare with what happened to Land Rover with its former iconic Defender design). The new G-class 464 for Rescue and Special Operations cannot be homologated for civilian customers, as it lacks several safety components like airbags, inside door protections, etc. But institutional dont need that. But these safety concerns have been properly overrun.
Enhanced off-road and on-road performance as well as maximum user-friendliness, combined with new features such as the Emergency Override Switch for emergency situations, characterize the new model. The new G-generation is initially available as a station wagon, and as a chassis with a cab. The 'longest-serving Mercedes-Benz model series is thus ideally equipped to continue its success story.
New G-Class 464 model at Graz on September 28, 2021 (Picture source: Army Recognition)
Runs on Responsibility. The new-generation G-Class for Rescue and Special Operations
"Developing a product that can ensure the highest possible availability and security of personnel in extremely demanding peacekeeping and security missions is a top priority. The G-Class takes responsibility in this respect and has proved itself a reliable partner over decades, even in extreme and almost impassable terrain", emphasizes Dr Emmerich Schiller, Head of the Off-Road Vehicle Product Division at Mercedes-Benz AG and CEO of Mercedes-Benz G GmbH.
The new 464 model series, while keeping all the assets of the initial 461 model, marks a significant step in the development and offers important innovations to help emergency crews with the successful completion of their tasks.
New G-Class 464 model at Graz on September 28, 2021 (Picture source: Army Recognition)
The new G-Class delivers enhanced performance both on and off the road.
The key to its on-road and off-road mobility is a powerful new common-rail turbo Diesel engine with more power (183 kW/249 hp) and increased torque (600 Nm) that consumes less fuel despite increased performance. The Euro 3 engine can be operated with fuel of varying quality. The Euro 3 standard results from the customers demand to make sure the vehicle can operate anywhere in the world, not only in the most developed countries where Euro 6 becomes the standard. No hybrid development is considered for the moment.
As Florian Laudan, Head of Corporate Communications, Daimler Truck A.G. stressed in his presentation during the world premiere, 100 percent reliability since the launch f the G-Class in 1979 and, later, the first military contract (with the Bundeswehr/German Army) in 1992 remains a motto of the manufacturer. When the first special forces experimental variant was unveiled at Eurostory 2018, Mercedes-Benz drew even more attention in the military world, as it did with its 6x6 variant created to address a foreign request Always listen to the market!, as Georges Nahas, a customer-satisfaction manager, told Army Recognition.
The new G-Class impresses with its high level of robustness. In addition to the engine and 6-gear automatic transmission, transfer case, longitudinal and transverse differential locks the sturdy ladder-type frame also supports the rigid axles at the front and rear, thus providing optimum conditions for use in the most difficult conditions.
New G-Class 464 model climbing a 100 percent slope at Graz on September 28, 2021 (Picture source: Army Recognition)
Characteristics of the vehicle's extraordinary off-road capability include the high ground clearance of 221 mm, a lean angle of up to 54 percent, and an impressive maximum gradeability of 100 percent (45). The fording depth has been increased to 66 cm.
Specific technical equipment is already integrated ex factory. This includes the 24-Volt onboard electrical system for power supply, LED and military-type blackout lighting, infrared light, and EMC (electromagnetic compatibility) protection in accordance with recognized standards. The latter helps optimize the emission of electromagnetic interference and the vehicle's immunity to such interference with respect to the electrical installations installed by the customer.
The Emergency Override Switch (EOS) is the third from the top-left of the panel, protected by an orange cover to avoid any undesired use (Picture source: Army Recognition)
A unique feature is the Emergency Override Switch (EOS). This makes it possible to bring the crew and vehicle to safety immediately and quickly in dangerous situations. In such a situation engine protection measures, such as overheating protection, are bypassed. The system is triggered by a protected switch on the dashboard. It boosts the engine power to its maximum possibilities, no matter the heath or other mechanical threats, an emergency solution that may kill the engine but save the crew lives.
The intuitive operating concept for all functions of the vehicle is supported by ergonomic, glove-compatible controls (no small buttons or switches needing bare fingers to be activated). In the installation space for needs-based installation kits, integrated lashing points and mounting rails facilitate the safe storage of equipment and personal gear.
The G-Class models of the 464 series have been tested and certified according to various specific standards (e.g. MIL-STD, STANAG).
Two means exist to immediately make the distinction between a 461 and the news 464 model: first, the extended air intake is no longer fixed on the right side of the windscreen but on its left; second, the front bumper has become a much more sophisticated part, as it now includes an oil cooler and various brackets. As Bob Morrisson, from Joint Forces, smilingly commented: Considering that a soldier uses his bumper to push trees, how long will it resist? Well, this new bumper is obviously built in a very strong way but...
On the new G-Class 464 model, the front bumper has become by far more sophisticated, enco^mpassing namely an oil cooler in its left end (Picture source: Army Recognition)
The G-Class name is synonymous with a long service life
For over 40 years, the G-Class has helped ensure that demanding rescue, peacekeeping, protection and security missions in rough terrain never fail due to transport issues, even under the most difficult conditions. More than 60,000 units of the G-Class for Rescue and Special Operations have been delivered since 1979 and have proved their worth in guard, patrol, and liaison duties, in disaster relief operations, and in peacekeeping missions all over the world.
For the users, more than 60 different equipment sets have been integrated, allowing broad use in a variety of roles, for example as mobile medical units, fire service and police vehicles, or as radio communications vehicles. Users benefit from the long service life of the G-Class. Individual vehicles have achieved a service life of over 30 years in tough customer use.
Mercedes-Benz G-Class Station-Wagon G 350d (model series 464)
The station wagon offers the vehicle's occupants a closed, five-door body with four seats. There is space in the rear for additional equipment and personal gear. With a permissible gross weight of 3.5 tonnes, 1.0 tonne is available for payload. Of this, up to 200 kg can be carried on the roof. Additional payloads can be transported with a 3.5-tonne trailer.
Mercedes-Benz G-Class chassis with cab G 350d (model series 464)
The chassis with a two-door cab (BA09) is designed for a two-person team. The new cab is longer than on the previous model. This makes it possible, in combination with the new seating system, to stow luggage and equipment in the cab and to adopt a more comfortable seating position.
As standard, the vehicle is supplied with a double triangular mounting bracket allowing the largely torsion-free and low-vibration attachment of load carriers. An intermediate frame can be ordered as an option for bodies such as aluminum platforms that can easily twist when being driven off-road.
The permissible gross weight of 4.9 tonnes allows a payload of 2.5 tonnes. If required, a 3.5-tonne trailer can be towed as with the BA06. With a fuel tank capacity of 80 litres or 96 litres, ranges of 600 km are easily possible.
A standard wheelbase version of the G-Class 464 with an LAPV (Light Armoured Patrol Vehicle) body by Plasan (Israel) and portal axles for increased ground clearance has also been developed. Army Recognition will present it in a separate piece of news.
If the 'sexual intent' is present then the offence is made out even without 'skin-to-skin contact', the apex court clarified
New Delhi: The provision defining the offence of sexual assault against children under the POCSO Act must be looked at from the victim's perspective and if the sexual intent is present then the offence is made out even without "skin-to-skin contact", the Supreme Court Thursday orally observed.
A bench headed by Justice U U Lalit stressed on the intent to commit the sexual offence and said the results would be disastrous if the term physical contact in the provision is interpreted in a way where the skin-to-skin contact becomes necessary for constituting the offence.
The top court reserved its verdict on two appeals filed against the Bombay High Court verdict, which had come under intense scrutiny, and had held that no offence of sexual assault under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act is made out if there is no direct skin-to-skin contact between accused and the victim.
The bench, also comprising Justices S Ravindra Bhat and Bela M Trivedi, discussed threadbare the definition of section 7 of the POCSO Act which deals with the offence of sexual assault against the children.
The provision says: Whoever, with sexual intent, touches the vagina, penis, anus or breast of the child or makes the child touch the vagina, penis, anus or breast of such person or any other person, or does any other act with sexual intent which involves physical contact without penetration is said to commit sexual assault.
So, therefore, the primary thing is that if the sexual intent is proved then everything will fall in place, the bench orally observed while expressing its reservation on the interpretation made by the high court.
Senior advocate Siddhath Luthra, appearing for the convict in the case as an amicus curiae, referred to the contents of the provision and said that there were issues with the first part of the provision which said if an accused, with sexual intent, touches the vagina, penis, anus or breast of the child or makes the child touch the vagina, penis, anus or breast of such person or any other person then the offence of sexual assault is made out.
However, the second part of the provision said that for constituting the offence of sexual assault, an accused has to commit an act which involves physical contact without penetration and here the skin-to-skin interpretation creeps in.
Luthra said the second part requires sensitive interpretation.
One must rely on different situations to see whether a given interpretation logically holds and when an offence has been clearly laid down then if there was any need to stretch one's reasoning and rely on other provisions, the bench said.
One must look at things from the victim's perspective. If a pen is used to poke a person, there is no skin-to-skin touch and according to arguments advanced there is no sexual assault. But there is an invasion of privacy and violation of modesty of the child, it said.
"If we accept the submission (on physical contact without cloth), what kind of results will we get. According to us, the results will be disastrous, it observed.
Luthra said the legislature consciously used the term 'physical act' in the second part of the provision.
"So, do we understand your submission that the first part skin to skin need not be there? According to you, in the second part skin to skin contact is essential," the bench asked.
Another amicus curiae Siddhart Dave and others argued in the case and the counsel for Maharashtra adopted the submissions of Attorney General K K Venugopal who had vehemently argued for the setting aside of the verdict by the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court.
While reserving the verdict, the bench asked parties to file their written submissions within three days.
Venugopal had earlier told the apex court that the controversial verdict of the Bombay High Court would set a "dangerous and outrageous precedent" and needed to be reversed.
The top court, which was hearing separate appeals of Attorney General and the National Commission for Women (NCW), had on January 27 stayed the order which had acquitted a man under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act saying groping a minor's breast without 'skin to skin contact' cannot be termed as sexual assault.
Two judgments were passed by Justice Pushpa Ganediwala of Bombay High Court (Nagpur Bench).
Earlier, while staying the judgements, the top court had also issued notice to the Maharashtra government and permitted the Attorney General to file an appeal against the verdict.
The verdict had said groping a minor's breast without "skin-to-skin contact" cannot be termed as sexual assault as defined under the POCSO Act.
It had said since the man groped the child without removing her clothes the offence cannot be termed as sexual assault but it does constitute the offence of outraging a woman's modesty under IPC section 354.
The high court had modified the order of a sessions court, which had sentenced a 39-year-old man to three years of imprisonment for sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl.
The verdict had held that mere groping will not fall under the definition of sexual assault. As per the prosecution and the minor victim's testimony in court, in December 2016, the accused, one Satish, had taken the girl to his house in Nagpur on the pretext of giving her something to eat.
Once there, he gripped her breast and attempted to remove her clothes, the high court had recorded in her verdict.
Sidhu has earlier stated that he cannot compromise with his ethics
Sidhu had tendered his resignation as Punjab Congress chief on Tuesday. (Photo: PTI/File)
New Delhi: Former Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief Navjot Singh Sidhu is scheduled to meet state Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Thursday at 3 pm.
Taking to Twitter, Sidhu said, "Chief Minister has invited me for talks... will reciprocate by reaching Punjab Bhawan, Chandigarh at 3:00 PM today, he is welcome for any discussions."
Earlier on Wednesday, Channi had urged the "Congress family's head" Sidhu, to resolve issues.
Sidhu has earlier stated that he cannot compromise with his ethics, moral authority and pointed out that he didn't want a "repeat of a system of tainted leaders and officers in the state".
Sidhu had tendered his resignation as Punjab Congress chief on Tuesday.
Sidhu is reportedly upset over the bureaucratic setup and his commands not being followed after Cabinet expansion in Punjab.
Sidhu was appointed as the President of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) on July 23 following months of turmoil in the state Congress unit.
Sidhu's resignation as state party chief has intensified the crisis in the Punjab Congress and triggered discussions and deliberations in the party. A minister and three Congress leaders, considered close to him, stepped down from their posts delivering.
This comes as a big blow to the Congress high command that was hoping to resolve the turmoil in the Congress unit of Punjab ahead of the Assembly elections early next year.
After the tussle in Punjab Congress between Sidhu and Captain Amarinder Singh escalated in August, the party had appointing Sidhu as the Congress chief apparently against the wishes of the Chief Minister.
Asia and the Pacific is home to the largest number of older persons in the world -- and rapidly ageing
The growing number and share of older persons in Asia and the Pacific represent success stories of declining fertility and increasing longevity; the result of advances in social and economic development. This demographic transition is taking place against the backdrop of the accelerating Fourth Industrial Revolution. But the Covid-19 pandemic, with its epicentre now in Asia and the Pacific, has exacerbated the suffering of older persons in vulnerable situations and demonstrated the fragility of this progress.
Asia and the Pacific is home to the largest number of older persons in the world -- and rapidly ageing. When the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted in 2015, eight per cent of the regions total population was 65 years or older. By 2030, when the agenda comes to an end, it is projected that 12 per cent of the total population -- one in eight people -- will comprise older persons. Fifty-four per cent of all older persons in the region will be women, and their share will increase with age.
Asia and the Pacific has made much progress in connecting the region through information and communication technologies (ICTs). At the same time, it is still the most digitally divided region in the world. Approximately half of its population lacks Internet access. Women and older persons especially older women -- are the least likely to be digitally connected.
Covid-19 has demonstrated how technologies can help fight the spread of the virus, sustain daily life, support business continuity and keep people socially connected. It has also shown that those who are excluded from the digital transformation, including older persons, are at increased risk of being permanently left behind. Digital equity for all ages is, therefore, more important than ever.
The next few years provide an opportunity for Asia and the Pacific to build on its successes with regard to population ageing and rapid digital transformation, learn from the tragic consequences of the pandemic, and promote and strengthen the inclusion of older persons in the digital world. The 2022 Fourth Review and Appraisal of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing and the further elaboration of the Asia-Pacific Information Superhighway will allow countries to develop policies and action plans to achieve digital equity for all ages.
Among those policies, it is particularly important to promote digital literacy and narrow digital skills gaps of older persons through tailored peer-to-peer or intergenerational training programmes. In the fast-changing digital environment, developing, strengthening and maintaining digital literacy requires a life-course approach.
Moreover, providing accessible, affordable and reliable Internet connectivity for persons of all ages must be a priority. Expanding digital infrastructure, geographical coverage and digital inclusion of older persons through targeted policies and programmes will improve access, enable greater social participation, empower older persons, and enhance their ability to live independently.
As highlighted in the Madrid Plan of Action, technology can reduce health risks and promote cost-efficient access to health care for older persons, for instance, through telemedicine or robotic surgery.
Assistive technology devices and solutions can support more and safer mobility for older persons, especially those with disabilities or living alone. Social media platforms can promote social interaction and reduce social isolation and loneliness.
The ESCAP Guidebook on using Information Communication Technologies to address the healthcare needs of older persons has documented good practices from around the region. It also includes policy recommendations and a checklist for policymakers to mainstream ICTs in policies affecting older persons.
While older persons are among the least digitally connected population groups, they are among the most vulnerable to cyberthreats. It is, therefore, critical to establish adequate safety measures, raise awareness, and teach older users to be cautious online.
As we commemorate the United Nations International Day of Older Persons 2021, let us remind ourselves that the risks and vulnerabilities experienced by older persons during the pandemic are not new. Many older persons in the region lack social protection such as access to universal healthcare and pensions.
The Covid-19 recovery is an opportunity to set the stage for a more inclusive, equitable and age-friendly society, anchored in human rights and guided by the promise of the 2030 Agenda to leave no one behind. Digital equity for all ages, highlighted in the 2030 Agenda, goes beyond national interests.
Greater digital cooperation by governments and stakeholders is instrumental for both inclusive and sustainable development and building back better. At the regional and subregional levels, digital cooperation can be fruitfully leveraged to build consensus and share good practices, lessons learned, and policy recommendations. These, in turn, can supplement national level policy and decision-making for the benefit of all age groups.
The Madrid International Plan for Action on Ageing (MIPAA) is the global guiding document endorsed by the United Nations member states in 2002 to address the challenges and opportunities of ageing societies.
MIPAA aims to build a society for all ages. ESCAP, along other regional commissions, has been mandated to review and appraise MIPAA implementation at the regional levels on a regular basis. The Fourth
Review and Appraisal of MIPAA in Asia and the Pacific will take place in 2022, and in addition to addressing the priority directions of MIPAA, it will also focus on the linkages between population ageing and digital transformation. In the context of the MIPAA review and appraisal, ESCAP provides capacity-building to member states on assessing ageing policies, mainstreaming ageing into broader national policymaking and developing forward-looking policies for sustainable development in ageing societies.
As you scroll down the list of live auctions on Bring A Trailer, youll eventually run into an untarnished 2008 Ducati 1098S with less than 6k miles (9,000 km) on the clock. This brutal piece of Italian machinery is put in motion thanks to a liquid-cooled 1,099cc L-twin powerplant, with dual overhead cams, eight desmodromic valves, and a compression ratio of 12.5:1.When the four-stroke behemoth purrs at 9,750 rpm, a peak horsepower figure of no less than 160 stallions will be fed to a six-speed gearbox. On the other hand, the engine is good for up to 90 pound-feet (122 Nm) of crushing torque at approximately 8,000 spins per minute. The rear Marchesini hoop is kept in motion thanks to a chain final drive, resulting in a top speed of 180 mph (290 kph).Moreover, the 1098S will accelerate from zero to 60 mph (0-96 kph) in just three seconds flat, while its quarter-mile time is rated at a blistering 10.9 ticks. The powertrain components are embraced by a tubular steel trellis frame, which rests on fully-adjustable 43 mm (1.7 inches) inverted forks and a top-shelf monoshock from Ohlins.Up front, plentiful stopping power is conjured by dual 330 mm (13 inches) discs and four-piston Brembo calipers, along with a single 245 mm (9.6 inches) brake rotor and a twin-piston caliper at the rear end. In terms of weight, Bolognas phenom will tip the scales at a mere 381 pounds (173 kg) on an empty stomach. Lastly, this mean machine also features an aftermarket clutch cover, Michelin tires, and new timing belts, among other premium items.The 1098S is currently up for grabs at no reserve, and youd only need a little over five grand to best the top bidder (for now)! If youre feeling inclined to make this feral Duc a part of your family, be sure to pay the BaT website a visit before Tuesday afternoon (October 5), as thats when the online auction will end.
And this week, the Mountain View-based search giant announced another big name that would start offering Android Automotive in their cars. Its Honda , the Japanese carmaker thats supposed to begin installing Googles operating system next year, though, at this point, its still not clear what models would feature it first.However, Hondas electric cars are most likely to come with Android Automotive by default, especially as the OS boasts several features specifically aimed at zero-emission vehicles. For example, Google Maps can automatically monitor the range in real-time, and when needed, suggest charging stations that would allow the driver to reach their destination without running out of battery.The whole experience is as seamless as possible, and the integration of Google services is one of the key selling points of Android Automotive.Google Assistant also gets access to car systems, so for example, users would be able to adjust the air conditioning settings using nothing but a voice command.Of course, Honda isnt the first carmaker betting big on Android Automotive. The operating system is already powering several models from Polestar, with several other brands already announcing models that would run on the same platform, including Renault and General Motors.Google gives automakers the option of fully customizing the user interface of the system, so while visually the software could look different from one brand to another, its essentially the same Android Automotive with the same feature lineup in all cars where this platform is available.As for whats happening with Android Auto in Honda cars, nothing on this front has been shared. Most likely, Android Auto will continue to be offered, especially as its such a popular option right now, but going forward, Android Automotive is the preferred choice for new cars.
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Just like BMW doesn't seem to be able to get any new models 100 percent right, Audi can't put a step wrong. That's obviously an exaggeration on both parts, but the gist of it is right. Show us an Audi model launched within the last few years that isn't a joy to look at, and we'll gladly (well, more like begrudgingly, if we're being honest) retract that.The e-tron GT is the perfect example. While some other brands are struggling to find a visual identity for their electric range, Audi has knocked it out of the park with its Porsche Taycan-based sedan. So much so, in fact, that when it launched, there were voices saying it was even sexier than the gorgeous Porscheit is based on.That last bit is open to interpretation, especially since the approach for either of them has been quite different. It is one of the better examples of dealing with cross-platform models inside the Volkswagen Group, which has to be a constant challenge for a mammoth comprising of God-knows how many brands and a limited number of vehicle architectures.Considering how well the non-identical twins managed to carve a niche for themselves, we see no reason why the VW higher-ups wouldn't sanction something similar for an Audi correspondent of the more recently introduced Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo.However, instead of the more rugged appearance that Porsche opted for its electric wagon, Audi could veer toward pure performance. After all, it does have the RS 6 in its portfolio, and the name of the Ingolstadt-based automaker has long been associated with go-fast station wagons. Why should leaving theaga and entering the EV age change any of that?It doesn't take much to envision what the e-tron GT Avant (RS or otherwise) would look like, but if you want to give your imagination a break, we have just the perfect rendering for you. Well, technically, Sugarchow (sugardesign_1) has it, we're just here to make sure it reaches you.The virtual wagon looks like a worthy electric counterpart for the RS 6 , and since we've seen the e-tron sedan make short work of the V8-powered model in a drag race, we see no reason why this thing couldn't do the same. With just a few bits of bodywork added to the e-tron, Audi could make the quickest station wagon in production.The only thing that could stand in the way of that is Porsche and its Taycan Cross Turismo . However, since Audi has the tradition of quick station wagons and the Cross Turismo is positioned as more of an adventure-oriented car, there could be a slight possibility there for the e-tron RS Avant to become not only a reality but also the top dog.
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BMW's iX3 comes in a rear-wheel-drive configuration only. That is traditional for BMW but somewhat unexpected for a model of the X series, which used to mean that the vehicles in this line-up had xDrive all-wheel-drive as standard. Not the case for years now, but the iX3 raises the stakes by not even offeringas an option.From the outside, it is easy to spot the BMW iX3, as it comes with a few extra ornaments that are finished in a particular shade of blue, and the front grille is closed off. The front and rear bumpers also have a slightly different design, but that is about it. Mind you, the blue accents are optional, so keep that in mind if you plan to order one.On the inside, just a few elements tell you that you are, in fact, in an electric X3, not in a combustion-engined model. Otherwise, the BMW iX3 feels just like an X3, but without its combustion engine. Those who are familiar with BMWs will appreciate this aspect the most, especially if they already own one and want the iX3 as their second or third car.From an ergonomic standpoint, the BMW iX3 gets a good score, as the Germanhas controls that are easy to use and understand. The screen on the dash does have touch controls, but you can skip those and use the iDrive instead, which operates flawlessly. The controls for volume, climate, and other relevant functions are handled through buttons, not touchscreens.So, what is it like to drive? An extremely short answer would be, just like a BMW X3. That may not mean that much to those who have not driven an X3, right? Let us walk you through how the BMW iX3 is like to drive.The steering system is adjusted for comfort, as it does not need too much force to operate. It has a certain weight to it, and that reminds us of many other BMW models, so you could say it is specific to the brand.There is adequate feedback for the driver, but the level of feedback offered is just that. Some might consider it to be numbed, but it all depends on what it is compared to. After all, this is an SUV, not a car with sporty ambitions or anything.The suspension of the BMW iX3 does a good job of hiding the extra weight brought by the batteries, although it is not that heavy when compared to a conventionally powered model or a hybrid X3 . Thankfully for BMW, the extra weight is in the floor of the vehicle, which means that it lowered the center of gravity, and made things more manageable.The brakes feel adequate for the power level offered and the weight of the vehicle, even though the electric motor does most of the slowing down. The transition between regenerative and hydraulic braking is almost imperceptible to the average user.Regarding the powertrain, the BMW iX3 is only offered with a single electric motor, which powers the rear wheels. With 286 PS (281 hp) and 400 Nm (295 lb.-ft), you cannot say it is underpowered. BMW lets the e-motor do its thing, even if it is not in Sport mode. When the latter is selected, you feel the full might of the iX3.The BMW iX3 uses a current-excited synchronous motor, which works without magnets, thus eliminating the need for rare earth metals in its construction, as the manufacturer notes. That fact might be related to the following, which is that the BMW iX3 is very good at coasting.Once you take your foot off the accelerator and have the car in D instead of B, the German SUV does a fine job at keeping its speed. You then just need to gently press the right pedal to maintain your desired speed, which comes at rather low energy consumption, as you can observe on the digital gauge cluster.As for the estimated range, BMW's iX3 has a maximum range of 453 kilometers (281 miles) in thecycle, with an average energy consumption of 18.9/100 km (62 miles). We started our drive with the battery charged at 96 percent, and the car displayed a range of 332 kilometers (206 miles).After 125 kilometers (77 miles), most of which was done on the highway, the iX3 had an average energy consumption of 21.6 kWh/100 km (62 miles). The remaining range was 208 kilometers (129 miles) after that section.To be fair, we must note that we did a few sprints from normal highway speeds to a bit more, but nothing too crazy and without jeopardizing anyone's safety. The iX3 proved to be quick, even if you ask it to accelerate hard while driving at 62 mph (100 kph) or more. It just does it, and it does not feel slow in any way.From that point on, we drove on national roads that occasionally went through cities, and some of those roads were downhill, as opposed to the first section, which was slightly uphill when it was not entirely flat.We stopped our drive after 276 kilometers (171 miles), which were done with an average energy consumption of 19.5 kWh/100 km (62 miles), and an average speed of 68 kph (42 mph).Our battery still had a charge of 22 percent when we stopped, which the car estimated to be enough for another 88 kilometers (54 miles) in the same driving conditions.The BMW iX3's range is more than reasonable for a day-to-day commute, even for those who live outside the city they work in. However, it is not as high as one might expect from a car in this segment, with this size, and at this price point. BMW does offer a larger electric SUV, the iX , which caters to this requirement.Even without the extra range of the iX, the BMW iX3 does a good job at being an SUV and provides a sporty drive when requested. Otherwise, it is quiet, although you can notice wind noise at speeds of over 62 mph (100 kph). The latter would also be experienced in a conventional vehicle, but the lack of engine noise in an electric vehicle makes every sound easier to notice.
Dark matter and dark energy fascinate many of us, as one of the most mysterious astronomical concepts. No telescope can actually see them, but the European Space Agency (ESA) is preparing to launch one that will be able to study them more in-depth and give us a better understanding of how the universe grew and keeps growing.
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On July 11th, Virgin Galatic took off from Spaceport America, New Mexico, with its founder Richard Brandson on board and five other passengers. Called Unity 22, the mission carried Branson and his crew 50 miles (80 kilometers) up. After a few minutes of experienciencing zero-G, the SpaceShipTwo suborbital spaceplane began its descend to Earth, landing safely back at Spaceport America.While everything seemed to have gone accordingly, on September 1st, a report from the New Yorker uncovered that Virgin's SpaceShipTwo strayed off from its Air Traffic Control clearance during the company's first commercial flight to the edge of space. Not only that, but it also failed to communicate the deviation with the FAA.Now, following a thorough investigation, the agency allowed the company to resume its flights."We appreciate the FAA's thorough review of this inquiry. Our test flight program is specifically designed to continually improve our processes and procedures. The updates to our airspace and real-time mission notification protocols will strengthen our preparations as we move closer to the commercial launch of our spaceflight experience," said Michael Colglazier, Chief Executive Officer of Virgin Galactic.For its next flight, Virgin Galactic will carry three paying crew members from the Italian Air Force and the National Research Council. The mission's goal is to assess the effects of the transitional phase from gravity to microgravity on the human body.Earlier this month, the company stated thatWe'll have yet to see if Virgin Galactic will stick to its announced plans.
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For the 2020 model year, the federal agency lists a whopping 12 recalls while the 2021 model is rocking three. The latest callback involves both models along with the Lincoln Aviator and compact-sized Lincoln Corsair.A total of 228,297 vehicles equipped with 360-degree camera systems are recalled over a rearview camera that works intermittently. The Dearborn-based automakers Critical Concerns Review Group became aware of this problem in March after compiling numerous reports from the Chinese market. A total of 359 warranty claims were identified, which is why a software fix was released in the summer. Be that as it may, the groups monitoring boffins identified a surge to 1,867 warranty reports in August.The Ford Motor Company is aware of two accidents caused by this condition, but fortunately, no injuries have been reported. Once again, the fix consists of a software update (LB5T-14F017-AP) designed to control the digital camera's general purpose output pin. Owners will be notified by first-class mail from October 7th through October 14th, 2021.Ford has further issued a stop-sale order for Explores, Aviators, and Corsairs with the 360-degree camera system. The manufacturers notice to dealers quotes a blue screen that may recover to the rearview cameras image during subsequent ignition cycles. Federal law requires dealers to complete this recall service before a new vehicle is delivered. Otherwise, the dealer could face a civil penalty of up to $21,000 per delivered vehicle.The commercially successful Explorer currently retails from $32,925 for the rear-wheel-drive turbo four-cylinder engine whereascosts $2,000 extra. Over at Lincoln, the Aviator kicks off at $51,465 while the Corsair is available to order from $36,105 excluding taxes and extras.
If they plan on being relevant in the worlds that will open up beyond the borders of our home planet, carmakers will eventually have to pay attention to whats going on up there. And apparently among the first to do are the Japanese from Honda.In a curious statement released on September 30, the company speaks about working on outside-the-box technologies that will open new areas and new markets. Among them, outer space.Thats right, outer space. Through the Honda R&D Co. division, which handles, well, R&D for the group, technologies that will take the name into the 3rd dimension, then the 4th dimension will be developed.Weve already known the Japanese tied the knot with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) for the development of renewable energy systems in space, but now we learn of remotely-controlled robots, and even a small rocket.The Japanese have revealed theyre working on a system capable of launching small low-Earth orbit satellites, a rocket that, at least in part, should be reusable. No other details were provided at this time, nor are we being given a timeframe for the rockets development.Whats even more shocking is that Honda at one point states that some other tech it is currently working on could help humans overcome the constraints of time.Now, if you immediately jumped on the time machine train on that one, you can relax. What Honda means by that is a multi-fingered avatar robot that can act as a second self of the user. It will be capable of using tools designed for human hands, picking up small objects with the fingertips, and even opening tight jar lids, and can be controlled from afar.According to the company, this yet unnamed mechanical wonder should be ready sometime by 2030.Full details on Honda's plans for the future can be found in the press release section below.
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Take the Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series , for instance, which is offered in the United States from $325,000, before destination, dealer fees, and options. Thats already eye-watering expensive, yet we found one advertised on eBay by McLaren Charlotte that comes with a buy-it-now price of $799,996.Made this year and with 49 miles (79 km) on the odo, the German supercar , which wears an orange paint finish on top of the black and orange interior, is located in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. It features everything expected from such a machine, including lots of carbon fiber, leather/suede upholstery with contrast stitching, special doorsills, Burmester premium audio, forged wheels, and lots of driver assistance gear.Cashiers check and money order are listed as the only payment options for this insanely costly vehicle. Now, if you really must have a GT Black Series in your life, then you should get in contact with your local Mercedes dealer and check the stock. Who knows, maybe youre in luck. But if you simply need this one and not the multitude of high-end machines that sum could otherwise get you, wed tell you to inspect the papers in the presence of a lawyer.A racer for the road, the Black Series is the fastest and most powerful member of the two-door GT family . Its twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 engine develops 720 hp (730 ps / 537) and 590 lb-ft (800 Nm) of torque, and is married to a dual-clutch seven-speed automatic transmission and rear-wheel drive. Just 3.2 seconds are required for the 0-62 mph (0-100 kph) acceleration, and flat-out, it can do 202 mph (325 kph).
The photo was shot back in August in the skies over the Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska, where a number of military units were deployed to take part in the so-called Red Flag-Alaska 21-3 exercise a drill meant to hone the skills required in combat by providing training scenarios that replicate near-peer adversary tactics, techniques and procedures in a controlled environment.We've featured images from this event before, but there's something special about this one. As said, there are two types of fighter planes in this image. Two of them are F-15C Eagles assigned to the 44th Fighter Squadron out of Kadena Air Base, Japan. Well call these ones the prey.The other two are F-16 Fighting Falcons assigned to the 18th Aggressor Squadron. As some of you already know, this type of squadron has only one thing in mind: oppose Air Force planes and their pilots in a program of intense dissimilar air combat training. Meaning theyre most of the times hunters.Regardless of their status in the hierarchy of the pack, both breeds came together behind a KC-135 Stratotanker assigned to the 912th Air Refueling Squadron out of March Air Reserve Base in California. They did that because this kind of aircraft is used to feed all sorts of flying weapons, and they usually pull such stunts.These planes are not actually feeding at the moment, but seeing machines of war so different come together in the same shot is not something that happens every day. So straight to our Photo of the Day section, this one goes!
Subsequently, JLR then tried to block imports into the U.S. for several VW Group SUVs, claiming those vehicles had utilized its patented Terrain Response technology without permission.Now the two companies have reached an agreement to resolve litigation in both Germany and the U.S., although other terms of the deal werent disclosed in filings with courts in New Jersey, Delaware, Virginia and with the International Trade Commission in Washington, reports Autonews Europe Jaguar had the potential to win over $200 million a year in licensing income from its patent-infringement lawsuit against Porsche, Audi, Lamborghini and Volkswagen, in our favorable event-risk view, said Bloomberg Intelligence analyst, Joel Levington.Interestingly enough, Bentley wasnt part of the ITC case filed in November , when JLR tried to halt imports of the Porsche Cayenne, Lamborghini Urus, Audi Q8, Q7, Q5, A6 Allroad and the e-tron, as well as the VW Tiguan. The dispute was centered around the concept of having the vehicles systems adapt to different terrains using a simple turn of a knob a key feature in both Jaguar and Land Rover models.As of right now, a VW spokeswoman has declined to comment on the matter, while a spokesman for Jaguar Land Rover had no immediate comment.Now, in all fairness, this case seemed a little exaggerated from the get-go, considering the abstract nature of the Terrain Response system patent, which is described as a vehicle control system featuring a plurality of subsystem controllers and subsystem modes connected to a vehicle mode controller.
The roads to titling an abandoned car led us to Connecticut and Delaware. These states are dealing differently with them. The former is trying to grab them no matter where they are, while the latter just want them gone, and do give titles.In Connecticut, the law is very clear about abandoned vehicles. Apart from those rebuilding them or having them stored in enclosed areasall other vehicles abandoned will be towed by local authorities. After that, they will try to find the owner, and if they can't, they'll sell the relic at an auction, if the vehicle is estimated to be worth $500 or less After the sale is concluded, they'll do the math with the towing and storing. If the state spent more than it got, it will send an invoice to the owner they couldn't find (funny, right?). If they get more from the vehicle than that sum, they'll send a letter to the owner telling them that they can reclaim the difference within a year. Sound about right, coming from the state, isn't it?Moving on, we tried to dig a little deeper into this, and we found out that there is no way to claim a barn find, not even from your property, especially if the relic is visible from the street (in which case, law enforcement will come and pick it up). Still, there is only one way to get that abandoned vehicle into your hands - by placing a lien on it and then claim the car due to an unpaid storage fee. We also found an exciting story about a Porsche Targa barn-find in Connecticut.More than a decade ago, some guy found a Porsche Targa in his barn with no title, no bill of sale, and no clue about how it ended up there. Moreover, the car had just 44,000 miles on the clock. He tried to do things the right way, and he was fortunate. DMV found the last registered owner, who was still breathing. He sent him all the papers, including the bill of sale, and the Porsche lived a second life. That Porsche was a gambling debt, and the former owner kept his promise.The right way to do that was not that easy since the authorities could've taken the car. So, in order to get it, the owner should've issued an invoice for storage, announced a lien sale, and then take it. That's how some vehicles were saved and didn't go to the crushers. After many years, some abandoned vehicles were discovered, such as this Corvette C2 who begged for a second life.While in some states there is still some debate regarding abandoned vehicles, which are not a top priority for governments, they make that very clear in Delaware . For short, if a vehicle, an RV, trailer, motorboat, or motorcycle is abandoned on your property, you can claim it. It might not be as easy as requesting a title and receiving it the next day by mail, but it is still clear.First, the authorities have to inspect and determine if it was stolen. Then, they will track down the owner's address and try to get in touch with them. Finally, the petitioner has to post announcements in at least five public areas in the county where the petition is filled and in a newspaper, regardless of the vehicle owner's address.As usual, if someone will show up and claim the vehicle, then you'd better be prepared to invoice them for storage. In Delaware , you have to bear in mind that a vehicle is considered abandoned only after a year, and if the owner doesn't answer the petition sent to them by certified mail. It might take longer, but cudos for making it very clear.
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The deal is supposed to be announced this week and to ensure that Lordstown can still produce the Endurance at the plant. As Bloomberg notes, even if the electric pickup truck sold really well, it would be pretty tricky for Lordstown to use all the factory capacity with a single product.For a company that wants to supply manufacturing services for EVs like Foxconn, buying the factory can be a deal made in heaven. It would grant the Taiwanese company the industrial presence it wants to have in the U.S. with a relatively low investment. Apart from Lucid, moststartups started production with factories that belonged to other carmakers.On Lordstown Motors side, having Foxconn in its boat may help it get some credibility after the Hindenburg Research burned down some of the companys claims. However, the most pressing advantage the deal carries for the startup is to raise much-needed cash to keep developing the Endurance. The additional funds will probably come in handy to cope with the SEC investigation that the Hindenburg Research report raised.When the deal is disclosed, it may also help answer some questions about the Lordstown Endurance . Its battery pack supplier was a mystery, for example. We tried to find them to discuss the fire on the companys first prototype. Foxconn will probably introduce a new battery pack supplier. It would not be unlikely that the Endurance also skipped the in-wheel motors from Elaphe and adopted a more conventional approach. If Bloomberg s sources are correct, well learn more about that in a few hours.
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Back in the 1950s, Pontiac decided to sell its American nameplates with different badges in Canada. The Fleetleader was the first one and its replacement for the 1954 model years was called the Pathfinder. It was essentially a Chieftain full-size, but it had somewhat shorter front and rear fenders compared to its American counterpart.It also came with unique wheels and hubcaps plus specific, Canada-only trim. Also offered in a Deluxe version, the Pathfinder was phased out after only four years on the market. However, Pontiac continued selling Canada-exclusive nameplates for more than two decades. The Laurentian and the Parisienne, for instance, soldiered on into the 1970s.This 1958 Pathfinder is among the last of its kind sold in Canada. The only model year with a quad-headlamps layout, it shared much of its exterior appearance with the short-lived, third-generation Chieftain. As the latter was replaced by the Catalina for 1958, the Pathfinder was phased out to make way for the Strato Chief.But even though it looked a lot like the Chieftain, the Pathfinder was a completely different car under the hood. While the U.S.-made Poncho came with V8s only, the Pathfinder was offered with aninline-six in base trim. It was also available with a V8, but it was a Chevy-spec 283-cubic-inch (4.6-liter) unit instead of the Pontiac-build engines found South of the border.Showcased by Halfass Kustoms, a shop located in Canada, this 1958 Pathfinder was saved from the crusher. The guy who decided that the Poncho shouldn't meet its doom just yet was trying to sell it and Halfass decided it would be a good idea to buy it and get it running again. Thanks to him, we can get a closer look at one of the rarest Canada-made Pontiacs out there.Sadly, the sedan is in a terrible state. While the exterior looks surprisingly good for a vehicle that's been sitting for decades , the interior and the trunk are in really rough shape. Both have massive holes in the floor and it looks like someone has been operating it with wood panels placed on the driver's side many years ago.The engine bay isn't exactly pretty either and the inline-six is dead. Fortunately, the owner manages to get it cleaned up and, after a bit of pulling around, the mill fires up and gets the Pathfinder moving. And that's just beautiful.I have no idea what's going to happen to this car from here on, but I'm definitely hoping that it will get a second chance at life with a nice restoration . It might not be as fancy as a Chieftain, but it's a cool Pontiac that people should know about.
Lance Stroll, Sebastian Vettel, Christian Horner and George Russell attending the No time to die premiere tonight in London pic.twitter.com/W4R47gu4J7 did Sebastian Vettel attend the 007 premiere? (@itsbeetlesful) September 28, 2021
Even at the premiere of the latest James Bond movie in London, the Aston Martin DB5 had its own place on the red carpet. And given the importance of the automobile in the franchise, several Formula 1 drivers were present as well, including Lance Stroll, George Russell, and Kimi Raikkonen. Red Bull F1 team boss Christian Horner attended the event accompanied by his wife, Geri, former Spice Girl.Aston Martin F1 drivers even took it one step further. Sky's Natalie Pinkham introduced Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll, recently confirmed for the 2022 season, for the drifting session at Silverstone. Martin Brundle, British former race driver and current commentator for Sky Sports, also joined the two Aston Martin drivers in taking turns with DB5.The two had the opportunity to channel their inner 007 super-spy on the race track that annually hosts the British Grand Prix, in the movies iconic car, the Aston Martin DB5. Mark Higgins, rally driver and stunt driver for No Time To Die, first showed the F1 drivers how to replicate scenes from the movie, minus the shooting though, before letting the two give it a go.Vettel and Stroll took the car out for a spin, trying out several drifts that (spoiler alert!) James Bond also performs in order to escape his enemies in the streets of Matera, Italy. The duo was thrilled to be doing the stunts and found out its quite difficult to keep the car under control. Vettel had so much fun that he almost crashed the car at one point. Brundle also had his share of fun.Needing no introduction, the car didnt become as legendary as it is for nothing. With a lot of stunts in all the movies, you needed a vehicle to have both the performance, and the looks. And the DB5 ticks all the boxes. With a 4.0-liter L6, the iconic Aston Martin had 282 hp (286 ps) on tap. In 1964, the DB5 Vantage engine was reworked and improved to offer 325 hp (330 ps). The first models were fitted with a 4-speed manual, but the gearbox was eventually replaced with a 5-speed unit.While No Time to Die marks David Craigs last Bond appearance, it doesnt stand true for the Aston Martin DB5. Until we get more information on who will take over the super-spy role, the latest 007 movie will premiere in theaters on October 8.
Since 1977, Alex Chueh, founder of Ocean Alexander, broke into an industry with ships that have been loved and appreciated since the very first one ever launched. Like most companies, growth was on this boatbuilders mind and in 2005 launched their first over 100-foot yacht, securing their place among boat shows around the world The upcoming vessel does feature a length of 116.8 feet (35.6 meters), but in comparison to other yachts this size, through an ingenious use of space, the ship can accommodate quite the number of guests in absolute luxury and relaxation.On the outside, the 35R boasts extensive use of glass. This is done in order to offer natural lighting to as much interior space as possible. From the lowest deck to the main deck and the sky deck, panel after panel of glass also allow guests to enjoy a view of the outside world.As for things to do while out and about on the deck, classic lounging and relaxing in the sun are the main activities to be enjoyed here. At the bow of the ship, a large forward lounge allows guests to be seen rolling into port in style. Mid-ship, the sky deck presents itself with an aft sunbed, while a bar and two lateral lounges create a place to relax in the shade . Theres also a jacuzzi on this deck.Aft on the bridge deck, al fresco dining is found aft, and the above-mentioned forward lounge. But the real attraction is offered on the main deck with a massive rear-facing lounge bed, while lateral staircases lead to the beach deck below.One neat feature of the beach deck is the garage door. While it normally sits closed and protecting a hidden lounge, once lowered to reveal the space inside, the door also works to extend the beach deck even more, creating a platform on which to set toys and/or lounge around. Why not dive off it? Inside the ship , spaces are adorned with leather and fabric seating, wood or carpet flooring, in some cases marble, and semiprecious metals help balance the selected materials. White, cream, and grey tones yield a rather neutral space that isnt too hard on the eyes.Furniture includes rounded edges, indicative that a boat-builder and design team know what theyre doing, LED lighting helps brighten the space once the sun has set, and those massive windows I mentioned appear available to nearly every stateroom. Marble, porcelain, and glass-filled bathrooms offer a feel as though youre stepping into a spa center. Funny enough, there is a real spa center on the craft, equipped with some gym equipment too.For bedding accommodations, the owners suite is found sitting forward on the main deck with large lateral views and an en-suite bathroom at the bow of the ship. The rest of this deck is used only for social spaces, but the remainder of guests will be accommodated on the deck below via four other suites. The rest of the lower deck is reserved for crew quarters, a few quaint lounges , and the spa, gym, and beach deck garage I mentioned.So far, pricing hasnt yet been announced for the 35R, but similar yachts from this yachting team start at around $14 million (12.2 million at current exchange rates). Seeing as how this beauty is meant to showcase the freshest of the fresh and best of the best, you can expect to pay a bit more than that.Maybe Ocean Alexander shocks the world and puts this vessel out for only $10 million (8.6 million at current exchange rates). If thats the case, by the time youre done building your dream yacht, you wont be looking at a $10 million-dollar vessel anymore, but hey, its not every day you buy a yacht, might as well go all out.
EV
The city of Marietta shared the images on September 27 and only praised the Marietta Fire Department for thinking outside the box while fighting an electric car fire. The solution was indeed creative: they have placed the red Model S over piles of wood and put a hose under the battery pack to cool it down. The pictures show the amount of water used in the process, and it looks like a flood.We sent the city of Marietta Facebook page messages asking for information on the blaze and have received no answer so far. We also thought it pretty weird that any local newspaper of any kind did not cover the fire. However, theres a possible explanation for that.The back of the Tesla Service Center in Marietta is in a very private area of the American Business Center, the shopping mall in which it is located. Google Maps Images allowed us to discover the precise location of the fire. Apart from the firefighters and the people that frequent that protected area, nobody else would know about the blaze if the city of Marietta had not shared the images praising the firefighters creativity. The left side of theseems to be the most affect.Unfortunately, that is still very little information. We are waiting to hear from the city of Marietta at what time the fire started, if it was spontaneous, if the Model S was charging (it is close to chargers), and who is investigating the incident. If you happen to know anything about that, please get in touch with us.Should Tesla had a press department, we could ask it what happened. As the company controls all Service Centers around the world, were pretty sure it knows everything we need to learn. Bringing the situation to public scrutiny may help make Tesla more transparent about what is going on with these fires. Affected customers are still waiting for answers.
Vivarail, a company that specializes in battery technology for rail applications, says that electric trains arent new, but todays technology has advanced so much that batteries are much more powerful and cost-effective. After two types of trains built since 2018, Vivarail is now launching a second-generation battery train, at the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference (COP26).This innovative train will demonstrate the companys revolutionary fast charge system, able to recharge a battery train in only ten minutes. The goal was to develop a zero-emissions train that could provide a maximum range and charge as fast as possible. The new battery train boasts an 80-mile (128.7 km) range on a single charge and, since it can be recharged in only ten minutes, its one of the most effective electric trains out there.Another Vivarail innovation is that its groundbreaking technology can be used to build new battery trains and convert diesel trains (thanks to the modular design), build hybrid trains, and add batteries to electric trains as range extenders. So, instead of getting rid of the old rolling stock, it could be converted with the help of this advanced electronic system. According to Vivarail, the system is able to control the brains of any train.The next-generation battery train will be launched at COP26 in partnership with Network Rail, a railway organization that has adopted radical targets for decarbonization based on alternative fuels, hydrogen trains, and battery trains. At the conference, the new battery train will not only be showcased but also run daily services for the purpose of demonstrating the technology.The Vivarail Fast Charge system has been developed with support from the British agency for innovation, Innovate UK, and is set to become the UKs standard system for all types of battery trains.
Officials from Iran and Saudi Arabia met this week in Baghdad for a fourth round of talks this year, following a months-long hiatus after the election of Iran's new president.
Why it matters: The meetings in Iraq constitute the first serious attempt at dialogue between the two regional rivals following years of tensions and rhetorical venom.
Iraqi sources say the agenda is dominated by efforts to repair the bilateral relationship and by regional issues concerning both sides.
Flashback: Saudi Arabia cut off relations with Iran in January 2016. The move came after Iranian protesters stormed Saudi diplomatic facilities over Riyadhs execution of dissident Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr.
The relationship deteriorated further following the election of Donald Trump, who openly sided with the Saudi leadership in its long-standing confrontation with Iran.
Given the administration's animosity towards Iran, Riyadh not only felt no need to talk to Tehran, but was arguably even disincentivized to do so.
Between the lines: The Iran-Saudi dialogue coincides with President Bidens arrival into office and his attempt to pivot attention away from the region.
That has been interpreted by many observers as a sign that Arab partners of the U.S. will be more prone to engage Iran if Washington isn't unconditionally backing the regional status quo.
How it happened: The Iran-Saudi dialogue is an outcome of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimis personal efforts to promote a more integrated region and turn his country into a bridge rather than a battleground for competing foreign powers.
Kadhimi hosted a summit in late June with the leaders of Egypt and Jordan, at which the three countries agreed to deepen economic and security ties.
In August, Kadhimi gathered a wider array of leaders from key states such as Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Whats next: After the event, an Iraqi political source close to Kadhimi revealed to Amwaj.media that the Baghdad Conference was never envisioned as a one-off.
The participants are mulling the idea of making this an annual gathering each time in a different capital," the source said.
At a recent follow-up meeting of the Baghdad Conference, held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, all sides including Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed that the next session will be held in Jordan.
What to watch: Iraq is set to hold parliamentary elections on Oct. 10, and while Kadhimi is not on the ballot, he is seeking domestic, regional and international backing for a second term.
Four United Nations agencies released a joint statement on Thursday warning countries not to deport Haitians "without proper assessment of their individual protection needs."
Why it matters: More Haitian migrants are making their way to the U.S.-Mexico border, as the Biden administration has begun deporting them under the Trump-era Title 42 policy.
What they're saying: "Haitians on the move in the Americas comprise people with different protection needs, profiles and motivations, including unaccompanied and separated children, victims of trafficking, and survivors of gender-based violence," the statement reads.
" This situation is bound to worsen as a result of the 14 August earthquake straining any capacity to receive returning Haitians. Conditions in Haiti continue to be dire, and not conducive to forced returns."
This situation is bound to worsen as a result of the 14 August earthquake straining any capacity to receive returning Haitians. Conditions in Haiti continue to be dire, and not conducive to forced returns." The statement was issued by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) and the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR).
The agencies said countries need to "uphold the fundamental human rights of Haitians on the move," and "offer protection mechanisms or other legal stay arrangements for more effective access to regular migration pathways."
They also advocated for the Americas to work together to create a "comprehensive regional approach."
The backdrop: Haitian President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in June after rising political instability in the country. A 7.2 magnitude earthquake in August compounded the crisis there.
In a statement, the NSS said that Tonoyan and Davit Galstian, an arms dealer also arrested late on Wednesday, are accused of fraud and embezzlement that cost the state almost 2.3 billion drams ($4.7 million).
Later in the day a court in Yerevan allowed the NSS to hold Tonoyan in detention pending investigation. A lawyer for the former minister said he denies the accusations and will therefore appeal against the decision.
The criminal case contains plenty of information that disproves the accusations, Sergei Hovannisian told journalists.
Galstian also protested his innocence during a separate court hearing on his pre-trial arrest.
Galstian owns several firms that have for years sold weapons and ammunition to the Armenian military. He was already arrested in February on charges of supplying the military with unusable artillery shells worth $1 million. Armenias Court of Appeals released the businessman reputedly close to Tonoyan from custody four months later.
It was not immediately clear whether or not Tonoyan, who served as defense minister from 2018-2020, will plead guilty to the accusations.
The NSS statement said that criminal proceedings have also been launched against other serving and retired military officials as part of large-scale operational-investigative measures taken by its investigators. It did not name those officials.
A deputy chief of the Armenian armys General Staff, Lieutenant-General Stepan Galstian, was summoned to the NSS for questioning late on Wednesday. According to the Hraparak newspaper, investigators searched his and Tonoyans apartments.
In what appears to be a related development, the NSS also arrested late last week the commander of Armenias Air Force. It claimed that the general abused his powers to arrange for personal gain a $4.7 million contract for the supply of outdated rockets to the armed forces.
According to the security service, the Defense Ministry had refused to buy the same batch of rockets from a private intermediary in 2011.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian appointed Tonoyan as defense minister immediately after coming to power in the May-April 2018 velvet revolution that toppled Armenias longtime leader, Serzh Sarkisian.
Tonoyan had served as a deputy defense minister and minister of emergencies during Sarkisians rule. In April 2018, one of Pashinians close associates, Ararat Mirzoyan, described him as a real professional and person of integrity who will quickly modernize the Armenian army.
Tonoyan was sacked in November 2020 less than two weeks after a Russian-brokered agreement stopped the Armenian-Azerbaijani war over Nagorno-Karabakh. Some senior pro-Pashinian parliamentarians blamed him for Armenias defeat in the six-week war. The prime minister faced angry opposition demonstrations and fought for his political survival at the time.
Later in November, the then chief of the army staff, Colonel-General Onik Gasparian, said four days after the outbreak of the war he warned Armenias political leadership to urgently reach a truce agreement with Azerbaijan to halt the hostilities. Pashinian subsequently denied Gasparians claim.
However, Tonoyan not only confirmed the warning issued by the army top brass but also said that it was agreed with me.
Overall public spending is to rise by over 15 percent to almost 2.2 trillion drams ($4.5 billion) in 2022.
The government at the same time pledged to cut the budget deficit through an even sharper rise in its tax revenues.
The 2022 budget is based on our three main priorities: reforming the national security system, developing infrastructures and modernizing education and science, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said during a cabinet meeting in Yerevan. We will be paying a great deal of attention to national security, without which it is impossible to achieve long-term development goals.
Government spending on defense is projected to grow by about 11 percent to 345.4 billion drams ($707 million), reflecting lingering security challenges facing Armenia after last years war with Azerbaijan.
The government wants to allocate another 42.6 billion drams to the National Security Service (NSS), a year-on-year increase of about 23 percent. The NSS oversees Armenias border guards deployed along some sections of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border after the six-week war.
The draft budget presented by Finance Minister Tigran Khachatrian also calls for a 31.6 percent surge in spending on road construction and other infrastructures which would total nearly 279 billion drams.
Social security would remain the single largest recipient of public funds, with almost 580 billion drams allocated for that purpose.
The spending increases are supposed to be more than offset by a nearly 25 percent jump in state revenue projected at 1.95 trillion drams. The budget deficit would thus fall to 242 billion drams from 334 billion drams recorded last year.
The 2021 deficit, equivalent to 5.5 percent of GDP, was much bigger than expected due to a severe economic recession caused by the coronavirus pandemic and compounded by the war in Nagorno-Karabakh. The Armenian economy shrunk by 7.6 percent, forcing the government to resort to additional external borrowing to make up for a major shortfall in its tax revenues.
The economy returned to growth this year. Pashinian said in July that it is on course to expand by at least 6 percent in 2021.
The recession also pushed up Armenias public debt to 63.5 percent of GDP. According to the Ministry of Finance, the debt continued to increase this year, reaching $8.95 billion in August.
Khachatrian expressed confidence that the ongoing economic recovery will allow the government cut the debt-to-GDP ratio to 60.2 percent by the end of 2022.
Bakersfield, CA (93308)
Today
Mostly cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy this afternoon. Slight chance of a rain shower. High around 65F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph..
Tonight
A clear sky. Low around 50F. Winds light and variable.
The Ricci Institute will be led at BC by its director, M. Antoni J. Ucerler, S.J., and director of research, Xiaoxin Wu, both of whom arrived at BC this fall. They will be assisted by Archivist and Librarian Mark Stephen Mir, Assistant Editor Stephen Ford, and an assistant director to help implement the Institutes programming and operations.
Boston College is a premier Jesuit university that deeply values dialogue with other cultures and religions, and believes in the intrinsic intellectual value of the humanities for building a better world, said Fr. Ucerler. With its focus on the history of scholarly exchanges between Christianity and the great traditions of East Asia, both religious and scholarly, the Ricci Institute at BC will have a greater outreach, as it promotes the study of the encounters that centuries ago missionaries initiated between East and West.
Fr. Ucerler believes that by moving to Boston College, the Ricci Institute will be able to take advantage of the opportunity to work closely with scholars at a major research university, as well as expanding ongoing connections with the Harvard Asia Center and the Yenching Institute, and Boston Universitys Center for Global Christianity and Mission, thereby creating the worlds largest collection of research materials for scholars of Chinese-Western culture.
I am convinced that Boston College will allow us to think big, said Fr. Ucerler. Our not-so-secret dream is for the Ricci Institute to become the worlds premier scholarly center for interdisciplinary research on Christianity in East Asiafrom the history of art and architecture to the history of comparative science. We wish to expand our outreach to even more scholars from every continent conducting such research and bring them to Boston College to interact with each other and with the BC Community. We are also greatly looking forward to sharing our unique archival and artistic collections with BC students and faculty. We hope to serve the entire BC community by becoming a major new resource for teaching and research across multiple disciplines and departments.
Jack Dunn | University Communications | September 2021
Famed Circles in the Sand Back on Central Oregon Coast - Florence
Published 09/29/21 at 6:56 AM PDT
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff
(Florence, Oregon) The absolute middle of the central Oregon coast is known for its soft sands. But now theyre getting arty.
October 16 sees the return of the Circles in the Sand at Florence, a gargantuan event that brings more than a little visual intrigue to the sands in front of the Driftwood Shores.
Circles in the Sand features a massive labyrinth carved in the sand starting at 3 p.m., with a public walkthrough at 5 p.m. Low tide will be at 5:15 and sunset will be at 6:30 p.m. All of this will be free and held whatever the weather is doing: rain or shine.
Two years ago it snagged a segment on NBC Nightly News, putting Florence in the national spotlight for something other than the Exploding Whale.
This is always an uplifting event at a great time of year to visit Florence's beaches, said Bettina Hannigan, president/CEO of the Florence Area Chamber of Commerce. People come from all over. It's wildly artistic, spiritually uplifting for many, and incredibly unique among beach events anywhere in the country.
The event draws large crowds to the central Oregon coast town, especially as the area opens up to the walkthroughs by the public. This means something different in the age of COVID, with volunteers on hand to help people keep socially distanced. COVID-19 masking and distancing guidelines in effect at the time will be enforced.
We are eagerly looking forward to another amazing and unique beach draw, said Lon Beale, event sponsor and owner of Sand Master Sandboarding and Venomous Sandboards in Florence. We would like to extend a warm welcome to everyone; and don't forget, it's completely free.
The whole shebang is sponsored by Driftwood Shores Resort and Conference Center, Sand Master Park Sandboarding and Venomous Sandboards, Sea Lion Caves, Mo's Seafood and Chowder, and The Little Brown Hen.
We receive many calls about Circles in the Sand each year and our guests really enjoy the event, said Jim Myers of Driftwood Shores. Each of our rooms has beach and ocean view and guests will have a front row seat of this amazing artist in action.
Circles in the Sand was created in 2011 by labyrinth artist Denny Dyke. This will be Dyke's fourth trip to Florence. Dyke is based near Bandon and does several beach draws each year on Bandon's beaches, but has gained an international following. In the early years of his work, it was not uncommon to see mentions of "crop circles" or "alien art" after his work was found on the sand. His first intention was to create labyrinths so that everyone could enjoy a walk on the sand.
Dyke's volunteer drawing team starts with a blank canvas of sand and then creates a beautiful work of art for all to enjoy. Every pattern has a single path, with no wrong turns or dead ends, that spirals and meanders throughout the entire labyrinth and returns near its entrance. 541-997-3128 or FlorenceChamber.com
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SHENYANG, China (AP) People in northeastern China ate breakfast by the light of smartphones and shopkeepers turned on generators as much of the country enforced power cuts Wednesday to meet official conservation targets and ease shortages in some areas.
News reports blame high coal prices they say make power companies reluctant to meet booming demand, while economists say the real motive is political: Officials are under pressure to curtail energy use to meet official targets.
In Shenyang, the northeast's most populous city, restaurant owner Li Yufeng used a battery from an electric bicycle to run a pot for noodles after seeing a notice power would be switched off at 7:30 a.m. Li said he started work two hours early, at 6 a.m., to prepare chicken, sauces and other dishes.
There are some impacts, but not a big impact, Li said as customers ate by smartphone lights.
Factories in Chinas busiest manufacturing provinces have been ordered to suspend production for up to a week, prompting concern global supplies of smartphones and other goods might be disrupted. Now, urban neighborhoods are being blacked out, triggering pleas on social media for the government to solve the problem.
Chinas power consumption is growing at almost double its usual rate, while the ruling Communist Party is trying to reduce energy intensity, or the amount used per unit of economic output.
The power cuts come as global leaders prepare to attend a U.N. environmental conference by video link on Oct. 12-13 in the southwestern city of Kunming. That increases pressure on President Xi Jinpings government, as the meetings host, to show it is sticking to emissions and energy efficiency targets.
The cuts are largely driven by energy consumption control measures, with power shortages affecting another few provinces, Lara Dong of IHS Markit said in an email.
This is in line with Chinas decarbonization ambitions, she said.
The Cabinets planning agency warned in August that 20 regions had exceeded energy use and pollution targets after manufacturing rebounded from the pandemic. The government has ambitious plans to make the economy cleaner and more energy-efficient, so failing to meet those targets can be a career-ending blunder.
The power cuts could be more disruptive than previous shortages, Bank of America said in a report. Due to shortages in some areas, it said, "a relaxation of the governments energy consumption goals may not immediately alleviate the power crunch.
China is one of the worlds biggest emitters of climate-changing industrial gases and consumes more energy per unit of economic output than developed countries. Given its huge population, on a per capita basis it ranks much lower.
China also is preparing for the Winter Olympics in the capital, Beijing, and the nearby city of Shijiazhuang in February, a period when it will want clear blue skies.
Officials in Jiangsu province, a manufacturing hub northwest of Shanghai, told state media some cities there have used up 90% of this year's quota for power use. The officials of the provincial planning agency were cited as saying individual city governments had to decide how to meet their targets.
The government of Guangdong province, China's biggest manufacturing center, has cited both official energy use limits and low water levels in hydropower reservoirs that provide a big share of its electricity.
In Liaoning province, where Shenyang is the capital, the government said in a statement Sunday that power demand hit a record high in the first eight months of the year. It said Liaoning has suffered shortages since then due to a decline in wind power and other sources.
The government of neighboring Jilin province blamed a shortage of coal. It said in a statement Monday its governor would visit miners in nearby Inner Mongolia to line up additional supplies.
Some advance warnings of power cuts to residents in Shenyang and other cities cited a need to ration power but didn't say why.
Li, the noodle restaurant owner, showed a reporter a notice circulated on social media that said power would be out in his neighborhood from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Shopkeeper Yang Chang had a generator running on the sidewalk to keep freezers full of meat cold.
As long as there is electricity we can sell things, unlike restaurants that need water, said Yang. Yang didnt know or care what the reason for the power outage was but said, its understandable.
I was born in the 90s. When I was little, electricity wasnt stable, said Yang. Although we are having difficulties, the government will find a solution.
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AP video producer Olivia Zhang in Shenyang and AP Writers Huizhong Wu in Taipei, Taiwan, and Joe McDonald in Beijing contributed.
Organizers behind the annual SXSW conference in Austin, Texas, are speaking out against restrictive abortion bills rolled out by state leadership this month.
Just ahead of this Saturdays National Womens March in support of reproductive rights, the conference is pledging to stay in its home city and fight alongside the dedicated blue pocket of Austin.
SXSW stands against discriminatory laws and unequivocally supports civil rights for all persons, everywhere, a Thursday statement from SXSW read. As residents of Texas we are appalled at the passing of both SB 4 and SB 8, the most restrictive state abortion bills in the nation, along with SB 1, which deliberately disenfranchises voters.
The bills in question, which incensed Hollywood weeks ago, open doors to civil prosecution for any party aiding in an abortion in Texas. The legislation is seen as a bellwether in overturning the landmark Roe v. Wade case.
These bills not only negatively impact reproductive freedom and voter rights in Texas, but set a dangerous precedent across the United States. The Texas legislature and Governor Abbott continue to pass punitive legislation while presiding over governmental failures during the last two years that led to the suffering of thousands of Texans, the statement continued. We hear the calls for us to leave the state that we have called home for more than 30 years. These grievous bills do not reflect the diversity of Texan voters or the evolving demographic and electoral trends. And they certainly do not reflect the progressive views held by many in Austin.
Organizers went on to detail the economic devastation that moving the annual event, which convenes thought leaders in film, music, politics and tech.
Austin is part of SXSWs DNA, and we are committed to staying and fighting alongside the people who have made us who we are. We will continue to use our platform to further the progression of human rights at home and across the globe, the statement concluded.
In addition to supporting the womens march, SXSW will make donations to Planned Parenthood, the Lilith Fund, and Fair Fight.
Variety owner Penske Media is a 50% stakeholder in SXSW.
PHOENIX (AP) The Arizona Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to immediately reinstate a series of new laws that include measures which block schools from requiring masks and remove the power of local governments to impose COVID-19 restrictions.
The high court turned down Republican Attorney General Mark Brnovich's request that the provisions in three state budget bills and an entire budget bill be allowed to take effect. Instead, the court set a briefing schedule for it to consider Brnovich's request to bypass the Court of Appeals and hear the case directly.
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Katherine Cooper issued a ruling Monday blocking the school mask ban and a host of other provisions in the state budget package from taking effect as scheduled on Wednesday.
She sided with education groups that had argued that the bills were packed with policy items unrelated to the budget and violated the state constitution's requirement that subjects be related and expressed in the title of bills.
Cooper's ruling cleared the way for Arizona cities and counties to enact mask requirements and other COVID-19 rules that would have been blocked by the budget bills. At least 29 of the state's public school districts issued mask mandates before the laws were set to take effect and some immediately extended them after Cooper's ruling.
Republican opponents of school mask requirements and local COVID-19 restrictions are powerless to immediately pass new versions of the laws even if GOP Gov. Doug Ducey calls a special legislative session. That's because there are two GOP vacancies in the closely-split House and Republicans no longer have the votes to pass bills without Democratic support.
Cooper's sweeping ruling also struck non-virus provisions that were slipped into the state budget and an entire budget measure that had served as a vehicle for a conservative policy wish list. They included a required investigation of social media companies and stripping the Democratic secretary of state of her duty to defend election laws.
Brnovich urged the court to strike down Cooper's ruling, saying the groups that sued had no legal right to challenge the bills, that the issue was political and outside the courts' jurisdiction and that Cooper wrongfully concluded they violated the constitution.
The trial courts ruling carries significant implications for the operation of state government and the State will continue to suffer harm if the trial courts ruling is not swiftly overturned, allowing the challenged provisions to immediately go into effect, attorney Patrick Irvine wrote in his request for the Supreme Court to directly take the appeal.
Cooper had rejected similar arguments.
Brnovich also asked Cooper and the state Court of Appeals to allows the laws to go into effect, but both rejected the requests on Wednesday.
The fight over school masks and other COVID-19 restrictions has moved into courtrooms across the U.S. Lawsuits have been filed in at least 14 states either for or against masks in schools. They directly challenge either state rules banning masks or local school board policies mandating them.
In Arizona, a coalition of educators and allies sued to challenge laws prohibiting public school districts from imposing mask requirements, colleges from requiring vaccinations for students, and communities from establishing vaccine passports for entry into large events, businesses and other places. It also challenged a broad invalidation of any other local virus measure.
The coalition argued a large number of Arizona children would get sick with COVID-19 if the new laws weren't blocked. The restrictions had been written into state budget measures that were passed near the end of the legislative session in June with only support from majority Republicans.
A spokesman for Ducey, C.J. Karamargin, on Monday called Cooper's ruling clearly an example of judicial overreach."
Cooper's decision has far-reaching ramifications for the Legislature, which has long ignored the constitutional requirement that budget bills only deal with spending items. Lawmakers have packed with them policy items, and this year majority Republicans were especially aggressive.
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) The trustees of the Vermont State College System have approved renaming three of the schools Vermont State University.
The board unanimously approved the unifying name for Vermont Technical College, Castleton University and Northern Vermont University on Wednesday, despite opposition from some students, alumni, faculty and community members.
NEW YORK (AP) George Frayne, who as leader of Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen enjoyed a cult following in the 1970s with such party and concert favorites as Hot Rod Lincoln and Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)," has died.
Frayne died Sunday in Saratoga Springs, New York, according to his wife Sua Casanova, who did not immediately provide further details. He was 77 and had been diagnosed with cancer several years ago.
As I lay my head upon his shoulder/Georges soul took to flight/I am heartbroken and weary/And I know your hearts break too, Casanova wrote last weekend on her Facebook page.
Formed in 1967, Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen drew upon influences ranging from Western swing to jump blues. They became a popular touring and recording act during the first half of the 1970s, getting around the country in a converted Greyhound bus. They specialized in uptempo remakes, notably the top 10 hit Hot Rod Lincoln; Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)," a novelty song from the 1940s; Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar and Diggy Liggy Lo." The sound was country-rock boogie and the mood lighthearted and ready to get wild, as defined by Frayne's witty talking-blues vocals.
Frayne was a native of Boise, Idaho, who grew up in New York City and Long Island and had an early interest in piano and art and design. He attended the University of Michigan as an undergraduate and graduate student and was still living in Ann Arbor when he helped form Commander Cody along with Billy C. Farlow, Bill Kirchen and others he would call neo-radicals who specialized in a form of quasi-social mayhem." Their name was lifted from old movie serials including a science fiction adventure from the 1950s featuring space fighter Commander Cody.
They resettled in the Bay Area in California in 1969, when a trippy name like Commander Cody and His Lost Plane Airmen fit well with such local groups as the Charlatans, Quicksilver Messenger Service and (more famously), Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead. They had success in the early 1970s with Hot Rod Lincoln" and released six albums from 1971-75, including the acclaimed Live from Deep in the Heart of Texas," while resisting Warner Bros' efforts to model themselves on the commercial country-rock of the Eagles.
The band broke up in the mid-1970s, but Frayne (still calling himself Commander Cody) continued to tour and record, performing with Jerry Garcia, Elvis Costello and Sammy Hagar among others and releasing such albums as Dopers, Drunks and Everyday Losers and Worst Case Scenario. He also painted, made films, and taught at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
In 2009, Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen was voted into Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame.
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This story has been corrected incorrect several references to the Lost Planet Airmen.
MEXICO CITY (AP) An apparently long-running extermination site has been found outside Mexico's northern border city of Nuevo Laredo, officials said Wednesday night.
The location was discovered some weeks earlier and is being investigated within the context of dozens of reported disappearances along a segment of the highway connecting Nuevo Laredo and Monterrey since 2012, the National Search Commission said.
The characteristics of the place allow the inference that it is an extermination site that has been used for years and until very recently, which will have to be confirmed by experts, the commission's statement said. This is the first site of these dimensions found in Nuevo Laredo.
Searchers found burned human remains on the ground, multiple possible clandestine graves and a clandestine crematorium, it said.
Drug cartels frequently use such sites to burn or dissolve the bodies of their victims.
Located across the border from Laredo, Texas, Nuevo Laredo has been dominated for years by the Northeast Cartel, a fragment of the old Zetas cartel.
The head of the governments National Search Commission, Karla Quintana, had told the W Radio station Tuesday that a clandestine crematorium of considerable size had been found just outside Nuevo Laredo, along with burned bone fragments. She said it had been set up and operated years ago, but had also recently been used.
Families of dozens of people who went missing on the highway between Monterrey and Nuevo Laredo this year expressed anger at the report, complaining that they had not been informed of the situation.
Angelica Orozco, who leads the relatives' group United Forces for Our Disappear in Nuevo Leon state, which borders Nuevo Laredo, said Wednesday that it is very worrisome for us that the commission has come out with such alarmist statements without informing us.
Her group said in a statement Tuesday that these statements totally re-victimize, and cause anguish and torture for the relatives of the disappeared," because many may assume their loved ones may have been killed and burned there.
The commission's statement Wednesday night called for the inclusion of families of the missing in the efforts to investigate the site.
At least 71 people went missing earlier this year as they drove on the highway between the industrial hub of Monterrey and Nuevo Laredo. The victims include at least a half dozen U.S. residents.
Most of the missing are men who drove trucks or taxis on a road that local media have dubbed the highway of death. But the missing also include women and children and men driving private cars. Activists say about a half dozen men have reappeared alive and badly beaten after being abducted on the highway, and all they will say is that armed men forced them to stop on the highway and took their vehicles.
Quintana said earlier this year the disappearances may be related to turf battles between the Jalisco and Northeast cartels.
Raymundo Ramos, a human rights activist in Nuevo Laredo, said authorities have released little information about the discovery, but that in the past such sites have been found with large metal drums where bodies are soaked in diesel and burned beyond recognition.
They should guarantee that (victim's) relatives have access to the information, Ramos said of authorities.
Despite alerts from relatives of the missing in May, the state government of Nuevo Leon, where Monterrey is located, didnt warn people against traveling on the highway until almost a month later, activists say. Authorities have since increased policing and security on the highway.
SEATTLE (AP) A federal jury in Seattle on Wednesday convicted a leader of a neo-Nazi campaign to threaten journalists and Jewish activists in three states.
The jury deliberated for about 90 minutes Wednesday following a two-day trial before convicting 25-year-old Kaleb Cole of five felony charges, including conspiracy, mailing threatening communications and interfering with a federally protected activity. He could face a decade in prison when Judge John C. Coughenour sentences him in January.
Cole, most recently of Montgomery, Texas, was a leader of a hate group called Atomwaffen Division. He and four others were charged last year with having cyberstalked and sent Swastika-laden posters to journalists and employees of the Anti-Defamation League in Washington state, Arizona and Florida, telling them, You have been visited by your local Nazis, Your Actions have Consequences, and We are Watching.
The posters included images such as a hooded figure preparing to throw a Molotov cocktail at a house, and the words Death to Pigs" the same message followers of Charles Manson scrawled in victims blood during a home invasion murder.
Cole has been on law enforcements radar since at least 2018, when he was stopped at U.S. Customs upon returning from a trip to Europe. Authorities searched his cell phone and found photos of him at various sites throughout Europe, displaying a white supremacist flag and performing the Nazi salute.
In 2019, Seattle police obtained an extreme risk protection order against him, seizing nine guns from his home. They said Cole had gone from espousing hate to now taking active steps or preparation for an impending race war.
Those steps including organizing paramilitary-style hate camps in Nevada and Washington, investigators said.
During the trial, victims testified about the impact of receiving the posters, the U.S. attorney's office said in a news release. Some temporarily left their homes and installed security systems; one bought a gun and took a firearms safety class; and another left her job as a journalist.
In his closing argument, assistant U.S. attorney Thomas Woods told the jury Cole was not simply sending a message of hate, he was sending a statement of terror.
Cole did not call any witnesses or testify on his own behalf. His attorney, Chris Black, argued that the posters did not constitute threats.
What we have here is a group of disillusioned young men who want to believe that they are engaged in some sort of propaganda war with journalists and organizations like the Anti-Defamation League, Black said. But they never engaged in violence. They never planned violence. And most importantly, they never intended to communicate an actual threat to commit violence.
His three co-defendants pleaded guilty and have already been sentenced, with the other leader of the conspiracy, Cameron Shea, receiving a three-year term after apologizing and saying, I cannot put into words the guilt that I feel about this fear and pain that I caused.
Johnny Roman Garza, of Queen Creek, Arizona, was sentenced to 16 months for affixing one of the posters on the bedroom window of a Jewish journalist.
Taylor Parker-Dipeppe, of Spring Hill, Florida, received no prison time for attempting to deliver a flier but leaving it at the wrong address. Parker-Dipeppe was severely abused by his father and stepfather and hid his transgender identity from his co-conspirators the judge found that he had suffered enough.
We understand people love dogs, but someone in Texas had 111 of them in a single residential home.
On Friday, September 24, the City of Mesquite's Animal Service Division stated in a news release its officers rescued the dogs after becoming aware of the situation. The city's code permits a maximum of three dogs per home.
Eric Gay/AP
I am angry. I am angry at the Texas politicians who so cleverly crafted an ingenious piece of anti-abortion legislation, known as SB-8. Whether one does or does not support Roe vs. Wade is not germane to my grievance. This is not about the merits of pro-life or pro-choice. Even those who fervently support pro-life should be enraged by the enforcement mechanism employed by SB-8.
My anger stems from the Orwellian machinations of boneheaded politicians whose bit of cleverness amounts to a repugnant attack on the fabric of our society by encouraging fellow citizens to do the dirty work that is prohibited to the state of Texas by Roe. They have opened the door to measures that are destructive of a free society.
If it werent so serious, it would be funny. Gov. Greg Abbott rolls over and agrees to an audit of the 2020 election results in this state as demanded by former President Trump, who is still promoting the absurd lie that Democrats stole the election from him. But unlike other states where Trump has demanded yet another recount, he actually won in Texas two years ago, as did almost every other Republican legislative candidate and all statewide contenders.
To put it in plain English, what is this pointless audit supposed to prove? That Trump and all the other Texas Republicans really did win as every sensible person in this state realized the day after the election?
Privately, these state officials and many Republican voters undoubtedly understand that Biden won fair and square, yet they cant or wont admit that publicly. So they swallow their dignity and play along with the pouting ex-president while taxpayers pick up the bill.
So get ready for an audit of the vote in four of the states most populous counties Harris, Dallas, Tarrant and Collin counties. Of those counties, Trump won in Collin County while Biden won the other three. And theres nothing surprising about that in a state where some urban residents vote Democratic even though a majority of Texans vote Republican.
Despite various investigations of voter fraud over the years, only a handful of cases have been discovered. Every one of them should be prosecuted, of course, but the reality is that millions of votes are cast in Texas in every statewide election with virtually no problems. Thats a tribute to the voter safeguards already in place and the integrity of our election officials in both parties. If Democrats are rigging elections in Texas, theyre doing a lousy job of it.
Former Texas Secretary of State Ruth Hughs even said that the 2020 elections were smooth and secure, an admission that contradicted Trumps claim and cost Hughs her job. For that heresy, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick refused to let the state Senate vote on her confirmation this year, and the office is now vacant.
Texans should also realize that Trumps demand for an audit in Texas came just hours after his demand for a recount in Arizona was exposed as another empty quest. The audit of the Arizona 2020 vote confirmed that President Biden did indeed win the state. He even got a few more votes, and this bizarre audit by a private company (with no real election auditing experience) came after two states audits. All of them revealed only minor changes in vote totals, something that invariably happens when millions of votes are recounted. There is no reason to believe that the Texas audit will be any different.
This is a waste of time and tax dollars. Abbott and state leaders have plenty of other issues they could be focusing on instead, such as a foster child care system that has been broken for years and an upcoming winter with questions about whether our power grid could handle another freeze. If Trump want to obsess over his loss two years ago and tell lies about it, thats his business. Texans should live in the real world and devote our attention to the important challenges that face us and our children.
Former KPK employees are welcomed by relatives after exiting Indonesias anti-corruption agency (KPK) building, following their firing after being declared unqualified in a controversial civil service exam, in Jakarta, Sep. 30, 2021.
Dozens of employees and investigators who were fired from their posts at Indonesias anti-corruption agency after they failed a civics exam vowed Thursday to keep fighting against graft, during an emotional rally on their last day on the job.
The government has offered the 57 dismissed staffers including investigators who had handled major cases jobs with the national police, amid a public outcry and allegations that they were terminated as part of efforts to undermine and sideline the once independent Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).
Yudi Purnomo, a former KPK investigator and chairman of its workers union, was teary-eyed as he reminisced on his 14-year career at the agency.
I havent decided where Im going, but for sure I will continue to work for this country, Yudi told reporters, after the staffers laid their name tags on the ground outside KPK headquarters in Jakarta.
My journey may have stopped for now, but the spirit of eradicating corruption must not die.
Since it was established in 2002, the KPK has secured the convictions of former ministers, governors, central bankers, legislators, and tycoons, making it one of the most respected and feared institutions in Southeast Asias largest country.
In May, the National Civil Service Agency (NCSA) announced that 75 KPK employees had failed the so-called National Outlook Test, which was required for them to keep their jobs. Critics have likened the exam to an ideological purity test, alleging it was designed to get rid of the agencys most veteran graft investigators.
The employees were required to pass the test as KPK transitioned from an independent institution to one under the executive branch of the government. It was mandated after amendments to a law governing the KPK.
The test that KPK employees took was different from the standard entry test required of applicants to the civil service because the KPK staffers were more senior-level government employees, according to NCSA.
Those who took the test said interviewers asked questions about their views on homosexuality and the governments decision to ban the hardline Islamic Defenders Front, or whether they were willing to remove their hijab if requested as part of their jobs dress code.
The amendments that brought the agency under the control of the executive branch were passed by the Indonesian parliament in 2019. It provoked street protests, where opponents accused the government of using the law to weaken the independence of the agency fighting corruption in a country notorious for widespread graft.
In May, the Constitutional Court rejected a petition filed by former KPK commissioners to overturn the amended law.
Busyro Muqoddas, who headed the commission from 2010-2011, said Thursday that the firing was legally and morally flawed.
Im convinced that the current KPK regime will not last long. Its undergoing moral decay, he told reporters.
Of the 75 employees, 57 failed on questions which they had to answer correctly and for which they would have no opportunity to retake the test, while the remaining 18 could stay on at the agency provided that they were willing to receive further guidance, according to NCSA.
Former KPK Senior Investigator Novel Baswedan waves his hand at the anti-corruption agency building, after he and dozens of other co-workers were fired after being declared unqualified in a controversial civil service exam, in Jakarta, Sept. 30, 2021. [REUTERS]
Among those fired is Novel Baswedan, who was permanently blinded in his left eye when perpetrators threw acid in his face in 2017 during an attack, which he believes was related to one of his many investigations.
Baswedan and six other investigators who failed the test have handled significant corruption cases involving powerful senior politicians and police generals, including an ongoing probe involving two former members of President Joko Jokowi Widodos cabinet.
Novel was the lead investigator in a corruption scandal surrounding a national electronic identity card project, which cost the state 2.3 trillion rupiah ($163 million). It led to the political downfall of then-parliament Speaker Setya Novanto, who lost the position before being sentenced to 15 years for his role in taking kickbacks.
Last year, a Jakarta court convicted and sentenced two low-ranking police to two years and 18 months in prison, respectively, for the acid attack following a trial, which Novel himself and rights groups denounced as farcical.
Offers of new jobs
On Wednesday, national police chief Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo said he had sent a letter to Jokowi proposing to hire the former KPK staffers to work as civil servants in the force, because they could strengthen the police forces fight against corruption within the institution.
Their track record and experience in fighting corruption are useful in strengthening the police as an organization, Listyo said in a statement.
Mohammad Mahfud MD, the coordinating minister for political, legal, and security affairs, later said Jokowi had approved the police chiefs proposal.
The controversy can now be put to an end, he tweeted.
Meanwhile, the chief of criminal investigations at the national police, Commissioner Gen. Agus Andrianto, said that the dismissed employees would not be able to work as investigators at the force.
Based on the law on the police, investigators and assistant investigators shall be members of the National Police, not civil servants, he told CNN Indonesia on Wednesday.
A former KPK director, Giri Suprapdiono, said he had not decided whether to accept the polices offer.
There are many questions and things that need to be clarified regarding the plan, Giri told BenarNews.
Boyamin Saiman, who leads the NGO Anti-Corruption Society (MAKI), said the offer only demonstrated the governments inconsistency.
Now that the national police chief wants to hire them, it means that that the National Outlook Test was meaningless. If they were deemed to have failed, why is the police chief recruiting them? Boyamin told BenarNews.
The acquittals of three senior UMNO officials on corruption-related charges since June does not bode well for international perceptions of Malaysias efforts to combat graft, now that the party is firmly back in power, according to analysts.
In the latest acquittal, Ahmad Maslan, the secretary-general of UMNO, this week saw charges of money laundering and giving false statements to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) dropped by the Kuala Lumpur High Court after he paid a 1.1 million ringgit (U.S. $262,850) fine.
His United Malays National Organization party regained power in early 2020 as a member of Malaysias ruling coalition, and today leads another unelected government that came to power in August.
Tunku Mohar Mokhtar, an academic at the International Islamic University of Malaysia, said the acquittal of Ahmad Maslan and the other two UMNO leaders during the past three months does not help improve negative perceptions toward the party. They could further jeopardize the countrys standing on the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), an annual ranking by the watchdog group Transparency International of countries efforts to combat corruption, he said.
CPI is about perception. Thus far, the perception is generally negative toward the government as its foundation included lawmakers who are perceived to be corrupt. A fall in the CPI cannot be discounted, Tunku Mohar told BenarNews.
Another analyst agreed, saying she expected to see Malaysia fall on the index despite the governments pledge of institutional reform.
UMNO was swept out of power in the 2018 general election by an opposition alliance, which campaigned on a platform of purging government of deep-seated corruption. The opposition ousted then-Prime Minister Najib Razak, who was implicated in massive allegations of corruption and abuse of power tied to the 1MDB financial scandal.
In 2020, Malaysias CPI ranking fell from 51 the year before to 57 among 180 countries, according to Transparency International.
The report by the Berlin-based NGO attributed the drop to the sudden change in government in early 2020, when UMNO returned to power as part of an alliance led by Muhyiddin Yassin, the leader of the Bersatu party.
When Muhyiddin resigned as prime minister in August, Malaysias king, who had appointed him to the post in 2020, appointed Ismail Sabri Yaakob of UMNO as his successor.
Ahmad, 53, faced a charge of money laundering by not declaring to the Inland Revenue Board (IRB) money he had received in 2013 from then-Prime Minister Najib.
Shahrul Hamidi and Haziq, the law firm representing Ahmad, said prosecutors withdrew charges against Ahmad because he had paid the fine.
This settlement is not Ahmads guilty plea to all charges against him. It was done in accordance with the law and has gone through a transparent and orderly process. This is solely for the purpose of this case and has nothing to do with any political factors, the firm said in a statement Wednesday.
Regardless of the legal process and the more recent outcomes of corruption cases, the court of public opinion is skewed against UMNO and its leadership, according to Tunku Mohar.
Despite Ahmads claim that an offer was in place in 2019 during the administration of then-Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad for him to pay the fine, Tunku Mohar said that because this was not publicly known, it is understandable that the high courts ruling on Wednesday shocked many Malaysians.
The public has every right to be skeptical as to the reasons for his acquittal, Tunku Mohar said.
Ahmad, a deputy finance minister under Najibs government, said he had the offer in October 2019 but decided to fight the charges in court because of hefty fines that others had to pay compared with the actual amount of money allegedly linked to the theft of funds from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), a sovereign wealth fund established by Najib in 2009.
I challenged because in some cases, the amount received [by the accused] was 50,000 ringgit ($11,944) but the amount of the fine was 50 times higher, Ahmad told MPs during a floor debate on Thursday, adding I fought my case, but the process takes too long.
That is the court decision that we should respect, he said as he dismissed concerns expressed by other MPs.
Ahmad said he had admitted to MACC that he received 1.1 million ringgit the amount that he paid back.
In a statement, MACC officials said the fine was a form of punitive action and asset recovery taken against Ahmad.
Sivakumar, an MP with the opposition Democratic Action Party, criticized Ahmads acquittal.
The case proved the existence of a double standard practice in our countrys judicial system. I am sure that this is not possible if the accused were not an influential member of parliament, he said in a statement Thursday.
The credibility of the Attorney-Generals Office and the judiciary system had now been completely eroded, he said.
Rabiah Aminudin, a political science assistant professor at International Islamic University of Malaysia, said she believed that the acquittal of the three UMNO leaders would likely have a negative effect on perceptions of corruption in the country.
In my opinion, [the acquittals] are expected to affect the countrys ranking as it reflects the downward trend of good governance in terms of transparency and accountability. It also reflects the reverse in institutional reforms that were promised, she said, referring to the annual rankings by Transparency International.
Previous rulings
The other two recent acquittals date back to June and July.
On July 16, the Court of Appeal overturned a Kuala Lumpur High Court conviction of UMNO lawmaker and former cabinet minister Tengku Adnan Mansor who had been sentenced on corruption charges to 12 months and fined 2 million ringgit ($477,700). In a 2-1 decision, the appellate court determined that the money Tengku Adnan had received was to fund two by-elections.
A month earlier, former Sabah state Chief Minister Musa Aman saw 46 corruption charges related to logging concession contracts dismissed after the Attorney Generals Office instructed prosecutors to drop the charges. No specific reason was given.
Meanwhile two of the most recognizable members of UMNO former PM Najib and Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, the partys president are facing trials linked to corruption charges involving missing huge amounts of missing cash.
Najib faces a total of 42 criminal charges stemming from corruption linked to 1MDB. Malaysian and U.S. prosecutors allege that at least $4.5 billion (18.8 billion ringgit) was stolen and diverted through acquisitions of real estate, artwork and luxury properties by Najib and his associates.
Already convicted on seven charges linked to a 1MDB subsidiary, Najib is standing trial on 25 charges of abuse of power and laundering of money connected with 2.3 billion ringgit ($551 million), which went missing from 1MDB. He could face additional trials on the 10 remaining charges.
Zahid, who served as deputy prime minister under Najib, faces trial on 47 corruption charges involving millions of ringgits in a case not related to 1MDB.
Muzliza Mustafa in Kuala Lumpur contributed to this report.
Filipino fishing crews prepare their nets at Masinloc port in Zambales province along the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) as they prepare for a trip to the disputed region, May 27, 2021.
The Philippine foreign secretary on Thursday ordered that new diplomatic protests be filed against Beijing over the ongoing presence of more than 100 Chinese ships in waters claimed by Manila in the South China Sea.
Teodoro Locsin Jr., who is in the United States for an official visit, issued three messages via Twitter ordering the Department of Foreign Affairs to file the protests. The new diplomatic protests are the latest since the Philippines began filing daily protests against Chinese incursions in Manilas exclusive economic zone in the sea earlier this year.
File now our protest on Chinas incessant & unlawful restriction of Filipino fishermen from conducting legitimate fishing activities in Bajo de Masinloc, Locsin said, using the Philippine name for the Scarborough Shoal.
Manila considers Scarborough Shoal, a reef located 118 nautical miles (218.5 km) west of the main Philippine island of Luzon, to be within its 200-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
In his other tweets, Locsin ordered protests on Chinese radio challenges unlawfully issued against Philippine maritime patrols, and on the continued presence of Chinese fishing vessels in [the] vicinity of Iroquois Reef.
Additional details about the Chinese ships were not released.
In early April, Locsin said the Philippines would file daily diplomatic protests with Beijing during a quarrel that began in March, when the Philippine military reported spotting more than 200 Chinese fishing boats which, it alleged, were manned by militia. The fishing boats later scattered, but security analysts said they may have moved to other parts of the disputed region.
BenarNews could not immediately determine if the daily protests had stopped. Diplomats previously said that, for as long as there were Chinese incursions, the protests would continue.
Locsins orders came a day after Rep. Ruffy Biazon said that 150 Chinese fishing ships had been spotted in the West Philippine Sea, Manilas name the South China Sea. Without elaborating, Biazon said the Chinese ships appeared to be part of a fishing fleet and were moving from one area to another.
The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately respond when contacted by BenarNews.
Last month, the militarys Western Command (Westcom), based in Palawan province, said Philippine aircraft were warned by China while they patrolled the skies above the South China Sea. An internal Westcom report claimed that China had fired five flares between June 16 and 22 at Philippine military aircraft conducting security patrols.
China took control of the shoal in 2012 and engaged with the Philippine Coast Guard in a tense standoff before both sides agreed to leave waters around it.
The Philippines stuck to the deal but the Chinese never left, forcing Manila to file a case with an international arbitral tribunal, which in 2016 ruled in its favor. China however has said that it does not recognize the ruling by the International Court of Arbitration in The Hague.
China claims nearly the entire South China Sea, including waters also claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan. While Indonesia does not regard itself as party to the dispute, Beijing claims historic rights to parts of that sea overlapping Indonesias EEZ as well.
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Bennington, VT (05201)
Today
Considerable clouds this morning. Some decrease in clouds later in the day. High 72F. Winds light and variable..
Tonight
Partly to mostly cloudy. Low 52F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph.
All eligible students in the Amherst Regional school district will be required to get a coronavirus vaccine that has full federal approval by Dec. 1 to continue attending classes
FILE- In this June 26, 2018, file photo, then-Suffolk County District Attorney Democratic candidate Rachael Rollins addresses an audience, in Boston. President Joe Biden's pick for U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts has hit a snag as a key U.S. Senate panel deadlocked Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021, over the nomination of Rollins as the state's top federal prosecutor.
This year, Lenox Memorial Middle and High School is the only Berkshire County recipient of the latest round of statewide grants unveiled by Gov. Charlie Baker.
Investigations editor
Larry Parnass joined The Eagle in 2016 from the Daily Hampshire Gazette, where he was editor in chief. His freelance work has appeared in the Washington Post, Boston Globe, Hartford Courant, CommonWealth Magazine and with the Reuters news service.
School resource officer Jessica Godfroy walks the halls at Pittsfield High School in 2018. Godfroy is one of two officers who serve as SROs this year, under a newly signed memorandum of understanding between the school district and Police Department.
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.
NEW MARLBOROUGH Years after Simon Winchester purchased 123 acres in Wassaic, N.Y., he began studying records of its previous sales.
Early deeds were written in Dutch, Winchester recognized, but he took greater interest in the other signatures he saw on those documents.
I realized that these were the Mohicans, and that they had a completely different attitude towards ownership than the one I now had, said Winchester, a Britain-born dual citizen of the United States and United Kingdom, appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2006 for his work as a journalist and writer. He is a member of The Eagles advisory board.
That experience led Winchester to write Land: How the Hunger for Ownership Shaped the Modern World, which was published in January. In a discussion today of the book and related topics, Winchester will join Kathleen Brown-Perez, a senior lecturer at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst; Setsuko Sato Winchester, a Sandisfield artist and journalist who is married to Winchester; and John Demos, the Samuel Knight Professor Emeritus of History at Yale University, at the New Marlborough Meeting House.
Winchester acknowledges that New Marlborough and his current home in Sandisfield lie on the ancestral homelands of the Stockbridge Mohican people. European settler colonists forcibly dispossessed Indigenous peoples of those homelands, U.S. policies continually pushed tribes westward, and about 1,500 Mohican and Munsee people live in what is now Wisconsin as members of the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians, a federally recognized tribe.
Stockbridge archaeological dig involves community, aims to correct historical interpretation STOCKBRIDGE Volunteers in hiking boots and long pants dig holes marked by little orange flags among the 20th century war memorials on Main Street.
Saturdays discussion is scheduled to run from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at the New Marlborough Meeting House, 154 Hartsville-New Marlborough Road. Tickets $20 for general admission, but free for people 21 and younger are available at tinyurl.com/58nx54w.
The Eagle spoke with Winchester by phone to discuss the book and Saturdays event.
Q: This event centers on your recent book, but its also a conversation with others who have studied land and peoples relationships to land. How will your different perspectives and expertise shape the conversation?
A: This isnt a book talk, but it draws from one aspect of the book, which is the question of who owns the land in this
country. Its not us, and thats the point.
All land that is owned everywhere must have previously been superintended or owned, if you like, by someone else. Im going to try to summarize a bit of the history in the first 15 to 18 minutes, and the other speakers will address specific areas of interest.
Kathleen Brown-Perez teaches the young people over in the five colleges about Native American history, so, theres a hope that her reputation will attract some younger people.
John Demos most recent book was about the very troubled subject of Indian boarding schools, so, I hope hell get into that. And Setsuko Sato Winchester, my wife, is dealing with those Japanese Americans whose story is very relevant to dispersal and displacement and erasure.
After farming very successfully in California, Oregon and Washington, they were scooped up and put into these concentration camps in the 40s, and when they got back, many of them found that their land had been taken away from them. Im hopeful that well get a broad group of people, and that people will be stimulated and angered by this situation, or reminded that this is an outrage.
Q: For much of history, people did not think of themselves as owners of land. What are some of the key moments in the history that your book tells?
A: The first thing that happened is, people were dispossessed of their land in England. The first formal act is in 1604 and was backed by Parliament, but enclosure had been going on for more than 100 years previously.
Common land was divided among private landowners. Theres this famous phrase the tragedy of the commons. Common land is what used to be the situation in most of rural England, used by everyone farmer A would have his cattle, farmer B his pigs, farmer C is turnips.
But, cattle would eat the turnips or the pigs would eat the cabbages, and as the population increased, suddenly there wasnt enough food. And so they built walls. They enclosed the land. It did make the farming efficient, but it made a lot of people say, Whats happened to the land that we used? We now cant grow our cabbages.
So, they said, This is ridiculous, and either moved to cities, which were then beginning to grow, or started to cross oceans to settle in entirely new countries. And the irony is, when they came particularly here, they did to the local people what had been done to them.
Q: Embedded in the concept of land ownership is the right to exclude. How have people who have been excluded, or whose land has been taken from them, resisted?
A: The example that derived the most optimism is the situation in New Zealand. In 1840, the Treaty of Waitangi was signed by a number of Englishmen and a number of Maori chiefs, in the end about 500 of them. The result was, from 1840 onward, all of New Zealands land was owned by Queen Victoria, which seems bizarre: This little lady was 10,000 miles all of a sudden owned New Zealand.
Well, that situation pertained for many decades afterwards, until 1975, when Whina Cooper she was a Maori elder led a march through the New Zealand winter, some hundreds of miles through the north island of New Zealand to the capital in Wellington, saying, We want our land back, effectively.
And the extraordinary thing is that the New Zealand government of the time and subsequent New Zealand governments listened and did something about it, and they set up tribunals and courts and commissions of inquiry. And the consequence of that is, in the last 10 or 15 years, slowly, some Maoris are getting their land back. And while a long way from being complete theres still a lot of dissatisfaction in my view whats going on in New Zealand is going to serve as a road map for what is ultimately bound to happen in Australia.
The big question to me and others here is: Will this reform ever come to North America? And Im hoping it will. The movement for community-owned land in the northeastern United States, with places like the Dutchess Land Conservancy [in New York] or the Berkshire Natural Resources Council, is at least a step in the right direction. The land is not owned or superintended by its original people, but at least it belongs to the community.
The sort of things like the land acknowledgement and conversations like you and I are having today are the sort of beginnings the thin end of the wedge where people are at least beginning to think about this. Yes, the land acknowledgement may be merely empty symbolism, which a lot of critics say. But, maybe it just encourages conversation, and people will begin to think its monstrous that the Cherokee and the Arapaho who used to superintend all this land dont have any now.
It was all taken away from them, which goes back to the question that dominates this chat: Whose land is our land? And how did it become ours, and should it remain ours?
NORTH ADAMS Jane Swift, the city native and former acting governor of Massachusetts, will be the announcer at the 2021 Fall Foliage Parade this weekend.
As the announcer from the grandstand on Main Street, Swift will introduce each unit marching in the parade.
Swift said some of her best childhood memories were of carrying a banner in the parade. Marching in the parade continued into her political career, which took her from state senator to lieutenant governor to acting governor.
The parade steps off at 1 p.m. Sunday. The route is shorter this year, at 1.2 miles. It begins on State Street at the intersection of Old State Street, heads north to Main and takes a right to head south on Ashland Street, ending at the intersection with Washington Avenue. View the route map here.
The Regional Emergency Planning Committee of the Northern Berkshire COVID Operations Center is being honored this year as the Fall Foliage Parades Grand Marshal. 1Berkshire is the parade organizer.
The question of spiritual gifts is one that sparks excitement, debate, and questions. Being invited to use unique gifts in building Gods kingdom is an exciting prospect. Certain gifts seem easy to understand: teaching, encouragement, and hospitality are accessible. Others seem foreign, maybe even scary to some people because they seem supernatural.
Speaking in tongues is such a gift. It causes controversy among believers, with different groups seeming to make different claims about the ability. What is the goal and the purpose of it? Can people still speak in tongues today? Speaking in tongues, or glossolalia, is Biblical but needs to be understood.
What Is Speaking in Tongues?
Depending on who is asked, and what that persons denomination is, the definition of speaking in tongues changes. There is debate as to the nature of the languages spoken. There are earthly languages, natural languages that people of nations and tribes speak. Some believe there are also heavenly languages, not from earth, directly from the Holy Spirit. There are generally three categories of thought on the gift of speaking in tongues.
Glossolalists believe that speaking in tongues is a charismatic gift of the Holy Spirit that is either as an earthly language - previously learned or not - or an unknown, heavenly language. Some people, especially in apostolic and Pentecostal churches, believe in a personal prayer language. Typically, if someone receives a message in a church in tongues, there will be an interpreter. Some denominations hold it is primarily for spreading the Gospel, but others believe it can be used for prayer and for prophecy as well.
Cessationists take a more dispensational view, meaning they believe that speaking in tongues was a gift for an allotted period of church history, and is no longer given. They believe the gift was only for the age of the Apostles in the early church where the Holy Spirit empowered select individuals to speak in an earthly language they did not know previously in order to spread the Gospel. Generally, cessationists do not believe in heavenly languages. They explain any contemporary claim of speaking in tongues as self-induced, a learned behavior, or fraud.
Another theory is that the gift of speaking in tongues is real, and still exists, but it is to share the Gospel exclusively with a Jewish audience who speak another earthly language. In this scenario, the Holy Spirit would temporarily empower someone to speak in a language unknown to them in response to the presence of a group of Jews who speak that specific language. An interpreter would be empowered as well to be available for others present.
"Speaking in Tongues" in the Bible
There are multiple references to the gift of glossolalia in the Bible. Most scholars believe it is found exclusively in the New Testament, but that is not universally accepted.
The first time the gift of tongues appeared historically was at the event known as Pentecost. Recorded in Acts 2, a group of believers was gathered together after the Ascension of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit fell upon them in the form of a flame, indwelling in them. After this event, they could speak in foreign languages to those gathered in Jerusalem for a holy day.
Besides the account of this first time, other passages of the Bible illustrate when and how, as well as specific instances of, speaking in tongues. One comes from the Lord Jesus, and the others are accounts in the Book of Acts of the Spirit falling on groups of people and empowering them with that spiritual gift.
Mark 16:15-18 And [Jesus] said to them, Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover. Acts 10:44-46b While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Acts 19:4-7 And Paul said, John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus. On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. There were about twelve men in all.
Photo credit: GettyImages/sedmak; Painting depicting Pentecost Sunday
Paul Addresses the Church on Tongues
There are also verses in the Bible that address speaking in tongues in a discussion about gifts in general, found in Pauls first letter to the church in Corinth.
1 Corinthians 12:4-11 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another, the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to other gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to other various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.
1 Corinthians 13:1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 1 Corinthians 14 goes into great detail about the nature of speaking in tongues, as well as its relationship with the gift of prophecy. It contains a warning against the speaker using the gift for self-glorification, but to be humble. There is also encouragement about the goodness of these gifts, and that it is okay to ask the Lord for them, if it is His will.
Here, Paul stresses the importance of the gift of interpretation, closely related to the gift of speaking in tongues. The interpreter is empowered by the Spirit of God to understand the foreign, or heavenly, language being spoken, and translates it for the crowd. Paul says of this position, The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up ... so with yourselves, if with your tongue you utter speech that is not intelligible, how will anyone know what is said? For you will be speaking into the air (1 Corinthians 14:5-6). If someone is blessed with the gift of tongues, then there needs to be someone to help the church understand it.
There are a few verses that some argue allude to speaking in tongues. A handful of them is in the Old Testament. These are part of ongoing debate and consensus, that tends to align with what the denomination or minister believes about speaking in tongues as a whole. These verses include:
Isaiah 28:11-12 For by people of strange lips and with a foreign tongue the Lord will speak to this people, to whom he has said, This is rest; give rest to the weary; and this is repose. Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
Why Did People in the Bible Speak in Tongues?
One of the key aspects to understanding this gift is when it is given. Whether Jew or Gentile, the gift did not manifest until after the profession of faith in Jesus Christ as Messiah, and salvation. Spiritual gifts are associated with and attributed to the presence of the Holy Spirit. Without the Spirit of God, no one is speaking in tongues. Other important aspects include that Jews and Gentiles received the gift and that it was used both in church assemblies and outside of them.
At Pentecost, this gift appeared for the first time, and the members of the church immediately went out and began to spread the Gospel to the international crowds gathered in Jerusalem. It was so strange to the people hearing this group of Galilean Jews speaking in their own languages, some people thought they were drunk at nine in the morning.
Peter clarified, and stated, But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, explaining how this manifestation of the Holy Spirit fulfilled Old Testament prophecy. Also important, the close tie Peter makes with glossalalia and prophetic gifts align with Pauls connection between the two gifts in 1 Corinthians 14.
The most important reason people spoke in tongues was to fulfill the Great Commission, to glorify God by spreading the Gospel, and to obey the leadings of the Holy Spirit. For Paul, the gift should bring others to Christ and build up the church. He wrote, Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up (1 Corinthians 14:22, 26).
The individual speaking in tongues and the interpreter, as well as anyone speaking prophecy, should be glorifying God, and not themselves.
Modern Importance of Speaking in Tongues
In modern cultures, many look around and feel they do not see Christians speaking in tongues, and doubt its existence. Others insist that anyone with the Holy Spirit can and should be able to speak a heavenly prayer language.
When assessing these claims, it is important to hold them up against the Bible, Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God (1 John 4:1a). Striving to ensure that a claim is in line with Scripture, especially with the words of Jesus Christ, is important.
When examining if every believer must be able to speak in tongues, Paul does appear to address this notion. Going back to 1 Corinthians 12, Paul wrote:
For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body, that would not make it any less a part of the body ... If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body (1 Corinthians 12:14, 17-20).
In other words, Paul asserts here that Gods Spirit gives different people different spiritual gifts for the benefit of the church. There may be some churches where the Spirit gifts all of them with tongues and interpretation, but not every believer around the world may have the same experience.
Is The Gift of Tongues Less Visible Now?
A factor in why the gift of speaking in earthly tongues may be less visible, especially in first-world countries, is because of the rise of national languages. In Jerusalem at Pentecost, thousands of people speaking many languages were gathered in one place. In many first-world countries, many speak the same language.
After the stoning of Stephen, documented in Acts 7, many believers scattered abroad to nations where they may not speak the language. The Spirit supernaturally empowered the early church to spread the Gospel, though many of them may not have had the education of, or time to learn, another group of languages.
Today, most countries have some sort of national language, or if a missionary travels to another country, that missionary will learn the most common language of that area. There are many resources for sharing the Gospel in another language. While there may still be a need for the gift of tongues, the context and need may be different enough from the days of the early church that it manifests less frequently, and perhaps differently.
Finally, in a very secular and science-minded culture, miracles may not have the desired impact. Jesus addresses the relationship between faith and miracles several times. When asked by an official to heal his son, Jesus responded, Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe (John 4:48). Jesus emphasized the official had to have faith before the miracle - which Jesus did perform. He could not have faith on the condition that God performed one.
Measure it to Scripture
In Jesus hometown of Nazareth the Bible records, And he could do no mighty work there ... and he marveled because of their unbelief (Mark 6:5-6). Jesus performed miracles that matched the faith of the group or individual. Miracles like prophecy or speaking in tongues may be limited due to the unbelief of the secular society, and the reluctance of Christians to step out in faith to use such a gift.
Ultimately, God uses His people when and how He wants if they are open to being used by Him. Just because someone can or cannot speak in tongues does not indicate salvation. This gift can genuinely come from the Holy Spirit, but some of it will depend on the denomination or church background of the individual. If it happens, measure it up to the standards of Scripture. Is there an interpreter? Does it glorify God? Does it spread the Gospel? If prophetic, does the prophecy align with the Bible? Prayer for Gods guidance, because His wisdom and Holy Spirit will reveal the truth.
Sources
Barnett, Donald Lee, and McGregor, Jeffrey. Speaking in Other Tongues A Scholarly Defense. Burien: Community Chapel Publications, 1986.
Cartledge, Mark. Charismatic Glossolalia An Empirical-Theological Study. New York: Routledge, 2002.
Cone, Steve. Theology from the Great Tradition. New York: Bloomsbury Academic, 2018.
Keener, Craig. Gift and Giver: The Holy Spirit for Today. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2001.
MacArthur, John. Strange Fire The Danger of Offending the Holy Spirit with Counterfeit Worship. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2013.
Schreiner, Thomas. Spiritual Gifts What They Are and Why They Matter. Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2018.
Photo credit: Getty Images/RyanKing999
Bethany Verrett is a freelance writer and editor. She maintains a faith and lifestyle blog graceandgrowing.com, where she muses about the Lord, life, culture, and ministry.
A few years ago, I took a trip to India to minister with an Indian pastor there. While we rode through the streets, little shrines dotted the landscape, either alone on the sidewalk or in front of shops. These shrines were colorfully decorated, and they each had a physical statue or image at the center. An idol.
India has many gods and a very detailed and extensive religious system, each with its own backstory and specific powers and role within the religion and universe at large.
In our Western culture, we dont necessarily have shrines to different gods along our streets, but that doesnt mean we dont have idols. We dont need to bow to a physical statue to worship other gods.
Polytheistic idol worship was the norm in the ancient world. The monotheistic system of Israel that forbade physical idols was counter every other culture, and the Old Testament details several examples of Israels conflict with other nations over this.
One of the most interesting and prominent idols from the Old Testament is the Philistine god Dagon. Dagon in the Bible was a major focus of worship in the area, and God dealt with this idol a few times in the historical narrative.
Who Was Dagon in the Bible?
Dagon in the Bible (also known as Dagan) was one of the oldest deities in Mesopotamia, with evidence as far back as 3,000 BC. Dagon was known as a father of other gods, so he was a major figure of worship of most of the people groups in what we call the Cradle of Civilization, where farming is thought to have first started (also the area some call the Fertile Crescent). Dagon was primarily associated with fertility, including abundant crop harvests, but also dealt with anointing kings and leaders.
As a biblical connection, ancient texts from the region connect Dagon as the father of Baal, another false god highlighted throughout later Old Testament history.
The statue of Dagon was like a large man. Some depictions of him made him like a merman, a fish from the waist down. Some scholars have called him a fish god, which seems logical, especially for the Philistines along the coast, but other scholars have disputed it since theres more evidence he was responsible for crops and grain. Even his name is connected to an old noun for grain.
Dagon in the Bible was worshipped by the Philistines through Judges and the time of Samuel and King Saul.
How Was Dagon Worshipped?
Dagon had temples all throughout Mesopotamia. In the Bible, the major temples were in the cities of Beth-dagon, Gaza, and Ashdod. He was worshipped through sacrifices and feasts. Sacrifices were common in the ancient world, even to the God of Israel, through food and animals. Israel specifically prohibited the sacrifice of humans and drinking of blood, common to most other religions at the time. It is highly likely human sacrifice was common for Dagon, as well.
One interesting account of Dagon worship had people making a master weapon and sending it as a gift.
In the account of Samson, there was singing and dancing to praise Dagon, and part of the worship was to bring Samson up before 3,000 people, mocking him and showing how great their god was to give them victory over the mighty warrior Samson.
What Happened to Dagon in the Bible?
Dagon is mentioned in two main parts of the Old Testament. First, in Judges 16 as a part of the Samson account. As a recap, Samson was one of the deliverers (judges) chosen by God, and he beat the Philistines at every turn with his legendary strength. The Philistines couldnt beat him in battle, so they attacked his weakness, foreign women. The infamous Delilah seduced Samsons secret out of him, cutting his hair, and he was captured by the Philistines.
They put out his eyes and put him to work as a slave. In Judges 16, while worshipping Dagon and having a huge party, they decide to bring Samson in to humiliate him and gloat over his defeat. Obviously, this was part of the worship of Dagon.
For polytheistic cultures, when nations went to war, it was also understood that the gods of the different people groups also fought, and the Old Testament reveals this in many passages both with Israel and other cultures (Elijah with the prophets of Baal is an excellent example: 1 Kings 18). With Samson, the Philistines were making a statement. Dagon had beaten Jehovah, Samsons God, and therefore, Dagon was mightier than the God of Israel.
It makes sense that God would respond to Samsons plea to help him one last time. Gods assistance in killing the Philistines wasnt about Samson as much as it was to declare which god was stronger. In fact, Dagon wasnt even real, just a human-made idol. God is reality. He is the only one worthy of worship and glory.
The next time we see Dagon dealt with is in 1 Samuel 5. The sons of Eli, the priest, and leader of Israel, were wicked religious men, and even though the Ark of the Covenant went into battle with Israel against the Philistines, God handed Israel a defeat as punishment. The Ark of the Covenant was taken captive by the Philistines. Just like with Samson, the Philistines took the Ark into the temple at one of their city-states, Ashdod. They put the Ark at the feet of the big statue of Dagon as a symbol of their victory. Dagon had beat Jehovah. Right?
It didnt last long. The first morning, the Philistines went into the temple to find the statue of Dagon fallen over and bowing to the Ark. They set the idol back on its feet. The morning after, the idol had fallen again, but this time, Dagons hands and head had been removed and placed in the doorway of the temple.
1 Samuel 5:5 tells us that, from then on, the priests of Dagon wouldnt go near the idol since they were afraid it just fell over. The idol literally had the reputation of falling over and being dangerous!
God wasnt done. People in Ashdod started getting tumors and dying. The epidemic spread to the nearby villages. Philistines were dying left and right, and they were in such a panic that they sent the Ark to the city of Gath. Tumors spread and killed people. Then they sent the Ark to the city of Ekron. You guessed it, more people got tumors and died.
The citizens of Philistia cried out to their leaders to send the Ark back to Israel (mentioning how they shouldnt be as stubborn as Pharoah in Egypt), which they did (1 Samuel 6). They placed the Ark on a cart pulled by two cows. They even sent it an offeringgolden rats and tumors, much like the account of a master weapon as a gift.
With no one driving, the oxen made their way back to Israel.
Despite the worldview of the Philistines, the defeat of Israel wasnt a defeat of their God. God didnt need the army of Israel to fight for him. He won all on his own.
Why Should We Know about This Idol?
First, lets understand a little more about idolatry.
Just like my trip to India, and based on most of the biblical testimony, our idea of idolatry is one of statues and worship around those images. We know its more than that, but have we considered whats at the core of idolatry?
Isaiah gives an interesting, if not hilarious, exploration of idolatry (44:9-20). A craftsman takes metal or wood, makes weapons or cups or burns the wood to warm himself, and then takes the rest of the material and makes a statue of something that he now bows down to worship and says, You are my god! He is worshipping something that he manufactured.
Within the Law, a person couldnt build an altar out of cut stone. An altar to God had to be made out of natural stones and rocks, not bricks. In other words, human hands couldnt shape the stones (Leviticus 26:1). God considered that an evil thing.
Paul stood before the philosophers and idol worshippers in polytheistic Athens and said, God doesnt live in houses made with human hands (Acts 17:24-5). As an aside, people are not made with human hands; they are created by God and made in his image. God can live in us.
What this boils down to is that idolatry is worshipping what we make with our own hands. What we can manufacture. What we can imagine. What we can plan. What we can program. What we can do. When we elevate anything that we can do with our own hands in the place of God, that is idolatry.
Money is not evil. But the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil (1 Timothy 6:10). Income and working to make money isnt evil. In fact, godly character is grown in hard work. But to seek money or wealth out of greed is also idolatry (Ephesians 5:5).
A tree, by the way, is a good thing. God created it and called it good. Enjoying Gods creation isnt the problem. He has given us all good things to enjoy (1 Timothy 6:17). Perverting those created things and give them a role they were never meant to possess, as Creator, then that is idolatry. We can make an idol out of anything. It doesnt make the substance or thing evil. Its about our hearts.
The real power is the Spirit of God. Not by power or might but by the Spirit (Zechariah 4:6). We arent to trust in armies and horses but in God (Psalm 20:7) because God is the only power and the only solution. To elevate our own ability or trust in what we can manufacture is a lie and lies lead to destruction. God loves us too much to participate in that.
In ancient Mesopotamia, they learned to plant crops. Farming fed more people. Thats good. Dagon was an idol associated with abundant harvests, essentially worshipping their own skill to feed themselves. Thats bad.
The Philistines set the Ark of God at the feet of Dagon, their father of the gods. That idol failed and people died of tumors.
We may not set up statues and bow down to them like gods in our current culture, but the more insidious form of idolatry can happen to anyone, even pastors and spiritual leadersthe resting in our own ability and talents instead of the grace and power of God. Idolatry is dangerous because we are trusting in things that will fail us. Not might or possibly but will absolutely fail us. That failing will lead to our destruction and others.
Like Dagon, the idols we have will come down. To prove that the idol was powerless, God literally removed the statues hands and threw them across the room. Those powerless hands were the first things that the priests of Dagon saw when they entered that temple.
God will be proved the only power. The Lord of Lords. The King of Kings. Every knee will bow and tongue confess that Jesus is Lord, the ruler, the authority (Philippians 2:10-11). He will be glorified. And he will see to it that he is. Its not our job to make sure everyone worships God. Our job is to join in with reality and truth, to root out self-reliance in our own hearts, and praise him who alone is worthy. Bow to him alone, no other person or thing. We then have life instead of destruction, a future instead of a tragic end, hope instead of despair.
We then plead with others, beg them, invite them (not force) to worship God now and have eternal life.
Peace.
Photo credit: Unsplash/Nguyen Linh
Britt Mooney (with his amazing wife, Becca) has lived as a missionary in Korea, traveled for missions to several countries, and now lives in Suwanee GA as a church planter that works bi-vocationally with Phoenix Roasters, a missional coffee company. He has a podcast about the Kingdom of God called Kingdom Over Coffee and is a published author with Say Yes: How God-Sized Dreams Take Flight.
This article is part of our People from the Bible Series featuring the most well-known historical names and figures from Scripture. We have compiled these articles to help you study those whom God chose to set before us as examples in His Word. May their lives and walks with God strengthen your faith and encourage your soul.
The Bible Story of Elijah
The Life of Ruth - 5 Essential Faith Lessons
The Bible Story of Queen Esther
The Greatest Villain - King Nebuchadnezzar
The Bible Story of Mary Magdalene
History is full of tales about strong, capable women. Some of these females-of-old wielded their power to pave the way for good, while others preferred to live in infamy, via the path of evil. Semiramis is one of those legendary women. While her name may seem unfamiliar, her story has been told and retold throughout the centuries.
An Important Reminder about Exploring Names Outside the Biblical Canon
Before we dive into the possible identity of this mysterious woman, its important to note that the name Semiramis is not directly mentioned anywhere within the biblical canon of Scripture. Because of this, and the conflicting historical information given about her, Christians must proceed with prayerful caution when trying to piece together the details of Semiramiss lifeespecially the details that claim biblical relevance.
Who Is Semiramis?
In the Sumerian language, Semiramiss name is Sammur-amat. Shes the famous queen regent of the Assyrian Empire, who reigned from 811-806 BCE. According to historical documents shes known as a legendary warrior who exercised political power like no othercommanding territory that stretched from Asia Minor to modern-day Iran. Historians describe her as a rare beauty, a fine military strategist, a master builder, and some even say she was builder and founder of Babylon.
But Eusebiusa well-respected ancient biblical scholar and historianidentifies Semiramis as the wife of Nimrod. Based on a combination of all these assumptions, countless other historians and scholars have written volumes about Semiramistransforming the historical Queen Sammu-ramat into the legendary Queen Semiramis.
One of the more recent renditions of the ever-evolving lore of Semiramis was included in the book The Two Babylons, written in 1853 by a Scottish minister, Alexander Hislop. In the book the author affirms Eusebiuss claims that Semiramis was Nimrods wife and elaborates on her rise to power, citing Greek historical records as reference and proof. Hislop asserts that Semiramis was instrumental in Nimrods plan to rebel against God, and he speaks of the womans unusual ability to manipulate the will of men.
Hislop goes on to say that together, Nimrod and Semiramis created a polytheistic religious system focused on the stars to lure Gods chosen people away from true worship. Shortly after Nimrod died, Hislop reports that Semiramis earned the title Queen of Heavenwhen she claimed that Nimrod was a god and that her newborn son was Nimrod, reincarnate. So began the worship of Semiramis and the child-god, and the whole paraphernalia of the Babylonian religious system.
Hislop reports that Semiramiss name became synonymous with the pagan goddesses Ishtar, Astarte, and Ashtoreth, and he connects this turn of events to the biblical account of Israels rebellion during the time of the prophet Jeremiahs warning.
Then all the men who knew that their wives were burning incense to other gods, along with all the women who were presenta large assemblyand all the people living in Lower and Upper Egypt, said to Jeremiah, We will not listen to the message you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord! We will certainly do everything we said we would: We will burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and will pour out drink offerings to her just as we and our ancestors, our kings, and our officials did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem (Jeremiah 44:15-19, emphasis added).
Devotion to Semiramis has been well documented throughout history. The image of the woman holding her infant son has been the object of worship and veneration for different religious groups throughout the ages.
Many other claims have been made about Semiramis. Some credit her for forming the tradition of the Christmas tree and Easter bunny, others identify her as the original whore of Babylon. And according to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society website, Americas own Statue of Liberty speaks of the legend. In addition to standing for Liberty, she [the Statue of Liberty] is derived from the imagery of Queen Semiramis of Babylon who was famed for her beauty, strength, and wisdom.
The truth is, like all legends, the stories of Semiramis have been exaggerated, changed, and expanded over thousands of years of oral tradition and interpretationso it would not be wise to base any cause or belief on information that contains so little substance.
Nimrods Origin Story
Only seven verses in the Bible mention anything about Nimrod. Little is explicitly said about him. He was a mighty warrior, the son of Cush, and the great-grandson of Noah, explains Alyssa Roat, in 7 Facts You Didnt Know about Nimrod in the Bible.
Although the Bible only briefly mentions Nimrod, his legacy is an important building block in the whole structure of Scripture. When we look at Nimrods story in context, from the beginning of time, it sheds light on Gods redemptive plan.
In the beginning, God created Adam and Eve, and everything was literally perfect. But when sin entered the world through that first couple, mankind began a downward spiral into depravity that would eventually lead them to an awareness of their need for a savior.
As Adam and Eve began to be fruitful and multiply following Gods command (Genesis 1:28), sin continued to abound. 1000 years later, sin had so overtaken Gods creation that He decided to purge humanity with a worldwide floodsparing only one man, his family, and the animals. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God. Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth (Genesis 5:10).
Even after Gods flood wiped out the majority of wickedness from the earth, the inherited seed of sin began to corrupt Noahs descendants. 1000 years after the flood, Noahs rebellious great-grandson Nimrod became the first leader of the post-flood world. Nimrod first established his kingdom by founding a city on the plain in Shinar that would later be called Babel or Babylon (Genesis 10:10).
What Did Nimrod Do?
Like Semiramis, many pseudepigraphal and historical writings describe Nimrod as a renowned warrior, leader, and builder. Other reports describe him as a self-absorbed tyrant, plagued by his bitterness over the flood and Gods judgment.
As Nimrod began his reign, he and his followers had one overriding goal for their new territory; they wanted to ensure the security of their community by building a prestigious landmark to make a name for themselves. Then they said, Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise, we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth (Genesis 11:4).
The structurea tower made from man-made building materialswould be a symbol of their power and self-sufficiency, and some historians believe that Nimrod had an additional motive for wanting to build the tower of Babel. The ancient historian Josephus quotes Nimrod as saying that he wanted revenge on God for flooding the earth and destroying his ancestors (Antiquities of the Jews, Book 1, Chapter 4).
God saw that Nimrod and the people were working together toward a common goal. But unfortunately, the goal they were working toward was steeped in arrogance and in direct opposition to Gods command to multiply and fill the earth (Genesis 9:1).
In their attempt to maintain unity, create a name for themselves, and possibly provide their own securityGods people rebelled against His sovereign authority and embraced their own self-sufficiency. They felt they didnt need God to rule over themthey could rule themselves; they could reach the heavens on their own terms, with their own hands, by their own means.
Gods justice and His grace could not allow this treachery to continue. So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babelbecause there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth (Genesis 11:8-9).
After the scattering, the Bible tells us that Nimrod continued to rule, reign, and build kingdoms for himself. The first centers of his kingdom were Babylon, Uruk, Akkad and Kalneh, in Shinar. From that land he went to Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah and Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calahwhich is the great city (Genesis 8:9-10).
Parts of Nimrods biblical history mesh well with the narrative that Semiramis may have been his wife. They were both power-hungry, godless, and rebelliouswhich would have made them a collective force for evil.
Why Should Christians Know about Semiramis?
A simple online search for the name Semiramis confirms the fact that the world at large is still interested in who this woman was.
Its important that Christians know what the Bible saysand what it does not sayabout figures like Semiramis. Without being familiar with the truth, a Believer can fall susceptible to deception. Many cults and conspiracy theories have arisen from a lack of knowledge and truth.
Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have departed from the faith (1 Timothy 5:20-21).
For more information about the reliability of scriptural truth, check out What Is the Biblical Canon and Why Should Christians Know about It?
Photo credit: iStock/Getty Images Plus/Peshkova
Annette Marie Griffin is an award-winning author and speaker who has managed and directed childrens and youth programs for more than 20 years. Her debut childrens book, What Is A Family? released through Familius Publishing in 2020. Annette has also written curriculum for character growth and development of elementary-age children and has developed parent training seminars to benefit the community. Her passion is to help wanderers find home. She and her husband have five childrenthree who have already flown the coop and two adopted teens still roosting at homeplus two adorable grands who add immeasurable joy and laughter to the whole flock.
This article is part of our People from the Bible Series featuring the most well-known historical names and figures from Scripture. We have compiled these articles to help you study those whom God chose to set before us as examples in His Word. May their lives and walks with God strengthen your faith and encourage your soul.
The Bible Story of Elijah
The Life of Ruth - 5 Essential Faith Lessons
The Bible Story of Queen Esther
The Greatest Villain - King Nebuchadnezzar
The Bible Story of Mary Magdalene
The 10th edition of TechInnovation presents an array of opportunities to catalyse technology transfer and partnerships for business growth.
TechInnovation 2021, IPIs flagship technology matching event, was held as a fully digital event that runs for 24 hours a day from 28 to 30 September 2021. It brought together international technology providers and enterprises to accelerate the commercialisation of emerging technologies, seed licensing opportunities, and foster open innovation collaborations.
At the Opening Ceremony, Dr Tan See Leng, Second Minister for Trade and Industry, Singapore called upon SMEs to tap into innovation, technology, and intellectual property (IP) to stay relevant and competitive in these challenging times. It is increasingly important for our enterprises to collaborate, innovate, and seize opportunities. TechInnovation is one such platform for businesses to network and co-develop technological solutions and it enables SMEs and start-ups to learn best practices, cross-pollinate ideas and explore new collaborations, he said.
In highlighting some of the partnerships that have materialized out through IPI and TechInnovation over the few past years, Dr Tan also assured Singapore enterprises that the Singapore government has dedicated resources to build up a strong innovation ecosystem with a comprehensive suite of levers for the industry.
2021 marks the 10th edition of TechInnovation as well as IPIs tenth anniversary. This year more than 160 exhibitors including 11 national innovation agencies and technology consortia, and more than 2,000 participants from across the world are participating in the event. Over 400 technologies from 20 countries will be showcased at TechInnovation.
The theme of TechInnovation 2021 is A Sustainable and Resilient Future. Over 50 leading industry thought leaders in technology and design-led innovation have been invited to speak. They will discuss how to use sustainable technologies to meet current challenges, such as the ways in which cities can overcome the impact of climate change, build a more resilient food future, and transform the way we look at health and wellness post-pandemic.
Among some of the sustainable city solutions being exhibited include technologies to recover precious materials from electronic waste streams, smart energy storage systems, new approaches that tackle environmental and food waste and enabling solutions in healthcare.
Open Innovation
At TechInnovation 2021, eleven key partners such as Hong Kong Baptist University, National IT Industry Promotion Agency from South Korea, the Netherlands embassy and the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) from Indonesia, will present technology showcases featuring more than 100 virtual pitches on enabling technologies.
These sessions are available as on-demand webinars on the TechInnovation Virtual Portal. Crowdsourcing @TechInnovation offers corporates an open innovation platform to engage members of industry, research and development, to co-innovate and pilot scalable solutions for deployment. This year, global industry leaders WS Audiology, Shell, and Unilever, will share their challenges and opportunities in their respective sectors and extend an invitation to collaborate on solutions, technologies, and partnerships, in the spirit of Open Innovation.
In addition, TechInnovation will feature Design Think Tank, a partnership between DesignSingapore Council and IPI to explore a design-led approach in addressing challenge statements from corporates, and foster meaningful collaborations between designers and technologists. Some of the organisations crowdsourcing for solutions this year include Gloobe AB, Cheng Yew Heng Candy Factory for Food Culture Singapore and the Tsao Foundation.
Sustainable Food and Nutrition
The conference at TechInnovation will also see speakers discuss the challenges of sustainably feeding a growing world population that is currently beset with climate change and a pandemic.
In Singapore, which imports 90% of its food from over 170 countries, a quest has been set to enhance food security. The ambitious 30 by 30 goal is a challenge that will see Singapore aim to produce 30% of its nutritional needs locally by 2030.
The role of innovation will be instrumental in addressing a host of complex issues surrounding food security ranging from alternative food sources, food waste and sustainable farming methods, all while meeting the nutritional needs and demands of todays consumers, said Wong Lup Wai, CEO of IPI. At TechInnovation 2021, exhibitors are showcasing a range of technologies that can support the food supply chain. Solutions include blockchain technology to enhance food traceability, LED light recipes to extend harvest periods, and algae platform solutions for various applications.
TechInnovation is also hosting IPHatch 2021, a programme that unlocks and matches technologies from multinational companies (MNCs) with start-ups to accelerate their business. The idea is to empower start-ups with deep tech like IoT, sustainable food production, and agritech, to bring about social and economic impact.
Health and Wellness
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed how we manage healthcare systems and brought the matter to the fore in all nations. This crisis has accelerated demand for innovation in healthcare and provided fertile ground for forward-looking, agile, and innovation-ready SMEs to grow rapidly and start new lines of business.
TechInnovation 2021 will showcase the latest opportunities in this field, including the work of some exciting Singapore companies, such as non-invasive diagnostics, as well as innovative technological solutions for commercialisation from the Singapore Health Technologies Consortium (HealthTec).
Professor Tan Chorh Chuan, Executive Director of MOH Office for Healthcare Transformation (MOHT) and the first Chief Health Scientist at the Ministry of Health (MOH) says, A major priority for Singapores health transformation is to redouble efforts to promote health and prevent disease at the population level. To do so, we need innovations that effectively empower individuals and patients to take charge of their own health, and for care teams to better support this shift. Data analytics and management, AI and digital technologies will play a key role.
On behalf of the Colombian Union of Advertising Companies (UCEP), Scopen has carried out market research to analyse the role of companies operating in the marketing and communications industry in Latin America, with regard to meeting sustainability goals.
Image supplied
Fulfillment of sustainability goals
The study took place between June and July 2021 across 13 countries on the American continent, with a total of 163 marketing and communications professionals (advertisers, agencies, media, NGOs / foundations, public companies, associations and freelancers) participating.Asked about the words most associated with sustainability, environment appears first, followed by responsibility and future. Respondents also maintain that the sustainability goals they consider companies to be most involved with are good work, economic growth, gender equality and the creation of alliances to achieve objectives.However, looking ahead, they plan to place more emphasis on other goals such as sustainable cities and communities, quality education and clean water and sanitation.Actions currently taken by study participants to comply with sustainable goals include improving living conditions, followed by working to reduce environmental impact; promoting diversity, equality and inclusion; and a focus on the circular economy.Companies and brands in the marketing and communications industry are especially involved in complying with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal SDG-12, which guarantees procedures for responsible production and consumption. Fifty-four percent (54%) of the leaders interviewed rank its importance at 9 or 10 on a scale from 0 to 10 - above the average for other goals, where Brazil and Colombia are the countries with the highest concern at 8.3.Industry leaders suggest they can best work towards the fulfilment of sustainability goals, in particular, through the creation of communication and awareness campaigns that value sustainability.During the interviews, professionals were also asked about the brands and/or companies in their region that, in their opinion, stand out with their commitment to sustainability goals. The most mentioned ones were recognised by the new Sustainability Awards held at the Latin American Summit of the Creative Economy + CTG, which took place recently.In Latam, Natura was awarded first prize, with Grupo Nutresa taking second prize and third going to Unilever. Other finalist brands were ABInbev, Alpina, Alqueria, Bancolombia, Coca-Cola, Grupo Argos, Grupo Sura and Nestle.In Colombia, the winning brands were once again led by Grupo Nutresa, with Alpina taking second prize and Grupo Argos third.Cesar Vacchiano, president and CEO of Scopen, says: It is very rewarding to verify the degree of involvement of Latam companies with the fulfillment of the sustainable development objectivesAt this point, there is a vital focus on equality issues and, when analysing future efforts, equality gives way to other important matters, which shows a belief that equality goals will be achieved in the short-medium term.The actions promoted by UN Women and their support for events such as + CTG undoubtedly contribute to this.Ximena Tapias, president of UCEP and + CTG adds: At UCEP we are focused on building on important issues within the industry. This study and the new awards within the framework of + CTG are a proof of our commitment.We will continue to revisit this study in future and believe it will be very interesting to see how the analysed indicators evolve."When accepting first prize at the 2021 Sustainability Awards, Alexandre Lemos, General Manager of Natura Colombia, said: "I am very proud to accept this award on behalf of Natura.I want to give a special thanks to our entire network of Natura consultants and all the company collaborators, as this achievement has been a collective one, where we have all immersed sustainability in our processes.It is thanks to this network and their total commitment to sustainability that we are receiving this recognition today. Despite the obstacles caused by the global pandemic, we managed to work as a team and joined forces to make Natura the company we all want it to be.With our Commitment to Life initiative launched a year ago as part of our 2030 sustainability vision, we will continue to intensify our actions to address the climate crisis, protect the Amazon rainforest and guarantee equality and diversity in the world.
Health systems have borne the brunt of Covid-19 globally, but the pandemic has also been a catalyst in the fast-tracking digitalisation in health and the development of vital tools, such as informatics.
Telemedicine
Role of governments
Described by Dr Raphael Akangbe as a new field that sits at the intersection of AI, big data, and healthcare, informatics is vital tool for advancing Universal Health Care (UHC) within Africas public healthcare systems.Doctor, author and health informatics expert Akangke will address delegates at the Africa Health Congress in October on the topicHe says for health informatics to be used effectively, hardware and software systems must be in place, and the capacity of healthcare workers must be built on the protocols and processes involved.There are a lot of data-inputs needed for a sound healthcare informatics system, and the data-collection needs to be thorough and reliable," he says.With lockdown restrictions around the globe enforcing social distancing, telemedicine (or remote-access healthcare) rose in prominence almost overnight in some countries.The potential of telemedicine to bring quality healthcare, via satellite or cellular communication, to hard-to-reach remote locations is a promising prospect in rural Africa, where access to formal healthcare services may be limited or even non-existent, he says.He adds that remote consultations with scarce specialists (who tend to be based within urban centres and academic institutions) could bring better quality care to more people, regardless of geographical distance, and in many cases could eliminate the need for costly long-distance travel in order to access facilities.Other technologies have already seen limited use. AI applications for healthcare, and IoT health devices have become more prevalent over the past two years. The recently launched Apple Watch Series 4, for example, contains electrodes which enable users to take an ECG directly from their wrists, he says.Akangbe adds that in terms of governments role in facilitating the digitisation of health on the continent, a full commitment to equitably distributing the resources and infrastructures that digitisation requires, with special attention given to the most isolated rural areas is of utmost importance.Lagos sits at the forefront of digital health in Africa and the Nigerian government has already begun to legislatively promote the use of health technology," he says.Akangbe believes that investment into internet infrastructure with sufficient bandwidth is crucial for getting the population connected, as is investment into stable electricity supply, including solar projects where state utility supply is unreliable.Even the most sophisticated telemedicine systems wont help where there is no internet and electricity, he cautions.Covid-19 has opened our eyes to the need for digital healthcare. For now, wed like to see African governments laying the foundations by facilitating access to enabling devices like phones and computers, as well as the infrastructure for reliable connectivity and stable electricity supply," he says.
The IAB SA Executive Board and the IAB SA Future of Measurement Committee have officially extended an invitation to industry members to tender for the role of their official online audience measurement partner. The chosen provider will furnish the IAB SA with web and application measurement services to create a "single currency" which will be used as a benchmark that all industry stakeholders can trust and reference,
This process was last run in 2017 resulting in a partnership with Narratiive which has enabled the IAB SA to deliver ongoing measurement services to its members. While this is not a new project, the new tender process provides the opportunity for review of capabilities and methodologies at a point where digital media measurement is undergoing considerable change.To keep abreast of, and cater to, a platform influenced by rapid advances in technology, increased fragmentation, and ever-shifting consumer behaviour, it is crucial that the digital advertising and marketing industry has access to concrete, accurate data to understand the digital audience landscape and inform decision-making around advertising spend.The chosen measurement partner will play a critical role in enabling the IAB SA to fulfil one of its key objectives, namely:The IAB SA Future of Measurement Committee, chaired by Imraan Rajab, General Manager: Media at MTN Group, was formed last year to inform and empower the industry by providing a system of measurement that provides value for all stakeholders in the supply chain. It consists of experts from all avenues of the industry, including advertisers, agencies, and publishers.Definitive, consistent measurement is essential for the success of our local digital media ecosystem. That said, the rapidly-changing nature of consumer behaviour, coupled with continuous technological advancements make achieving a clear and concise measurement framework challenging. The chosen measurement partner will therefore play a critical role in cutting through the noise, and guide both the IAB SA Future of Measurement Committee and industry at large with metrics and benchmarks that empower all role players to make informed decisions, said Imraan Rajab, IAB Future of Measurement Committee lead and General Manager: Media at MTN Group.Demystifying the many measurement capabilities of the digital landscape is the first step in enabling the industry to make informed decisions. Publishers, especially, require a source of truth via clearly defined measurement metrics if they are to successfully cater to shifting consumer demand and ultimately drive profit. The IAB SA looks forward to partnering with our measurement partner to further assist and empower the digital marketing and advertising industries across all segments, said IAB SA Vice-Chair: Claire Cobbledick, GM of Gumtree.The measurement tender RFI process will run its course over the next four to six weeks, culminating in a review by the Future of Measurement Committee and an advisory board that will inform the selection of the successful measurement partner short list for the RFP portion of the tender; and ultimately inform the selection of the successful measurement partner for the next three years.The IAB SA invites interested parties to respond to the request for information so that they may be considered as part of the short list for the tender process. All relevant documentation regarding the tender can be found here Details of the indicative tender timeframe below are not binding on IAB and may be subject to amendment in the absolute discretion of IAB.Vendors are requested to complete the RFI and submit their response to ten.asbai@IFRtnemerusaem in accordance with the Tender Timeline.All questions and/or queries are to be directed to the IAB SA in writing, via email to: ten.asbai@IFRtnemerusaem - no telephonic enquiries will be responded to. All information provided to IAB SA will be regarded as confidential.About the IAB SAThe Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) South Africa empowers the media and marketing industries to thrive in the digital economy. Its membership comprises more than 150 leading media companies, brands, and technology firms responsible for enabling excellence in digital marketing focusing on identifying and targeting audiences, delivering and optimising campaigns to these audiences and the innovation and selling of such activities. The non-profit, non-government, trade group fields critical research on interactive advertising, while also educating brands, agencies, publishers. and the wider business community on the importance of digital marketing.The IAB Global Network brings together 45 national IABs and three regional IABs to share challenges, develop global solutions and advance the digital advertising industry worldwide. IABs are located in North America, South America, Africa, Asia, Asia Pacific and Europe. Each association is independently owned and operated, functioning under by-laws consistent with local market needs.
Forbes Africa celebrates its 10th anniversary on Friday, 1 October 2021. As part of the African growth story, Sid Wahi, director at Forbes Africa shares the journey with us.
Sid Wahi, director at Forbes Africa
Congratulations on reaching this milestone! What does this feel like?
Could you share how Forbes Africa started out?
How has the magazine evolved over the years?
What are some of the highlights of Forbes Africa?
Over the years, what were some of the most significant changes in how Forbes Africa operated?
They say print is a dying industry. How has Forbes Africa managed to survive all these years?
Our focus with our print product will be to turn it into a luxury you afford yourself once a month.
Can you comment on how Forbes Africa went from print to digital? Are readers offered the same content package?
Perhaps more relevant to right now. How has Forbes Africa navigated throughout Covid-19?
With this milestone of Forbes Africa celebrating 10 years. How will the company be celebrating?
Thank you! I can't believe it's been ten years. While a major milestone, we feel that the work we set out to do has just started. There are a lot of stories we still need to tell.Our company, Africa Business News, was founded in 2006 with the goal of being the most credible source of business content from across the continent of Africa. We launched our TV business with CNBC Africa in 2007 and decided to diversify into print shortly after. Forbes is one of the most recognized media brands in the world today and we felt it would be a great partner to have. Our founders approached the Forbes Family in 20082009 and we finalized the agreement shortly after I joined the business in 2010. Since then we havent looked back.We started out as a monthly magazine in 2010 and while we were profitable with ad spend from the first issue, print by itself was not enough to build a sustainable business. Over the years, we expanded into events, digital, video and launched theandbrands. Today, we are a multi-platform brand, reaching both aspirational and inspirational audiences.Weve won numerous awards for our editorial work over the years, but our greatest achievement is showcasing stories of entrepreneurship that was otherwise not being told on a global stage. We're also very proud of our two most impactful communities, the Leading Woman Summit and the Under30s. Both these communities play an important role by helping to shape the dialogue on issues pertaining to women in leadership and young entrepreneurs alike.We had to stop printingas a monthly print magazine it's unfortunate because the product did very well from a readership point of view. It's ironic because the same business leaders who the magazine featured refused to advertise in the magazine, preferring the flagship product. Weve adapted to a changing media landscape, like everybody else by trimming costs but also in our own unique way by embracing digital events and new editorially lead event concepts, including The future of series.As I said earlier, we started out as a print title, but our growth has largely come from events, and digital. Having said that, print is an important medium, perhaps not for breaking news or current affairs.This will be evident in the form factor, so the way the pages feel on your finders and how the light reflects of the paper, as you read stories that inspire, entertain and thrill you.The form factor in digital is different. You are not limited by 96 pages or a production schedule, so you actually get a lot more online, including video and other enhanced storytelling tools. We find that there is a small overlap between our print and digital readers, but they are largely two very different audiences and so we keep that in mind when curating each print issue ofWe are headquartered in South Africa, so when SA went into a level 5 lockdown, we are unable to print our magazine, but we continued with digital events and digital publishing. We had overestimated the negative impact Covid-19 had on our business so we were better prepared to navigate the months ahead. One of the more permanent changes was the change to our production schedule, we now publish the magazine every second month, but this was inevitable with the way that print is evolving, covid just moved up the timeline.Our October issue is certainly one to collect, we have a lot of interesting content that spans the last ten years. We are thanking our partners and staff and celebrating their achievements on the day. Perhaps the most interesting thing we will be doing on the day is launching our first non-fungible token (NFT) on the Ethereum blockchain. Collectors will be able to bid on 10 years of Forbes Africa and acquire a collectable that includes 105 covers from the last ten years.
Under YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki's new speech codes, YouTubers can now be banned for quoting CDC director Rochelle Walensky admitting last month on live TV that covid shots do not "prevent transmission" of the virus.
JUST IN - YouTube will ban any video that claims "vaccines are ineffective or dangerous" from now on and has suspended the accounts of prominent vaccination opponents, including Joseph Mercola and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (WSJ) Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) September 29, 2021
From YouTube's Official Blog, "Managing harmful vaccine content on YouTube":
Today, we're expanding our medical misinformation policies on YouTube with new guidelines on currently administered vaccines that are approved and confirmed to be safe and effective by local health authorities and the WHO.
[...] Since last year, we've removed over 130,000 videos for violating our COVID-19 vaccine policies.
[...] Weve steadily seen false claims about the coronavirus vaccines spill over into misinformation about vaccines in general, and we're now at a point where it's more important than ever to expand the work we started with COVID-19 to other vaccines.
Specifically, content that falsely alleges that approved vaccines are dangerous and cause chronic health effects, claims that vaccines do not reduce transmission or contraction of disease, or contains misinformation on the substances contained in vaccines will be removed. This would include content that falsely says that approved vaccines cause autism, cancer or infertility, or that substances in vaccines can track those who receive them. Our policies not only cover specific routine immunizations like for measles or Hepatitis B, but also apply to general statements about vaccines.
This now qualifies as "misinformation":
Our vaccines are working exceptionally well, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky tells @wolfblitzer. They continue to work well for Delta, with regard to severe illness and death they prevent it. But what they can't do anymore is prevent transmission." pic.twitter.com/s83YyBQqeh The Situation Room (@CNNSitRoom) August 5, 2021
Hell, just quoting the long list of horrible side effects in Pfizer's own covid vaccine insert now qualifies as "misinformation."
As with our COVID guidelines, we consulted with local and international health organizations and experts in developing these policies. For example, our new guidance on vaccine side effects maps to public vaccine resources provided by health authorities and backed by medical consensus. These policy changes will go into effect today [...]
Given the importance of public discussion and debate to the scientific process, we will continue to allow content about vaccine policies, new vaccine trials, and historical vaccine successes or failures on YouTube. Personal testimonials relating to vaccines will also be allowed, so long as the video doesn't violate other Community Guidelines, or the channel doesn't show a pattern of promoting vaccine hesitancy.
Translation: we're going to ban you for telling the truth and if you're one of the hundreds of thousands if not millions of Americans who've been injured by these vaccines we'll ban you for telling your story in a way we don't like.
As I reported last year, YouTube's rules are so broad they now ban the majority of Americans from expressing their views.
Dr Joseph Mercola responded to YouTube banning his channel with a statement on his website reading in part:
The world is becoming increasingly aware of the rampant corruption in the media, and are rising up against tyrannical governments and the pharmaceutical industry that are coordinating this assault on our freedom and civil rights. Anyone who asks questions or challenges the hard sell is immediately censored on social media. State governments and employees, health care workers and emergency responders, face loss of their jobs for refusing the vaccine.
The United States federal government was directly funding the dangerous gain of function virus research that lead to this global pandemic, and the media helped bury any evidence of the lab leak.
Independent media platforms that defend freedom of speech and the rights of Americans to speak out against the global tyranny will defeat the censorship extremists. Dissenting Americans, both vaccinated and unvaccinated, fill the ranks of every socioeconomic class, every political party and every faith-based community. They understand the meaning of the warning that, The only thing necessary for triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing, and they are not going to stand by and do nothing.
We are united across the world, we will not live in fear, we will stand together and restore our freedoms.
This is now the only type of vaccine-related content which will be allowed on YouTube:
You really start to understand God visiting his judgment on a nation pic.twitter.com/h2J9N3IIWn Auron MacIntyre (@AuronMacintyre) September 28, 2021
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Its no longer a question of whether the government will lock up Americans for defying its mandates but when.
This is what we know: the government has the means, the muscle and the motivation to detain individuals who resist its orders and do not comply with its mandates in a vast array of prisons, detention centers, and FEMA concentration camps paid for with taxpayer dollars.
Its just a matter of time.
It no longer matters what the hot-button issue might be (vaccine mandates, immigration, gun rights, abortion, same-sex marriage, healthcare, criticizing the government, protesting election results, etc.) or which party is wielding its power like a hammer.
The groundwork has already been laid.
Under the indefinite detention provision of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the President and the military can detain and imprison American citizens with no access to friends, family or the courts if the government believes them to be a terrorist.
So it should come as no surprise that merely criticizing the government or objecting to a COVID-19 vaccine could get you labeled as a terrorist.
After all, it doesnt take much to be considered a terrorist anymore, especially given that the government likes to use the words anti-government, extremist and terrorist interchangeably.
Indeed, if you believe in and exercise your rights under the Constitution (namely, your right to speak freely, worship freely, associate with like-minded individuals who share your political views, criticize the government, own a weapon, demand a warrant before being questioned or searched, or any other activity viewed as potentially anti-government, racist, bigoted, anarchic or sovereign), you could be at the top of the governments terrorism watch list.
This is what happens when you not only put the power to determine who is a potential danger in the hands of government agencies, the courts and the police but also give those agencies liberal authority to lock individuals up for perceived wrongs.
Its a system just begging to be abused by power-hungry bureaucrats desperate to retain their power at all costs.
As history shows, the U.S. government is not averse to locking up its own citizens for its own purposes.
One need only go back to the 1940s, when the federal government proclaimed that Japanese-Americans, labeled potential dissidents, could be put in concentration (a.k.a. internment) camps based only upon their ethnic origin, to see the lengths the federal government will go to in order to maintain order in the homeland.
The U.S. Supreme Court validated the detention program in Korematsu v. US (1944), concluding that the governments need to ensure the safety of the country trumped personal liberties. Pointing out that such blatantly illegal detentions could happen againwith the blessing of the courtsJustice Scalia once warned, In times of war, the laws fall silent.
In fact, the creation of detention camps domestically has long been part of the governments budget and operations, falling under the jurisdiction of FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Now if youre going to have internment camps on American soil, someone has to build them.
Thus, in 2006, it was announced that a subsidiary of Halliburton had been awarded a $385 million contract to build American detention facilities.
Of course, these detention camps will have to be used for anyone viewed as a threat to the government, and that includes political dissidents. So its no coincidence that the U.S. government has, since the 1980s, acquired and maintained, without warrant or court order, a database of names and information on Americans considered to be threats to the nation.
Fast forward to 2009, when the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released several reports suggesting that anyone seen as opposing the governmentwhether theyre Left, Right or somewhere in betweenis a target.
This brings us back, full circle, to the question of whether the government will exercise the power it claims to possess to detain anyone perceived as a threat, i.e., anyone critical of the government.
The short answer is: yes.
The courts and the police have meshed in their thinking to such an extent that anything goes when its done in the name of national security, crime fighting and terrorism.
Consequently, we seem to be coming full circle on many fronts.
Consider that two decades ago we were debating whether non-citizens were entitled to protections under the Constitution, specifically as they relate to indefinite detention. Americans werent overly concerned about the rights of non-citizens then, and now were the ones in the unenviable position of being targeted for indefinite detention by our own government.
Similarly, most Americans werent unduly concerned when the U.S. Supreme Court gave Arizona police officers the green light to stop, search and question anyoneostensibly those fitting a particular racial profilethey suspect might be an illegal immigrant. A decade later, the cops largely have carte blanche authority to stop any individual, citizen and non-citizen alike, they suspect might be doing something illegal (mind you, in this age of overcriminalization, that could be anything from feeding the birds to growing exotic orchids).
Likewise, you still have a sizeable portion of the population today unconcerned about the governments practice of spying on Americans, having been brainwashed into believing that if youre not doing anything wrong, you have nothing to worry about.
As I make clear in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People and in its fictional counterpart The Erik Blair Diaries, it will only be a matter of time before they learn the hard way that in a police state, it doesnt matter who you are or how righteous you claim to be, because eventually, you will be lumped in with everyone else and everything you do will be wrong and suspect.
Indeed, its happening already, with police relying on surveillance software such as ShadowDragon to watch peoples social media and other website activity, whether or not they suspected of a crime, and potentially use it against them when the need arises.
Without constitutional protections in place to guard against encroachments on our rights when power, technology and militaristic governance converge, it wont be long before we find ourselves looking back on the past with longing, back to an age where we could speak to whom we wanted, buy what we wanted, think what we wanted, and go where we wanted without those thoughts, words and movements being tracked, processed and stored by corporate giants such as Google, sold to government agencies such as the NSA and CIA, and used against us by militarized police with their army of futuristic technologies.
That moment of reckoning is getting closer by the minute.
The UK Ministry of Defence has inadvertently revealed its plan to spy on social media platforms in order to detect change(s) in population sentiment.
Despite ostensibly being about better use of existing silos, the MoDs Data Strategy for Defence document explains how the military should move towards Automated scanning of social media platforms to detect change in population sentiment.
Nowhere does the document explain why a strategy paper has gone so far off the beaten track that it promotes collecting data the MoD doesnt have and using it for decidedly non-military purposes, reports the Register.
Since the beginning of the COVID pandemic, the military has increasingly turned its attention inward towards its own citizens rather than doing what it should do, which is fighting foreign adversaries.
As author Laura Dodsworth revealed, GCHQ has embroiled itself in anti-vaccine and anti-lockdown messaging by targeting people who challenge the official COVID narrative online.
She says some people believe they have been targeted by the 77th Brigade, part of the 6th Division of the Army, reported the Telegraph.
According to the Ministry of Defence, the 77th Brigade uses legitimate non-military levers as a means to adapt behaviours of the opposing forces and adversaries.
The militarys main adversaries are now apparently British citizens who complain about lockdown while questioning the efficacy and safety of vaccines.
Dodsworth said she hit a brick wall when attempting to get answers about the units activities, noting, and I find that when someone puts up a brick wall, its because thats where the real story lies.
The unit played its role in the broader agenda, facilitated by government-affiliated behavioral psychologists, to terrify the public into mass obedience to lockdown rules by exaggerating the threat posed by COVID.
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Sharing stories of trauma, survival and courage, three Indigenous elders relayed stories on the impacts of residential schools in Canada at the All Nations Sharing Circle on Wednesday.
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CHELSEA KEMP/THE BRANDON SUN Sioux Valley Dakota Nation residential school survivor Lorraine Pompana visits the All Nations Sharing Circle to share her residential school experiences Wednesday.
Sharing stories of trauma, survival and courage, three Indigenous elders relayed stories on the impacts of residential schools in Canada at the All Nations Sharing Circle on Wednesday.
It was a powerful experience having the opportunity to speak about their experiences, said Rolling River First Nation Member Thelma Amyotte-Noctor. She appreciated having a safe space to talk about the institutions impact on her family members.
"They didnt feel safe enough to talk about it and I think there was a lot of shame attached to it, but it was not their doing," she said.
Amyotte-Noctor spoke to her familys experiences at residential school and the lingering trauma the institutions left spanning generations. While she did not attend a residential school, she saw firsthand the impact they had on her parents and siblings.
Mittimatalik (Pond Inlet) First Nation member Maata Evaluardjuk-Palmer spoke to her experience at the Churchill Residential School. Her father also attended a residential school.
As a survivor, she grew up in a very restricted and claustrophobic environment, where permission was always needed for even the most minor of actions and activities.
"To come to this type of space to share and to be part of, its very welcoming. I feel good to share here," Evaluardjuk-Palmer said.
The forced removal of children deeply affected Indigenous families and communities, with the traumas spanning out across generations, she said. Her dad was angry after his time at residential school, and this emotion was only heightened after his children were taken.
"They took his children. They never, ever came back as the children that he had. Even though they came home, they were different," Evaluardjuk-Palmer said. "My dad was really, really badly affected by the church taking his children. Because his two boys, the oldest boys, he wanted to train them to be hunters like him. But he couldnt because they were taken."
Her oldest sister was in residential school from the time she was five until her graduation. From five to 10 years of age, her sister was unable to ever visit home. After that experience, her sister never felt comfortable coming home.
Her sister rarely spoke of her experiences at residential school, Evaluardjuk-Palmer said, so she feels compelled to share her stories.
CHELSEA KEMP/THE BRANDON SUN Mittimatalik (Pond Inlet) First Nation Member Maata Evaluardjuk-Palmer, left, and Rolling River First Nation Member Thelma Amyotte-Noctor visit the All Nations Sharing Circle to share their residential school experiences Wednesday.
Amyotte-Noctor hopes those that attended the talk gained a better understanding of what happened to children, families and communities when young people were forced to attend residential schools and removed from their communities. The trauma created by the institutions impacted countless nation members, and many were left feeling disconnected from their culture.
Now, there is an active push to reclaim the culture and traditions that were lost.
She showcased the work taking place to reclaim knowledge that was lost or hidden due to residential schools, citing how her grandchildren are encouraged to dance in powwows and learning about the history of their families.
"Theyre small steps but the young people can take them," Amyotte-Noctor said.
Evaluardjuk-Palmer added it means a lot to see the younger generations understanding the history of their people, and how the horrific legacy of residential schools impacted their grandparents and parents.
"People are listening now. They want to create an environment where people like us can share. To make it comfortable for us," Evaluardjuk-Palmer said.
These conversations were not always possible, she said.
In 1990, the head of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, Phil Fontaine, made national news speaking out about the abuse he experienced at residential schools. He was one of the first people to openly speak about the horrific sexual abuse he experienced at a residential school. It marked the first time a national spotlight was shone on the schools. At the time, he called for an official inquiry into residential school abuse.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada officially implemented the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, the largest class-action settlement in Canadian history, in 2007. One of the elements of the agreement was the establishment of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada to facilitate reconciliation between former students, their families, their communities and all Canadians.
The commission released its final report with 94 calls to action in June 2015. Six years later, the majority of these calls have yet to be fully implemented.
While progress is being made towards reconciliation, it is a challenging subject because so many people have died since Fontaine first spoke, Evaluardjuk-Palmer said.
The discussions surrounding residential schools have only been fuelled by the discovery of 215 unmarked graves at the Kamloops residential school, and countless more across the country since the original discovery in June.
"For those of us who survived. People are finally listening," Evaluardjuk-Palmer said. "Theres evidence to show what they said was true. People want to hear what we have to share."
It is healing being able to share these stories, and marks the mending of wounds because the real truth has come out.
"We know that there were awful things that happened," Evaluardjuk-Palmer said.
Sioux Valley Dakota Nation residential school survivor Lorraine Pompana attended three residential schools: Brandon, Portage la Prairie and Dauphin.
The first school she attended was the most traumatic because she was a little girl ripped away from her culture and thrust into a new alien world. At the time, she did not speak English. Now she no longer speaks Dakota.
"I lost my Dakota language, and to this day I dont speak it," Pompana said. "I still understand many words, but its difficult for me to do an entire sentence."
She had many bad experiences at the school, and survivors share these traumatic experiences. Pompana said she will always feel the effects of these encounters because she can never erase the memories from her mind.
She grows more optimistic each day now, because Indigenous peoples experiences are being heard and honoured across the country.
"Were getting more encouraged to find our voices," Pompana said. "Were all coming together and were finding each other as support."
It has been encouraging to see the way the country rally around residential survivors this year. She added she is proud of Brandon, a city she has lived in since 1962, for ensuring space was made available to help in healing and share stories to create awareness in the city.
These events mark a step toward healing and understanding. She hopes these activities lead to ideas and recommendations on how to move forward with reconciliation.
"The big part is to continue with our healing journey," Pompana said.
For those affected by the recent discovery of unmarked graves at former residential schools, the National Indian Residential School Crisis Line is available 24-7 at 1-866-925-4419.
ckemp@brandonsun.com
Twitter: @The_ChelseaKemp
Sioux Valley Dakota Nation has planned a series of events commemorating the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation today.
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FILE Sioux Valley Dakota Nation Chief Jennifer Bone.
Sioux Valley Dakota Nation has planned a series of events commemorating the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation today.
Sioux Valley Chief Jennifer Bone said the events at Grand Valley Provincial Park are focused on healing, while honouring children lost to the residential school system and survivors who live with ongoing trauma.
"Were always taking steps towards reconciliation with the Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations," Bone said. "Whats important is that we take time to reflect and look back on the Truth and Reconciliation (Commission) and their 94 Calls to Action to further reconciliation."
Unfinished work remains from the calls to action and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Final Report, Bone said, and she hopes those who engage with the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation will look up resources, engage with the history of Indigenous people, reach out to Indigenous communities and continue discussions on how to further the reconciliation process.
"Take the time to spend time with elders, hear their stories and understand all those impacts that have brought us to where we are today," Bone said.
It will be ongoing work to progress in reconciliation, she added, and it will take active participation from all Canadians.
Sioux Valley has planned a series of events for members and invited guests to commemorate the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
The day starts with a ceremony at 10 a.m. at the former Brandon Indian Residential School site. Presentations will follow at 11 a.m., and a feast begins at noon. A round dance is set to take place at 3 p.m.
It is mandatory to register at the Grand Valley site before entering the event, and all Manitoba public health orders will be in place. Registration opens at 9:30 a.m.
The ceremony will include elders and an opening prayer accompanied by a local drum group.
The service will focus on the children sent to residential schools, unmarked graves across the country and the lingering harmful effects of the residential school system in Indigenous communities.
The presentation following the ceremony will feature a short video clip on truth and reconciliation of Murray Sinclair, a former senator and chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The video will be followed by a presentation from Katherine Nichols, a University of Manitoba researcher who has spent the last nine years uncovering key details of unmarked graves at the former Brandon residential school site.
The day will finish with a reading of childrens names.
Bone said she hopes Canadians engage with the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation so they can better understand and acknowledge the history of residential schools and the long-standing challenges that impact Indigenous people through intergenerational trauma.
"Those harmful effects still linger today," Bone said. "We still face those challenges and we still continue to advocate for healing for our communities and our Indigenous people."
Having a public commemoration of the painful history of residential schools and the systems ongoing impacts is a huge component of the reconciliation process, she said.
However, taking the time to acknowledge these experiences has an emotional impact on communities and survivors.
"It will bring those painful memories that they have of residential schools," Bone said.
Survivors stories have always been known in Indigenous communities, and Sioux Valley has hosted several gatherings and sessions to promote healing, reflection and the sharing of circles.
"Its great to see that more people are joining in and acknowledging that to the point the government has set aside a whole day to acknowledge that," Bone said.
Bone encouraged Westman residents to participate in other Truth and Reconciliation events taking place today, including the events hosted by the Brandon Urban Aboriginal Peoples Council at the Riverbank Discovery Centre.
"We can be united as part of reconciliation," Bone said. "Were acknowledging the work thats being done and the efforts towards reconciliation."
For those affected by the discovery of unmarked graves at former residential schools, the National Indian Residential School Crisis Line is available 24-7 at 1-866-925-4419.
ckemp@brandonsun.com
Twitter: @The_ChelseaKemp
From kindergarten to Grade 8, students at Meadows School on Wednesday morning worked together on a special art project in honour of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
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CHELSEA KEMP/THE BRANDON SUN Meadows School students participate in National Day for Truth and Reconciliation art projects Wednesday.
From kindergarten to Grade 8, students at Meadows School on Wednesday morning worked together on a special art project in honour of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Each classroom was assigned one of the Seven Sacred Teachings, and students used the Indigenous art form of pointillism to create their own piece. The teachings are each symbolized by an animal: Love (eagle), respect (buffalo), courage (bear), honesty (sabe/sasquatch), wisdom (beaver), humility (wolf) and truth (turtle).
"Today, we are concentrating on celebrating (Indigenous) culture," said guidance counsellor Alicia DeDecker. There are larger posters representing each of the seven teachings, which will be surrounded by smaller ones to create meaningful murals throughout the school.
"It will all come together to make a really large school art project that we can display on our walls in recognition of the day," DeDecker said.
Wednesday was orange shirt day at Meadows, and students and staff alike were donning the bright T-shirts as a symbol that "Every Child Matters." In front of the school is a memorial for the children who lost their lives at residential schools, with orange hearts, shoes and stuffed animals on display.
Grade 8 student Kale Jones created a footprint representing honesty. He said it took him about three art classes to complete the detailed painting, using Q-tips and dots. Kendra Grift, whos also in Grade 8, created a wolf and said it was interesting to learn about the symbolism and the Indigenous art technique.
Norah Pieronis Grade 5/6 students also had the sabe or sasquatch. She spoke to them about the importance of being proud, being yourself and living with integrity.
CHELSEA KEMP/THE BRANDON SUN Meadows School Grade 5/6 student Cache A. works on a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation art project Wednesday.
"Also talking about truth and reconciliation, and what it means," she said. "Truth is what happened, and reconciliation is what we would like to do, quickly. We went through the [Truth and Reconciliation Commissions] ... calls to action and theres a time limit. We want it within this generation and everyone can play a part."
Talking about Canadas history of residential schools and marking Truth and Reconciliation Week is important for everybody Indigenous and non-Indigenous, Pieroni added.
In the multicultural school, Pieroni said, they want everyone to feel seen, appreciated and important.
"Things might be hard in any situation, but were trying to have a positive attitude and right the wrongs. Everybody has power, and treat everybody fairly."
The art project is just one part of this weeks events at Meadows School. On Tuesday, a special presentation was shown, along with a video that was prepared for a virtual assembly. Staff members met Kevin Tacan, an Indigenous knowledge keeper, as well as Indigenous youth leaders.
"Pre-COVID, we may have even taken the kids out there, but we have to kind of think outside the box to make sure that theyre getting the same messages delivered in their safe school environment," DeDecker said.
A video was filmed, discussing the history of the site, inter-generational trauma and how to move forward in a positive way. The video also included an Indigenous dance at the Brandon University teepees, performed by a Meadows student.
Principal Dave Lim said due to COVID-19, they had to think of different ways to mark this important week, as previously they would host large assemblies with performers brought in.
"To come up with a plan to do it virtually and go to a location and have the people tell their personal stories, it was very moving," he said. "And for me, I learned so much from it, and Im sure our school community did, too."
Lim said the hope is that these types of events help to create a sense of belonging for all Meadows students.
"It helps create that sense of community and that sense of belonging, that other students understand their story more."
DeDecker said another important aspect is to share what it means to be a non-Indigenous ally. She hopes all students had a moment of connection in the presentation, and take time to reflect during the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
She added that opening up conversations like this with students is important, "even though theyre hard and even though theyre heavy for some of our young kids."
Allowing students to ask pointed questions in a safe environment is meaningful, and the goal is to "answer them appropriately in ways that they can understand and ways that honour the Indigenous culture."
Jillian Austin is a Local Journalism Initiative freelance writer and a real estate agent with Century 21 Westman Realty.
jillianaustin.news@gmail.com
Twitter: @jillianaustin
On the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, dozens of hand drummers formed a circle around a powwow arbour at Tkemlups te Secwepemc Nation in British Columbia and they sang loud and proud.
On the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, dozens of hand drummers formed a circle around a powwow arbour at Tkemlups te Secwepemc Nation in British Columbia and they sang loud and proud.
When the clock struck 2:14 p.m. Thursday, people in the crowd bowed their heads for one minute of silence punctuated briefly by the sounds of children as a way to honour residential school survivors, their families and those who never returned home.
The time was chosen because of what are believed to be 215 unmarked graves detected earlier this year at the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School near the First Nation.
An honour song, which included drumming and singing, was then played.
Evelyn Camille, who spent a decade at the Kamloops school, said she had mixed feelings about the day.
"It is growing awareness, but how is it going to help (survivors) now as part of our healing ... they can't give me back the 10 years that were taken away. The pain is still there," she said.
CP The Peace tower and other government buildings in the nations capital are lit orange on the eve of the first National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, Wednesday, September 29, 2021 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Camille was forced to cook and clean and had to steal food in order to survive. She left the school with a Grade 4 level of education.
She said she worked hard to regain her identity, language, culture and ceremonies that were taken away from her as a child.
Tkemlups te Secwepemc Chief Rosanne Casimir told reporters that steps toward reconciliation demand "honesty and transparency." She repeated calls for full disclosure of church and government records and information related to residential institutions.
Assembly of First Nations National Chief RoseAnne Archibald was also at the ceremony.
"This is a day to honour the survivors, the intergenerational survivors and the victims of these institutions of assimilation and genocide," said Archibald.
"We will actually continue to find and recover our little children in the coming years. We're at the beginning of this process ... Now is the time for accountability in action."
The federal government announced in June the new statutory holiday would take place every Sept. 30. It built on the momentum of the grassroots-led Orange Shirt Dayto commemorate the history and ongoing impacts of the church-run institutions where Indigenous children were torn from their families and abused.
Shoes are placed on the lawn outside the former Kamloops Indian Residential School to honour 215 children after it was announced that ground-penetrating radar had detected unmarked graves near the facility in Kamloops, B.C., on June 4, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
The day is a direct response to a call to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Elsewhere across the country, communities and cities recognized the day with events and ceremonies.
On the Cowessess First Nation in southern Saskatchewan, where children attended the Marieval Indian Residential School until the mid-'90s, Chief Cadmus Delorme said the day is about healing.
Cowessess is another First Nation that reported finding unmarked graves or burial sites at a former school using ground-penetrating radar. In June, it said 751 graves were believed to have been located.
"The truth is going to be really tough. Even for Indigenous people, the trust is hard to acknowledge because of the pain. But we can't have reconciliation without truth. Today is a day for people to come together," said Delorme.
On Parliament Hill, there was a sea of orange as thousands gathered on the lawn in front of the Peace Tower for a morning ceremony under a bright, blue sky.
Algonquin Anishinabe elder Claudette Commanda said it was a day to reflect and honour those who never came home.
Tk'emlups te Secwepemc Kukpi7 (Chief) Rosanne Casimir speaks during a news conference ahead of a ceremony to honour residential school survivors and mark the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, in Kamloops, BC., on Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021. What are believed to be the remains of 215 children were discovered buried near the former Kamloops Indian Residential School earlier this year. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
"Two-hundred and fifteen little voices woke the country," she said. "From the moment those little ones went into the ground, they were speaking in spirit. They knew there would come a day that we would all hear their voices. And let us hold those children in our heart forevermore."
In Montreal, people took part in a march that began next to an empty pedestal in a downtown park where a statue of Canada's first prime minister, John A. Macdonald, one of the architects of the residential school system, was toppled last year.
Maggie Chittspattio, a member of the Naskapi Nation in northern Quebec, said she marched for all the children who died at residential schools and for her mother, who was sent to boarding school against her will.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the day is to reflect on the painful and lasting impacts of residential schools and to honour survivors, their families and their communities.
It is estimated more than 150,000 First Nations, Inuit and Metis children were forced to attend roughly 140 schools that operated across the country beginning in 1831. The last residential school in Canada closed in 1996.
The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation has documented more approximately 4,200 children who died at residential schools, but estimates there could be thousands more.
The Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line is available 24 hours a day for anyone experiencing pain or distress as a result of his or her residential school experiences. The number is 1-866-925-4419.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 30, 2021.
With files from Mickey Djuric at Cowessess First Nation, Morgan Lowrie in Montreal and Mia Rabson in Ottawa.
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This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
WINNIPEG - Family members of a three-year-old boy who was stabbed while he slept in his bed hugged and cried outside a Winnipeg courtroom Wednesday night after his accused killer was found guilty.
People drum at a vigil for Hunter Smith-Straight, a three-year-old who was allegedly stabbed by his mother's boyfriend and taken off life support, outside Winnipeg's Childrens Hospital, Friday, Nov. 1, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods
WINNIPEG - Family members of a three-year-old boy who was stabbed while he slept in his bed hugged and cried outside a Winnipeg courtroom Wednesday night after his accused killer was found guilty.
A jury deliberated for about seven hours before convicting Daniel Jensen of first-degree murder in the death of his former girlfriend's son, Hunter Smith-Straight, in 2019.
Jensen, 34, automatically gets a life sentence with no chance of parole for 25 years.
As the jury members delivered their unanimous verdict, several members of the child's family wiped tears from their eyes. One also hugged a Crown prosecutor as they left the court.
The boy's mother and other relatives declined to comment. A judge is to hear some of their victim impact statements on Friday.
The trial heard that Hunter was stabbed six times in the head and neck.
A relative found him injured in his bed. He was later taken off life support in hospital.
Prosecutors had argued that Jensen attacked Hunter as a way to get back at the boy's mother after they got into a violent argument.
The defence told the jury that no one witnessed the attack and the killer could have been someone else in the home.
Police testified Jensen was considered a suspect early on in the investigation.
He had been in an on-and-off-again relationship with Clarice Smith for about seven months. At the time of the attack, Jensen was bound by a court order not to have contact with her.
But the trial heard that Jensen and Smith spent the evening of Oct. 29, 2019, together visiting lounges and a casino with Smith's sister and her partner.
The couple fought violently that night, and witnesses testified that Jensen threatened to have Hunter taken away from Smith.
Prosecutors said Jensen became upset with Smith when she told him she was moving with Hunter to Manigotagan, a community about 190 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg. Smith told Jensen he was not welcome to come with them.
Video surveillance presented at the trial showed Jensen kneeing and punching Smith before he left a bar in the city's North End by himself.
Court heard Jensen made the short walk home to an upstairs suite of a duplex where he and Smith lived with Hunter and one of Smith's nephews. Several members of Smith's family also lived in the downstairs suite.
Crown prosecutor Jennifer Mann told the jury that Jensen wanted to hurt Smith in the most "cruel and permanent" way possible by taking her only child.
She said he stabbed the sleeping toddler before fleeing the house. The boy's blood was also found on Jensen's clothes.
Bruce Bonney, Jensen's lawyer, argued someone else in the home could have attacked the boy.
He said his client had returned to the house to find Hunter already injured and that's how the blood got on his clothing.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Sept. 29, 2021.
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This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
OTTAWA - The families of Canadians trapped in northern Syria are asking the Federal Court to force Ottawa to help them.
In this Thursday, March 12, 2020, photo, a boy stands inside a house destroyed by an airstrike, in Idlib, Syria. The families of Canadians trapped in northern Syria are asking the Federal Court to force the government to help them. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Felipe Dana
OTTAWA - The families of Canadians trapped in northern Syria are asking the Federal Court to force Ottawa to help them.
The 11 families say in a court filing that the government's refusal to step in amounts to breaches of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Citizenship Act and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, among other statutes.
The application was submitted on behalf of several Canadians with relatives, including more than a dozen children, trapped in Syria, and calls on the court to order the government to take "all reasonable steps" to repatriate them.
The trapped Canadians are among the estimated thousands of foreign nationals held in camps in northern Syria by Kurdish forces that won back the war-torn region from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
The Kurds suspected many of them of being ISIL sympathizers, but the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights and the organization Human Rights Watch say they are innocent victims caught up in Syria's civil war and have denounced the Canadian government for not repatriating them, as some European countries have done with their citizens.
"Despite their repeated pleas for help, the Canadian government has left them to languish indefinitely in degrading and inhumane conditions. It's deeply troubling that these detainees and their families in Canada would have to resort to taking their government to court to end this paralysis," said Farida Deif, head of the Canadian branch of Human Rights Watch.
The applicants in the court filing are not named to protect their security, but one relative is speaking out about her sister, who is on a life-threatening hunger strike and desperately needs medical attention.
The Canadian branch of Human Rights Watch is also drawing attention to the plight of the woman, identified as Kimberly Polman, being held in one of the squalid camps rife with COVID-19 and unsanitary conditions.
"Her life and the lives of more than 40 other Canadians are on the line," said Deif. "Prime Minister Trudeau has the power to bring these Canadians home. He just needs to find the moral courage to do so."
Polman's sister, who spoke to The Canadian Press on condition of anonymity because she fears reprisals against her family, said she wrote to Global Affairs Canada last week to say her sister is suffering from hepatitis and failing kidneys and won't live much longer if she does not receive help.
The woman described her sister as a troubled woman who was suffering from post-traumatic stress and facing other challenges about six years ago, and who surprised her family by turning up in Syria.
According to her sister, Polman apparently met a man online who was an ISIL fighter and married him, though they soon separated. She was later thrown in prison.
"All of this was a shock to our family. I had no idea that she would ever entertain this," Polman's sister said in an interview Thursday. "She was going through a really hard time ... but I had no idea."
John Babcock, a spokesman for Global Affairs Canada, said the government is talking with Syrian and Kurdish authorities for information on the Canadians in the region. The government is "particularly concerned with cases of Canadian children in the region," he added.
"Given the security situation on the ground, the government of Canada's ability to provide consular assistance in Syria is extremely limited."
The government cannot comment on specific cases because of privacy concerns, said Babcock.
Last year, the Canadian government repatriated a five-year-old orphaned girl, but Ottawa has not committed to helping more of the trapped Canadians return.
Polman's sister said her sibling has denounced ISIL publicly, which has made her life much more perilous within the camp. She said her sister was brainwashed by ISIL, which she described as a cult. She suggested her sister's plight should serve as a cautionary tale for helping people who suffer mental illness.
"We need to pay better attention to people who are struggling ... so that they get the help they need."
Nothing her sister has done should deprive her of the right to receive help from her government in her time of need, the woman said.
"None of us have citizenship by merit. All of us have citizenship because we were born into it or we were given it," she said.
"And so, on the basis of her being a Canadian citizen, and a human being, she deserves to be to be granted all the rights and privileges of being a sensitive human being in our world, just like anyone else."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 30, 2021.
MIRAMICHI, N.B. - Video evidence and witness testimony at the inquest into the police shooting of Rodney Levi revealed Thursday that in the span of 37 seconds the New Brunswick man was Tasered three times and shot twice in the chest.
Steven Ward, an addictions counsellor who was a lifelong friend of Rodney Levi, arrives at a coroner's inquest into Levi's death in Miramichi, N.B., Thursday, Sept.30, 2021. Ward says there was a lack of mental health services for the Indigenous man on the day he was shot dead by police in northern New Brunswick last year. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Kevin Bissett
MIRAMICHI, N.B. - Video evidence and witness testimony at the inquest into the police shooting of Rodney Levi revealed Thursday that in the span of 37 seconds the New Brunswick man was Tasered three times and shot twice in the chest.
Daniel Bell of Renous, N.B., testified that on June, 12, 2020 he was visiting the home of a pastor when he was told someone had knives and police had been called. Bell said he was inside the kitchen of the house in Sunny Corner, N.B., when two RCMP officers arrived.
The witness told the inquest into the Indigenous man's death that he was not able to hear what was being said outside the closed window, but at one point he did hear an officer say, Drop the knives. Bell said he took out his phone to shoot video when he saw an officer pull out a stun gun.
The 37-second video shows Levi being jolted by the stun gun and dropping the knives. He then picks them up, and as he stands is shot twice, falling to the ground. There is a distinctive pop-pop sound.
Before the video was played for the inquest, many of Levis family members including his 72-year-old mother Mary Ann Francis left the room. Those who remained gasped as the video played, and some bolted from the room crying.
The shooting occurred outside the home of Brodie MacLeod, next to the Boom Road Pentecostal Church where he was pastor.
MacLeod told the inquiry that Levi, a member of his congregation, showed up at around 5 p.m. that day asking to talk. "He was erratic, pacing, not his typical self," MacLeod said. The pastor said he had seen such behaviour before and concluded Levi was under the influence of something.
He said Levi, who was from the Metepenagiag First Nation, talked about wanting to move out west but said if that wasnt successful, hed want to "end things." MacLeod said he invited Levi to stay for supper. He said Levi later went inside, and then he heard someone say "Knife, knife, hes got a knife."
MacLeod's wife called police and two officers arrived a short time later and began talking with Levi, who was on the back deck. MacLeod said Levi became agitated and refused to put down the weapons, and that's when an officer fired a stun gun at Levi.
"The first Taser bounced off of him and he laughed and said, 'Youre going to have to put a bullet in me,' " MacLeod testified.
He said the second jolt had some impact, and on the third Levi dropped a knife, picked it up and lunged towards the second officer who had his gun pulled. "Thats when he was shot," MacLeod said.
Earlier Thursday, an addictions counsellor and lifelong friend of Levi testified that Levi didn't get the mental health help he needed before the incident that led to his death.
Steven Ward told the inquest that he had spoken with Levi a number of times the day he died. Ward had been working as a fisheries officer at the time because the treatment centre in nearby Eel Ground, N.B., where he was also employed, was closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said Levi seemed upbeat about plans to move to Western Canada for work and to get away from the influence of drugs. An autopsy confirmed Levi, 48, had amphetamine and methamphetamine in his body at the time of the shooting.
Ward told the five-member coroner's jury he is a former addict, and he said there is a need for community-based services to help people with mental health and addiction issues.
"It's got to start with the community healing itself," he told the inquest. He said Levi was reaching out for help but had not been able to get it.
He said he believes Levi's death could have been avoided. "I don't believe Rodney should be dead," Ward said. "I believe those officers should be taught in de-escalating."
Dr. Syed Ahmed, an emergency room physician, described for the inquest efforts made to save Levi's life. He testified that paramedics reported no signs of life for 41 minutes, adding that advanced CPR was done for another 30 minutes before Levi was declared dead. He had been shot twice in the chest.
The shooting was investigated by Quebec's police watchdog, the Bureau des enquetes independantes, which submitted a report to New Brunswick prosecutors in December. It determined the officers on the scene believed Levi was using force against them. Levi had been wielding two knives, and officers shot him to protect themselves and others, the probe concluded.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 30, 2021.
REGINA - Saskatchewan recorded its highest daily case count of COVID-19 and its highest number of people needing intensive care, as a member of the government caucus resigned for ''misrepresenting her vaccination status."
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe speaks at a press conference at the legislature building in Regina, Thursday, March 25, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Michael Bell
REGINA - Saskatchewan recorded its highest daily case count of COVID-19 and its highest number of people needing intensive care, as a member of the government caucus resigned for ''misrepresenting her vaccination status."
Premier Scott Moe said he accepted Thursday the resignation of Nadine Wilson, who has represented the constituency of Saskatchewan Rivers since 2007.
She will remain as an MLA but will be considered an Independent in the legislature.
Moe said the remaining 47 members of the Saskatchewan Party caucus are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
At a news conference in Saskatoon, Moe said information about Wilson came to light as the province moved toward its proof-of-vaccination policy for government staff, which starts Friday.
Caucus chair David Buckingham said that in the spring, he was given verbal confirmation that all caucus members were vaccinated.
"The process was for me to find out before the Oct. 1 deadline for vaccinations that I would find out that all of our members are in compliance. So, I asked to actually see it a paper version of their vaccination status," he said at the news conference with Moe.
"And that's when we found out that one of our members was not indeed vaccinated, and so that had to be dealt with."
Wilson said in an email Thursday that she can "no longer support the direction of the Saskatchewan Party government or follow the government with true conviction regarding the current health situation."
"I believe in the fundamental values of freedom of personal choice, voluntary informed consent, without the element of duress or coercion," she said.
The province reported 601 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday and there were 72 people in intensive care both figures are the highest since the pandemic began last year.
There were 4,669 active cases and 307 people in hospital with the virus. Ten more people died of COVID-19, bringing the provincial total to 695.
Of all the provinces, Saskatchewan has the highest case rate in the last seven days and the highest death rate. Data compiled by Health Canada also shows Saskatchewan residents are four times more likely to die from COVID-19 than people in any other province except Alberta.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has promised to provide any supports necessary to help Saskatchewan with its growing COVID-19 crisis.
In a conversation Wednesday with Moe, the Prime Minister's Office said the two leaders spoke about Saskatchewan's COVID-19 cases, increasing vaccination efforts and what the province needs to overcome the fourth wave of the pandemic.
A statement from Ottawa said Trudeau reiterated that the federal government "remains ready to respond to any requests" from Saskatchewan for aid.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 30, 2021.
By Daniela Germano in Edmonton
OTTAWA - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau came under fire Thursday for spending part of Canada's first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation flying to Tofino, B.C., to join his family.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wraps residential school survivor and Inuk senior elder Levinia Brown in a blanket to keep her warm during a ceremony on Parliament Hill on the eve of the first National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, Wednesday, September 29, 2021, in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
OTTAWA - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau came under fire Thursday for spending part of Canada's first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation flying to Tofino, B.C., to join his family.
But his office denied Trudeau was taking a vacation on a day meant to commemorate the estimated 150,000 Indigenous children who were taken from their families and forced to attend residential schools.
Many of those children suffered physical and sexual abuse, malnutrition and neglect. More than 4,000 are believed to have died.
Spokesman Alex Wellstead said Trudeau spent "hours" on the phone Thursday speaking to survivors of the schools, "to hear their stories of trauma and healing, to hear their advice on the path forward."
Trudeau's itinerary for the day initially said he was in "private meetings" in Ottawa.
That was later updated on the Prime Minister's Office website to say he was in private meetings in Tofino. His office confirmed Trudeau went to Tofino to spend a few days with this family.
But Wellstead said just because Trudeau was in Tofino doesn't mean he spent the day lounging on the beach although Global BC did film him taking a walk along the beach at one point, refusing to comment.
While he will be taking some downtime with his family, Wellstead said Trudeau will continue working while in Tofino on other government business, including presumably putting together his new post-election cabinet.
However, a spokeswoman for Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole slammed Trudeau for using the day to travel to B.C.
"Truth and Reconciliation Day shouldnt be treated like a holiday but thats what Justin Trudeau did," said Chelsea Tucker.
"This is the pattern Canadians have come to know with Justin Trudeau. He says nice things about reconciliation but never follows through. As Prime Minister, Erin O'Toole will always mark this day with the respect and dignity it deserves."
O'Toole attended a Truth and Reconciliation Day ceremony Wednesday night on Parliament Hill, at which Trudeau and several survivors spoke about the importance of Canada coming to terms with its ugly history of residential schools.
Tucker said O'Toole spent Thursday in Ottawa "taking the opportunity to remember and honour the lost children and survivors of residential schools, their families, and their communities."
Wellstead said he hopes O'Toole took the opportunity to actually speak with some survivors, as Trudeau did.
He would not go into details of Trudeau's phone calls "because they were private calls with individuals."
But he said survivors "shared their heartbreaking stories of what they experienced and the lasting impacts. Some expressed hopefulness about the path forward and the importance of this day and the opportunity for Canadians to continue learning about our country."
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh attended an "orange shirt day" walk and ceremony Thursday outside Vancouver's Aboriginal Friendship Centre, according to a spokeswoman.
Parliament passed a bill last June to create an annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation each Sept. 30. It is a statutory holiday for federal workers but the Trudeau government has said it's intended to be a day of reflection, akin to Remembrance Day, not just a day off.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 30, 2021.
The energy crisis engulfing the UK and Europe is being driven by the global shortages and soaring costs of gas and oil. In China, its coal-driven and is largely the result of decisions made in China.
Two-thirds of Chinas provinces are now rationing power. Factories have closed or have reduced production. Households are going dark and street lights have been turned off. Demand for candles has soared. The impact on food processors is creating a threat to food security.
There is no simple solution for Chinas energy crisis. Credit:AP
Heading into a winter that is typically extremely cold, China is facing threats to its people and its economy that have no quick or easy solutions.
While there is some commonality in the issues confronting the UK, Europe and China the interaction of responses to climate change with a shortage of oil and gas supply relative to the rebound in demand as the world bounces back from the worst impacts of the pandemic (and the consequent surge in LNG and oil prices) the core elements of Chinas difficulties are homegrown.
Several large firms in the Zhejiang textile hub have been shut until the end of this month. Others are facing de facto triage based on relative energy use. With market attention now laser-focused on Evergrande and Beijings unprecedented curbs on the property sector, another major supply-side shock may have been underestimated or even missed, said Ting Lu, China strategist at Nomura. Loading The Japanese bank expects Chinas economy to contract by 0.2 per cent this quarter and barely eke out any growth over the rest of the year. That is a double-dip recession with Chinese characteristics. It is puzzling that global markets have been so insouciant about a power crisis in Asias anchor economy. The slowdown is happening just as fiscal stimulus fades in Europe and America, and as Western central banks start to tighten in the face of incipient stagflation and a rising misery index.
What can possibly go wrong in global equity markets still at nosebleed P/E ratios? While this column does not give investment advice, as a personal precaution I have liquidated most of my modest salarymans portfolio and intend to ride out the early autumn with 80 per cent in cash until risk and reward come back into plausible alignment. Nor am I buying Anglo-Saxon or eurozone safe-haven bonds, given rising structural deficits and the imminent retreat of the chief buyers amid so much debt issuance. The auction of two-year US treasuries was a shocker, the worst cover ratio since December 2008. Talk of a Chinese Lehman moment as developer Evergrande collapses with $US309 billion of debts has obscured the greater danger. Xi Jinping has deliberately precipitated a crunch in Chinas encephalitic property sector via his three red lines, deeming a purge necessary to safeguard social order and prevent the further misallocation of resources. Construction accounts for a quarter of Chinese GDP and half of the worlds diggers, cranes and cement mixing. It diverts funds from the green, hi-tech, robotics, AI, cloud computing, and advanced semiconductors sectors, where the struggle for superpower mastery is really taking place. Markets have largely shrugged off the energy woes. Credit:NYSE Beijings determination to suppress the whole property sector, not the fallout of Evergrande, is what represents the major near-term risk to Chinas growth and financial stability, said Ting Lu. Land sales were down 64 per cent in August from a year ago - the leading indicator of the building industry.
Xi has brought forward a denouement bound to happen because Chinas workforce is shrinking by 3 million a year, marriages have fallen by a third in seven years, household formation has slowed and rural migration has all but ended. Buyers will be progressively scarcer, rendering the developer model of pre-selling homes to cover past costs a slow-motion Ponzi scheme. The property crunch is compounded by a parallel squeeze on carbon. Xi has promised peak CO2 emissions by 2030, a 25 per cent cut per unit of GDP by 2025, and a 3 per cent cut in energy intensity this year. He knows that China is paying a high credibility price for foot-dragging as Europe and the US launch green deals, and may soon face a carbon border tax in its top markets if it is not careful. Loading Energy-saving edicts are raining down. Party cadres have been mobilised to pursue CO2 crimes, and are reportedly doing so with the zeal of the Cultural Revolution. The state planner (NDRC) says 20 Chinese provinces have failed to meet this years goals on cutting energy intensity. Nomura says nine have received level 1 warnings, including Guangdong and Jiangsu, 35 per cent of Chinas economy between them. Woe betide the party officials responsible.
The steel, cement and aluminium industries face production caps by the industry ministry (MIIT). They stole part of their allowance over the first half and must cut back this half to compensate. That means drastic falls in steel output. It has already begun and is hammering iron ore prices, along with miners such as Vale and BHP. Chinas energy crunch is happening for much the same reasons as in Europe. COVID upset the rhythms of the global fuel market. The weather was extreme: drought hit hydropower and the hot summer boosted air conditioning. The result was an explosion in demand for coal and gas. Chinas coal levels are dangerously low. Credit:Bloomberg The cost of liquefied natural gas in Shanghai reached $US26 per mmBtu, luring away shipments that would otherwise have gone to Europe to replenish depleted inventories. China is now the worlds biggest LNG importer. In August it bought 6.4 million tonnes, compared to 4.9 million in Europe and Turkey combined (ICIS data). Put another way, Britains gas crisis is a function of Chinas industrial cycle.
Yuriy Vitrenko, Ukraines gas and pipeline chief, told me over the weekend that demand destruction is already working its brutal cure and that global gas prices have probably peaked. That might seem hard to believe with storage so perilously low. The futures market for UK contracts show prices continuing to rise in seasonal contango, hitting 187 pence per therm in January. Loading But markets roll over when you least expect. I dont wish to pick on Goldman Sachs, and agree that depressed investment in upstream oil and gas implies a fossil supercycle in the early 2020s. But I watch with a jaundiced eye as the bank raises its crude oil forecast to $US90 this year, in part citing gas to oil switching for power plants. Goldman issued its infamous $US200 call for crude in 2008 at the exact top of the price spike. We now know that core Europe was already in recession by then and that Americas sub-prime debacle was nearing its climax, with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac already crumbling. If China is slowing as hard as some suspect, it will do the world a big favour and head off a political crisis in Europe and the UK this winter. No elected government can easily survive loss of control over energy security. Nor should it.
Los Angeles: A lawyer for Jamie Spears has denounced a Los Angeles judges decision to suspend him as conservator of his daughter Britney Spears $US60 million ($83 million) estate.
LA Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny removed Jamie Spears from the role on Wednesday, local time, and set a November court date to consider whether to terminate the 13-year-old legal arrangement. The judge replaced him temporarily with an accountant suggested by Britney Spears attorney.
A lawyer for Jamie Spears, left, said the outcome was disappointing, and frankly, a loss for Britney Spears. Credit:AP
Respectfully, the court was wrong to suspend Mr Spears, put a stranger in his place to manage Britneys estate, and extend the very conservatorship that Britney begged the court to terminate earlier this summer, Vivian Thoreen, a lawyer for Jamie Spears, said in a statement on Thursday.
The outcome was disappointing, and frankly, a loss for Britney Spears, Thoreen said.
Chelsea Wilsons podcast about women in music, Control, was never supposed to be specifically about the pandemic she started producing it in 2020 while on maternity leave but the conversation is unavoidable.
Few industries have been hit harder by COVID-19 than music as its proponents find themselves adrift with little assistance to make up for the income they are losing.
Its just incredibly far-reaching the impacts are layers and layers deep, the Melbourne musician says. It just creeps into every conversation.
Musician and broadcaster Chelsea Wilsons podcast, Control, is about women in the music industry. Credit:Justin McManus
Musicians are resilient and as the last 18 months have proven often underappreciated. One thing I hope comes out of this period is more appreciation for the arts, Wilson says. What we have seen in between the lockdowns is a lot of local gigs selling out and doing really well, because people really want to hear music. It would be great to see Australian media step up and support local artists, and for our government to look at an increase of relief packages for artists.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size What a day it is. A cloudless spring afternoon at Mackenzies Point, a flat shelf of rock poking out over the Pacific Ocean on the jagged southern headland between Sydneys Bondi and Tamarama beaches. Tourists flock to this lookout, snapping selfies against a perfect, uninterrupted stretch of horizon where vivid blue sky meets deep blue ocean. On a perfect day just like this one in 1982, Elton John came to shoot a video for his hit song Blue Eyes, his white grand piano standing in the middle of this clifftop perch, encircled by a low stone wall. Less than eight years later, this same spot would be the site of a horrific murder, the bare rock flecked with blood stains leading to the edge of the precipice. Scattered nearby were a pair of tinted prescription glasses, a light blue handkerchief smudged with red, a mans wristwatch with a broken band, two keys on a ring and a page from a letter between mother and son the belongings of a whippet-thin Thai man with floppy black hair called Kritchikorn Rattanajurathaporn. On a frigid night in July, 1990, Kritchikorn, 31, stumbled here in a blood-soaked shirt, woozy from concussion after he and his companion, Geoffrey Sullivan, were subject to a savage Clockwork Orange-like attack by three young men wielding a claw hammer, a pipe and their fists. Sullivan was left lying in a pool of blood nearby; Kritchikorn, who had only arrived in Australia four months before, was chased along the cliff edge where he was either pushed or lost his footing, landing on a narrow ledge some metres below, before over a period of hours falling to another ledge. Here he would lie shivering, drifting in and out of consciousness, before turning and falling into the choppy waters below, where he would gasp for air for frantic seconds before drowning. Two days would pass before police divers discovered Kritchikorns body wedged between rocks below the surface. As our five-episode podcast Bondi Badlands, which launches today, explains, Kritchikorn was one of three men murdered on this headland in 1989 and 1990; it was also the scene of a number of assaults, a rape, a miraculous escape and a much earlier mysterious disappearance. The unvarnished fact is that late at night, Marks Park, a grassy verge capping the headland and the concrete pathway skirting the cliff face, had been a gay beat a place where homosexual men would socialise and hook up since at least the late 1920s. Gangs like the Bondi Boys (otherwise known by their graffiti tag PTK, or People that Kill) would prowl here, carrying out brazen acts of violence; its likely that at least a few were serial offenders; perpetrators of an anti-gay murder spree that swept across Sydney at the time. This is no simple whodunnit; it involves a tangled tale of hate crimes involving multiple suspects, gangs comprising up to 30 members, some of whom circulated among other gangs across Sydney, composing a dark mosaic of murder. Teenage boys represented the bulk of these killers, but there were young women, too. As our podcast shows, these types of homicide cases are among the toughest to solve. Kritchikorns slaying was one of the few at the time to receive a thorough police investigation. We will never know if he was still alive as he lay on that ledge, unconscious and out of view, after police arrived. In this case, at least, he was awarded a competent murder investigation by Detective Sergeant Steve McCann of Waverley police, resulting in his three killers being brought to justice and serving time in prison. This is a lot more than can be said for the other men killed here, or for that matter, the vast majority of other murders of gay men blighting Sydney at the time.
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Almost a year to the day earlier, on another freezing night in July 1989, Ross Warren, a handsome, charismatic weatherman and newsreader from WIN-TV in Wollongong, vanished on this headland in the early hours of a Saturday morning. The 25-year-old left a few clues behind his chocolate-brown Nissan, parked on a nearby street, his wallet tucked away in the glove box, and a thick clump of his keys, attached to a brass ring, discovered by two of his friends in a honeycombed rock face a couple of days later. Warrens mysterious disappearance drew a frenzy of media attention, but even this wasnt enough to drive a proper investigation by Bondi police. Within three weeks of Warrens disappearance, which is the focus of the first episode of our podcast Bondi Badlands, the senior detective coordinating the so-called investigation closed the case without a body being found, although he speculated it might wash up on a shoreline. Earlier, on this long afternoon spent with the dead, I stopped at another point on the concrete pathway skirting the cliff face, past the Bondi Icebergs pool, surveying the rock platform 10 or more metres below. I fixed on the spot where a 31-year-old barman called John Russell landed after being dragged along the pathway and likely hurled over the cliff in the pre-dawn darkness of a hot November morning, only four months after Warren disappeared. I pictured Russell in the moonlight, surrounded by his attackers, knowing there was no way out, but fighting for grim life anyway. He had his best years ahead of him that night, having just inherited $100,000 from his maternal grandfather, whod run Clacks Cakes, a decades-old Bondi institution. Russell had been saying his farewells to Bondi: within days, he was to move to his dads property in Wollombi, in the Hunter Valley. Hed planned to build a kit home there and spend a year travelling around Australia. Credit:
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Back in the 1980s, Bondi was still known as a working-class area, albeit a rapidly gentrifying one: many locals paid rents in decaying art deco apartments with names like the Cairo Mansions or the Venice Flats, and street crime along the foreshore wasnt unusual. This is where John Russell grew up; hed long learnt to keep his wits about him. He was a man who exuded decency, warmth and strength, but he could also be handy with his fists in the bars along Oxford Street where he worked during much of his 20s, he was the first barman called on to remove drunk troublemakers. And on the night of his death, Russell put up a real fight: inflicting damage on one of his killers, evidenced by a bunch of blond hairs still clutched in his left hand when his body was found at the cliff base hairs containing the DNA of his murderer. Less than a year earlier, in December 1988, the body of a brilliant, 27-year-old mathematician from the US, Scott Johnson, was found at the base of cliffs at Manlys North Head. Like John Russells, Johnsons death was dismissed by police as not suspicious, as a likely suicide. Scotts brother Steve Johnson, a highly successful IT entrepreneur, hired investigative journalist Dan Glick in 2007 to look into the murder. What he unveiled was a shocking testament to continuing police inaction over three decades. Last year, Steve offered to match the existing million-dollar police reward for information leading to the conviction of those responsible for Scotts murder. Within a couple of months, a man from Sydneys Lane Cove, Scott White, was arrested for the murder. A pre-trial hearing is due to begin in January next year. White, who is now 50, has pleaded not guilty. Cliffs were the easiest weapon; you didnt have to carry anything with you. All you had to do was go to a certain location and hurt someone or push them off the edge. In what was perhaps another watershed moment this year, a 75-year-old man was arrested for the murder of Raymond Keam, a martial arts expert and father of two who was found beaten to death in January 1987 at Alison Park, Randwick, then a well-known gay beat in Sydneys east. Stanley Early, also known as Spider, has been extradited to NSW after he was arrested in south-east Melbourne in August; this followed a million-dollar reward offered some months earlier. (Rewards of $100,000 have also been offered for information leading to the killers of Ross Warren and John Russell, as well as a French man, Gilles Mattaini, who disappeared from the Bondi coastal stretch in 1985.) Its quite possible that there were other clifftop murders in and around Bondi, and across other locations on Sydneys northern beaches, in the years preceding the major thrill-kill years of the late 1980s. As Sue Thompson, a former state ombudsmans investigator who joined the police force in 1990 to coordinate its liaison with the gay and lesbian community, tells me in the podcast: Cliffs were the easiest weapon; you didnt have to carry anything with you. All you had to do was go to a certain location and hurt someone or push them off the edge. Things did not change magically in 1984 [when homosexuality was decriminalised in NSW]. In fact with the advent of AIDS, hate violence increased.
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For Thompson, becoming a liaison officer was deeply personal: one of her close friends had been murdered in a gay-hate killing only months before she took the role. The gay communitys mistrust of police at the time wasnt helping to quell the violence. Things did not change magically in 1984 [when homosexuality was decriminalised in NSW], Thompson outlined in one of her reports. In fact with the advent of AIDS, hate violence increased. It was my job to bring peace between police and the gay and lesbian communities and effect organisational change in police culture. If there remains any doubt that gay mens lives were seen as of less value at that time, look at how these murders were investigated by the Bondi police. Ross Warren? A four-page police statement on his disappearance was not even forwarded to the Missing Persons Unit. There were no comprehensive door-knocks, no record of police divers searching the headland after his disappearance, not even an appointed investigator, despite friends and colleagues insisting this was not a suicide. John Russell? His clothes were washed without any forensic analysis. The only person who gave evidence at the first inquest into his death in July 1990, which lasted all of 35 minutes, was a sergeant from Bondi police, who dismissed it as death by misadventure. Russells younger brother Peter strode out of the courtroom in disbelief and disgust. The Warren and Russell cases lay dormant. Then, on a brisk autumn day in 2000, a detective at Sydneys Paddington Police Station, Steve Page, was moved by a series of letters from Ross Warrens mother, Kay, who had one simple request: for her son to be officially declared dead, so she could tend to his affairs. As Sydney partied to the Olympics, Page created a new investigation code-named Taradale and began joining the dots between the two murders. Detective Steve Page led an investigation into the murders at Bondi, Operation Taradale, that would consume years of his life. He has since left the force. Credit:James Brickwood After 18 months of solid investigation, Page needed more witnesses to come forward and more public attention on the cases. He struck on the idea of staging a re-enactment of John Russells fall from the Bondi clifftops using a weighted, flexible dummy, and chose a quiet news day, a Sunday morning. As a result of the media attention, a handful of people came forward to tell their stories, among them a man who had been dragged to the cliff edge only a month after Russells death. Lets throw him off where we threw the other one off, one of his assailants had yelled, near the same spot Russell had met his fate. But the man, 22 at the time, had made a miraculous escape and lived to tell his story. Sadly, it was after this that another strange disappearance on the headland came to light, that of 27-year-old Gilles Mattaini. Lets throw him off where we threw the other one off, one of his assailants yelled.
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Operation Taradale rattled more than a few cages, and resulted in a coronial inquest in 2005. In her findings, deputy state coroner Jacqueline Milledge delivered a scathing assessment of the early police investigations into the murders of Russell and Warren, describing them as lacklustre, disgraceful and shameful to a packed courtroom while applauding Pages work in unveiling a dark web of hate. A dummy was thrown over the cliff at Bondi as a re-enactment of John Russells murder. The re-enactment made the evening news and resulted in new witnesses to the violence coming forward to police. In the late 1980s and early 90s, Sydneys gay and lesbian community was under siege (bashings and murders of gay men were also happening in Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide, but not on the same scale). Something, however, broke after the murder of Kritchikorn Rattanajurathaporn. The escalating violence brought a sea of angry protestors that filled Macquarie Street in front of state parliament. Activists splattered red paint over 11 city buildings, including state parliament, the Downing Centre court complex, and the headquarters of Channel 10 and The Sydney Morning Herald, then located in Jones Street, Ultimo. Self-defence classes were springing up in inner-city gyms and community groups, and a group of gay volunteers some of them former members of the army, navy and police force began foot patrols along Oxford Street and Darlinghurst Road. Oxford Street foot patrol in 1991. Credit:Reuters
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Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan has urged residents of his state not to fly off to overseas locations when the international border drops for New South Wales next month unless they want to spend a lot of time in Paris or NSW.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on Friday that states with 80 per cent vaccination rates would from next month be allowed to have international travel resume for citizens and permanent residents, with seven-day quarantine periods on return to Australia.
Mr Morrison said people who wanted to leave the country from jurisdictions other than NSW would need to do so knowing they may not be able to go back to their state.
Youll need to remain in New South Wales until they let you do that, he said.
Now, that is a matter for premiers. That is a matter for states as to how they manage that. But what Im not going to do is, Im not going to stop people coming back to Australia because other states and territories are where they are at.
Mr McGowan said if other states and territories currently blocked off to NSW and Victoria started to reach the 80 per cent mark before WA and opened up their interstate and international borders, then they too may be closed off.
He tried to dissuade West Australians thinking about travelling overseas via NSW in the near future.
My advice will be, dont do that unless you want to spend a long time in Paris, or you want to spend time in NSW, Mr McGowan said.
Even if the federal government allows for uncapped international travel back into WA it does not mean people would be able to quarantine for seven days at home on arrival.
Mr McGowan said the shorter quarantine period had not been endorsed yet by the nations chief health officers and it would be up to WA to set isolation rules in the state.
If we set rules about hotel quarantine, a lot of people wont want to do that, he said.
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Numerous outlets within Westfield Chermside, several Brisbane massage parlours and day spas, and a popular central Queensland airport are the latest additions to the COVID-19 exposure site list.
Queensland has recorded four local COVID-19 cases from almost 60,000 tests over the past three days, including zero new local cases on Sunday, meaning the lockdown threat has eased slightly.
A variety of Westfield Chermside shops in Brisbanes north have been listed as close and casual contact sites. Credit:Google Maps
The Chermside shopping centre exposure sites encompass Coles, Hanaromart Asian Grocery, Fresh Sensations and the butcher shop on Level 1, from 12.20pm-1.30pm on September 30.
New sites in Brisbanes Archerfield and Cannon Hill, including a Woolworths and a day spa, were also added.
Health experts are backing the Queensland governments decision not to throw the state into lockdown after multiple virus clusters arose at once, but say the threshold for doing so is approaching rapidly.
Queensland recorded six new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, four linked to the so-called aviation cluster and two others in separate individuals who had caught the virus interstate.
The corner of Albert and Elizabeth streets in Brisbanes CBD. An infectious case visited multiple sites in the vicinity recently. Credit:Tony Moore
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk had foreshadowed an important announcement at the morning press conference, raising speculation a lockdown would be announced.
However the state was spared, instead seeing level two restrictions imposed, including a cap of 30 people at private homes, a return of the four-square-metre rule for pubs and cafes, and a slashing of sport stadium capacities by 25 per cent, which means thousands of ticket-holders will miss Sundays NRL grand final.
A former clerk at a high-profile Brisbane law firm has avoided jail after co-operating with the police investigation and pleading guilty in court to defrauding his former employer out of more than $10,000.
Thomas William Strofield, 33, was one of three employees from Bosscher Lawyers charged as part of a Crime and Corruption Commission inquiry and he was initially accused of one count of fraud involving $30,000 or more, and eight counts of fraudulently producing or using false records.
Thomas Strofield leaves the Brisbane District Court on Thursday on probation after avoiding jail time. Credit:Toby Crockford
In the Brisbane District Court on Thursday, Strofield pleaded guilty to the single lesser charge of fraud by an employee, which carried a maximum sentence of 12 years prison.
The initial more severe fraud charge and eight other charges against him were withdrawn.
Mining wages in Western Australia have increased as much as 27 per cent for some professions in the past 18 months as companies fight for workers from a limited talent pool thanks to closed international and domestic borders and a bevy of projects.
Such is the demand and competition for workers that university graduates have received offers as high as $160,000 a year.
One WA university student was offered about $160,000 to take a graduate position with a mining company but turned it down.
The latest data from BDO Australias Remsmart national survey of the natural resources industry in June showed wages for some trades has increased by 12 to 15 per cent in the past 2 years.
BDO remuneration and reward services managing director Allan Feinberg said one of the most in-demand trades was heavy duty fitters, who could earn as much as $195,000 currently on a two weeks on, one week off roster.
Twenty-five years ago, the worst massacre by a single person in modern Australia occurred when a lone gunman shot and killed 35 people and injured 23 others.
The shooting, in Port Arthur, Tasmania, so horrified people that prime minister John Howard was able to pass sweeping gun control legislation in a matter of days.
Now, that moment in history has been fictionalised on screen in a controversial new film called Nitram, directed by Justin Kurzel.
The film has been widely acclaimed following its screening at the Cannes Film Festival in July but survivors of the shooting and families of the victims have complained the film shouldnt have been made and the killers actions should not be immortalised.
Australian Council of Trade Unions secretary Sally McManus has warned people to be careful of the organisations. These are fake unions run by LNP members and their associates set up to try and divide working people, Ms McManus told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. This amounts to an LNP-sponsored anti-vaccination campaign which will directly and needlessly cause working people to contract a deadly virus. ACTU secretary Sally McManus. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer States and territories including NSW, Victoria and Queensland have increasingly employed vaccine mandates for essential personnel such as aged care workers, healthcare staff and police to keep those people, and the often vulnerable Australians they interact with, healthy. The mandates have prompted intense public debate, with health experts such as Sydney University professor Julie Leask cautioning that mandates should only be used as a last resort because of supply issues and the risk of polarising people on the issue.
Although Red Union does not broadcast a blatant anti-vaccine message, its leaders have repeatedly cast doubt on coronavirus vaccines by emphasising that they are in a trial stage and saying further testing needs to happen. In a video shared by the Nurses Professional Association of Queensland online, a registered nurse, who said she would have to leave the profession because she did not want to get vaccinated, claimed COVID-19 jabs did not work. Its not even a vaccine, its not preventing the spread of illness, its not preventing you from getting sick, its not a vaccine, she said. We should not even be using this word ... Id prefer to use the term experimental biological agent because thats closer to the truth. Her claims are not backed by any health authority in Australia. Red Union director Jack McGuire said he was not responsible for social media posts but conceded the nurses claim that vaccines did not work to prevent illness was wrong.
Gerard Hayes, the national president of the Health Services Union that represents tens of thousands of workers nationwide, accused the new associations of grandstanding on vaccines in an attempt to gather attention while hiding their political connections. Its cowardly and it exemplifies everything you wouldnt want to do as an industrial body, Mr Hayes said. An industrial body that stands up and fights for its members doesnt do it under a disguise. He said members should listen to the experts on vaccination. I think these guys should fly in a plane where the pilot picked up his licence on YouTube or some kind of social media channel, Mr Hayes said. It doesnt take all that much experience to be experts in bulls--t. Any moron can do that. Mr McGuire refused to say whether the Red Union associations were for or against coronavirus vaccination, instead arguing the associations represented their members views. We have a more of an individualised approach rather than just these broad sweeping statements, Mr McGuire said.
Australias medical authorities from the chief medical officer down have repeatedly reassured Australians that the coronavirus vaccines being used here are safe, effective and have been thoroughly tested here and overseas. Loading Chris Moy, the vice-president of the Australian Medical Association, said employers should have a right to dismiss healthcare workers who refused vaccination because COVID-19 vaccines reduced transmission of the virus that could kill patients. Its not reasonable for a health professional to be posing a greater risk to patients who are vulnerable, Dr Moy said. I dont think the community would accept the health profession not getting vaccinated when were asking the community to get vaccinated to protect themselves and those around them. He said Red Unions decision to use names for their organisations similar to the legitimate representative bodies for those workers indicates the level of respect they should be given.
Overwhelmingly, Australians have supported vaccinations. About 90 per cent of nurses have been vaccinated in Queensland and aged care staff are also almost 100 per cent jabbed after state and territory governments introduced mandates nationwide. But Mr McGuire dismissed Ms McManus criticism, saying the established union movement was letting its members down by not challenging vaccination mandates. He said associations linked to Red Union were entitled to call themselves unions because they dealt with issues such as unfair dismissal and pay negotiations on behalf of their members. The use of the term union is not restricted by law but earlier this year the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission found the Nurses Professional Association of Queensland was not an industrial association or a trade union under state law. The ruling is being appealed. Red Union says there has not been sufficient consultation with workers by health authorities about vaccine mandates. They argue it would be easier to keep COVID-19 from spreading in workplaces by widespread rapid antigen testing. The strategy has been hugely successful for the Red Union associations, which now claim more than 10,000 fee-paying members, with more than 200 people signing up each day, mostly among nurses. It is still a tiny number compared to the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation, the largest union in the country with more than 280,000 members.
Over the weekend, we were being inundated by nurses in Victoria and in NSW because their unions were not supporting them and they wanted somewhere to go, said Mr McGuire on a live stream with LNP MP George Christensen on September 27. Loading Mr McGuire was speaking after days of ugly protests by construction workers in Melbourne angry at mandates and days before healthcare staff in NSW and Queensland are legally required to have their first COVID-19 vaccine dose. Unlike the Red Union associations, most of the labour movement supports vaccination mandates backed by public health experts on the basis that they are best placed to assess the risks and benefits of Australias safe and effective vaccines. They oppose mandates from individual employers. We cannot be distracted by other agendas vaccination is the key to overcoming this pandemic, said Queensland Nurses and Midwives Union secretary Beth Mohle in a statement.
In NSW, Mr Larter has started a string of organisations similar to the Red Union associations in the past month. They are the NSW Paramedics Association, with more than 100 members, the NSW Allied Health Association, now approaching 600, and another for police in a nascent stage, none of which have much more presence than a Google form to join and posts on Mr Larters social media. We feel that the union movements have essentially abandoned the grassroot customers, he said. Theyre not speaking up. Paramedic John Larter is challenging NSW vaccination mandates in court. Credit:Mark Jesser Mr Larter, who is a Liberal Party member, deputy mayor of the Snowy Valleys Council and has been an active Australian Paramedics Association NSW member, hopes the new organisations will help provide plaintiffs in the case he has launched challenging the NSW governments vaccination mandate for paramedics. That case is before the Supreme Court. He claims the number of injuries caused by COVID-19 vaccines are under-reported, suggests vaccines may come from aborted fetal cells, and wants to know if they could cause changes in recipients DNA.
The NSW Paramedicine Council suspended Mr Larters registration on September 20, after he began expressing his views on vaccines and the pandemic. In a statement, a council spokeswoman said confidentiality provisions prevented it from saying why Mr Larter had been suspended but noted suspensions are allowed for the protection of the health or safety of the public and ... public interest. Loading Mr Larter plans to challenge that and believes he is not anti-vaccine. Im not deterring anyone from having it, Mr Larter said. All Im saying is its a personal choice. Mr Larter, who is very critical of the Berejiklian government, said his associations had no ties to the Liberal Party.
Both Mr Larter and the Red Union associations say they are not party political groups. The Red Union associations say they are non-party political alternative to other unions that are cheaper but provide all the same services. Many private-sector unions are affiliated to the Labor Party, but public-sector unions such as the nurses are not, though they may campaign on policies or issues that they believe will benefit their members and are backed by Labor. Although Red Union does have some nurses in leadership roles in its nurses group, many of its most senior figures have ties to the Liberal National Party. The Nurses Professional Association of Queensland was founded by Graeme Haycroft, a former labour-hire firm operator who has boasted of battling the shearers union, established union-free construction sites in Queensland and was chair of the Liberal National Partys industrial relations committee. Graeme Haycroft, who founded the Nurses Professional Association of Queensland, was a chair of the Queensland Liberal National Partys industrial relations committee. Credit:Jason Weeding Mr McGuire, the Red Union director, is also the secretary of the Teachers Professional Association of Australia. He was formerly president of the Queensland University of Technology Liberal National Club but says he has quit the LNP because he was filthy that it was not properly representing blue-collar workers.
Liberal backbenchers emerged from talks with Scott Morrison this week with a little more confidence that the Prime Minister might be able to commit to greater action on climate change in the next four weeks.
One remark gave heart to Liberals who believe the governments fortunes will turn in part on whether Morrison can endorse the target, so divisive for so long, of cutting greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. Morrison expressed an opinion that many outside the government already know but some within the Coalition refuse to accept: that climate change is an issue for voters well outside city electorates.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is in quarantine after his trip to visit US President Joe Biden. Credit:AP/Evan Vucci
Luckily there were no Nationals on the conference call to fly off the handle at that remark. And the Liberals who were brought into the briefing, set up for about 30 MPs who wanted to hear about Morrisons visit to the United States last week, are doing everything they can to avoid antagonising their rural colleagues.
With Morrison preparing to unveil new climate policies within weeks, the debate within the Coalition is so sensitive that most Liberals who joined the conference call would not even confirm it took place.
London: A British police officer has been sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murder of British woman Sarah Everard as she walked home in the evening after visiting friends in south London, a case that stirred protests over male violence towards women.
Wayne Couzens, 48, a serving London police officer who had guarded diplomatic premises, had pleaded guilty to murder, rape and kidnap.
Sarah Everard, 33, was abducted as she was walking home in London. Credit:Metropolitan Police
He had used his position to stop and abduct her, Londons Old Bailey court heard. His whole life sentence means he has no chance of parole.
He abducted Everard, 33, in a hire car as she walked home from a friends house in south London on March 3. Her body was found in woodland around 80 kilometres away in south-east England. A post-mortem concluded she had died as a result of compression of the neck.
The Kerala government will slash the motor-vehicle on tourist caravans by one-fourth, considering the immense scope of Caravan Tourism in the state, State Tourism Department said here on Thursday.
Kerala Transport Minister Antony Raju has agreed in-principle to a proposal in this regard from Tourism Minister P A Mohamed Riyas, it said in a release.
The proposal will soon be approved by the government after going through the formalities required, Raju said while inaugurating a joint workshop of Tourism and Transport departments held here to deliberate on the operational details of the Caravan Tourism policy and sensitize Regional Transport Officers (RTOs) on the procedural and regulatory aspects of the project.
Hailing the policy announced recently as a major step forward in tourism development, Raju pledged utmost support and cooperation of the Motor Vehicles Department for its success.
Presiding over the inaugural session of the workshop, Riyas asked the Motor Vehicles Department to ensure that the registration of caravan vehicles and issue of permits to them are carried out in a hassle-free manner.
The on caravans must be reduced to Rs 250 per square metre from the current Rs 1,000 per sqm, he said in his address.
The government's policy is that every panchayat and municipality must have at least one tourist destination.
For their smooth day-to-day running, the government has decided to enlist active participation of local self-government institutions. Since suitable staying facilities in such set-ups will be difficult, the solution is caravan tourism, Riyas said.
Raju said the government would provide green channel passage for caravans that carry a special sticker suggesting the joint recognition of the Tourism and Transport departments.
They would also get preference while testing for pollution. Caravans will be given registration within 24 hours of application, the Minister said.
The Additional Transport Commissioner would be the State Nodal Officer for Caravans. The practice of on-road inspections will be avoided to facilitate smooth passage of caravans.
The workshop mainly focused on the rules and regulations pertaining to the operation of tourist caravans. It also looked into the procedural protocols relating to the standardization of caravans and their smooth movement in any part of the state and comfortable stay of at the caravan parks and other stop-over spots.
The state government had recently announced the country's most stakeholder-friendly Caravan Tourism Policy, promising the visitors a safe, customized and closest-to-nature travel experience.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India's on Thursday sealed a deal with the state-owned Ports Authority (SLPA) to develop and run the strategic Colombo Port's Western Container Terminal.
As the first-ever Indian port operator in Sri Lanka, will have a 51 per cent stake at the port's Western Container Terminal (WCT), a statement said.
signed a build-operate-transfer (BOT) agreement with its local partner John Keells Holdings and the SLPA to develop the WCT at the Colombo Port, it said.
The two local entities would hold 34 and 15 per cent stakes of the new joint company titled the West Container International Terminal.
The Colombo Port is one of the most preferred regional hubs for transhipment of Indian containers and mainline ship operators with 45 per cent of Colombo's transhipment volumes originating from or destined to an Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) terminal in India.
APSEZ is the largest port developer and operator in India and represents 24 per cent of the country's total port capacity.
The WCT proposal came after decided to retract the previous memorandum of understanding signed in 2019 with India and Japan on the Eastern Container Terminal (ECT).
The state-owned SLPA signed a memorandum of cooperation in May 2019 with India and Japan to develop the ECT during the previous Sirisena government.
The Colombo Port trade unions opposed the proposal of investors from India and Japan buying 49 per cent stake in the ETC. They demanded the ECT to remain 100 per cent owned by the SLPA as opposed to the 51 per cent.
Under pressure from trade unions, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa agreed to scrap the deal, prompting India to demand to abide by its commitment to the trilateral deal with it and Japan.
Both India and Japan found fault with Sri Lanka for reneging on an international agreement unilaterally. Japan had also conveyed its unhappiness with the Sri Lankan government.
India and Japan are members of Quad or the Quadrilateral coalition of four Indo-Pacific nations that also includes the US and Australia. The four countries had in 2017 given shape to the long-pending proposal of setting up the Quad' to counter China's aggressive behaviour in the Indo-Pacific region.
China's influence is growing in various infrastructure projects in Sri Lanka as part of its ambitious Belt and Road Initiative. China has invested over USD 8 billion in infrastructure projects in Sri Lanka. Colombo handed over its Hambantota port to Beijing in 2017 as a debt swap.
(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.)
Ventures has made its first direct investment in India by pumping in USD 13 million in integrated EV ride-hailing and charging company BluSmart.
It led a USD 25 million Series A round that also saw support from Mayfield India Fund, 9Unicorns and Survam Partners, alongside other existing investors, the firm said in a statement.
"BluSmart will use the capital to expand its fleet of and charging stations from its home city of Delhi to five additional Indian cities in the next two years," it said.
The statement, however, did not say the funding will translate into how much equity holding in BluSmart.
Sophia Nadur, managing partner at Ventures, will join BluSmart's board.
To date, Ventures has invested almost USD 800 million in more than 60 across seven geographies.
BP Ventures was set up more than 10 years ago to identify and invest in private, high growth, game-changing technology companies, accelerating innovation across the entire energy spectrum.
"The investment will help BP move towards becoming a leader in India's mobility market, and to provide integrated energy and mobility solutions to help customers reduce their emissions across the world," it said.
BluSmart is India's first and largest integrated EV ride-hailing and charging company, and aims to deliver safer, cleaner and more sustainable mobility.
It is the first service of its kind with no surge pricing or rides rejected by drivers.
Safety and cleanliness are paramount in the Indian market, and customers can view the last time each car was sanitised and driver vaccination status via the BluSmart app.
The company also removes the financial burden of vehicle ownership by leasing vehicles to drivers and oversees all vehicle maintenance, to help reduce driver stress.
India is now the third-largest startup market globally and its GDP is projected to be the world's third-largest by 2030. Yet with 35 of the top 50 most polluted cities globally, there's a huge need for low carbon technologies to help make that growth compatible with its climate ambitions.
Urbanisation is also increasing rapidly, with the UN projecting that India's urban population size will nearly double from 2018 to 2050, potentially creating further congestion and environmental challenges that electric ride-hailing can help play a part in improving.
The industry is forecast to grow significantly, with mobility as a service projected to make up 15 per cent of the 1.1 trillion kilometres to be travelled by passenger vehicles in India by 2030, compared to 5 per cent of the 477 billion kilometres travelled today.
With the largest EV charging infrastructure in India and a growing fleet of electric vehicles, BluSmart aims to transform ride-hailing in the country. The business is growing quickly in Delhi NCR, which represents 20 per cent of India's mobility market, which BluSmart estimate has already saved over approximately 1,500 tonnes of CO2, with more than 650,000 passenger trips completed to date.
Sashi Mukundan, President, BP India and senior vice president, BP Group said, "India is making rapid progress in increasing the use of by providing mobility solutions for its people. Today's investment in BluSmart helps reinforce our commitment to partner in India's aim to achieve its climate goals and be Atmanirbhar."
Richard Bartlett, SVP future mobility and solutions, said: "The electric mobility revolution will have a huge impact in reducing vehicle emissions in cities, which in India are growing quickly. BluSmart's business model solves a number of key barriers to urban EV ride-hailing take-up, from the cost for drivers to the quality of customer experience."
Anmol Singh Jaggi, co-founder of BluSmart, added, "We believe that electric mobility has huge growth potential, driven in part by the increasingly favourable economics behind
With that in mind we want to redefine ride-hailing with electric vehicles, and our consumer focus has helped us to already establish a strong brand presence in our core market; to date our vehicles have travelled over 21 million kilometres. This latest funding infusion will help us grow as we work with bp to help transform India's high-polluting cities and redefine ride-hailing with electric vehicles.
(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.)
Kolkata-based firm is on the look-out for opportunities that may even pave an entry into new categories.
Acquisitions could be in the areas of healthcare and personal care where is currently present in and may also include new categories and segments. We are open in terms of categories, said Harsha V Agarwal, director,
As part of the strategy, Emami may also look at investing in startups, buying stakes and wherever possible, buying
Emamis journey of investing in startups began more than three years back when it invested in Helios Lifestyle, known for its male grooming brand, The Man Company (TMC). Months back, it increased its stake in the company to 45.96 per cent, consolidating its position as the largest shareholder of TMC.
We also have the option to buy the rest of the shares after a period of time, said Agarwal.
Apart from that, Emami has invested in Brillare, which is into premium skin care and hair care products and sells in salons and digital e-commerce products.
Going forward, too, Emami may continue to scout for opportunities in the startup space. We are looking for opportunities to invest in some of the start-ups in categories and segments where we see potential, said Agarwal.
The engines of growth for Emami, as Agarwal spelt out, would be to tap the growth potential of power brands, grow the international business and create digital first brands as well as look at inorganic opportunities in the e-commerce area.
The Covid-19 pandemic made e-commerce an important revenue stream for as consumers moved to the online marketplace. Currently, e-commerce is contributing 3-4 per cent of overall revenues, but Agarwal said, the share will go up.
The company already has a D2C (digital to consumer) e-commerce platform, Zanducare, where digital first products under existing brands are being launched.
We have launched many products last year and even this year, we are launching. We will aggressively pursue this strategy and in every brand, we are looking to launch digital first products, said Agarwal.
The total number of product launches from the Emami stable was 40, an all-time high, which included digital offerings.
Electric, the ride-hailing firm's electric vehicle arm has raised over $200 million led by Falcon Edge, Softbank and others, tripling its to $3 billion.
In July 2019, Electric raised $250 million from Masayoshi Sons SoftBank. It was just a two-year-old firm at that time. The investment made the fledgling venture a unicorn, or a start-up valued at more than $1 billion.
will accelerate development of other vehicle platforms including electric motorbike, mass market scooter and its electric car. The funding will further strengthen Olas Mission Electric- which urges the industry and consumers to commit to electric and ensure that no petrol two-wheelers should be sold in India after 2025.
Were proud to lead the EV revolution from India to the world, said Bhavish Aggarwal, Chairman and Group CEO, Ola. India has the talent and the capability to build technologies of the future for the industries of the future for the entire world. Together we will bring mobility to a billion and sustainability to the future.
The fundraise comes at a time when Ola has already set the benchmark in two wheeler sales by selling over $150 million of scooters in its first purchase window - outselling the entire two-wheeler industry on each of the two days.
Ola Electric has built its Futurefactory, the largest, most advanced 2W (two-wheeler) factory in the world that has completed phase 1 construction and is currently undergoing production trials. Ola built the factory in a record time of just 6 months. Ola Futurefactory is also the worlds largest factory that is entirely run by women. At full scale, it will have over 10,000 women employed.
Ola had announced in December 2020 that it would be investing Rs 2,400 crore for setting up phase 1 of the factory. The Ola Futurefactory is coming up on a 500-acre site in Tamil Nadu. At full capacity of 10 million vehicles annually, it would be the worlds largest two-wheeler factory and would handle 15 per cent of the world capacity.
In India, Ola is now in direct competition with electric two-wheeler makers, such as Ather Energy, Hero Electric, Bajaj and TVS Motor Company. The new funding at Ola Electric comes at a time when electric vehicle (EV) adoption is getting traction in India with more vehicles sold in the first seven months than the whole of 2020.
EV makers sold 121,170 units across all categories between January and July against 119,647 EVs sold in the whole of last calendar year, according to the data from the government's Vahan platform.
The registered EV sales in July 2021 witnessed a month-over-month jump of 134.8 per cent, at 26,127 units, clocking the highest registrations in a month so far in 2021, according to JMK Research.
This increase was driven by a jump in E2W (electric two-wheeler) registrations following the previous months FAME-II notification which increased the incentives on the EVs, further bringing down their prices.
Last month, Ola Electric took the wraps off its maiden e-scooter offerings - the S1 and S1 Pro - for a commercial launch with prices starting from Rs 99,999 (excluding state government incentives, registration fee, and insurance cost). Aggarwal had said the e-scooters were designed and engineered in India for the world and would deliver the best scooter experience to the consumer.
Among all the states and UTs, Uttar Pradesh continues to have maximum monthly registered EV sales with 17 per cent of overall sales in India in July 2021, according to JMK Research. Karnataka has the 2nd highest sales at 15 per cent share, followed by Tamil Nadu (12 per cent) and Maharashtra (10 per cent).
Indias electric vehicle market could be worth nearly $206 billion in the coming decade if India were to achieve its 2030 EV ambitions, according to an independent study released by the CEEW Centre for Energy Finance (CEEW-CEF). The report also estimates a cumulative investment need of over $180 billion in vehicle production and charging infrastructure until 2030 to meet the country's EV ambition.
Aggarwal has also shared the vision for the future of mobility. These range from electric scooters, cars to drones and flying cars. In India, just 2 per cent (30 million) people own a four-wheeler and only 12 per cent (160 million) own a two-wheeler. That means more than a billion people in India have been shut out of mobility by this system!," Aggarwal said recently.
Aggarwal had said SoftBank-backed Ola is building this New Mobility ecosystem with the consumer at the core. The 3 pillars of this new ecosystem include new mobility services, energy vehicles and auto retail. These three pillars amplify and enhance the impact of each other as part of an integrated Ola New Mobility Platform.
Today Ola provides multi-modal mobility access to 100 million people through taxis, auto-rickshaws, 2 wheelers, day hires and outstation rides. But this is just 7 per cent of Indias population.
Aggarwal had said that it would bring this multi-modal mobility to all 1.3 billion people by Ola designed EVs customised for the diverse shared mobility needs.
In the coming quarters, we will expand our EV range with more scooters, bikes and cars, said Aggarwal recently. Our EVs are smart, connected AI machines and will leapfrog current personal vehicles that are dumb mechanical devices.
In a tweet on Thursday evening, Aggarwal said India is building technologies of the future and becoming a global EV hub. "With this raise, we will accelerate our vehicle development across 2W scooters, motorbikes and 4W (four-wheelers)."
However, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) has said that Indian motorists will struggle to move away from gasoline- and diesel-powered cars over the next quarter of a century. It has suggested that the countrys push towards electric vehicles may not be a complete success.
Diesel and gasoline will make up 58 per cent of Indias oil demand in the next 25 years, from 51 per cent now, according to Opec. It said the addition of 200 million passenger and commercial vehicles mean diesel and gasoline will continue to dominate oil consumption in the country.
As more and more Indian brands and strive to go global, the onus is now on the countrys regulators to create a level-playing field for domestic players and reign in the anti-competitive practices of some global tech giants -- the way South Korea, Australia and European countries are busy dealing with.
According to leading industry and law experts, although it is commendable that the Indian regulators -- the Competition Competition Commission (CCI) in particular -- have taken cognizance of the antitrust challenges and monopolisation tendencies of Google as well as other large global tech companies, what is required now is not penalties for wrongdoing but proactive and progressive legislation.
The CCI launched a probe two years ago into Google's alleged abuse of the Android Operating System (OS). Recently, the CCI's Director General (DG) established that Google had indulged in unfair business practices by insisting on the Android OS.
Google went to the Delhi High Court against the leak of the CCI's confidential report pertaining to the investigation against the global search engine giant. The anti-trust regulator, however, denied leaking confidential reports to the media.
Taking note of the CCI's submissions, the high court said nothing survives in the petition filed by Google against the alleged leak of confidential probe information and disposed of the plea.
According to seasoned Supreme Court lawyer Pavan Duggal, the entire Google-CCI episode demonstrates that there is a big vacuum on data protection legislation in the country and, as a result, such kinds of litigation are being filed.
"In the present case, the CCI has denied allegations of leaking confidential information reports. While the matter is subjudice before Delhi High Court, the said matter indeed brings to the forefront the need for having in place strong data protection legal frameworks in India," Duggal told IANS.
South Korea's antitrust regulator has fined Google 207.4 billion won ($176.8 million) for its alleged abuse of the market dominance in the mobile operating system and app markets.
In August, the South Korean parliament passed a bill that would rein in the dominance Google and Apple exert over payments on their respective app stores. It became the first nation in the world to enact such a law.
Australia's competition watchdog, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), said this week that Google dominates the country's online advertising so thoroughly it must be reined in.
"The ACCC is concerned that the widespread perceptions about how Google uses its first-party data in ad tech may be distorting competition in the supply of ad tech services in favour of Google".
The ACCC considers that "Google's vertical integration and dominance across the ad tech supply chain, and in related services, have allowed it to engage in leveraging and self-preferencing conduct, which has likely interfered with the competitive process".
Sijo Kuruvilla George, Executive Director of The Alliance of Digital India Foundation (ADIF) told IANS that the need of the hour is fair market practices.
"In the long run, it is not ex-post facto fines but proactive and progressive legislative efforts that will nurture and nourish a healthy, innovative and competitive ecosystem," he said.
Duggal added that the global perception that has emerged of Indian regulators and governmental authorities not being strong enough, needs to be dispelled by strong effective action.
"There is a need for effective action both at legislative front, as well as at effectively implementing existing legal frameworks, so as to put a message of deterrence. The Indian market should not be seen to be a fertile ground for predatory tactics by the big global players," said Duggal.
In Europe, Google is fighting a 2018 decision from the EU's executive Commission that resulted in the $5 billion fine for its anticompetitive practices. It's one of three antitrust penalties -- totalling more than $8 billion -- that the commission hit Google with between 2017 and 2019.
The Indian market is maturing and is undergoing a distinctive level of evolution. In such times, having strong data protection legal frameworks and anti-market practices regime will go a long way in terms of protecting the interests of domestic market stakeholders.
"The CCI must act without any pressure and take the (Google) probe to its logical conclusion," said Jiten Jain, one of the leading cyber security experts.
(Nishant Arora can be reached at nishant.a@ians.in)
--IANS
na/in
(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.)
State-run power giant on Thursday said its arm Ltd ( REL) has signed the first green term loan agreement of Rs 500 crore with
The green term loan agreement is for its two solar projects in Rajasthan and Gujarat.
NTPC REL has signed its first Green Term Loan agreement of Rs 500 crores at a very competitive rate with a tenor of 15 years with on September 29, 2021 for its 470 MW solar project in Rajasthan and 200 MW solar project in Gujarat, a company statement said.
A green loan is a type of loan instrument that enables borrowers to finance projects that have an environmental impact.
NTPC REL, a 100 per cent subsidiary of NTPC Ltd, currently has a renewable project portfolio of 3,450 MW of which 820 MW projects are under construction and 2,630 MW projects have been won for which PPAs (power purchase agreements) are pending to be executed.
NTPC had incorporated NTPC Ltd with the Registrar of Companies, NCT of Delhi & Haryana on October 7, 2020, to undertake business.
NTPC is taking various steps to make its energy portfolio greener by adding significant capacities of renewable energy sources.
By 2032, the company plans to have 60GW capacity through renewable energy sources constituting nearly 45 per cent of its overall power generation capacity as per its official portal.
(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.)
Out-of-hospital consumer healthcare company has secured a commitment from the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) for a $7.7 million loan. This loan under local currency guaranty facility will assure repayment of a rupee-denominated loan to be issued by a local commercial bank in India.
The DFC guarantee will enable a local commercial bank in India to extend the equivalent of a Rs 52 crore loan to Portea. The structure is significant as it helps in mobilising local capital for Portea and mitigates foreign exchange risk from Porteas balance sheet, said the company.
The DFC-guaranteed loan will be used to support expansion of Portea Medicals business through digitalisation, broadening service offerings, increasing geographical coverage and developing delivery channels for home-based healthcare, helping reduce pressure on an overburdened hospital system in India, especially during the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
Meena Ganesh, co-founder, MD and Chairperson of Portea Medical, said, DFC are well known for their focus on creating social impact through investment in businesses in areas including healthcare. DFC's investments are spread across Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Indo-Pacific, and emerging markets around the world. Their focus on low-and lower middle-income countries has ensured that organizations get the much-needed financial support for developmental projects."
She further said, "With such a large reach, they have been instrumental in providing direct equity and support for investment funds, as well as direct and guarantees of up to $1 billion. This partnership is a validation of the change that Portea is driving in the healthcare ecosystem.
According to a report by RedSeer Consulting, the home healthcare industry in India is slated to grow to $11-$13 billion by 2025. The Covid-19 pandemic has further accelerated this growth. has an array of offerings and introduced path-breaking services such as dialysis and chemotherapy at home during the pandemic. The company is set to move ahead by expanding its footprint across the country.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Portea marshalled more than 1,000 healthcare workers and 500 doctors, directly and through partnerships, to deliver home isolation support for Covid-19 patients under agreements with the governments of Delhi, Karnataka, Haryana, Punjab, Chennai and local administrations. Portea has tended to over 0.4 million Covid-19 positive patients to date.
DFC is proud to support Portea Medical, a business co-founded by a woman, in bringing high-quality medical care to patients homes - an agility that is needed now more than ever as the pandemic continues to strain resources, said Algene Sajery, DFCs vice president of the Office of External Affairs and Head of Global Gender Equity Initiatives.
Setuka Partners LLP based out of Washington DC, led by Aman Khanna, served as the exclusive advisor to this transaction.
Group-backed Oyo Hotels and Rooms is facing a legal tussle with rival Zostel ahead of its up to $1.2 billion market debut over a deal between the two Indian hospitality startups that fell apart six years ago.
Oyo is looking to raise between $1 billion and $1.2 billion through a new share issue and an offer for sale from existing shareholders. The company is set to file draft initial public offering documents this month, Reuters reported last week, joining a wave of Indian start-ups looking to go public this year.
But Zostel filed a petition in August with the Delhi High Court to stop Oyo from changing its shareholder structure, including through an IPO, the petition, seen by Reuters, said.
Their 2015 deal was for Oyo to buy some of Zostel's businesses, while Zostel would get a 7% stake in Oyo. The transaction fell apart but the have been in a long-running legal battle over the terms, with Oyo arguing that they had not reached a definitive agreement.
In 2018, India's Supreme Court appointed an arbitrator on the case, who in March this year ruled that the terms of the deal were binding and Zostel was entitled to claim the 7% stake in Oyo.
Zostel "did everything within their control to complete their obligations" while Oyo breached its obligations by failing to execute a definitive agreement, the arbitrator said.
Oyo has challenged the arbitration order in the Delhi High Court.
A legal counsel for Oyo said in a statement to Reuters on Wednesday: "[Un]til the time that parties do not come to an agreement on the terms of the definitive agreements and the same are not executed, no right whatsoever arises in favour of any party for any type of shares to be issued in Oyo."
Zostel is opposing any attempt by Oyo to alter its shareholding structure, Paavan Nanda, Zostel co-founder, said in a response to Reuters.
Oyo's lawyers in the court on Wednesday objected to requests from Zostel's counsel to keep the contested 7% stake in escrow. The judge declined this request and set an Oct. 7 date for a detailed hearing of the case.
Since its launch in 2013 by CEO Ritesh Agarwal, Oyo has grown rapidly, competing with U.S. home rental company Airbnb and home grown chains such as Fab Hotels and Treebo.
It runs operations in 35 countries, including India, Europe and Indonesia, and counts Sequoia Capital and Lightspeed Venture Partners among its other investors.
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Loop Health, a Pune-based health insurance startup, has raised $12 million in a Series A round co-led by Elevation Capital and General Catalyst. This round saw participation from other investors including Vinod Khosla (through Khosla Ventures), YC Continuity Fund, and Tribe Capital. It also featured leading angels including NoBroker founder Amit Kumar AgarwalLivspace founder Ramakant Sharma, Meesho co-founders Vidit Aatrey and Sanjeev Barnwal.
Loop targets covering 1 million members by the end of 2022 and 5 million members across Southeast Asia in the next five years. The company will use the fresh funds to scale the business and sales, focus on product development through custom insurance products (including wellness) and physical healthcare clinics, and drive strategic hiring, mainly in the sales and engineering verticals.
My experience of working with clinics in villages helped me see first hand how patients are at a disadvantage because they lack medical knowledge, said Mayank Kale, Co-founder and CEO, Loop Health. The healthcare system has the incentive to over-prescribe medication and suggest unnecessary procedures. This is something we want to fundamentally change. At Loop weve put our doctors on the same side as the insurer. Our goal is to provide excellent primary care in order to prevent sickness and avoid hospital visits. This results in lesser claims for insurers, and more affordable insurance.
Loop Health has witnessed significant growth, insuring 50,000 members across 150 in the last 12 months and growing 50 per cent month-over-month. Its corporate team has also grown from 10 to 80 employees in this period and is currently operational in Pune, Mumbai, and Bengaluru. Amit Punchhi, former CBO and CIO at HDFC Life, recently joined as President in a valuable addition to the founding team and company.
Vinod Khosla, founder, Khosla Ventures said Care delivery in India has many pain points with conflicting incentives. Loop is changing the cost equation by allowing payers and providers to work together, said Khosla. Through its unique product and affordable pricing, Loop Health has a significant competitive advantage.
Group health insurance (benefits) is a largely underpenetrated segment in the countryit is mainly bought by company human resources from traditional offline brokers. Existing brokers tend to neglect the mid-market and small business segments (often served by small brokers or not served at all) as they typically concentrate on large enterprise customers. And, their offerings are limited to plain vanilla health insurance with no health benefits.
Health insurance is at a very nascent stage in India with only 10 per cent of the total population covered, excluding public sector schemes, leading to high out-of-pocket healthcare expenditure, Mayank Khanduja, Partner, Elevation Capital. Moreover, employer-provided health insurance has been growing at 20-25 per cent and it is likely to accelerate further post-Covid.
Today, in addition to offering traditional hospitalization insurance, Loop enables their client to help their employees (and their families) avail proper healthcare services without the hassle of visiting clinics, waiting in line, and paying for each appointment.
Loop team is building something incredibly differentiated in the Indian market where insurance is nascent and the opportunity to drive better health outcomes is massive, said Hemant Taneja, Managing Partner, General Catalyst.
Through the mobile app, members can get access to preventive care, a dedicated medical advisor, and a team of doctors any time. Additional health and wellness benefits include yoga and meditation sessions, mental health consults, easy access to and discounts on lab tests and medicines, along with personalized care planning. For example, for one of their client companies, they curated a home quarantine kit to cater to the medical needs of a person who was isolated at home.
Before starting Loop Health, Mayank Kale built digital health records for half a million patients across India. During that time, he recognized a fundamental problemprimary care doctors get paid to treat patients when they are sick, not to keep them healthy. He wanted to start a business that would actively take care of people and was incentivised to keep them healthy. By bundling insurance and primary care, this is possible.
The State Bank of India has rejected government's Rs 6,500 crore 'overdraft' for implementing the Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) in the state.
With its coffers completely dry, the state government sought the overdraft to be used as working capital by five nodal implementing agencies "against securitisation of fund balances available in the Single Nodal Accounts (SNA)."
The state sought to escrow the Central funds in the SNA and raise the overdraft and, accordingly, Finance Secretary (Budget and Institutional Finance) K V V Satyanarayana wrote a letter early this month to the seeking sanction of Rs 6,500 crore.
The "unusual and unheard of" request by the Finance Secretary left top bureaucrats baffled since it only further exposed the state government's perilous financial condition.
"Seeking a (regular) loan is one thing but trying to get an overdraft by escrowing Central funds is utterly foolhardy. This could also invite the Centre's wrath and jeopardise the schemes," a top bureaucrat observed.
For implementing the CSS, the state government is required to share a part (up to 40 per cent) of the overall cost of each scheme.
The Union Department of Expenditure (DoE) this year brought in new rules for ensuring funds flow to the states for the CSS, under which primarily the state is required to open a Single Nodal Account in a scheduled commercial bank for each scheme, mapped in the Centre's Public Financial Management System.
The new rules are meant to ensure "effective cash management and improve transparency in public expenditure management."
Officials aver the Centre's new system was basically to prevent diversion of CSS funds for "other purposes" by the state government. Funds will be released strictly on the basis of balance funds (Central and state share) available in the SNA, as per the DoE rules.
While the Centre releases 25 per cent of the scheme amount at the beginning of the financial year, release of additional Central share will be based on the transfer of stipulates state share into the SNA.
The new rules have only exposed the state of AP's finances as it is in no position to transfer any amount to the SNAs for any CSS.
"More than Rs 6,000 crore of Central funds are held up so far this year because we are unable to chip in our share for different CSS. Unless we not only release the money (state share) but also spend it according to the norms, there is no way to get the releases from the Centre," a Principal Secretary said.
There has been no progress in any of the CSS in AP due to severe dearth of funds, he pointed out.
Left with no other option, the state desperately wanted to borrow money from banks to fulfil its share in the CSS.
"The request for overdraft facility cannot be acceded to as the same does not comply with the Bank's policy guidelines and regulatory directions for lending to state-owned corporations," the said, in reply to the Finance Secretary's letter.
Interestingly, the state government early this month appointed retired chairman of Rajnish Kumar as its Advisor (Economic Affairs), with the rank of a Cabinet Minister, considering his "vast experience in handling large credit and project finance."
That, apparently, cut no ice with the bank management.
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State-owned telecom firm has approached the government for Rs 40,000 crore financial help, half of which it needs in the form of sovereign guarantee to clear short-term debt.
Chairman and Managing Director PK Purwar told PTI that the company does not need any additional debt and its business has become self-sustainable to support the operations.
"We do not need any additional debt. We have asked for Rs 20,000 crore sovereign guarantee to pay back our short-term debt and issue long term bonds. We will need Rs 20,000 crore if we have to set up 1 lakh node B (mobile sites) for mobile network rollout," Purwar said.
The CMD confirmed that he has approached the government for the support, which is beyond the Rs 69,000 crore relief package that was announced in 2019.
At present, BSNL has a debt burden of Rs 30,000 crore which is one of the lowest in the telecom sector.
Purwar also heads MTNL, which is proposed to be merged with BSNL. The government has already issued a permit to BSNL to operate mobile business in Delhi and Mumbai which was earlier managed by MTNL.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet on Wednesday extended the additional charge of Purwar as chairman and managing director of loss-making telecom firm MTNL for a period of one year till October 2022.
The government had offered a combined revival package of about Rs 69,000 crore to BSNL and MTNL in October 2019 that has helped both telecom PSUs in narrowing their losses.
According to official data, losses of BSNL have narrowed to Rs 7,441 crore in 2020-21 from Rs 15,500 crore in 2019-20.
MTNL reported a total loss of Rs 2,554 crore for the last fiscal compared to Rs 3,811 crore in 2019-20.
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T S Global Holdings (TSGH) Singapore, a 100 per cent indirect subsidiary of Limited, on Thursday executed definitive agreements with TopTip Holding Pte Ltd to divest its entire equity stake in NatSteel Holdings Pte Ltd for an equity value of $172 million (Rs 1,275 crore).
TopTip Holding Pte Ltd is a Singapore-based steel and iron ore trading company.
Based on the historical performance of the transacted business, the Enterprise Value to works out to be about 13 times, said in its filings.
However, the wires business of NatSteel in Thailand (Siam Industrial wires) has been retained by as part of the downstream wires portfolio.
The company said that the transaction has been closed today and that the consideration received, and will be used for reduction of off-shore debt.
In August 2019, Tata Steel had called off its plans to sell a majority stake in its South East Asia business to Chinese firm HBIS Group. The latter was to sell 70 percent to HBIS for $327 million in cash. The deal then was for entire South East Asia operations of Tata Steel which is operations in Thailand and Singapore.
In the current deal with TopTip Holdings, Tata Steel has exited part of Singapore business, while retaining the Thailand and wire business of Singapore.
Tata Steel, the countrys oldest steel producer, had bought NatSteel Singapore in 2004 for about Rs 1,300 crore.
Shares of Tata Steel were trading at Rs 1,295 per share, down 0.11 percent from close of Wednesday on the
Ace fighter pilot Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari who was in charge of the Ladakh sector during the peak of the crisis with China, took over as the Chief of Air Staff from Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria on Thursday.
Bhadauria superannuated after 42 years of service and was architect of two mega fighter aircraft deals including 36 Rafales and 83 Mark1A indigenous Tejas jets.
Chaudhari, who has served in various important capacities at both field formations and air headquarters, would be taking over the force at a time when the country is still in a standoff position at the borders with China and tensions in the region are high due to the situation in Afghanistan.
Chaudhari would also be responsible for the operationalisation of modern air defence systems like the S-400 from Russia, which are going to be inducted soon.
He would also be responsible for the modernisation of the fighter aircraft fleet as more indigenous and foreign origin fighter aircraft are planned to be inducted in the near future.
Chaudhari, whose son is a Rafale fighter aircraft pilot, also ensured the smooth induction of the Rafales into the as the Ambala airbase was under him as Western Air Commander.
After joining the fighter stream of the in December 1982, he has a flying experience of more than 3,800 hours on a wide variety of fighter and trainer aircraft, including missions flown during Operation Meghdoot, the Air Force's support to capture Siachen glacier in the 1980s, and Operation Safed Sagar (the support provided by the during the Kargil conflict in 1999).
An alumnus of the Defence Academy and Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, Chaudhari has commanded a frontline fighter squadron and a fighter base during his career. He has also held various other positions including the Deputy Commandant, Air Force Academy; Assistant Chief of Air Staff Operations (Air Defence) and Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Personnel Officers).
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The government on Thursday extended the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions till October 30 but allowed movement of people and vehicles at night during the festival from October 10-20, according to an order.
will be celebrated from October 10 to 15, while Lakshmi Puja will be held on October 20.
The government has made an exception in the night curfew rule in view of the festival as a large number of people visit puja pandals at night in Kolkata and elsewhere.
"In continuation of the earlier order, restriction and relaxation measures as already in force stand extended up to October 30.... In view of the ensuing festive period the said restriction relating to movement of people and vehicles between 11 pm to 5 am is relaxed during October 10 to 20," the order read.
The government, however, has decided not to allow local trains to run, though Metro Railway trains would continue to be operational.
The order shall come into effect from October 1.
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Border incidents between India and will continue to occur till a boundary agreement is reached between the two countries, Army Chief General M M Naravane said on Thursday.
Recent developments in Afghanistan "have definitely been the focus" of the that continues to evaluate threat perceptions and formulate strategies accordingly, the Army chief added while addressing a gathering at the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Discussing China, he said, "... we have an outstanding border issue. We are again well prepared to meet any misadventure that may occur as we have demonstrated in the past."
"Such kinds of incidents will continue to occur till such time that a long-term solution is reached, and that is to have a boundary agreement. And that should be the thrust of our efforts so that we have lasting peace along the northern (China) border," he stated during the annual session meeting of the industry body.
Referring to Afghanistan, he said the "or the armed forces for that matter continue to carry out periodic evaluation of threat perceptions".
Based on those evaluations, the formulates strategies and doctrines that are needed to meet future threats, he noted.
"This is a continuous process that never stops,"" he added.
Kabul fell to the Taliban on August 15. Expressing its concerns about the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, India had on September 20 had said the country's territory should not be used for sheltering, training, planning or financing terrorist acts.
As far as the terrorist threat is concerned, the Indian Army is ready to meet all challenges, Naravane said.
"We have a very dynamic counterinsurgency and counterterrorist grid in Jammu and Kashmir. It is a dynamic grid and it is based on threat perception and the escalating levels of attempts by our western neighbour (Pakistan) to push in more and more terrorists," he said.
Based on ups and downs, we also recalibrate our levels of operations, he added.
The current border standoff between the Indian and Chinese armies erupted in May last year following a violent clash in the Pangong lake area. Both sides gradually enhanced their deployment by rushing in tens of thousands of soldiers as well as heavy weaponry.
The row escalated after the Galwan Valley clashes on June 15 last year. Twenty Indian Army personnel laid down their lives in the clashes that marked the most serious military conflicts between the two sides in decades.
In February 2021, officially acknowledged that five Chinese military officers and soldiers were killed in the clashes with the Indian Army though it is widely believed that the death toll was higher.
As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process in Gogra area last month.
In February, the two sides completed the withdrawal of troops and weapons from the north and south banks of the Pangong lake in line with an agreement on disengagement.
Each side currently has around 50,000 to 60,000 troops along the LAC (Line of Actual Control) in the sensitive sector.
In 2017, Indian and Chinese troops were engaged in a 73-day stand-off in Doklam tri-junction which even triggered fears of a war between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
The India- border dispute covers the 3,488-km-long LAC. China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of southern Tibet while India contests it.
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In a boost to the sector, the on Thursday decided to extend the 20-per cent rebate in circle rates for three months till December 31, with Chief Minister saying his dispensation will keep supporting Delhiites on every front.
The rebate scheme was launched in February this year amid the COVID-19 pandemic and was to end on September 30, officials said.
Announcing the decision on Twitter, Kejriwal said, "The 20% rebate in circle rates will continue. We will not let anything trouble Delhi people during this pandemic. We will stand with Delhi people at every front and every step."
Delhi Revenue Minister Kailash Gahlot also said that the government will help the public in all times of need.
"With the city slowly recovering from the aftermath of COVID, here's another good news for Delhiites !!! We have further extended the 20% slash in Circle rates till 31st Dec 21. Under CM ji, Delhi govt will support public in all times of need, Gahlot tweeted.
Government officials said that the scheme to reduce circle rates by 20 per cent was introduced by the AAP dispensation in February this year to revive sector which has been severely hit by the pandemic.
According to revenue department officials, properties in Delhi are categorised in eight classes from 'A' to 'H', with posh areas falling under 'A' and the least developed areas in 'H' category.
In this scheme, existing circle rate of land in 'A' category areas -- Rs 7.74 lakh per square metre -- will go down to Rs 6.19 lakh per square metre, officials said.
In 'H' category, the circle rate will be reduced from Rs 23,280 to Rs 18,624 per square metre after rebate of 20 per cent, officials added.
Officials said the move will help in giving a boost to the economy.
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The Delhi High Court Thursday took suo motu cognizance of the Rohini Court shootout that left three dead and said there was a need for proper and effective deployment of a sufficient number of police personnel in courts.
A bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh issued notice to the Delhi Police, Delhi government, and Central government as well as the Delhi High Court Bar Association and directed that suggestions in the form of an affidavit or a report be filed on the issue of maintaining security at courts.
We have taken suo motu cognizance of the incident which took place in Rohini court. This court wants valuable suggestions from respondents for security at all court complexes in Delhi, said the Chief Justice.
The bench said that there was a need for a fool-proof entry system in courts, installation of metal detectors, under vehicle surveillance system, and proper training of police personnel.
Jailed gangster Jitendra Gogi and his two assailants posing as lawyers were killed inside the Rohini courtroom on September 24 in a dramatic shootout that also saw the police fire bullets in retaliation, the officials had said.
Video footage of the incident showed policemen and lawyers rushing out in panic as gunshots rang out inside courtroom number 207.
The two gunmen dressed as lawyers are suspected to be members of rival Tillu gang, an official had said, adding that over 30 shots were fired.
On September 24, Chief Justice of India N V Ramana had expressed deep concern over the shootout inside the crowded Rohini courtroom and spoke to the Delhi High Court Chief Justice in this regard and advised him to talk to both police and the Bar to ensure that the functioning of the court is not affected.
The matter would be heard next on October 5.
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Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait on Wednesday said that Government lies to the media that it is open to dialogue on the issue of ongoing agitation.
Addressing a press conference here, Tikait said, "Government lies to media that it is open to dialogue but are not. They want to hold conditional dialogue, in which will not participate. They said farm laws would not be rolled back. It means they have already drafted the agreement and farmers just have to sign it."
Asked about his statement against media, Tikait said, "I had said something yesterday which was misinterpreted. I actually meant that the next target of the Centre is media houses. We have never said anything against media."
Rakesh Tikait on Tuesday had said media houses will be the next target and will suffer if they do not support farmers' protest.
"Everyone should join us. The next target will be media houses. If you want to be saved then join us, else you will also suffer. We will raise the issues of (farmers from) Chhattisgarh. The biggest problem is of MSP in the country. We will raise this issue. We will talk about how vegetable farmers of state can be benefited more and what policies need to be made for them," Tikait told mediapersons after arriving in Raipur.
Earlier on Monday, a call for 'Bharat Bandh' was given by several farmer unions in protest against the three farm laws introduced by the Centre last year.
Rakesh Tikait had termed Bharat Bandh's call a "success" and claimed that the people supported the shutdown in large numbers.
Farmers have been protesting at different sites since November 26 last year against the three enacted farm laws: Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.
Farmer leaders and the Centre have held several rounds of talks but the impasse remains.
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Army Chief Gen MM Naravane on Thursday strongly called for "ruthlessly" shedding norms and archaic rules to speed up military modernisation and said the colonial era L1 concept under which contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder has lost its relevance.
He also mentioned the "big challenges" facing the Army in avoiding technological obsolescence and said that "the danger that our long-drawn procurement processes and bureaucratic speed-breakers would prevent us from acquiring cutting edge technology is a real one".
In an address at the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Gen Naravane, referring to the L1 concept, wondered why price should dictate the choices of the armed forces when the money is destined to be pumped back into the domestic economy as the focus has been on procuring indigenously-developed military hardware.
"In the defence sector, there is a thrust towards ease of doing business. The industry too needs to proactively push for reforms. Processes that are out of sync with contemporary times and our future vision must be ruthlessly shed for modern best practices," he said.
"The L1 system is one such legacy of the colonial era that has lost its relevance in a system that is pushing for indigenisation. After all, why should merely price dictate our choice, when the money is destined to be pumped back into the domestic economy," he said.
Gen Naravane said that much work has been done in bringing about systemic changes but archaic rules and processes still exist, defying logic and are at variance to modern best practices.
"With the cycle of new and disruptive technologies getting shorter and faster, avoiding technological obsolescence remains a big challenge. The danger that our long drawn procurement processes and bureaucratic speed-breakers would prevent us from acquiring cutting edge technology is a real one," he said.
"Much work has been done in bringing about systemic changes with the aim of ease of doing business. This however remains a work in progress. There are still archaic rules and processes that defy logic and are at variance to modern best practices. This needs to be addressed," he added.
The Chief of Army Staff cited the example of Israel to emphasise how even small countries with huge challenges and limited resources have been able to achieve so much by riding on a vibrant and responsive defence ecosystem.
"Israel is an apt example. As contracts are signed with local businesses, the investment in Defence is ploughed back into the economy," he said.
Gen Naravane said technology is driving the "revolution in war-fighting" and that the Indian MSMEs need to reinvent and engage themselves in the niche domains and build capabilities to offer innovative solutions.
The Army Chief said the security is not the preserve of the armed forces alone and it is a "whole of government effort".
"Equally true it is that wars are fought by nations and not by only by the armies. The government has taken a number of initiatives to create a conducive environment and a supportive ecosystem to encourage the defence industry to grow and expand," he said.
He also mentioned the "extremely positive results" of the government granting emergency powers to the armed forces for critical procurement. The emergency powers were granted in June last year till March and it was subsequently extended till August.
Gen Naravane said 113 contracts for revenue procurement of operationally critical ammunition, armament, vehicles, spares and special mountaineering equipment for almost Rs 9000 crore were concluded while another lot of 68 contracts for capital procurement were sealed for about Rs 6,500 crore.
"During the conclusion of these contracts, savings of about Rs 1700 crore was accrued to the state due to the diligence and financial prudence of the Emergency Empowered Committee at the service headquarters level," he said.
"The contracts were signed within a year with another year for the deliveries to commence. The system has been a win-win combination for the industry and the user," he added.
Gen Naravane asserted that the is fully committed to promoting the Indian defence industry and that contracts worth over Rs 16,000 crore were placed on it in recent months .
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Patna police have raided a plasma lab and seized a large number of fake RT-PCR Covid-19 reports, police said.
The officials of health department and a team of Shastri Nagar police station raided the lab in Raja Bazaar on Wednesday evening after a complaint was lodged by the airport authority of Patna.
The incident came to the knowledge of airport authority after a passenger was nabbed with fake RT-PCR report issued from the Raja Bazaar lab. The passenger was trying to travel woth the fake RT-PCR report.
"During the raid, we seized a number of documents, including fake RT-PCR reports. The employees of the lab admitted that the fake RT-PCR certificates were sold to some people," SHO of Shastri Nagar police station told IANS.
"We have detained a lab official. The investigation is currently underway," he said.
As per the guideline of Civil Aviation Department, RT-PCR test is mandatory for travelling inside the country and abroad. Many people who have not undergone testing or taken the vaccines are the potential buyers of these fake certificates from this lab.
--IANS
ajk/in
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The Delhi High Court Thursday expressed its unhappiness over the Delhi government's response filed on the pleas of restaurants seeking to direct the state and police not to interfere with the sale of herbal flavoured hookahs, saying it was silent on whether the prohibition order has been reconsidered by DDMA.
The high court said it had on September 17, specifically directed the Delhi government to ask the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) to reconsider its August 3, 2020 order prohibiting the use of herbal in public places to contain the spread of COVID-19, however, the authorities failed to inform regarding this.
The court said the Delhi government was directed to file an affidavit why the last year's order was not reconsidered in light of the change of situation of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Unfortunately even though the respondent (Delhi government) has filed an affidavit trying to justify why the sale of flavoured is not permissible, there is no whisper if the decision has been reconsidered by the DDMA or not, Justice Rekha Palli said.
The court granted one week's time to the Delhi government while directing it to file an affidavit specifically stating whether the DDMA has reconsidered the August 2020 order and also reasons for continuing with the decision.
It listed the matter for further hearing on October 8, saying DDMA has to at least apply its mind.
The court told the petitioners' counsel that in COVID times, the authorities are not permitting many things and it needs to be seen whether it should force them to allow this activity.
It said nobody was stopping the petitioners from running their restaurants, only activity was not permissible presently.
While perusing the government's affidavit, the court said it was not in compliance with the last order and it was not happy with the response.
Delhi government standing counsel Santosh Kumar Tripathi said the situation is very alarming and people need to be disciplined.
He said he has apprised the DDMA about the court's order but he was yet to get instructions from them and sought some time for it.
On September 17, the high court had asked the Delhi government why DDMA's order prohibiting the use of herbal hookah in public places to contain the spread of COVID-19 be not re-considered when breath analyser test was being allowed now.
The high court had issued notice and sought a response from the Delhi government on five separate pleas by restaurants and bars seeking to direct the state and police not to interfere with the sale of herbal flavoured hookahs or take coercive steps against them.
Separate petitions were filed by Breath Fine Lounge and Bar, TOS, R High Speedbar and Lounge, Verandah Moonshine, and Sixth Empirica Lounge in West Punjabi Bagh, challenging the order of the Joint Commissioner of Police (Licensing Unit) prohibiting and excluding the sale or service of herbal flavoured hookahs in restaurant/bar being run by them.
The pleas said the petitioners are serving herbal hookahs for which no licence is required as they are totally without tobacco but the police are still conducting raids, seizing equipment, and issuing challans.
The petitioners' counsel had earlier said as long as the restaurants undertake not to use nicotine in hookah, they cannot be prohibited from carrying out their businesses.
The pleas have sought to declare that definition of "smoking" under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), does not cover herbal flavoured hookahs and to direct the authorities not to take any extreme step of suspension or cancellation of registration certificate of the petitioners.
The Delhi government has been opposing the pleas saying for a single mistake, the entire Delhi would have to pay a heavy price, and allowing hookah consumption in public places may spread COVID-19 since people would be sharing it.
The Delhi government has said the use of hookah, be it with or without tobacco, in all public places including hotels, restaurants, eatery houses, bars, pubs, and discotheques, in the capital is strictly prohibited as the use or sharing of hookah may further increase the spread of COVID-19.
Delhi government counsel had referred to the August 3, 2020 order passed by the Health Department which observed that in public places, use and sharing of hookah with and without tobacco (herbal hookah) may further increase the spread of coronavirus.
Now, therefore, in the exercise of powers conferred by the Delhi Epidemic Diseases, COVID-19, Regulations, 2020 under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, the use of hookah (with or without tobacco, that is, herbal hookah, water pipes, and other hookah like devices) in all public places including hotels, restaurants, eatery houses, bars, pubs, discotheques, etc, of the NCT of Delhi is strictly prohibited with immediate effect, for the purpose of prevention and control of the outbreak of epidemic disease namely COVID-19 in NCT of Delhi, the Delhi government order said.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The collegium, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) N V Ramana, has recommended 16 names for elevation as judges of the high courts of Bombay, Gujarat, Orissa and Punjab and Haryana.
In its meeting held on Wednesday, the collegium approved the proposal for elevation of 16 names -- six judicial officers and 10 advocates as judges of these four high courts.
As per the statements uploaded on the apex court website on Thursday, the collegium has approved the proposal for elevation of four judicial officers -- A L Pansare, S C More, U S Joshi-Phalke and B P Deshpande -- as judges of the Bombay
Similarly, the collegium has recommended names of advocates Aditya Kumar Mohapatra and Mruganka Sekhar Sahoo and judicial officers Radha Krishna Pattanaik and Sashikanta Mishra for their elevation as judges of the Orissa
For the Gujarat High Court, the collegium has approved the proposal for elevation of seven advocates -- Mauna Manish Bhatt, Samir J Dave, Hemant M Prachchhak, Sandeep N Bhatt, Aniruddha Pradyumna Mayee, Niral Rashmikant Mehta and Nisha Mahendrabhai Thakore -- as judges there.
The collegium in its meeting held on September 29, 2021 has approved the proposal for elevation of Sandeep Moudgil, advocate, as judge in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, said one of the statements.
Besides the CJI, the three-member collegium which deals with the appointment in high courts includes Justices U U Lalit and A M Khanwilkar.
The collegium has been taking steps by recommending names to fill up a large number of vacancies in higher judiciary in the country.
After assuming charge as the CJI in April this year, Justice Ramana has recommended nearly 100 names for appointment to different high courts, besides filling up nine vacancies of judges in the in one go.
The 25 high courts in the country have a combined sanctioned strength of 1,080 judges and on May 1, 2021, they were functioning with 420 judges only.
In a historic decision on August 17, the collegium had recommended nine names, including three women, for elevation as judges of the Supreme Court.
The names were cleared with significant pace by the Centre leading to the swearing-in ceremony on August 31 when the new judges were administered oath of office as apex court judges.
(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 national network of scientists, AIPSN, has expressed concern over the World Health Organisation not granting emergency use listing for ICMR-Bharat Biotech's Covaxin.
The All India Peoples Science Network (AIPSN) has urged the government, concerned ministries and departments of the need to adhere to scientific standards for conduct and analysis of clinical trial results and publication of results as peer-reviewed articles and complete transparency.
"All India Peoples Science Network (AIPSN) notes with sorrow and grave concern that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has not granted Emergency Use Listing (EUL) for ICMR-Bharat Biotech's (BB) Covaxin vaccine, but has asked BB for more technical details," said APSN in a statement. It added further that this is a serious setback for Covaxin and for India's programme in the country, and a blow to India's plans to distribute vaccines to other countries.
The national network of said that many Indians travelling abroad, especially students, who took Covaxin, are already finding it difficult to obtain visas or entry into other countries, which generally recognize only WHO-approved vaccines. This sorry state of affairs will continue as long as there is no public accountability, transparency along with scientific rigour.
AIPSN had earlier urged the public disclosure of trial data and now mourns the serious damage done to the reputation of India by this flawed application to WHO regulators, which has also besmirched the standing of Indian science and regulatory systems, which will now come under heightened international scrutiny and suspicion, said the scientist network in the statement.
However, the Hyderabad-based pharma major on Tuesday said that the company is diligently working with the World Health Organisation to get the Emergency Use Listing for the Covid vaccine COVAXIN.
In a statement, said that the pharma major will make an announcement to indicate the availability of regulatory approval at appropriate times.
--IANS
avr/dpb
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The has filed a chargesheet against 20 people in a case related to the alleged killing of worker Abhijit Sarkar in the post-poll violence in in May, officials said Thursday.
They have been accused of murder, and also charged under IPC sections related to common intention and destruction of evidence among other offences, they said.
Sarkar was brutally attacked by a mob on May 2 at his home in Kolkata, hours after curtains came down on the bitterly fought assembly elections with TMC recording astounding victory and the emerging as the principal opposition in the state.
He was taken to hospital where he had succumbed to injuries. Hours before his death, he had reportedly posted a video on social media narrating the violence at his home.
Sarkar's family had refused to accept his body claiming it was beyond recognition.
It was only after DNA test, ordered by a court, which showed it was Sarkar's body that family accepted it earlier this month.
The has filed its final report in the case before ACJM, Sealdah against 20 people: Sanjay Samanta, Samir Samanta, Sankar Das, Arun Dey, Rahul Dey, Sourav Dey, Sukhdeb Poddar, Amit Das, Arup Das, Biswajit Das, Sanjay Barik, Amit Das, Tumpa Das, Gopal Das, Papiya Barik, Sanjay Basak, Sufal Bose, Sanjay Dey, Abhijit Dey and Kajal Das.
It was alleged that the accused had attacked the victim with sticks and also broke the household articles of his house, Spokesperson RC Joshi said.
The agency has kept the probe open, he said.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The government on Thursday hiked the price of natural gas -- which is used to make fertilisers, produce electricity and is turned into CNG for automobiles -- by 62 per cent, an official order said.
The price of natural gas produced by state-owned firms such as ONGC from fields given to them on nomination basis will be $2.90 per million British thermal unit for the six month period beginning October 1, it said.
India also increased the ceiling price for gas produced from more challenging fields to $6.13 per mmBtu for October 2021-March 2022 from $3.62 per mmBtu in the prior six-month period, the statement read.
The prices will be applicable on a gross heat value basis.
Natural gas prices affect earnings of state-run producers such as Oil and Natural Gas Corp Ltd and Oil India Ltd.
A is the next frontier in the India-US relationship, the head of a top India-centric business advocacy group has said, stressing that it is not tenable for the two largest economies of the world to not have a trade architecture in place between them, though its path is riddled with "all kinds of obstacles".
Nisha Desai Biswal, president of US-India Business Council and a former US diplomat, was speaking at a dinner hosted by Indiaspora.
The time has come for us to get serious about where the next frontier is in US India ties. And neither for the United States, nor for India, is it tenable for two of the largest economies in the world to be outside of the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) and to not have a trade architecture in place between the two of them, Nisha Desai Biswal, president of US India Business Council said.
"We are starting to see real signals of interest from India to be able to explore that. So, I think the time has come to get serious. It's not easy. It's a path riddled with all kinds of obstacles, she said.
I've heard it described to me that trade negotiations are a knife fight in a dark alley. It's time for us to put down the knives, turn on the light, get down to business, she said in a lighter vein as she urged the powerful group of Indian Americans to engage the two governments on the issue.
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, while addressing the 4th Annual Leadership Summit of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) on Wednesday, said that India and the US should engage in a much bigger way and New Delhi is ready and willing to expand the economic partnership with America.
He also called for setting an ambitious bilateral trade target of USD 1 trillion in the next 10 years.
On August 19, he said that hopes of an India-US trade pact are off the table for now, with the Biden administration conveying to India that it is not interested in a
According to the data of the commerce ministry, in 2020-21, the trade between the US and India dropped to USD 80.5 billion as compared to USD 88.9 billion in 2019-20.
India's exports to the US are growing rapidly and withdrawal of export incentives by the US under GSP (Generalised System of Preferences) has not impacted the country's outbound shipments to America.
India is seeking exemption from high duties imposed by the US on some steel and aluminium products, resumption of export benefits to certain domestic products under the GSP, and greater market access for its products from sectors such as agriculture, automobile, automobile components and engineering.
On the other hand, the US wants greater market access for its farm and manufacturing products, dairy items and medical devices, apart from cut in import duties on some information and communication technology products.
In her brief remarks on the occasion, Neera Tanden, senior advisor to President Joe Biden, said it is critical to have Indian-Americans at the table, contributing, involved and engaged in helping make decisions.
Because as many have said before now, if you are not at the table, you are on the menu. So that is why your voices are so important. Why is it that your engagement is so important, why is your role here in everything you do is so important?, she said.
Former US Ambassador to India, Richard Verma, said the recent successful visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi shows the new chapter in this important bilateral relationship.
We can't just let it coast. We've got to all now work on it. The president gave us the roadmap to follow in trade and health and climate and security and, and so much more. I'm actually pretty excited about the bilateral ties and even broader on Quadrilateral ties as well, he said.
Indian-American congressmen Raja Krishnamoorthi and Dr Ami Bera also spoke on the occasion.
The sky's the limit, Bera said of the potential to grow elected leaders in government. Krishnamoorthi thanked the diaspora for their outpouring of support for pandemic relief.
(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.)
Farm machine makers and dealers have been directed to sell their products at the same price across the country, Union Minister of State for Agriculture Shobha Karandlaje said on Thursday.
The minister made this statement in Goa during a review meeting with the state's Agriculture Minister Chandrakant Kavlekar and officials on the implementation of centrally sponsored farm schemes.
Karandlaje lauded state Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and the state's agriculture minister for doing "amazing work" for the better implementation of the farmers' welfare in Goa.
She also honoured woman farmer Darshana Pednekar at the Goa Secretariat, who received accolades from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for her modern agricultural practices.
"Price of agricultural mechanisms should be the same in every state. It should not differ in different places in the country. The Government of India has instructed dealers and manufacturers to put the same price list across the country," an official statement quoted the minister as saying in the review meeting.
While discussing ways to develop agriculture in Goa, the minister suggested the state government to put into use digital technologies, to provide updated crop production-related know-how, arrangement of critical agri-inputs, primary soil and seed testing facilities and arranging interface with the public and private sector.
She also asked the state government to put in place digital methods for crop survey to assess the loss suffered by farmers during floods and drought.
Technology for this purpose has been developed and farmers can themselves click photos of the field/ loss suffered, upload it on the app, she said and added that farmers from Karnataka and Gujarat are already using these digital methods.
"Once data is uploaded, expert panel members can quickly review the situation and take necessary action," she said suggesting that the state should adopt the 'Swayampurna Mitra' technology for crop survey.
Stating that farmers should get good and quality seeds, the minister said all the seed packets entering Goa should be authenticated using a quick response (QR) code system.
"We should see that the seeds should bear QR code and should contain information such as quality, licence number, place, etc, which gives the end-to-end data for seeds," she added.
Besides, the minister said cultivation of sugarcane and production of jaggery may be increased as there is a big demand for jaggery for export.
Further, she encouraged the setting up of an integrated supply chain of fruits and vegetables, the funds for which will be provided over and above that is available in the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH).
The minister assured that the issue of tenants under the PM-KISAN would be resolved at the earliest, as she stressed the need to strive to become self-sufficient in three products -- milk, vegetables and fodder, the statement added.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Centre's as a proportion of the Budget Estimates fell to an 18-year low of 31.1 per cent in the first five months of the current financial year.
This was despite a year-on-year spike in in August, after falling in the previous month.
In absolute terms as well, the gap between the Centre's and receipts narrowed to Rs 4.7 trillion during April-August, 2021 from Rs 8.7 trillion in the corresponding period of the previous year. It was, in fact, lower than Rs 5.5 trillion in the corresponding pre-Covid period of 2019-20.
The decline in the deficit could be attributed to a 114 per cent rise in revenue receipts amid a cautious two per cent increase in total till August of the current financial year.
However, the pace of expansion of revenue receipts moderated to 114 per cent at the end of August from 194 per cent a month-ago as the base normalised with the progressive economic recovery last year as well as the inflows of the RBI's surplus during August 2020, Aditi Nayar, chief economist at Icra, said.
"Encouragingly, both revenue and capital spending saw a healthy increase in August 2021, more than offsetting the contraction seen in July 2021," she said.
Nevertheless, the Centre's revenue expenditure recorded a mild two per cent growth in July-August 2021, which suggests that government final consumption expenditure may weigh upon the GDP growth in Q2 FY2022, while the robust 31 per cent expansion in capital expenditure in this two month period will support the growth in gross fixed capital formation.
Taxes yielded the government almost 60 per cent more revenues at Rs six trillion than even corresponding pre-Covid level of 2019-20.
"The healthy expansion in the union government's gross tax revenues in the first half relative to the pre-Covid level augurs that the upturn will sustain in the second half as well, even though a normalising base may dampen the pace of growth going forward. We expect the GoIs gross tax revenues to exceed the FY'22 BE by at least Rs two trillion," Nayar said.
Besides, the transfer of surplus by the RBI to the Centre was around Rs 500 billion higher than budgeted.
Moreover, there could be modest inflows from the National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP). However, following the package announced by the government for the telecom sector, Nayar assessed the inflows from this sector into the non-tax revenues to be limited to Rs. 280 billion, trailing the budgeted Rs. 540 billion for FY'22.
The government had, meanwhile lifted the cap from the expenditure.
As such, expenditure for September which would be made available next month end is likely to show a high pace of growth. The expected rise in fertiliser subsidies and MNREGA allocations, the Centre's total expenditure can exceed the BE of Rs 27.9 trillion for the current financial year.
Even then, the Centre's is likely to be lower than budgeted, depending on the disinvestment receipts. Disinvestment has yielded just Rs 12,000 crore against the target of Rs 1.05 trillion. In this respect, LIC IPO could fill much of the gap. Another Rs 15,000-20,000 crore could come from Air India disinvestment, which is the process.
India is the fourth-largest producer of in the world, and the sector has a huge potential for growth with the help of research, innovation and a speedy registration system, Agriculture Minister has said.
Addressing the 41st AGM of CroplifeIndia, an apex body of 15 Crop science companies, Tomar said the has launched a digital agriculture mission and focusing on the use of drones in the farm sector.
"India is the fourth-largest producer of Seeing the potential of this sector, the government has included the agrochemical sector among the 12 champion sectors where India can play an important role in the global supply chain," Tomar was quoted as saying in a statement issued by Croplife.
"There is a lot of potential to be a leader in the chemical sector with the help of innovation, speedy registration system, early crop protection research and digitisation drive," the minister said.
Tomar said the central government is focusing on the use of drones in the agriculture sector and with this, it has started the Digital Agriculture Mission.
The agriculture ministry has signed MoUs with the private sector to take forward digital agriculture, which aims to benefit farmers in every way while increasing their income.
"The impact of climate change has a direct/indirect fallout on pests, which creates an impact on crops. The crop protection industry needs to leverage the R&D facilities, thus imbibing the policies of Drone technology and Artificial Intelligence, Ashok Dalwai, CEO, National Rainfed Area Authority, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, said.
SK Malhotra, Agriculture Commissioner, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare said, "India needs new molecules, which are safer and more effective. Industry needs to come forward and introduce new molecules aligned with international standards".
Ravi Prakash, Plant Protection Advisor, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare said, the crop protection industry has been taking strides in exporting products, thus earning foreign exchange.
Over the last 75 years, Indian agriculture has made rapid strides. From a meagre 55 million tonnes, production of food grains has increased to a record 309 million tonnes. Production of pulses, coarse cereals, natural fibres, sugarcane, vegetables and fruits have all increased manifold since Independence," KC Ravi, Chairman, CropLife India said.
India is now among the top 10 agricultural products exporters, and the crop protection industry has played a vital role in this, he added.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The country's economy is set for a stronger performance going forward, driven by growth in large corporates, agriculture and most importantly digital startup sector, veteran banker KV Kamath on Thursday said.
The economy began to rebound in the third quarter of the last fiscal and the momentum has continued despite a slight slowdown due to the impact of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, witnessed earlier this year, he added.
The country's economy grew by a record 20.1 per cent in the April-June quarter.
I would think that we are set for probably even stronger performance going forward, Kamath said.
There are sectors such as large corporates, who have deleveraged themselves, technology and agriculture are driving the growth, he noted.
And more importantly, momentum has come and will continue to come from a sector which is not talked of much, which is what I call the new digital startup sector, the former head of ICICI Bank and New Development Bank said.
There are many companies in the new digital sector coming up at a very rapid rate in areas such as financial services, e-commerce, food and transportation, he noted.
According to Kamath, in some of the other growth economies, the contribution of the digital startup sector is around 40 per cent of the economy, whereas in India it is still a very small percentage.
I would think that's (digital startup sector) is going to be one of the fastest-growing areas of India with a potential to probably be 20 to 25 per cent of the economy in the next two years, in what I call the digital supercycle, he said.
The services sector, which is customer interfacing, is still struggling despite the ease in restriction on movements, he added.
However, Kamath expects an improvement in the services sector in the October-December quarter.
Speaking on the financial services sector, he said the steps taken in the last three years have ensured that the banking sector's balance sheets have become clean.
He said setting up a bad bank is a great step, which will further help in cleaning up banks' balance sheets.
Kamath advised the financial sector, including the banking sector, to closely look at the opportunities and threats of digitisation.
Overall, in a growing economy, the financial service sector will have a very strong future with a strong digital bias, he noted.
(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.)
Union Labour and Employment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Thursday launched DigiSaksham, a digital skills programme to enhance the employability of youth by imparting digital skills that are required in an increasingly technology driven era.
This joint initiative with Microsoft india is an extension of the government's ongoing programmes to support the youth from rural and semi-urban areas, a statement said.
Through DigiSaksham initiative, free of cost training in digital skills including basic skills as well as advance computing will be provided to more than 3 lakh in the first year.
Jobseekers can access the training through National Career Service (NCS) Portal.
The initiative gives priority to the job-seekers of semi urban areas belonging to disadvantaged communities, including those who have lost their jobs due to Covid-19 pandemic.
Speaking at the launch, the Union minister said that with fast paced technology up gradations, constant skilling, reskilling and up-skilling is a must.
Under the DigiSaksham initiative, there will be basically three types of training viz, Digital Skills self paced learning, VILT mode training (virtual instructor led) and ILT mode training (instructor led), the statement said.
The ILT training which is in person training would be conducted at the Model Career Centres (MCCs) and National Career Service Centres (NCSC) for SCs/STs across the country.
Through this initiative, nearly one crore active jobseekers registered on National Career Service (NCS) Portal will be able to access training in areas like Java Script, Data Visualisation, Advance Excel, Power Bi, HTML, programming languages, software development fundamentals, introduction to coding, etc, equipping them with the skills required in a digital economy, the statement said.
DigiSaksham will be implemented in the field by Aga Khan Rural Support Programme India (AKRSP-I).
On this occasion, the union minister also highlighted the importance of skilling in bridging India's digital divide, placing the country on the path to inclusive economic recovery and preparing India's talent to thrive in a digital future catering not only to the needs of the domestic economy but also to tap the overseas employment opportunities.
Speaking at the launch event, President Microsoft India Anant Maheshwari said that skills of future will be different from today and bridging the digital skill equity gap requires involvement and close cooperation of government and private sector working with people that will further accelerate India's transition to 'Digital Economy'.
The DigiSaksham initiative will equip more than 300,000 youth in technical skills in the first year and Jobseekers can access Microsoft learning resources such as programming languages, data analytics, software development fundamentals and advanced digital productivity on the National Career Service (NCS) portal, the statement said.
The initiative gives priority to the job-seekers of semi urban areas belonging to disadvantaged communities, particularly the candidates from the socially and economically backward communities, marginalised communities, people who have been displaced or lost jobs due to Covid-19.
Microsoft India has also roped in Aga Khan Rural Support Programme-India and its knowledge partner TMI e2E Academy for rolling out this digital initiative.
The Ministry of Labour and Employment is implementing the National Career Service (NCS) Project as a Mission Mode Project for transformation of the National Employment Service to provide a variety of employment related services like job matching, career counselling, vocational guidance, information on skill development courses, apprenticeship, internships etc.
The services under NCS are available online which was dedicated to the nation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India in 2015. All the services available in the portal are free of cost for all stakeholders including jobseekers, employers, training providers and placement organisations.
The NCS portals can be accessed directly or from Career Centres (Employment Exchanges), Common Service Centres, post offices, mobile devices, cyber cafes etc.
With the increased focus of government on career counselling service, the ministry has created a network of more than 700 career counsellors who are regularly publishing their schedules on NCS portal.
Knowledge Repository of Career Counselling content has been created by digitising the existing counselling literature and making it amenable for periodic updating by stakeholders and made accessible to various users. Occupational information on more than 3,600 occupations based on National Classification of Occupations 2015 is also available under career information, the statement said.
The Government of India has provided financial assistance to the states for setting-up model career centres and has already approved 207 Model Career Centres (including seven non-funded MCCs) and it has been decided to create another 200 more career centres across the states/UTs, it added.
The NCS portal also provided an open architecture for partnering of institutions and organisations for delivery of career and employment related services.
The ministry has engaged with several institutions and organisations to bring more and more job opportunities to our workforce with some of the leading institutions organisations such as Quikr Jobs, Monster.com, Freshers World, First Job, Mera Job, Synergy relationship Management Services Private Limited, VSS Tech Solutions Pvt Ltd, Monter.com, Saral Rozgar, Cassius Technologies Pvt Ltd, Shine.com, etc, the statement said.
The NCS portal is now being integrated with other ministries/departments like MSDE, MHRD, AICTE, etc.
Today, the job market is more competitive and employers are now looking for employability skills along with expertise in subject matter as essential traits in their potential employees. Employability skills are those skills that go beyond qualifications and experience.
(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 Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has got more than 10 million valid applications under the second leg of the ( 2.0). With this, the target for disbursing 10 million new connections in the Budget 2021 has been saturated.
We will seek post-facto approvals for disbursing connections in excess of the target spelled out in the Budget 2021. No connections will be denied to eligible beneficiaries of 2.0, an oil ministry official told Business Standard.
In her Budget 2021 speech, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said, Ujjwala Scheme which has benefited 80 million households will be extended to cover 10 million more beneficiaries.
2.0 was launched with the objective of disbursing connections to the remaining targeted beneficiaries. A focus of the exercise is to give connections to migrant families that find it harder to furnish proof of address documents.
To make this leg of the program even more affordable, the first refill and hotplate (amounting to around Rs 1,800 for both) is free under PMUY 2.0. This is in addition to the Rs 1,600 upfront amount that is waived for PMUY 2.0 beneficiaries.
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas had introduced PMUY as a flagship scheme with an objective to make Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) available to the rural and deprived households. The targeted homes of lower income families were otherwise using traditional cooking fuels such as firewood, coal, and cow-dung cakes among others. The scheme was launched on May 1, 2016 in Ballia, Uttar Pradesh by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.
Since these connections were targeted for lower income households, they were offered without an upfront cost being borne by the beneficiary. This amount was instead loaned by oil companies who then recovered it from the subsidy which was accrued on subsequent LPG refills that beneficiaries bought at full price. Sensing that PMUY beneficiaries were unable to bear the cost of LPG cylinders at full price, the government decided that oil companies should forego the recovery of these interest free loans.
The target to release 80 million deposit free LPG connections to the deprived households was achieved on September 7, 2019 when Modi handed over the 80 millionth LPG connection in Aurangabad, Maharashtra. According to official data, over 83 million connections have been disbursed under the first phase of PMUY till date.
This led to an increase in Indias LPG coverage from 62 per cent on May 1, 2016 to 99.8 per cent as on April 1, 2021. The remaining gaps are expected to be filled with PMUY 2.0. As on September 15, the highest number of PMUY 2.0 connections have been disbursed in Bihar (605,000). West Bengal (334,000) comes second while Gujarat (281,000) comes third.
It is expected that there will be a little over 300 million LPG consumers in India by March 2022. Of these, there will be around 207.2 million non-PMUY (or regular) LPG consumers in the country.
The will release its first cut-off list for undergraduate courses on Friday with the scores expected to soar higher this year from last time as more students have scored above 95 per cent in the CBSE Class 12 board examinations.
Some colleges said they could even keep the cut-offs at 100 per cent in order to avoid "over-admissions" on the limited number of seats.
"We had decided on our cut-offs but we were wondering to have a re-look at the scores after seeing that a higher number of students have scored above 95 per cent.
"There are also students who have scored cent per cent marks and we might have to keep the cut-offs at 100 per cent," said Vibha Chauhan, principal of Kirori Mal College.
The Delhi University's Aryabhatta College released its tentative cut-off list on Thursday with BA (Hons) psychology having the highest cut-off among all courses at 98.5 per cent.
A principal of an off-campus college, requesting anonymity, said some courses might see a one or two per cent increase from last year while some might even see a six per cent rise from last time.
"Over 70,000 students have scored above 95 per cent in CBSE this year and we have 70,000 seats on offer. There is a huge clustering of students in the 95 per cent to 100 per cent bracket, 90-95 per cent bracket and even in the 85 per cent to 90 per cent bracket.
"We have to keep the cut-offs high in order to avoid admitting more students. It happens every year that end up admitting more students than the number of seats," he added.
Dr Babli Moitra Saraf, principal of Indraprastha College For Women, said students should not be in despair even if they are not able to meet the cut-offs in the first list.
"The first and the second cut-offs are higher because colleges do not want to run the risk of over-admissions. The rule is that everyone within the cut-off has to be accommodated irrespective of the number of seats," she said.
She added that there are many colleges and universities in Delhi and people do get distributed.
"We don't know when they will physically open the university and then other facilities like labs and human resource will be considered while determining the cut-offs," she said.
Miranda House principal Dr Bijaylaxmi Nanda said there will not be a cent per cent cut-off for any course in the college.
"We won't have 100 per cent cut-offs. The cut-offs will be slightly calibrated than last time. The cut-offs will be close to 100 but we will be realistic with them," Nanda added.
She said the increase would be 0.25 per cent to 0.5 per cent in popular courses like Political Science (Hons), some combinations of BA Programme, Physics (Hons), etc.
Last year, Lady Shri Ram College had a 100 per cent cut-off for three courses.
Rajdhani College principal Dr Rajesh Giri said there will be a two per cent increase in cut-offs in the college from last year across all courses.
St Stephen's cut-offs, which were released, were more or less on similar lines, on the scores of last year.
Saraf said at St Stephen's, there is an interview component for applicants, something which the other colleges don't have.
The cut-offs for BA (Hons) Economics and B.Com (Hons) courses were 98 per cent respectively. The minimum marks required to get admission in BA (Hons) English and BA (Hons) Political Science were 96 per cent for both the courses.
In its tentative list released by Aryabhatta College, the cut-offs for BA (Hons) Economics and B.Com (Hons) courses stood at 98 per cent respectively. The minimum marks required to get admission in BA (Hons) English and BA (Hons) Political Science were 96 per cent for both the courses.
DU colleges have been given a deadline of 1 pm on October 1 to submit the cut-off lists.
Students will start applying to colleges from October 4.
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.)
on Thursday said its shareholders have rejected the appointment of statutory auditor P B Vijayaraghavan & Co.
The bank had listed four agendas at its annual general meeting held on Wednesday (September 29), of which two were passed.
The shareholders rejected the proposal of appointment of statutory auditors P B Vijayaraghavan & Co, Chartered Accountants, Chennai with 65.44 per cent votes cast against the ordinary resolution, said in a regulatory filing, disclosing the scrutiniser's report of the postal ballot.
They also rejected a proposal for authorisation to the board of directors to appoint and fix remuneration of branch auditors, with 65.44 per cent votes against the resolution.
"The resolutions 3 and 4 have not been passed by the shareholders of the bank," the filing said.
Resolutions 1 and 2 were passed with requisite majority. These related to the adoption of the audited financial statements for fiscal ended March 2021 and re-appointment of Gopinathan C K as a director, respectively.
In a separate filing on the summary of the proceedings of the 94th AGM, the South-based lender said G Subramonia Iyer, part-time chairman of the bank, chaired the meeting through video-conference (VC) from Mumbai.
P B Santhanakrishnan, partner of P B Vijayaraghavan & Co, statutory central auditors of the bank, joined through VC from Chennai, among others.
The chairman also informed the shareholders that the meeting is not concluded and adjourned for a month as per the September 29, 2021 order of the High Court of Kerala.
The court case relates to two writ petitions filed before the court by certain individuals citing non-placement of their candidature for directorship before the shareholders of the bank at the AGM.
The writ petitions were heard together by the High Court on September 28, 2021.
The court pronounced an interim order directing the bank to refrain from concluding the AGM on September 29.
However, the order did not preclude the bank from transacting the businesses included in the agenda of the meeting.
The High Court of Kerala also said in its order that after transacting the businesses included in the agenda of the AGM, the meeting should be adjourned to a day after one month.
The private sector lender posted a nearly 11.5 per cent rise in its net profit to Rs 6.79 crore in the quarter ended June 30 of the current fiscal year. Total income fell more than 14 per cent to Rs 239.02 crore during Q1 FY22.
Its asset quality worsened as gross non-performing assets (NPAs or bad loans) rose to 9.27 per cent of the gross advances as of June 30, 2021, as against 6.89 per cent a year ago.
stock closed at Rs 16.10 apiece on BSE, up 0.94 per cent.
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State-owned (PNB) has picked up 12.06 per cent stake in National Asset Reconstruction Company (NARCL), that intends to resolve Rs 2 trillion soured loans.
has subscribed to 1,80,00,000 shares of NARCL (pending execution of Investment Agreement), the lender said in an exchange filing.
The lenders equity stake of 12.06 per cent will be reduced to 9 per cent by December 2021.
The public sector lender has purchased 18 million shares of NARCL at face value of Rs 10/share. The approval from the would be required for the acquisition of shares, the bank is said in an exchange filing.
The indicative time period for completion of the transaction has been stated as the last quarter of FY22.
The NARCL will aggregate of about Rs 89,000 crore in the first phase and resolve them within five years. Earlier this month, the Centre has approved the proposal to provide government guarantee worth Rs 30,600 crore to security receipts issued by the NARCL.
The NARCL will pay up to 15 per cent of the acquisition cost18 per centfor in cash and the remaining 85 per cent would be government-guaranteed security receipts.
The NARCL, dubbed as bad bank, will be 51 per cent owned by public sector and financial institutions, and the remaining 49 per cent stake will be held by private sector lenders.
(PNB) on Thursday said it has purchased 1.8 crore shares of the proposed National Asset Reconstruction Company Ltd (NARCL).
" has subscribed to 1,80,00,000 shares of National Asset Reconstruction Company Ltd (pending execution of investment agreement)," the bank said in a regulatory filing.
NARCL is yet to become operational. It will take over the bad assets of the in its own account for speedy resolution of such assets.
PNB said the shares have been acquired at a cash consideration of Rs 10 per equity share (at par) and it will complete the transaction by the end of the last quarter of this fiscal.
The lender said the investment of equity stake of 12.06 per cent by it in NARCL will be reduced to 9 per cent by December 31, 2021.
Earlier this month, the government cleared the proposal to provide government guarantee worth Rs 31,000 crore to security receipts issued by the NARCL.
The NARCL will pay up to 15 per cent of the agreed value for the bad loans in cash and the remaining 85 per cent would be government-guaranteed security receipts.
It will be 51 per cent owned by PSBs and the remaining by private sector lenders.
State-owned Canara Bank has expressed its intent to be the lead sponsor of NARCL with a 12 per cent stake.
(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.)
Defence officials from China and the US have held two days of talks in a small sign of progress amid a continuing sharp downturn in relations.
The secure video conference held Tuesday and Wednesday was led by Maj Gen Huang Xueping, deputy direct of the People's Liberation Army's Office for Military Cooperation, and US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for China Michael Chase.
Chinese Defence Ministry spokesperson Wu Qian on Thursday said the sides exchanged in-depth views on relations between the two countries and the two militaries and issues of common concern.
However, he blamed continuous provocation and containment of China by the US for the considerable difficulties and challenges between the two militaries.
China's sovereignty, dignity and core interests brook no violations," Wu said at a monthly briefing.
Regarding the relationship between the two armed forces, we welcome communication, welcome cooperation, face differences and oppose coercion."
In a statement issued in Washington, Department of Defence spokesperson Lt. Col Martin Meiners said the meeting was an important component of the Biden-Harris administration's ongoing effort to responsibly manage the competition between the US and the PRC by maintaining open lines of communication with the PRC."
During the talks, he said the two sides held a frank, in-depth, and open discussion on a range of issues.
Both sides reaffirmed consensus to keep communication channels open. The US side also made clear our commitment to uphold shared principles with our allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region," he said.
Relations between China and the US are facing the worst strain in decades over trade, technology, human rights and Chinese military activities in the South China Sea, where Beijing has built airstrips and other infrastructure atop man-made islands.
Military-to-military ties have been characterized by deep mistrust, with the US accusing China of a lack of transparency as it massively upgrades the capabilities of the PLA, the military wing of the ruling Communist Party.
China has been angered by the Navy sending ships to sail close to islands it controls in what Washington calls freedom of navigation operations, along with US support for Taiwan.
President Joe Biden has maintained a tough line on China, but has sought better communication with Beijing. The talks between Huang and Chase are believed to mark the first direct high-level contact between defense officials under the Biden administration.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Inc.s head of global safety faced tough questions from lawmakers who accused the company of prioritizing profit and growth over the health of its youngest users.
Senators at a hearing Thursday seized on Facebooks internal research about the mental-health effects of its platforms, arguing the social media giant cant be trusted to act in the best interest of children and teens. Senator Richard Blumenthal said has chosen growth over childrens mental health and well-being, greed over preventing the suffering of children.
has shown us once again that its incapable of holding itself accountable, said Blumenthal, the chair of the Senate Commerce Committees consumer protection panel.
Antigone Davis, Facebooks global head of safety, said the company uses its own studies and works with outside experts to develop tools to keep young users safe on its platforms, give parents more safety options and prevent people younger than 13 from lying about their age to create accounts.
Its why we conduct this research: to make our platforms better, to minimize the bad and maximize the good, and to proactively identify where we can improve, Davis said. Facebook is committed to building better products for young people, and to doing everything we can to protect their privacy, safety and well-being on our platforms.
The hearing follows reporting by the Wall Street Journal that Facebook understood the negative effects its photo-sharing app, Instagram, has on young users, including anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts, and yet downplayed the research. Almost a third of teen girls with body-image issues told Facebook that scrolling through made those problems worse, according to documents reviewed by the newspaper.
The Journal also detailed how Facebook is aware that millions of celebrities get special treatment for questionable content, human traffickers actively use the platform and an algorithm change fueled increasingly divisive posts. The newspaper series has reignited anger in Washington at the social media giant, although lawmakers are still far from passing proposed legislation aimed at the platform.
Youve lost the trust and we do not trust you, Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn, the panels ranking Republican, told Davis.
Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, said he thinks the hearing will add to momentum to update the Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act -- the 1998 law that prohibits data collection on those younger than the age of 13. He also said he would consider issuing subpoenas for any additional internal studies from Facebook.
The combination of todays testimony and the evidence from the whistle-blower on Tuesday will certainly bolster momentum very powerfully, Blumenthal told Bloomberg, referring to next weeks public hearing with a former Facebook employee who provided company documents to the Journal. Theres certainly an urgency to the problem.
Sharp Questions
Senators asked sharp questions regarding suicide rates for users, specific policy changes as a result of Facebooks research and how the companys business model guides product design.
Davis emphasized that the companys studies didnt establish a causal relationship between use and mental-health outcomes, and she explained how the company has made changes to the platform to try to improve user experience. Davis spoke about her own experience raising a daughter, and with her brother and a close friend who died by suicide.
If theres one person on our platform who attributes their suicidal ideation to our platform, thats one too many, Davis said. We care deeply about it.
Senators also questioned Facebooks governance model, with most of the power and decision-making concentrated in the hands of founder and Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg. When asked repeatedly who at the company would sign off on releasing more research or approving product changes, Davis said such decisions would involve many people and the company is looking to provide more transparency.
Totally Insufficient
Instagrams head of research, Pratiti Raychoudhury, said in a blog post Sunday that the study quoted by the Journal was a small sample of 40 teens, and most of them reported feeling better in other categories like loneliness and anxiety after using Instagram. Raychoudhurys post also detailed actions taken to make Instagram a healthier platform for young people, like adding resources for those struggling with eating disorders and removing some content related to suicide.
The company released two slide decks late Wednesday outlining Instagrams mixed impact on the way young people feel about themselves. The Journal later released additional documents that informed the newspapers reporting.
As part of its response to the fallout from the Journals reporting, Facebook announced Monday that it will pause work on a version of Instagram for children. Still, Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, said in a blog post that building a version of of the app for children ages 10 to 12 is still the right thing to do to give parents more control.
Davis said from June to August, Facebook removed 600,000 accounts belonging to children younger than 13. She also said the company is looking for ways to release more of the companys internal studies and to give external researchers access to Facebook data.
Blumenthal told reporters Wednesday that a pause in Instagram for kids is totally insufficient.
Its a mockery of what they should be doing, which is to say, stop exploiting children and cease abusive practices that put profits over childrens safety, he said.
In addition to testifying before the consumer protection subcommittee next week, the Facebook whistle-blower is scheduled to appear Sunday on CBSs 60 Minutes. Davis said Facebook wont retaliate against the whistle-blower for cooperating with the Senate. The whistle-blower is no longer working at the company.
Former French President was found guilty Thursday of illegal campaign financing of his unsuccessful 2012 reelection bid.
Sarkozy wasn't present at the Paris court for the verdict's announcement.
He is accused of having spent almost twice the maximum legal amount of 22.5 million euros ($27.5 million) on the reelection bid that he lost to Socialist Francois Hollande.
Sarkozy, France's president from 2007 to 2012, has vigorously denied wrongdoing. He has the possibility to appeal the decision.
(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.)
gave a speech at the this month. It was full of the usual misstatements and exaggerations for which the Brazilian leader has become notorious. But the most noteworthy part of the speech had nothing to do with its contents. It was Bolsonaros refusal of take a COVID-19 vaccine, despite New York City regulations on public gatherings and the UNs urging of all world leaders to do so.
The planet faces enormous threats at the moment. The pandemic is still raging throughout the world. Climate change is an immediate risk. Wars continue to devastate Yemen, Ethiopia, and Syria.
Given these crises, the is needed more than ever. And yet the body could not compel to get vaccinated or risk the fallout of preventing him from speaking to the General Assembly.
This problem of rogue actors has long bedeviled the But the rise of right-wing populists who insist on their sovereign (and often selfish) right to do whatever they please poses an additional challenge to the community.
ALSO READ: Jair Bolsonaro emerges as a risk factor for Brazil IPO pipeline
Nation-states frequently use the principle of sovereigntythe exclusive authority to determine the rules within national boundariesas a justification for their actions. The COVID-19 pandemic is only the most recent example of the shortcomings of sovereignty. With little regard for the common good, the richest countries made sure to secure more than their fair share of vaccines. The World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the World Bank tried to ensure access to the vaccine for poorer countries by setting up the Vaccine Alliance (GAVI). It was supposed to distribute 2 billion doses by the end of 2021. So far, it has managed to distribute only 240 million.
The problem has largely been one of supply, given the huge purchases of the vaccine by richer countries. But there is also the challenge of delivering doses to countries where medical infrastructure is weak. As a result, the Global Dashboard for Vaccine Equity reports that, as of September 21, just 3.31 per cent of people in low-income countries have been vaccinated with at least one dose, compared to 61.51 per cent of people in high-income countries.
Lets face it: the rich run the world, and the just doesnt have the power to change that.
Nor has the UN risen to the challenge of climate change. Here the problem is one of brokering effective compromises. The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change is the body responsible for convening the Conference of the Parties (COP) meeting every year. In Paris, COP21 did manage to produce a binding treaty on climate change. But the commitments made by all the parties to the agreement were not sufficient to reduce carbon emissions fast enough to prevent a catastrophic increase in global temperatures.
Moreover, the commitments were voluntary. The U.S. delegation insisted on this because it feared that the U.S. Congress would reject any binding pledges.
Its no surprise, then, that carbon emissions are expected to rise this year by 5 percent, the second largest increase in history.
ALSO READ: US top general defends call to Chinese at end of Trump presidency
The fault here again lies mostly with the richest countriesChina, the United States, Japan, Germany, South Korea, Canada, Saudi Arabiathat have been the biggest emitters of carbon. But rich countries have also refused to provide enough money to help poorer countries transition to cleaner energy. In 2009, rich countries promised to mobilize $100 billion by 2020 for this transition. A dozen years later, the fund is still $20 billion short.
Of course, many countries face another deadly scourge: war. Imagine how many lives would be saved, how much reconstruction could take place, and how waves of refugees could be reduced if the UN were able to conduct a peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan, establish an on-the-ground presence in Syria, and separate warring parties in Tigray province in Ethiopia. Instead, the UN is relegated the task of providing humanitarian assistance. Its program in Syria, with a target of $4.2 billion a year, is the largest in the world.
But humanitarian assistance is a never-ending drain in the absence of security on the ground. Most of the peacekeeping budget of the UN goes to the existing 13 missions. The Biden administration has promised to pay down the over $1 billion peacekeeping bill it owes the UN, but the UN is going to need a lot more than that to play an effective role in bringing peace and security to the most conflict-torn areas of the world.
For one thing, the UN doesnt have a capability to respond quickly to emergencies around the world. An Emergency Peace Service could fill that gap. It has some support internationally, and its even come up twice as bills in the U.S. Congress. Without a permanent, professional corps of emergency responders, the UN will constantly be one step behind in dealing with crises around the world.
This is not an easy time for the United Nations. It is underfunded. Proposals to reform its governance have largely gone nowhere. It has been forced to cobble together ad hoc responses to the worlds biggest problems.
But perhaps the biggest challenge to the UN is the refusal of nation-states to delegate sufficient authority to institutions. Right-wing populists like and attacked globalists on a daily basis. They have done as much as possible to destroy agreements, but theyre not alone. Russias and Chinas have insisted that they have the right to do whatever they want within their own national borders. Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines is resisting any interference in his drug war as part of an investigation into his governments human rights abuses. Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua has similarly pushed back against UN criticism of his human rights record. Most strong-arm leaders eye the UN skeptically.
Without a lot of money or institutional credibility and facing a strong anti-internationalist philosophy, the United Nations has a great deal of difficulty compelling its members to protect human rights, the environment, or the rule of law. Look how ineffectual it was in dealing with Jair Bolsonaro.
Without credible enforcement mechanisms, the UN will be incapable of making the Bolsonaros of the world behave responsibly. And unfortunately, the disease of Bolsonarism is spreading.
Virgin Galactic said Wednesday that the Federal Aviation Administration has cleared it to resume launches after an investigation into why its spaceship veered off course while descending during a July flight with founder aboard.
The company said it was advised by the FAA that corrective actions proposed by Virgin Galactic have been accepted.
A larger area will be designated as protected airspace to ensure there is room for a variety of possible flight trajectories during spaceflight missions, a company statement said.
Virgin Galactic said it will incorporate additional steps in its flight procedures to ensure real-time mission notifications to FAA air traffic control.
CEO Michael Colglazier said the company is committed to safety and appreciated the FAA's review.
"The updates to our airspace and real-time mission notification protocols will strengthen our preparations as we move closer to the commercial launch of our spaceflight experience, he said.
During the July 11 incident, the rocketship carrying Branson and five Virgin Galactic employees deviated outside the air traffic control clearance area during descent to a runway in New Mexico. The FAA imposed a halt on flights pending the investigation.
Virgin Galactic has said high-altitude wind caused the change in flight path and insisted the two pilots responded appropriately. The company said the ship did not travel over population centers or cause a hazard to the public.
(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.)
Axis Mutual Fund, one of the fastest-growing fund houses, on Thursday launched a new fund offer targeted at state development loans (SDL)-based ETF and hopes to mop up at least Rs 100 crore from the issue.
The Axis AAA-bond plus SDL ETF 2026 maturity fund of funds has a maturity date of April 30, 2026, and is an extension to the Axis AAA-bond plus SDL ETF-2026 launched this May and matures in 2026, the fund house said.
The offering aims to provide a passive long-term debt investment solution for investors with a five-year investment horizon, Axis MF Managing Director and Chief Executive Chandresh Nigam said.
He added that the fund of funds will deploy its assets predominantly in the underlying ETF that invests across AAA-corporate bonds and SDLs (state government debt).
The company spokesman told PTI that they have a target to mop up at least Rs 100 crore from the new fund offer.
The debt space has seen a slew of target maturity products across various maturities and asset types. The idea of having an open-ended structure with a defined maturity is an evolution brought on by passive products, Nigam said.
"With this fund of fund, we hope to expand the availability of such solutions to investors without demat accounts and prefer to deal with the AMC (asset management company) directly," said Nigam explaining the rationale for the new fund offer that is an extension of its existing fund.
The 5-year AAA-rated bonds space offers an opportunity to investors and has seen yields rise by over 50 basis points (bps), given the sell-off since December 2020.
Being a passive fund, the fund is low cost and hassle-free for investors looking to build their core fixed-income portfolio, and it works like a traditional mutual fund. Hence, investors can invest regularly without a demat account.
The fund of funds is an ideal solution for investors who wish to participate in the passive strategy and who prefer to deal with the mutual fund directly similar to traditional
The fund provides investors with a defined tenure of about 5 years, especially on the AAA and SDL curves that have seen the largest retracement, as have begun factoring improving macroeconomic data and the gradual end of the accommodative monetary policy, he said.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
S&P-owned domestic rating firm on Thursday announced elevation of Amish Mehta as the new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer with effect from October 1 in place of Ashu Suyash.
Suyash has decided to step down to set up her own venture, the company said in a statement, adding that the change is in line with an announcement to this effect by the company board in July 2021.
Mehta has more than two decades of leadership experience across industries and joined in October 2014 as President and Chief Financial Officer.
In July 2017, he was elevated as the President and Chief Operating Officer, responsible for the global analytical centre, India research and SME, the global innovation and excellence hub and corporate strategy.
As the Chief Operating Officer, he led its acquisitions and change agenda while creating a growth path for the businesses managed.
Mehta is a chartered accountant and was the CFO of Indus Towers prior to joining Before that he was with BP/Castrol India, EY and ExxonMobil India.
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Shares of were locked at the 20 per cent upper circuit at 24.60 in the early morning deals on Thursday after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) removed the public sector lender from its PCA (Prompt Corrective Action) framework citing improvement in the bank's financial and credit profile.
The stock witnessed massive combined volume of around 51.56 million shares in the first hour of trades on the BSE and NSE. The stock has pared some gains, but is still up 12.2 per cent at Rs 23 on the BSE, while the S&P BSE Sensex is down 10 points at 59,404 at 10:05 am.
RBI said the bank has given commitment to comply with the norms of Minimum Regulatory Capital, Net Non-performing Assets and Leverage ratio on an ongoing basis. It has apprised about the structural and systemic improvements put in place to help the bank to meet these commitments. READ MORE
According to India Ratings, IOB has been meeting the threshold to exit the PCA framework on a quarterly basis in the last four quarters and on an annual basis for FY21.
IOB was placed under PCA in October 2015 on account of high Net-Performing Assets (NPAs) and negative Return on Assets (RoA). It was barred from increasing risk-weighted assets.
For the quarter ended March 2021, the IOB's net NPAs declined to 3.58 per cent from 5.68 per cent in March 2015 (FY15). It posted a net profit of Rs 831 crore in FY21 as against net loss of Rs 454.33 crore in FY15. The ROA was 0.27 per cent for FY21 while it was negative at -0.16 per cent for FY15.
Central Bank of India is the only bank under the RBI's PCA framework as of now. The stock too has zoomed nearly 10 per cent to Rs 23.25 on the BSE.
Global Health Limited, which operates and manages hospitals under the Medanta brand, has filed preliminary papers with capital market regulator Sebi to raise funds through an initial share-sale.
The consists of a fresh issue of equity shares aggregating to Rs 500 crore, and an offer for sale of up to 4.84 crore equity shares, according to the draft red herring prospectus (DRHP).
As a part of the OFS, Anant Investments, an affiliate of private equity major Carlyle Group, will sell up to 4.33 crore equity shares and Global Health co-founder Sunil Sachdeva (jointly with Suman Sachdeva) will offload up to 51 lakh equity shares.
At present, Anant Investments holds 25.67 per cent stake in Global Health and Sachdeva owns 13.43 per cent stake in the company.
Proceeds from the fresh issue will be used to pay debt and general corporate purposes.
Kotal Mahindra Capital Company, Credit Suisse Securities (India), Jefferies India and JM Financial are the book running lead managers to the IPO.
Founded by Naresh Trehan, a renowned cardiovascular and cardiothoracic surgeon, Global Health is a leading private multi-speciality tertiary care providers in the north and east regions of India.
Global Health, backed by private equity investors such as Carlyle Group and Temasek, operates a network of 4 hospitals under the Medanta brand in Gurugram, Indore, Ranchi and Lucknow.
In addition, one hospital is under construction in Patna, and another planned for development in Noida.
The Indian healthcare delivery industry is estimated to post a healthy 15-17 per cent CAGR between FY21 and FY25 driven by pent up demand, strong fundamentals, increasing affordability and Ayushman Bharat Yojana.
Moreover, county's bed density per 10,000 population is just 15 beds, which is below the global median of 29 beds.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Shares of jumped 6 per cent to Rs 3755 on the BSE in intra-day session on Thursday after the company said its US subsidiary will acquire North Carolina-based Software Corporation International (SCI) and its affiliate, Fusion360 for $53 million - a move that will bolster its expertise in serving banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI) clients.
Further, the Pune-based company also announced the acquisition of the business of New Jersey-based Shree Partners, including its subsidiary in India for $6.87 million.
With the addition of SCI and Fusion360, we are forming a new Payments business unit and expanding our BFSI expertise as well as client portfolio, Sandeep Kalra, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director, said in an exchange filing. He added that Shree Partners expands our Cloud and IT Infrastructure capabilities in BFSI and Travel & Hospitality.
"Importantly, these acquisitions bring us new points of presence in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the National Capital Region (NCR), India, bringing in new digital transformation talent to serve our clients," Kalra said.
The company announced that Inc USA, a wholly owned subsidiary of the company has entered into a Stock Purchase Agreement with Software Corporation International (and its affiliate Fusion360 LLC, on September 29, 2021, to acquire Software Corporation and Fusion360 (together referred to as SCI).
The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions which are expected to be completed within 2 weeks, it added.
Adding on, the company said it has entered into an agreement with Shree Infosoft on September 29, 2021, to acquire its business. Along with this transaction, the company, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, will acquire certain assets from Shree Partners LLC, USA, (Shree Partners) Parent company of Shree Infosoft, it said further. The said acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to be completed within 35 weeks.
At 10.08 am, the stock was trading 3.41 per cent higher at Rs 3,665 as against a rise of 0.02 per cent in the S&P BSE Sensex at 59,424.
Key benchmark indices bounced back and were trading with small gains in early afternoon trade. At 12:25 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was at 59,498.56, up 85.29 points or 0.14%. The Nifty 50 index rose 11.8 points or 0.07% at 17,723.30.
The broader market outperformed the frontline indices. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index was up 0.57% while the S&P BSE Small-Cap index rose 0.73%.
The market breadth was positive. On the BSE, 1971 shares rose and 1135 shares fell. A total of 167 shares were unchanged.
Trading was volatile as traders roll over positions in the F&O segment from the near month September series to October series. The September 2021 F&O contracts expires today, 30 September 2021.
COVID-19 Update:
Total COVID-19 confirmed cases worldwide stood at 233,231,373 with 4,773,860 deaths. India reported 277,020 active cases of COVID-19 infection and 448,062 deaths according to the data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.
In the last 24 hours, India added 23,529 new cases. Active cases accounted for less than 1% of total cases, currently at 0.82%. Active caseload stands at 2,77,020; lowest in 195 days. The recovery rate currently stands at 97.85%.
Derivatives:
The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of market's expectation of volatility over the near term, fell 1.57% to 18.54.
The Nifty 28 October 2021 futures were trading at 17,748, at a premium of 13 points as compared with the spot at 17,735.
The Nifty option chain for 28 October expiry showed maximum Call OI of 15.6 lakh contracts at the 18,000 strike price. Maximum Put OI of 26.3 lakh contracts was seen at 17,000 strike price.
Buzzing Index:
The Nifty Pharmaceutical index gained 0.85% to 14,527.9, extending its winning run to third trading session. The pharmaceutical index has rallied 2.6% in three days.
Abbot India (up 4.3%), Laurus Labs (up 2.63%), Sun Pharmaceutical Inds (up 1.71%), Dr. Reddy's Lab (up 1.35%), Biocon (up 1.27%) and Lupin (up 1%) were top gainers in pharmaceutical space.
Stocks in Spotlight:
Max Healthcare Institute rose 1.68% to Rs 360.95 after HDFC Mutual Fund and SBI Mutual Fund acquired stake in the company via bulk deals on Wednesday (29 September 2021). As per the bulk deal data on the NSE, HDFC Mutual Fund and SBI Mutual Fund bought 57 lakh shares (0.59% equity) and 4.28 crore shares (4.44% equity), respectively, in the healthcare company at Rs 350 per share each on Wednesday (29 September 2021). Similarly, Veritas Funds Plc on behalf of Veritas Asian Fund also picked up 52 lakh equity shares (0.54% equity) in Max Healthcare Institute at Rs 350 per share, the data showed. Meanwhile, Kayak Investments Holding, one of the promoter entities of Max Healthcare Institute, on Wednesday sold 8.44 crore shares (8.74% equity) of the company for Rs 2,956 crore through open market transactions.
Adani Green Energy rose 0.64%. The company's subsidiary Adani Renewable Energy (MH) signed definitive agreements with Essel Green Energy to acquire 100% economic value in an special purpose vehicle (SPV) that owns 40 MW operating solar project in Odisha. The project has a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) with Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) for Rs 4.235 per unit, with remaining PPA life of about 22 years. The closing of the transaction is subject to customary conditions. The acquisition of the project is at an enterprise valuation of Rs 219 crore.
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Federal Bank advanced 3.69% to Rs 84.40 after the credit ratings agency CARE Ratings re-affirmed its 'CARE AA; Stable' rating on the bank's Tier II bonds (under Basel III) of Rs 500 crore.
CARE Ratings said that the rating assigned to the proposed Tier II Bonds (under Basel III) of the Federal Bank (FBL) factors in the bank's long standing track record of operations of the bank, growth in franchise with established depositor base in South India which also enables the bank generate fee-based income, increasing diversification of business into other states of the country, comfortable capitalization levels, experienced management team, adequate profitability and operating efficiency metrics and comfortable liquidity profile.
The rating remains constrained by moderate asset quality and borrower as well as geographic concentration in the advance's portfolio, the rating agency added.
Federal Bank (FBL) is an old private sector bank predominantly having operations in the state of Kerala. As on 30 June 2021, the bank has a network of 1,272 branches and 1,953 ATMs. The total business of the bank stood at Rs 2.99 lakh crore with advances of Rs 1.30 lakh crore and deposits of Rs 1.69 lakh crore as on 30 June 2021.
The bank reported 23% fall in net profit to Rs 367 crore on a 5% increase in total income 4,006 crore in Q1 FY22 over Q1 FY21.
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Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs & Food & Public Distribution and Textiles, Piyush Goyal has said India is poised to become one of the largest digital markets in the world. Addressing the 2nd Global Fintech Fest-2021 through video conferencing today, he noted that at 87%, India has the highest FinTech adoption rate in the world against the global average of 64%.
As of May 2021, India's United Payments Interface (UPI) has seen participation of 224 banks & recorded 2.6 billion transactions worth over $68 Bn and the highest ever, more than 3.6 Bn transactions, in Aug'21 and over 2 trillion transactions were processed using the AePS (Aadhar-enabled payment system) last year. The Minister said India's FinTech industry came to the rescue of people at the time of pandemic, by enabling them to carry out critical activities from the safety of their homes, particularly during the lockdown & the 2nd wave of Covid. A lot of Indian Fintech markets are unicorns and India's market is currently valued at $31 Bn, and expected to grow to $84 Bn by 2025, he said.
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Punjab National Bank (PNB) gained 1.26% to Rs 40.15 after CRISIL Ratings upgraded its rating on the Tier-I bonds (under Basel III) of the bank to 'CRISIL AA/Stable' from 'CRISIL AA-/Stable'.
CRISIL said that the upgrade in the rating of Tier I bonds (under Basel III) factors in improved position of PNB to make future coupon payments, supported by an adjustment of accumulated losses with share premium account, and the improved capital ratios. Pursuant to the adjustment, the eligible reserve to total assets ratio for the bank has improved.
CRISIL has also taken into consideration, Department of Financial Services Gazette notification dated 23 March 2020 referred to as Nationalised Banks (Management and Miscellaneous Provisions) Amendment Scheme, 2020, which specifies that share premium reserves can be utilised to set off any losses in future.
PNB has significant share premium reserves which can be utilised in the future, if required, thereby protecting from any depletion in eligible reserves. This supports the credit profile of Tier I (under Basel III) instruments.
However, any substantial depletion of the share premium account or any regulatory changes to appropriation of the share premium account pertaining to adjustment of accumulated losses are key monitorables.
Supported by Tier I equity raise of Rs 1800 crore via Qualified Institutional Placement during Q1 FY22 and higher accrual, PNB's capital ratios have improved, as reflected in Tier 1 and overall capital to risk-weighted adequacy ratio (CRAR) of 12.5% and 15.2%, respectively, as on 30 June 2021 as against 11.5% and 14.3%, respectively, as on 31 March 2021.
The outstanding ratings on the debt instruments of PNB continue to factor in the expectation of strong support from the majority owner, Government of India (GoI), established market position and the bank's healthy resource profile. The ratings also factor in the modest asset quality and profitability metrics.
In line with relief measures announced by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) during the Covid-19 pandemic, PNB had provided a moratorium to its borrowers. Though collections declined during the initial months of moratorium, they moved up subsequently.
However, the second wave of the pandemic led to intermittent lockdowns and localised restrictions, thus impacting collections once again. Although the impact has been moderate during this phase, any adverse change in payment discipline of borrowers may lead to higher delinquencies.
The ability of the bank to manage collections and asset quality going forward this fiscal, is a key monitorable, the ratings agency said in a statement.
PNB, established in 1895 in Lahore, Pakistan, expanded its operations through mergers and acquisitions before being nationalised in 1969. On 4 March 2020, the Union Cabinet approved the amalgamation of PNB, UBI and OBC. The board of directors of the bank finalised the share exchange ratio on 5 March 2020, and the merger got effective from 1 April 2020. The Government of India owned 73.1% of the bank as on 30 June 2021.
For first quarter of fiscal 2022, PNB reported a net profit of Rs 1,023 crore on total income (net of interest expenses) of Rs 10,821 crore as against net profit of Rs 308 crore on total income (net of interest expenses) of Rs 10,436 crore, respectively, in corresponding period of previous year.
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Benchmark indices were trading sideways with small losses in morning trade. The was trading below the 17,700 mark. PSU banks, realty and FMCG stocks were in demand.
At 10:25 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was at 59,371.55, down 41.72 points or 0.07%. The Nifty 50 index traded 21.9 points or 0.12% lower at 17,689.4.
The broader market saw buying and outperformed the benchmark indices. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index was up 0.45% while the S&P BSE Small-Cap index rose 0.7%.
The market breadth, indicating the overall health of the market, was positive. On the BSE, 1948 shares rose and 965 shares fell. A total of 147 shares were unchanged.
Trading could be volatile today traders roll over positions in the F&O segment from the near month September series to October series.
The September 2021 F&O contracts expires today, 30 September 2021.
COVID-19 Update:
Total COVID-19 confirmed cases worldwide stood at 233,231,373 with 4,773,860 deaths. India reported 277,020 active cases of COVID-19 infection and 448,062 deaths according to the data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.
In the last 24 hours, India added 23,529 new cases. Active cases accounted for less than 1% of total cases, currently at 0.82%. Active caseload stands at 2,77,020; lowest in 195 days. The recovery rate currently stands at 97.85%.
Buzzing Index:
The Nifty Realty index added 0.9% to 510.9, rising for second trading session. The realty index has gained 2% in two days.
Oberoi Realty (up 3.6%), Phoenix Mills (up 2.87%), Sunteck Realty (up 2.3%), Indianbulls Real Estate (up 1.92%) and Brigade Enterprises (up 1.37%) were top gainers in realty space.
Stocks in Spotlight:
Blue Dart Express rose 0.69%. The logistics company announced that its general price increase, effective from 1 January 2022. The average shipping price increase will be 9.6% as compared to 2021, dependant on the shipping profile.
Persistent Systems jumped 3.58%. after the IT company announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire Charlotte, North Carolina-based Software Corporation International (SCI) and its affiliate, Fusion360, and the business of East Brunswick, New Jersey-based Shree Partners including its subsidiary in India.
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With the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) extended deadline coming to an end, there will be no automatic recurring payment for various services including recharge and utility bill as the additional factor of authentication (AFA) will become mandatory from Friday.
On December 4, had directed all banks including RRBs, NBFCs, and payment gateways that the processing of recurring transactions (domestic or cross-border) using cards or Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPIs) or Unified Payments Interface (UPI) under arrangements/practices not compliant with AFA would not be continued beyond March 31, 2021.
As part of risk mitigation measures, announced this step to bolster safety and security of card transactions.
However, non-readiness of some of the players forced the to extend the deadline on recurring payment such as utility bills, recharge of phone, DTH and OTT, among others, till September 30.
Under the new norms, banks will be required to inform customers in advance about recurring payment due and transaction would be carried following nod from the customer. So the transaction would not be automatic but would be done after authentication from the customer.
For recurring payments above Rs 5,000, banks are required to send a one-time password to customers as per the new guidelines.
Most of the banks including State Bank of India (SBI) have informed their customers about the new rules.
HDFC Bank in a bulk message to customers said as per RBI guidelines on e-Mandate on cards, the bank will decline non-compliant recurring transaction at merchant web or app on your Credit/Debit Card from October 1, 2021.
"Alternate Solution - Retry regular payment on Merchant Web/App authenticated via OTP or Pay via AutoPay in BillPay on our NetBanking for your Electricity /Water/Gas/ Landline/Postpaid mobile/Broadband/Insurance billers," it said.
In August 2019, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had issued a framework for processing of e-mandates on recurring online transactions.
Initially applicable to cards and wallets, the framework was extended in January 2020 to cover Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions as well.
RBI had said the requirement of AFA has made digital payments in India safe and secure and the primary objective of the framework was to protect customers from fraudulent transactions and enhance customer convenience.
In the interest of customer convenience and safety in use of recurring online payments, the framework mandated use of AFA during registration and first transaction (with relaxation for subsequent transactions up to a limit of Rs 2,000, since enhanced to Rs 5,000), as well as pre-transaction notification, facility to withdraw the mandate, etc.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A day after meeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah, former Chief Minister on Thursday called on Security Advisor amid talks of switching to
Just after meeting between Amarinder Singh and Doval ended, met Doval, sources said.
Amarinder Singh had met Union Home Minister on Wednesday evening. The meeting lasted for around an hour at Shah's official residence.
However, Amarinder after meeting Shah, had said that they discussed farmers issues. He said he urged to resolve the crisis soon.
On Wednesday, Singh tweeted after the meeting with Shah: "Met Union Home Minister @AmitShah in Delhi. Discussed the prolonged farmers' agitation against #FarmLaws & urged him to resolve the crisis urgently with repeal of the laws & guarantee MSP, besides supporting in crop diversification."
--IANS
miz/skp/
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Former Punjab Chief Minister left for Punjab on Thursday after meeting Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and Union Home Minister Amit Shah as the turmoil in Punjab Congress continues after the resignation of Navjot Singh Sidhu as Punjab Congress president.
Singh met Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval at his residence on Thursday.
Captain earlier on Thursday said that he would quit the Congress party but won't be joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In an official statement, he said that he had no intention of continuing in the Congress, and said that his affiliation with the party was going downhill with senior leaders being completely ignored and not given a voice in the party.
Dismissing all speculation ahead of the 2022 Assembly elections, Amarinder said he would leave the Congress where he had been utterly humiliated and was not trusted. "I will resign...will not stay in the party," he said, adding that he was still thinking through his options in the interest of Punjab, whose security was the predominant priority for him. "I will not be treated in this humiliating manner...I will not take such insults," he said, adding that his principles and beliefs do not allow him to stay in the Congress.
Unfortunately, the seniors were being completely sidelines, Amarinder said, adding this was not good for the party. He also condemned the attack on Kapil Sibal's house by Congress workers only because he had chosen to express views that were not palatable to the party leadership.
Congress on September 28 inducted former CPI leader Kanhaiya Kumar into the party. Meanwhile, commenting on the recent political crisis in the party, senior party leader Kapil Sibal on Wednesday had said that they are unaware of who is taking the decisions in the party as there is no president.
Expressing the hope that Punjab would vote for the future of the state, he said his experience showed that the people of Punjab tend to vote for a single party/force, irrespective of the number of parties in the fray. Misgovernance in Punjab would give Pakistan the opportunity to create trouble in the state and in the country, he said, adding that his meeting with NSA Ajit Doval this morning centered around this issue.
Notably, Amarinder had raised security concerns with Union Home Minister Amit Shah too, along with the farmers' issue, during his meeting with the latter on Wednesday.
The meeting came amid crisis in Punjab Congress with the sudden resignation of state Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu and led to speculation that the Congress leader may be warming up to the BJP.
Amarinder Singh had resigned as Chief Minister on September 18 and had told the media that the Congress leadership had let him down. He had also taken a dig at Sidhu over his resignation, saying he is not a stable man.
Sidhu was made PCC chief by Congress leadership in July to stem infighting in Punjab Congress ahead of next year's assembly polls but the party is now grappling with a fresh crisis.
(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.)
convener on Thursday promised the people of Punjab a 'health guarantee' with free treatment and medicines at government hospitals if his party is voted to power in the assembly elections beginning next year.
Making six promises which he described as a health guarantee for the people, the Delhi chief minister said free and better treatment will be available at all government hospitals in the state if his party wins the polls.
Medicines, operations and tests will be free, and health cards will be made for all citizens, he said, adding that 16,000 pind and ward clinics will be opened on the lines of Delhi's mohalla clinics.
The condition of existing government hospitals will be improved and new big medical facilities will be opened, Kejriwal further said, and added that treatment of road accident victims will also be made free.
"Every person in Punjab will get free and good treatment (in govt hospitals), which will be at par with good private hospitals. It is my guarantee," he said at a news conference here.
It has been done in Delhi, Kejriwal said. The leader's two-day visit to Punjab ends Thursday.
People in Punjab were forced to go to private hospitals as no proper health services were being provided in primary and community healthcare centres in the state, he alleged.
"The condition in government hospitals in Punjab is so bad that you don't get treatment, and people are forced to go to private hospitals There is loot in private hospitals. In government hospitals in the state, people are facing problems with regards to medicines, and availability of doctors and better equipment," Kejriwal claimed.
state unit chief and MP Bhagwant Mann, the party's Punjab affairs in-charge Jarnail Singh and co-incharge Raghav Chadha were also present.
Kejriwal said his government has changed the shape of government hospitals in Delhi.
"I am giving six guarantees for the health of citizens of Punjab (if AAP is voted to power in Punjab)," he said.
"We will ensure that medicines are available at every government hospital, and all machines and other equipment are available and functional Many people from Punjab come to Delhi for better treatment facilities, which we will make available in the state itself," Kejriwal said.
Even if anyone has to undergo an operation costing up to Rs 10-15 lakh, that too will be free in government hospitals if the AAP is voted to power, he said.
Every citizen of Punjab will be given a health card, which will have all health-related information of that particular person, Kejriwal.
"We will computerise the entire system, and it will be our responsibility to give people the best treatment," he said.
Taking a dig at the ruling Congress, Kejriwal said that people had brought the party to power with high hopes.
"But today, we don't see anything worth calling a government here," he said.
"The government has been reduced to a 'tamasha'," the Delhi chief minister said, referring to the latest political developments in the state.
"A dirty fight for power is going on. Every leader of that party (Congress) wants to become chief minister. Such a bitter fight for power is going on that the government is invisible. People are not able to understand whom they should approach for their problems," he said.
In such a situation of despair and political instability, people see a ray of hope in the AAP, which is the only party thinking about their problems right now, Kejriwal said.
He said the AAP is the party which is concerned about the state's development and the people.
"We are working hard for this. After the polls, the AAP's government will be formed," he said.
He added that his party has already started planning what it will do if voted to power.
Kejriwal also reiterated the earlier promises made by his party. If voted to power, free electricity will be given to every Punjab household that consumes up to 300 units of power, he added.
Asked how the necessary funds would be generated to fulfil his promises, Kejriwal said that would not be a problem.
"Problem arises when money is looted in corruption," he said, adding that there is no dearth of money with the governments, but what is missing is the right intent.
(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.)
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister on Thursday sought to play down the visit of a group of MLAs to Delhi, saying the trip should not be seen through political prism as talks about a possible change in leadership in the state refuse to fizzle out.
Baghel also termed as unfortunate, senior leader Kapil Sibal's remarks raising questions over the party's functioning. Over a dozen ruling party MLAs, considered close to Baghel, flew to the capital on Wednesday, adding to the speculation over a possible leadership change as a part of purported power-sharing formula in the government. However, the MLAs who have reached Delhi had said their visit was linked to the proposed tour of former Congress president Rahul Gandhi to the state, where the party came to power in 2018 after 15 years in opposition. Asked about their visit, Baghel told reporters here, Tell me one thing - can't legislators go anywhere. Every step should not be seen as Anybody can go anywhere Even you (media persons) tour with your friends and it doesn't mean every time the purpose is getting news. Similarly, if anyone has gone (to Delhi) it should not be seen through political prism, said the Congress CM. Asked about the possibility of the MLAs meeting AICC in-charge for Chhattisgarh P L Punia, the chief minister said, They are politicians and will meet politicians Is Punia ji in Delhi? If Punia ji is not in Delhi so there is no question of meeting him. Baghel said Sibal's comments on the party leadership were unfortunate. Kapil Sibal ji is our senior leader, a former Union minister, a senior lawyer and such a statement by him is unfortunate. After Rahul ji resigned as AICC president (in July 2019), everyone (in the party) had accepted Sonia Gandhi ji as the interim president and she is still in the post. "Due to the coronavirus pandemic, election (to the post of Congress president) was cancelled. After all this, it is ridiculous to raise such questions, he said. Addressing a press conference in Delhi on Wednesday, Sibal had raised questions on the party's high command in the wake of the events unfolding in Punjab, saying Congress workers did not know who was taking decisions in the absence of a full-time president. Meanwhile, state Health Minister TS Singh Deo, who has been apparently seeking a change in guard, also played down the visit of MLAs to Delhi and said it should not be made an issue. We all 70 MLAs can goWhat is the issue if the MLAs have gone to Delhi. In Uttar Pradesh, some MLAs (of ruling BJP) had gone to Delhi in connection with the Yogi Adityanath government. "For many days, discussions were held following which their (BJP) high command took a decision and new ministers were inducted and a new system was created (there).., Singh Deo told reporters on Thursday when asked about the development. The episode ran for several days in UP. We all heard about it. Then what new thing is happening in Chhattisgarh? I cannot understand, he added. The state health minister said, I have learnt the MLAs are (after Delhi) going to Shimla as tourists. No assembly session is underway in the state and they might have finished tour to their respective constituencies so they must be out for some leisure. Congress MLA Brihaspat Singh, who is among the legislators who are in in Delhi, had said on Wednesday that 15 to 16 party MLAs have reached the capital to meet Punia regarding the proposed tour of Rahul Gandhi in the state. The schedule of Gandhi's visit to Chhattisgarh is yet to be finalised, according to party sources here. Singh, considered close to Baghel, courted controversy in July when he alleged there was a threat to his life from Singh Deo. However, the MLA, who hails from Singh Deo's home turf Surguja, later withdrew the claim. The buzz about a possible change of guard surfaced after Baghel completed two-and-a-half years as chief minister in June 2021. The Singh Deo camp claimed the high command in 2018 had agreed to hand over the CM's post to him after the government completed half its term.
The Congress high command summoned both Baghel and Singh Deo to Delhi in August in a bid to resolve the feud. It appeared that Baghel had won this round when he told reporters upon return that Gandhi had agreed to visit the state 'on his invitation', and those talking about rotating the CM's post were promoting political instability. As many as 54 out of 70 Congress MLAs had visited Delhi separately when Baghel was in the capital in an apparent show of strength by legislators supporting him. While both Baghel and Singh Deo have refrained from saying anything about the leadership issue since then, the speculation has not died down.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A day after joining the Trinamool Congress (TMC), former Congress MLA Luizinho Faleiro on Thursday said the Mamata Banerjee-led party plans to contest all 40 seats in the next year's Goa Assembly polls on its own, without forging any alliance.
Talking to reporters during a press conference here, the former Goa chief minister also said TMC supremo would visit the state once the ongoing 15-day 'pitru paksh' period, which is considered inauspicious for launching new projects, gets over.
Faleiro joined the TMC on Wednesday in Kolkata along with nine other leaders.
He addressed the press conference here in the presence of senior TMC leaders, including Derek O'Brien, Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, Prasun Banerjee and Manoj Tiwary.
"The party is scouting for fresh faces for the upcoming election in Goa...As far as TMC is concerned, we would like to give 40 clean new faces," he said in response to a query on whether the party would consider those MLAs, who have defected from one party to another.
When asked if the TMC plans to forge an alliance, he said, "We are going to go all alone."
It is possible for the TMC to win the upcoming elections in Goa although the time left for the polls was very short, he added.
The elections are due in February.
Faleiro attacked the Congress saying that the party never wanted to form a government in Goa and therefore it did not stake claim for it despite emerging as the single largest party after the 2017 elections.
He said that I-PAC (Indian Political Action Committee) has been conducting a survey in Goa, the results of which would be available in next 10-15 days, after which the detailed roadmap for elections in Goa would be prepared.
He said the TMC would release a "charge sheet" against the BJP government in Goa, which would expose its "misdeeds".
In the last Assembly polls, the Congress had won the highest number of 17 seats, restricting the BJP to 13 seats. However, surprising the Congress, the saffron party allied with regional parties and formed government under the leadership of senior leader Manohar Parrikar.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has already thrown its hat in the ring ahead of the polls, with the party's convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announcing free power up to 300 units per month and 80 per cent jobs for locals if his party is voted to power during his recent visit to Panaji.
(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.)
Former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh on Thursday scotched speculation of his joining BJP but said he will quit the Congress, which he asserted was going downhill with senior leaders being ignored.
A day after meeting Home Minister Amit Shah which triggered speculation of his joining the BJP, Singh said he would leave the Congress as he had been "utterly humiliated" and was not trusted.
"I will not join BJP (but) I will not stay in the Congress party," the 79-year-old leader said, adding that he was still thinking through his options in the interest of Punjab as security of the state was the predominant priority for him.
Singh, who arrived in the capital on Tuesday, also met Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Thursday.
He had resigned as chief minister on September 18 after accusing the Congress of humiliating him.
"I will not be treated in this humiliating manner...I will not take such insults," he said, adding that his principles and beliefs do not allow him to stay in the Congress any longer.
Terming the senior Congressmen as "thinkers", who were critical to the future of the party, the former chief minister said the younger leadership should be promoted to implement the plans, which the senior leaders are best equipped to formulate.
Unfortunately, the seniors are being "completely sidelined" which is not good for the party, he said in a statement.
Singh's Twitter bio, which read "Army Veteran | Former Chief Minister Punjab | Continuing to serve the State", has no mention of the Congress party.
However, sources said he has not resigned from the Congress so far.
After Singh's statement, a source said the former chief minister may float his own outfit ahead of elections in Punjab which are to be held early next year.
Singh was also the president of the All India Jat Mahasabha in 2013 when he was removed as PCC chief .There is also speculation that he may get actively involved once again with this body to help resolve the farmers' issues.
Slamming Navjot Singh Sidhu, Singh said he was a mere crowd-puller and did not know how to carry the team along.
The former chief minister also condemned the attack on Kapil Sibal's house by Congress workers only because he had chosen to express views that were not palatable to the party leadership.
Expressing the hope that Punjab would vote for the future of the state, he said his experience showed that the people of the state tend to vote for a single party/force, irrespective of the number of parties in the fray.
Misgovernance in Punjab would give Pakistan an opportunity to create trouble in the state and in the country, he said, adding that his meeting with Doval this morning centred around this issue.
Singh had raised security concerns with Shah too, along with the farmers' issue, during his meeting with him on Wednesday.
Taking a dig at those who undermine the growing Pakistani threat in Punjab, he said that such people were playing into the hands of anti-India forces by being in a denial mode.
"They (Pak-backed elements) are killing our soldiers every day, they are pushing weapons into the state through drones. How can we overlook these dangers," he said.
Singh had earlier accused Sidhu of being close to Pakistan and its prime minister Imran Khan and had alleged that he was "dangerous" for the border state.
Reiterating his opinion about Sidhu, Singh said he does not know how to carry his team along.
He said he has worked with many PPCC chiefs and he has himself been one, and he has always resolved issues amicably, without indulging in theatrics like Sidhu. The former chief minister was opposed to Sidhu being appointed as PCC chief.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Inc, under criticism over internal data showing its app damaged the mental health of teenagers, plans to highlight during a U.S. Senate hearing on Thursday what it argues were more positive impacts, according to the company's prepared testimony seen by Reuters.
Antigone Davis, global head of safety at Facebook, will detail the company's previously announced efforts to better protect children and teens online, including defaulting users under the age of 16 to private accounts when they join Instagram, according to the testimony.
"Our research showed that many teens who are struggling say that helps them deal with many of the hard issues that are so common to being a teen," Davis's written testimony says.
has been under fire for the past week after the Wall Street Journal reported internal documents showed that the social media company was aware that harmed the mental health of young users.
Ahead of the hearing, Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn said in a statement that " knows that its services are actively harming their young users" and cited Facebook's in-house analysts who "performed a series of deep dives into teen use of Instagram that revealed, 'aspects of Instagram exacerbate each other to create a perfect storm.'"
Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal called the hearing "Protecting Kids Online" following the Wall Street Journal's reporting.
Internal Facebook research shows that among teenage girls who said they had recently felt sadness, 57% said Instagram made things better, Davis' prepared remarks show.
Among teenage girls who felt loneliness, 51% said Instagram had a positive impact, according to the testimony.
In a separate hearing on Tuesday, a Facebook whistleblower will testify about the company and how it handles children's safety online at a Senate hearing featuring Blumenthal and Blackburn. The senators did not disclose any information about the whistleblower.
(Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington; Writing by Sheila Dang in Dallas; Editing by Marguerita Choy and Grant McCool)
(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.)
Karur Vysya Bank Ltd
Karur Vysya Bank is a privately held Indian bank headquartered in Karur in Tamil Nadu. The company operates in four business segments: treasury operations corporate/ wholesale banking operations retail banking operations and other banking operations. The company's investments are categorized into three categories held to maturity held for trading and available for sale. Karur Vysya Bank was incorp...> More
Anjuna (Goa) [India], September 30 (ANI/PNN): Prepping for your upcoming Goa vacation? If you're not really sure about what to wear in Goa, then check out the new fashion brand - ALIAUM, recently launched in Goa by Actor & Entrepreneur Mithun Purandare. Goa is the reason for the emergence of the brand ALIAUM.
The boutique called "ALIAUM" is located at Verandah Goa Hotel in Anjuna/ Assagoan. The ALIAUM team believe Goa is on the cusp of becoming the coolest place in India, and they aim to ensure people look and feel their best on any day or on any evening with style and comfort at the forefront.
ALIAUM Boutique has come up with a men's and women's fashion line providing resort-wear, beachwear, Party-wear, holiday wear and others.
The brand is handcrafted in Goa with a great team of tailors using the finest fabrics with collections of Khadi and organic cottons. All designs allow your skin to breathe so pack your travel bags accordingly and have a great time in Goa.
Mithun Purandare said, "I want my customers to feel relaxed and confident for any occasion. I also do customer designs made to order. Thank you to everyone who has been already a part of this fun and exciting journey."
Actor Mithun Purandare recently shot a movie - directed by RGV alongside Naina Ganguly and Apsara Rani. He plays an abusive husband. He has also just finished shooting for another series in Goa.
Watch this space for more! (https://aliaum.com)
This story is provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PNN)
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New Delhi [India], September 30 (ANI/NewsVoir): Best Agrolife Limited, a leading agrochemical company and one of India's largest manufacturers of agro-inputs, in its 30th Annual General Meeting (AGM) passed resolution on the acquisition of Best Crop Science Private Limited by Issue of Equity Shares on a preferential basis to the shareholders of Best Crop Science Private Limited as consideration other than cash.
Best Agrolife Limited acquired Best Crop Science Pvt. Ltd., for backward integration in the form of technical manufacturing of insecticides, herbicides, Fungicides & PGRs on September 2, 2021. The company informed that the acquisition will further help it in diversification of risk, and increase its revenue by 40% on the back of recently announced in-demand products.
Talking about the acquisition, Vimal Alawadhi, Managing Director - Best Agrolife Ltd., said, "Part of the rationale behind the M & A is it will enable us to utilize our expertise in increasing the reach through our strategic alliances with leading agrochemical companies of India & through an extensive network of 3000+ distributors and dealers. Of course, one of the byproducts of this M & A would be the distinct ability to serve the market better. We intend to play a vital role in the effective management of crop disease, improving the yield and profitability of farmers across the globe."
At the AGM, the company informed that it becomes the first agrochemical company in India to manufacture and market Trifloxystrobin Technical, a fungicide which has enormous demand in the domestic and global markets of North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America Middle East, and Africa.
The company has also received the license to manufacture Picoxystrobin Technical. The company plans to launch a commercial formulation of Picoxystrobin in the Kharif season of FY22. The local manufacturing of Picoxystrobin will give cost reduction benefit and help the Indian farmers in their struggle to mitigate this huge recurring loss of yields at large. The total strobilurins including their admixtures domestic market size currently is pegged at Rs. 2,500 crores and growing at a healthy CAGR of 18%.
The indigenous manufacturing of Picoxystrobin Technical can help the company to take the advantage of manufacturing capabilities and minimize the dependency on imports for this important fungicide.
"Currently, the Picoxystrobin formulation is imported in India with this license, we aim to tap the domestic market requirement of Picoxystrobin Technical, estimated close to Rs. 125 crores," added Alawadhi.
The Delhi headquartered company also plans to own subsidiary companies in Africa & the EU markets.
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Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], September 30 (ANI/NewsVoir):(https://www.drkmh.com) Dr. Kamakshi Memorial Hospitals has provided free cardiac care and performed cardiac interventional procedures for more than 350 children from all over Tamil Nadu.
To pursue and continue the good will service, Dr. KMH has now collaborated with members of Rotary Club of Madras Temple City in their project called "Healing Little Hearts".
This endeavour has aligned with the hospital's celebration of World Heart Day on September 29th, 2021 wherein the children who have been earlier treated free at Dr. Kamakshi Memorial Hospitals were provided free screening. The event was held at Dr. Kamakshi Memorial Hospitals Auditorium at Pallikaranai in the august presence of Chief Guest Honourable Member of Legislative Assembly, Sholinganallur Thiru. Aravind Ramesh and District Governor Rtn. J Sridhar.
Dr. Prem Sekar R, Consultant Paediatric Cardiology spoke on this occasion about Paediatric Cardiac care, "Birth defects of the heart is the most common amongst the congenital defects and contributes significantly to infant mortality rate. With 28 million live births annually in India, an estimated 180,000 babies are born with congenital heart disease every year. Early identification and diagnosis enables appropriate treatment and allows these children to lead a normal and healthy childhood. The majority of these defects are simple holes in the heart (ASD, VSD, PDA) and are now closed using special devices through the vascular route thus avoiding the need for open-heart surgery, general anaesthesia or blood transfusions. As these procedures minimise hospitalisation, the total cost is reduced to one-third of an open-heart surgery while offering a total and scar-free cure.
Most of these children come from economically poor backgrounds, making it harder for them to access quality treatment. Dr. Kamakshi Memorial Hospitals believes in providing medical care to everyone irrespective of their financial background. With the support of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister's Health Scheme, quality treatment is provided absolutely at free of cost. In the last three years numerous children have benefitted from catheter-based, non-surgical cure for their heart ailments through this programme. We hope many more children will similarly get benefitted through "Healing Little Hearts" project with the valuable support extended by Rotary Club of Madras Temple City."
Dr. Prem Sekar R, MBBS, MRCPI, FRCP (Glasg) an expert in Pediatric Cardiology with over 34 years of experience will spearhead the Project, "Healing Little Hearts" this year. World Heart Day is observed on 29th September each year to spread awareness on heart diseases and the need to make healthy lifestyle choices. In the case of congenital heart defects, the sooner the child receives treatment, the better his/her chances of survival. The Cardiology Care & Cardiothoracic Surgery Units at Dr. Kamakshi Memorial Hospital is fully equipped for emergency and routine procedures.
To know more about Dr. Kamakshi Memorial Hospitals, please visit: (https://www.drkmh.com) or call 044 - 66 300 300.
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Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], September 30 (ANI/PRNewswire): India offers affordable and quality education to the International students and the potential of the Indian education system at global level remains untapped as India has more than 800 universities and 10,000 colleges. During the pandemic, the shift to online and digital education has created a path where quality education is accessible to all.
This was stated by Manoj Kumar, Chairman and Managing Director, EdCIL. He was speaking during the valedictory session of the two-day diplomatic conclave on the theme of 'Cost Effective Higher & Technical Education Matching Global Standard' at the campus of Chandigarh University, Gharuan.
Sandeep Goel, Chief General Manager, EdCIL; V. Muraleedharan, Honorable Minister of State for External Affairs; Ambassadors from 24 countries including Indonesia, Tanzania, Iran, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Togo, Malawi and Zimbabwe; Satnam Singh Sandhu, Chancellor Chandigarh University and Dr. R.S Bawa, Pro-Chancellor, Chandigarh University were the other dignitaries who were present on the occasion.
During his inaugural speech, Manoj Kumar said, "The feedback and inputs given by Ambassadors are really important and we will work together with the Indian universities to inculcate the outcomes of this diplomatic conclave in our Study in India initiative. The Study in India initiative has opened new avenues and markets of International students for Indian universities and colleges including Vietnam, Eswatini and Vietnam."
Manoj Kumar further said, "Over the period of time Indian universities have diversified by offering new-age programs in emerging areas. EdCIL under the direction of the Ministry of Education started identifying the potential countries where the demands of Indian institutions would be generated; in the beginning only 25 countries were identified which is now raised to 48." In India, more than 164 institutions are covered under the Study in India program. The Indian education system is now a well-known brand all over the world. Everything from application to admission is now done online and in transparent mode, and Study in India is soon coming with its mobile application which will help the students to easily register under Study in India program. Global students have the chance to be recruited in the top MNCs because most of the top MNCs are recruiting from India. The Study in India program is now diversifying its focus from STEM education to Buddhism, Yoga and Ayurveda."
While talking about the Study in India program, Sandeep Goel, Chief General Manager, EdCIL, said, "On the basis of NAAC and NIRF rankings by the Government of India, the top 164 institutes of the country have been selected under Study in India program. The degrees obtained in the universities of India are internationally recognized." Speaking further, Sandeep Goel said, "If any international educational institutions want to start exchange programs with Indian educational Institutes, then EdCIL under Study in India will cooperate in simplifying the procedures for exchange among Indian educational institutions and international universities."
During his virtual address V. Muraleedharan said, "National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 would transform higher education by making it more holistic and multidisciplinary with a focus on skills, entrepreneurship, excellence in quality including in vocational courses. NEP will emphasize on developing the Indian approach in internationalization of higher education. The Ministry of External Affairs is closely working with the Ministry of Education to promote the NEP with foreign interlocutors through Indian embassies and consultant." V. Muraleedharan further said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced the new National Education Policy in July 2020 replacing it with the 34-year-old national policy on education of 1986 with an objective to make India into a vibrant knowledge hub. The new National Education Policy has introduced transformative and qualitative changes in India's education system." "With its multidisciplinary approach, flexible curriculum, creative combination of subjects and integration of vocational education, NEP 2020 will act as a building block towards making India a hub for international education," added V. Muraleedharan.
Federico Salas Lotfe, Ambassador of Mexico to India, speaking on this occasion said, "Mexico is geographically far away from India, but nowadays with the help of technology and communication a strong relationship is built between the two countries, regardless of the distance. Distance has not been a hindrance in the closer ties to improve the contacts between the students and the people of the two countries and also both the nations share a common vision for the futuristic education." Federico Salas Lotfe added, "Youth is the future of every country, and today we are gathered here to discuss how we can help students in achieving their goals. Strategic efforts should be promoted between Chandigarh University and Mexico's higher education institutions to facilitate the process of academic transformation, accreditation and various facilities for the students living in different countries." "In view of the various aspects related to student and faculty exchange, a meeting was organized between the Universities' officials of both the countries in the year 2019 and its next edition will be held in India in the year 2022 which will focus on the strategic partnership in facilitating higher education to the students of both the countries," added Federico Salas Lotfe.
While talking about promoting collaborative activities between the 2 countries, Ambassador of the Argentine Republic to India, Hugo Javier Gobbi said, "Both India and Argentina have technology-based farming systems and both the countries should work together in the field of agriculture. India and Argentina can also work together in the field of IT sector as well as in satellite and space sector with various exchange programs."
Speaking on the occasion, Grace Akello, Uganda High Commissioner to India, said, "It is important for foreign students studying in India to be part of the practical knowledge curriculum in the fields of engineering and nursing. In order to gain a better understanding of the needs of world-class industries, opportunities have to be provided to African students through internships and industrial tours in Indian industries." Speaking further Grace Akello said, "African students should be provided employment in India in accordance with the African government's human resource regulations. Students must be provided with practical knowledge in addition to theoretical education for qualitative improvements."
Speaking on the occasion Ambassador of the Republic of Chile, Juan Rolando Angulo Monsalve said, "The focus should be on value-added exchange programs and development-based knowledge programs while promoting the internationalization of science, technology and education." "To enhance cooperation on programs of study in both the countries, the administrative route would have to be facilitated to improve progress on visa, credit transfer," added Juan Rolando Angulo Monsalve.
Speaking on the occasion, Aaron Nuamah Sintim, First Secretary, Consular Officer, Ghana High Commission, said, "Both the countries can enhance cooperation in the areas of research, innovation and creativity, while working together in the field of health sciences to explore more opportunities and possibilities." "There is a need to focus on making the academic system attractive through the new education policy of the Government of India which also emphasizes globalization of education. Indian students must come to Ghana for cultural integration and exchange programs so that Indian students can also learn about the rich heritage of Ghana," added Aaron Nuamah Sintim.
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New Delhi/ Mumbai (Maharashtra)/ Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], September 30 (ANI/PRNewswire): Lexus India has announced its esteemed panel of judges and mentors for the Lexus Design Awards India 2022.
The proposals put forward by the 666 entries will be evaluated on key design principles - Anticipate, Innovate, Captivate & Happiness for All.
Now in its fifth year, Lexus Design Awards India recognizes exceptional talent among design professionals and individuals whose designs are a combination of design and technology, poised to help craft a better tomorrow. The annual event engages with both established & budding creative talent across the country, aspiring to win the coveted trophy for their state-of-the-art designs.
The skillful panel of judges this year comprises of Nishma Pandit -Co-founder of Ticket Design, a multidisciplinary design consulting firm, Susmita Mohanty - a spaceship designer & space entrepreneur, David Nordstorm - Vice President, Lexus Asia Pacific Division, Anuj Sharma - renowned Fashion designer, Anjali Mody - Serial entrepreneur and Mukul Goyal - Designer under the label Tattva and Mukul Goyal.
"The Lexus Design Award India is certainly a great platform for designers to convert their ideas into reality, encompassing various elements of design and innovation, focusing on making a difference in how tomorrow is viewed. We are thrilled to be the jury for this year and ready to get captivated by the spark of design around us", comments Nishma Pandit.
Finalists of the Conceptual category will have an exclusive opportunity to receive guidance from renowned designers in India to bring their creations & design to life and develop prototypes of their ideas for final judgment. The esteemed panel of mentors include LDAI trophy designer Michael Foley- founder of Foley Designs, Sandeep Sangaru - designer and entrepreneur at Sangaru Design Objects, Amit Krishn Gulati - Industrial designer and entrepreneur, Suhasini Paul - Toy designer and co-founder of PAUL STUDIO, Narendra Ghate - Chief Designer at Tata Elxsi and Vinay Rao - Design entrepreneur and co-founded Bang Design.
"We are delighted to announce this year's esteemed panel of jurors and mentors for the Prestigious Lexus Design Award 2022. Lexus Design Awards is a platform attracting several talented designers from all over the country. Mentoring this year's contestants include mentors who come with immense experience and in-depth knowledge of design & innovation. We believe the fifth edition will be a great success and we are looking forward to seeing this year's inspiring ideas that will incorporate the key elements of Lexus - Anticipate, Innovate, Captivate & Happiness for All, that will cater to creating a better and advanced tomorrow," said P.B. Venugopal, President, Lexus India.
Following the mentorship program, the 6 finalists of the Conceptual category will present their projects to the panel of judges for evaluation. The final winners will be announced along with the Established category winners at the Lexus Design Award India event in January 2022.
The Lexus Design Award India is conducted in a knowledge partnership with the Association of Designers of India - ADI. Emulating the same brand commitment as that of Lexus', ADI ensures that their efforts are in the direction of promoting best practices in the profession of design in India. ADI is India's only association, that through its 8 chapters, promotes and strengthens the capabilities of the Indian design professionals & students, as well as presents a unified voice to influence public policy, shape the industry and benefit people at large through design.
Details of the Lexus Design Award India 2021 can be found at (https://www.lexusdesign.in)
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New Delhi [India], September 30 (ANI/NewsVoir): A grand finale event with the announcement of winners today, marked the end of first phase and start of next phase focusing on deployment of solutions, of Healthcare Innovation Challenge (HIC) #2, which is a unique initiative of NASSCOM Centre of Excellence CoE-IoT & AI (a MeitY initiative with State Govt) for digital transformation of Indian healthcare.
This one-of-a-kind innovation challenge is aimed at addressing the challenges faced by healthcare providers in digital technology adoption. Eminent dignitaries and industry stalwarts like Padma Shri recipient Kiran Karnik, Past President, NASSCOM, Padma Shri recipient Dr. (Prof) Mohsin Wali, Former Physician to the President of India, Sr. Consultant, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Shayanika Hazarika, Director - Healthcare, Microsoft, Dileep Mangsuli, Executive Director, Siemens Healthineers and others graced the event with their presence.
"New technology and innovative solutions today are addressing the medical requirements such as early diagnosis, effective treatment and patient or disease management will help us to substantially improve our healthcare indices. The NDHM initiative will be big boost to the digital healthcare that will enable sharing of healthcare records. I congratulate NASSCOM-CoE on the initiative, and wish success to of HIC#2 that will undoubtedly open myriad opportunities of growth in the healthcare sector and will encourage innovators and thought-leaders to explore ideas for growth especially in this digital age," said Kiran Karnik, Past President, NASSCOM.
"Initiatives like this deserve praise and recognition for paving the way for new developments, innovation, ideas, methods and efforts in the field of healthcare. The healthcare sector is seeing the fast-paced efforts for cutting-edge technology adoption, that is enabling digital growth. New approaches to healthcare like telemedicine for online medical consultation is not only reducing the burden on health infrastructure but further helping to connect health providers to remote areas. Such success is encouraging innovators and business leaders to develop, identity and scale up new innovations. I hope endeavors like this continue to find solutions to already existing and new problems that could result in healthier communities and overall well-being," said Dr. (Prof) Mohsin Wali, Former Physician to the President of India, Sr. Consultant, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.
Prof Dr. M Wali further mentioned that very recently Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission which will go long way in giving new dimensions to the health care sector and pointed out that this mission will provide a digital health ID to the people who will hold their health records with greater connectivity. He lauded the efforts of NASSCOM CoE in this direction.
The winners announced by the eminent jury are KareXpert (Hospital Automation), Qritive (AI-based Cancer Diagnosis), Endimension (Centralised Tele-radiology Reporting and Integrating Radiology reports into Multimedia Files and Patient Friendly Report), EZDI (Digital Clinical Assistant for Integrating with Legacy EHR), Helyxon and JioVio (Homecare & Patient Monitoring Solutions). LiveHealth, Onward Health, AiraMatrix, TeleRadsol and DeepTek.Ai and Ibis.AI emerged as runners up in their respective use cases.
The key objectives of the HIC#2 include driving operational excellence by enabling automation of administrative processes and digitization of clinical workflows through the adoption of digital technology solutions; enabling healthcare providers to nominate use cases as per the digital solution needs and driving the program to enable the curation, evaluation & deployment of technology-led innovative solutions that address the nominated use cases. The HIC#2 partner hospitals included KIMS Health, Mahajan Imaging, Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Research Centre, Sankara Netralaya and Zydus Hospitals and Microsoft as its technology partner.
"Technology plays a critical role in addressing the long-standing issue of disconnectedness among data, clinicians, and patients. Microsoft healthcare cloud has supported various customers globally to manage health data at scale and makes it easier for healthcare organisations to improve the patient experience, coordinate care, and drive operational efficiency while helping support security, compliance, and interoperability of health data. Microsoft is investing heavily in the healthcare space. We believe that placing innovative solutions into the hands of professionals can do wonders for the healthcare industry. Innovation being one of the critical pillars of Microsoft, it's a good experience to be part of NASSCOM HIC#2 event which encourages innovation-led solutions for unmet clinical use cases, " said Dr. Keren Priyadarshini, Regional Leader - Healthcare, JAPAC, Microsoft.
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Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], September 30 (ANI/NewsVoir): Language has been the bridge between communities for a very long time. It enables communication, which in turn enables knowledge sharing, experiences, and much more.
But most language learning platforms lack a key ingredient - native speakers.
Native Monks needs little introduction when it comes to learning languages online. The platform that started out to help immigrants adapt as per local languages, has now grown into a dedicated in-person language learning platform, for over 130 languages with thousands of tutors and learners across the globe.
Language is more than just translation - it is a mix of the right accent, vocabulary, and culture. Native Monks, as a platform, solves just that. With thousands of tutors from across the globe well-versed in multiple languages, the platform enables a native language learning experience like no other.
At Native Monks, students can choose the language they would like to learn and select a particular course. There are different courses available to suit the specific requirements of students. The courses offer varying discounts and validity periods to fit a student's requirements and budget.
Once a course is booked, a suitable tutor is allocated. Students can book their first lesson based on their and the tutor's availability. The student also has access to features such as live chat with the support team and a messaging panel for discussions with their tutor. The one-to-one personalized classes are conducted via a dedicated, in-built video platform, that enables real-time conferencing.
To create a more authentic and real-life experience, Native Monks has introduced the feature of live classes. Native Monks believes that one size doesn't fit all. Pre-recorded lessons cannot help one learn a language well since each student is at a different level. Therefore they tailor their classes based on the student's prior language proficiency.
Their native tutors help learners work on their fluency, accents, and confidence in speaking the language. The platform believes that no two learners are the same which is why it promotes the use of a reliable and authentic feedback system tailored to every learner's progress. It also allows learners an opportunity to rate their tutors for more transparency for future students.
Native Monks has about 8,300 qualified native tutors, and in the last four years, it has onboarded over 5,500 students. Today the platform's learners and tutors are on a positive trajectory of intercultural communication. With Punjabi speakers learning how to speak fluent French from native tutors, native Russian tutors teaching their language to Chinese students, and newbies learning to speak Portuguese, their positive stories are endless.
For more information, please visit: (https://nativemonks.com)
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Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 30 (ANI/ThePRTree): Smotect brings to India a holistic and personalized program to assist smokers in their quitting journey.
Curated and designed after years of research and clinical trials, Smotect's 'Quit Smoking Program' effectively caters to the Biological, Psychological and Social factors of smoking and has a proven success rate of 81 percent.
With a mission to empower and engage millions of people, Smotect's 'Quit Smoking Program' is one of its kind in the country.
Founded by Gurseet Singh, an ardent holistic health enthusiast, Smotect tackles the journey of a smoker who wants to quit smoking and/or detox the toxins that have been accumulated by years of smoking. This program is based on the BPS model (Biological-Psychological-Social) that prepares smokers body and mind to quit smoking. It is a well researched 12-week program that includes Non-Nicotine Natural Tablets, Counseling Program based on MBCT approach and Social Community Support.
Key elements of Smotect - Quit smoking program
Smotect Natural Tablets
The synergistic effect of 12 therapeutic herbs in these Natural Tablets significantly reduces the urge to smoke while managing the withdrawal symptoms like irritation, stress and anxiety. This is a patented formula that detoxifies the body from the damaging effects of smoking.
Smotect Counseling
The program also offers Professional Counseling & Guided Sessions made by Quit Smoking Experts with a series of mindfulness exercises. The counseling program is based on the well-researched MBCT approach (Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy) which prepares to deal with the psychological dependence on smoking. It also equips smokers to deal with slips and relapses effectively.
Smotect Community
One of the best ways to reduce the prevalence of smoking is to have a community where members and smoke cessation counselors come together to discuss and share various coping strategies, provide reinforcement, and support each other. The community is moderated by counselors to keep the discussion scientific and in the right direction.
Introducing the Smotect - Quit Smoking Program, Founder, Gurseet Singh said, "I was a smoker myself for 12 years of my life and experiencing relapse and withdrawal symptoms while quitting was common. In the process of finding a solution for my smoking addiction, and failing while practicing willpower,I realized how smoking is a Biological & Psychological addiction. Hence, it's imperative to prepare your body and mind to be able to quit smoking permanently. This was my eureka moment to introduce the unique Bio-Psycho-Social model of Smotect to the masses."
He further added, "Smoking addiction is broadly defined as physical and psychological dependencies with the symptoms such as craving, impaired control, overuse and continued smoking despite the knowledge of health risks. Our vision at Smotect is to address these dependencies and provide a holistic solution to smokers and assist them in their quitting journey."
Unlike existing solutions in the Indian market, Smotect does not depend on nicotine replacements nor does it rely solely on willpower. The program offers a simple, effective, and easy pathway to quitting smoking naturally. Smotect with their quit program aims to reach out to every smoker who desires to detox their body from the ill effects of smoking or push themselves to get rid of their rather oppressive habit and start their journey towards being a better version of themselves.
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New Delhi [India], September 30 (ANI/ATK): One of India's leading RJs, RJ Dixi has recently contributed to highlight the need to promote state tourism with the state tourism department. She has been actively promoting the tourism of Gujarat through her on-air shows at different places.
RJ feels that Gujarat has many tourist attractions and hidden gems that people are not aware of.
With radio being one of the important platforms to reach out to the audience, RJ Dixi has done a variety of promotional activities with Gujarat Tourism. According to her, every state in the country has a unique culture and rituals that are followed by people, and even the Gujarat state has a rich heritage to boast about. Be it the Sun Temple in Modhera, Gir National Park, the historical Sabarmati Ashram or the iconic Statue of Unity, Gujarat has got the finest tourist attractions.
RJ Dixi shares her views on tourism being an integral part of a country's economic growth. She says, "The tourism industry not only contributes to the economic growth of the country but also raises awareness about the destinations that have a historical significance to it." Furthermore, the RJ revealed that radio gives her a podium to inform her listeners about the latest happenings across Gujarat and also in the country.
Attached to the Indian roots, RJ Dixi had earlier taken a stand for the 'vocal for local' movement. For the same, she often connects to her audience on the internet and interacts with her followers. When asked about her favourite destination in Gujarat, RJ Dixi said, "I personally love visiting Great Rann of Kutch during winters. The weather during this season is so pleasant and lively. Auto World Vintage Car Museum is my other favourite destination located in Ahmedabad."
Apart from being a travel enthusiast, RJ Dixi is an ardent foodie and a fitness follower. Maintaining a balance and living a sustainable life is what she aspires to do. Her work ethos and the determination to pursue the goals have seen RJ Dixi inspire women of different age groups. Currently working in Vadodara's Radio City 91.1 FM, she is a bundle of talent who has been entertaining and informing the listeners about all the latest happenings across the country.
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New Delhi [India], September 30 (ANI/NewsVoir): Top industry leaders, professionals and entrepreneurs were honoured with Times Excellence Award 2021 for their exceptional achievements in their respective fields. At this prestigious platform, Times Group awarded Mr. Sumit Arora, Mr. Pratap Singh Rathi, Mr. Som Mandal and Mr. Ajit Gupta for their achieving excellence in professional as well as entrepreneurial fields.
Among them, Pratap Singh Rathi, Director, Ace Group has been bestowed with 'Excellence in Real Estate Sector' award along with the second award for "Excellence in Design and innovation" for the 'Ace Capitol' project located in Noida. Sumit Arora, Director, Alniche Life Sciences has been awarded with the prestigious "Excellence in Healthcare Award", while Som Mandal, Managing Partner, Fox Mandal has been awarded with 'Excellence in Legal Services Globally'. Ajit Gupta, Founder & Managing Director, Ajit Industries Private Limited has been honoured with "Excellence in Sustainable Green Packaging" award by Times Group.
Speaking on winning the prestigious awards, Pratap Singh Rathi, Director, Ace Group said, "We are honoured to have received these awards and for this achievement, I take this opportunity to thank the entire Team Ace Group for its dedication and incredible efforts."
Som Mandal, Managing Partner, Fox Mandal said, "Our commitment and responsibilities towards delivering excellence in legal domain have been further strengthened with this prestigious award."
Sumit Arora, Director, Alniche Life Sciences said, "For this glorious achievement I would like to thank my team and all members of Alniche Life Sciences family as this would not have been possible without their support."
Ajit Gupta, Founder & Managing Director, Ajit Industries Private Limited added, "Our continuous efforts towards sustainability and mission green products have been aptly recognized with this prestigious award which has boosted our morale."
All these entrepreneurs and industry leaders have been honoured with Times Excellence Awards by the Times Group recognizing their efforts and encouraging them for being truly game-changers in their respective sectors. The awards are an esteemed platform to recognize and highlight the achievements of these prominent companies and the industry leaders, who have outshined in their respective industries. All of them have worked hard to reach milestones all their way and have inspired and motivated their counterparts by pushing the boundaries.
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Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 30 (ANI/SRV Media): (https://switzeducation.com) SwitzEducation celebrated World Tourism Day on 27th September 2021 at Hotel TAJ, Mumbai.
The occasion was graced by the consul general of Switzerland in Mumbai as the Chief Guest and Dr. Shrikant Eknath Shinde as the Guest of Honor. Eminent personalities, academicians and principles of 50+ top high schools of Mumbai attended the event. The occasion marked the initiation of the Swiss Cultural Committee and the appointment of the (https://switzeducation.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">SwitzEducation Ambassadors.
The event highlighted the importance of sustainability in tourism and how Switzerland is leading the rest of the world in sustainable tourism. Swiss institutes participating in the celebration showcased their programs designed to meet the emerging needs of the Tourism and Hospitality Industry. SwitzEducation President Asslam I Shaikh pointed in his speech how a career in tourism can be the best alternative to the traditional careers.
Guest of Honor Dr. Shrikant Eknath Shinde emphasized on various untapped & ancient tourist spots of the state of Maharashtra getting makeover. He described infrastructure can help change the tourism scenario of Maharashtra and India as a whole.
Participating dignitaries and delegates exchanged ideas on how to collaborate and bring in the positive changes to foster tourism that is inclusive and how to prepare students for a great career in the tourism industry that is more sustainable and nature friendly.
The event also saw recognition of Social Heroes like Firoza Suresh, first Cycle Mayor of Mumbai, Mansoor Ali, COVID fighter and air quality expert, Dr. Roshan and Dr. Sanjay Kantharia inspiring the society to make this world a better place to live.
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During his trip to the United States, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that international travel should be made easier through mutual recognition of vaccine certificates. Well, it was apparently a message for countries that have different yardsticks for different countries when it comes to vaccine certificate acceptance.
Now, let's put this in context.
After India warned of reciprocal measures, the United Kingdom finally recognised Covishield. However, the travails of Indians travelling to the UK arent over.
The country, which appears to have doubts over vaccine certification in India, has not removed the home isolation requirement for vaccinated Indians and has sought details regarding the working of the CoWin app. So, it means that Indians would have to self-isolate for 10 days upon arrival in the UK, even if they are fully vaccinated with Covishield.
That sounds unfair, doesnt it? A large chunk of vaccine doses that have been administered in the UK so far were exported from India by Serum Institute. And, shouldn't the focus at this point be on a coordinated approach among governments to revive global travel and tourism, a sector that has suffered the most due to the pandemic?
How much money have airlines lost?
According to an International Air Transport Association report, airlines collectively lost $6.9 billion in the April-May period of 2021, compared with $14.4 billion in the first quarter of the year. IATA earlier this year forecast a $48-billion loss for member airlines in 2021.
Just think about someone planning to visit the UK for business or leisure. With this 10-day quarantine rule, not many would be in a position to take the cost burden.
And also the broader implication if countries faced with such restrictions started reciprocating by imposing similar curbs. Won't that lead to a huge impact on global trade, commerce and travel, and also put roadblocks in the global economic recovery?
Meanwhile, India is looking for solutions by engaging bilaterally with countries for a mechanism to mutually recognise each other's vaccine certificates. In an oped column for a business daily, National Health Authority Chairman and head of the Cowin app, R S Sharma, wrote that they are planning to release an international version of the vaccination certificate for travel purposes. Lets look at the key takeaways from his column to get a sense of India's future plans for addressing the trust deficit.
R S Sharma on vaccination certificate: He wrote that people could soon log on to the CoWIN portal and apply for International Vaccination Travel Certificate, or IVTC. These certificates would soon be available for download in various internationally accepted formats. There will also be a facility for beneficiaries to link their passport to IVTC using the CoWIN app.
Here's what economic analyst Pranjal Sharma said on these steps for building trust around vaccination certificates:
Countries should come together if they want travel & tourism to be improved
Harmonise the protocols for vaccination, certification and recognition
It should be possible across countries to read, scan and validate QR codes
So, if we want the world to prosper as one, and not as individual nations, as Pranjal suggests, there needs to be uniformity in travel rules across the world.
Oil prices have climbed steadily in the past few weeks, with Brent crude crossing the $80-a-barrel mark recently for the first time in three years. Research houses like Goldman Sachs expect the Brent to hit the $90-a-barrel mark by the end of this calendar year. So, why is oil on the boil? How are the demand-supply dynamics shaping up? What does all this mean for the Indian markets and the government's revenue maths? Listen to this podcast for the answers and an exclusive interview with Dr Kang Wu, the head of global demand and Asia analytics at S&P Global Platts.
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It's the IPO season. A bunch of listings like Zomato's have been stellar. And another group, including Paytm, Oyo and Policybazaar, is ready to hit the gong. For countries like India, it is pertinent to attract tech start-ups to list in India and Not go overseas. So, India is tightening the lever on policy. Markets regulator SEBI has eased the rules for issuance of shares with superior voting power - a long-time ask of the tech ecosystem. India is now on a par with start-up rules in the US and broader west. Is it enough to spur start-up IPOs? Or is it an incremental step?
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Did you know that people from 18 countries, including Denmark, Canada, and Antigua and Barbuda, who are vaccinated even with Covishield can travel to the UK without following mandatory quarantine protocols? But not Indians... they will have to go through a 10-day self-isolation. Many countries are adopting different sets of rules to allow foreigners to enter their territory. Does this not impact the global business prospects at a time when we all are looking for stronger and faster economic recovery? Isn't it time to have conformity and trust in approved vaccines?
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We hear a lot about telephony these days and come across so many devices that claim to be 5G-ready. But what is really? And how does it work? Learn about and the three basic parameters that define 5G.
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Listen to these and more in today's edition of the Business Standard Morning Show podcast.
Bargain hunting at lower levels, helped equities partially recover from intra-day lows on Wednesday. From a low of 59,111, the BSE Sensex index bounced 300 points to end yesterdays session at 59,413 levels, down 254points from previous close.
Its NSE counterpart, Nifty50, meanwhile, closed the session at 17,711 levels, down37 points.
However, brisk buying in the broader markets, where the BSE MidCap and SmallCap indices ended 0.6 per cent and 0.4 per cent higher, respectively, tilted the market breadth in the favor of advances.
Overall, the session was marked by high volatility as every up move by market bulls was countered by an even stronger bear blow.
Business Standards Puneet Wadhwa spoke with Gaurang Shah, senior Vice President at Geojit Financial Services to make sense of the recent market volatility and to understand what lies ahead. Listen in
On the tech front, respected the immediate support levels of 58,600 for the Sensex and 17,500 for the Nifty, underscoring the strength of the bull-run.
Now, coming to Thursdays session, market participants should brace themselves for another choppy day today as investors will adjust their portfolios amid the F&O expiry of September series.
That apart, they will also await India's Infrastructure Output data for August, slated to be released later today.
In the primary market, the initial public offer of Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC will enter its second day. So far, the issue has been subscribed nearly 50 per cent.
Globally, investors will eye how bond yields play out, the rupees trajectory, and oil prices movement.
The scenic southwestern Chinese province of Yunnan is known for its tourism and rich resources for hydropower. Over the past few years, it has donned a new name the aluminum valley of China thanks to the massive relocation of electrolytic aluminum producers attracted by the regions low electricity prices from all that hydropower. The transition has turned out to be faster than the province was ready for. In mid-September, the provincial government announced that local smelters must cut aluminum production by 30% for the rest of 2021. Read more about how Yunnan attempts to balance its traditional role as electricity supplier with more aspirational positioning as an industrial base here.
Expert View
Hello ESG Biweekly readers, this week we have an expert view from Liu Shijin, chief advisor of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED) and vice chairman of the China Development Research Foundation (CDRF). As former deputy director and a leading economist of the State Councils Development Research Center, Chinas top policy research body, Liu helped draft reform documents for the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee. Here is the takeaway of Lius comment on the environmental forum held by CCIED on Sept. 8 in Beijing.
Liu Shijin said the efforts to reduce Chinas carbon emissions by using top-down target-setting administrative measures need to be adjusted, and there should be no rush to seek instant results in carbon emission reduction efforts. Instead, he advocated local governments adapting their emission reduction on the merits of the situation. Lius comment echoed Chinese leaders call to pursue climate goals in an orderly manner and rectify the campaign-style approach by local governments.
Lius worry is not misplaced. Many local officials complained privately that the great pressure from their superiors to cut energy consumption and energy intensity has impeded economic growth, and even caused power outages. Although the top-down approach of setting targets for cities can bring quick action and results, there are issues of fairness. It brings a new set of problems, such as unfairness, free-riding, lack of incentives and high implementation costs, according to Liu.
China has a long tradition of a highly centralized bureaucratic system. With regard to environmental governance, local officials are motivated to abide by orders issued by higher levels of governments, leading to immediate improvement in emissions reduction. However, the top-down mindset alone neither works well with complex problems nor in the long run. Due to inevitable information asymmetry, national decision-makers are often unable to fully consider regional heterogeneity, resulting in one-size-fits-all policies and regulations.
Other countries have a lesson or two to teach. In Europe, there is a much broader public awareness and citizen participation, which offers supplemental bottom-up oversight. The EU is also leading in environmental and climate legislation. The U.S., on the other hand, tends to adopt a more market-oriented approach. Tackling climate change is never easy, but by learning from each other, human beings can work together to address this common issue facing the world.
Top news items
Chinese, U.S. envoys hold talks on climate change, followed by Xis second call with Biden
China Special Envoy for Climate Change Xie Zhenhua held talks with his U.S. counterpart John Kerry in Tianjin from Aug. 31 to Sept. 2, with a focus on the implementation of the U.S.-China Joint Statement Addressing the Climate Crisis which was released in Shanghai in April this year. The two sides had a full exchange of views on key issues and shared respective policy actions on climate change, agreeing to nail down certain cooperative plans and projects in the green and low-carbon sector.
On Sept. 10, President Xi Jinping spoke with with U.S. President Joe Biden, marking the first conversation between the two leaders since February. Xi expressed that on the basis of respecting each others core concerns and properly managing differences, both sides may tap more potential for cooperation on climate and other issues to inject more positive dynamics into the relationship.
State planner issued new plan on energy consumption dual-control
The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) issued a new plan () for improving the dual control of energy consumption intensity and total amount, pointing toward stricter control on energy emission-intensive projects. The new plan emphasizes a differentiated approach in setting provincial targets according to actual local conditions. It also proposes speeding up the construction of the energy-use rights trading market.
China to establish green stock index and environmental rights-based financing tools
China has issued guidelines () on deepening reform of its eco-compensation mechanism. The guidelines, jointly released by General Offices of the Partys Central Committee and the State Council, details goals set for 2025 and 2035. An ecological compensation mechanism should be aligned to economic growth, with a market-oriented and diversified compensation pattern, according to the document. The guidelines propose to research and develop green stock indexes, carbon emission futures trading, and financing tools based on water rights, pollution rights and carbon emission rights.
China launches a national Program for green power trading
China launched a national program on Sept. 7 that allows electricity generators to sell green power directly to end users, seeing a total volume of 7.9 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) traded by 259 vendors in 17 provincial regions on that day. The program mainly involves wind and solar power at the moment, and it will gradually expand to other renewable energy sources such as hydropower, making it one of a variety of initiatives to support Chinas goals of peaking its carbon emissions by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060.
Carbon trading market eyed in Greater Bay Area
Guangdong is planning to establish a unified carbon trading market within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) to draw in foreign investors. On Sept. 14, the Guangdong government issued a notice () revealing its new plan for construction of a cross-border carbon emission trading market for the GBA on the basis of the existing local carbon market. The plan also proposed setting up a Green Development Guidance Fund and establishing a cross-border transaction mechanism marking its efforts in encouraging Hong Kong and Macao investors to enter the link-up carbon market. Financial institutions will receive support to explore ecological value realization mechanisms regarding forest and ocean carbon sinks.
Hainan plans international carbon market as part of free trade port strategy
Hainan province will promote the establishment of an international carbon trading exchange and try to attract more listed companies, according to a newly released plan () on Sept. 1. The plan fleshes out how Hainan will act on a list of recommendations issued earlier this year on the same subject by central financial authorities. This implementation plan is the latest step in Beijings grand vision of transforming the southern island into a world-class free trade port. According to the plan, Hainan will ramp up support for green finance and for setting up an international carbon trading venue that connects international and domestic markets. The plan also encourages companies to use the yuan for cross-border trade and promises simplified procedures for foreign investments.
China unveils five-year plan for agricultural green development
The Chinese government on Sept. 8 unveiled a plan () for the green development of the countrys agricultural sector over the next five years, marking the first special planning in this sector. The plan, jointly issued by six departments including the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, identified resource protection, pollution control, restoration of agricultural ecology and the development of a low-carbon agricultural industrial chain as the key tasks for the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), aiming at building a green, low-carbon and circular agricultural industry.
Huzhou releases an ESG evaluation system to identify Green financing entities
The city of Huzhou in East Chinas Zhejiang province, one of the nine green finance innovation reform pilot zones in China, released an ESG evaluation model and digital system to solve the difficulties in identifying financing entities that are truly green. The system comprehensively evaluates the enterprise from the aspects of environment, society and governance, with a total of 55 four-level indicators and 95 bottom factors, leaving enterprises with a total ESG score (0-100). Particularly, the system focuses on introducing corporate carbon intensity indicators in accordance with Chinas carbon goals. The system could transform green finance from post-analysis mode to pre-analysis mode, and provide green financial services for small and midsize enterprises more precisely by labeling them before the issuance of loans, according to the local finance authority.
Three first-tier city clusters get go-ahead to demonstrate the hydrogen economy
The Guangdong Development and Reform Commission announced on Sept. 2 that under the four-year program, more than a dozen cities in the southern province will coordinate on developing hydrogen supply, establishing industry chains and promoting hydrogen-fueled cars. Shanghai, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and Guangdong province have all been approved to be the first batch of cities participating in a state-run demonstration program for fuel-cell vehicles, as the country ramps up the commercialization of hydrogen-powered automobiles. Beijing and Shanghai announced their approvals on Aug. 23 and Aug. 26 respectively, which were obtained from five ministries including the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Industry and Information, Ministry of Science and Technology, and the National Energy Administration.
Chinas first ESG fund evaluation system released
On Sept. 4, Chinas first ESG fund evaluation system in the industry was released in the report ESG Fund: International Practice and China System Construction. The report was jointly composed by the Green Finance Committee of China Society for Finance and Banking and Tencent Financial Research Institute, striving to fill the gaps in the field of green funding. By combining expertise from the Green Finance Committee and Tencents wealth management platform, the report team aims at building an industry-recognized ESG fund evaluation system.
Chart of the week
An increasing proportion of Beijings air pollution is blowing into the Chinese capital from outside, though most of the citys smog is still locally emitted, a new report (in Chinese) shows. The report is based on research led by the Beijing Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau, the citys monitoring center. Over the period covered by the report January 2020 to June this year nearly 60% of Beijings PM2.5 pollution was emitted within the capitals borders, down from 66% between January 2017 and May 2018. The remainder in both periods came from outside the city.
The report also looked at the various sources of locally generated PM2.5 in the city. It showed that mobile sources, including emissions from diesel and gasoline vehicles, accounted for 46% of Beijings local PM2.5 emissions over the period, followed by life-scenario sources with 16%, and dust sources at 11%.
Caixin Global has launched a regular energy sector watch Energy Insider. You can check out the content here.
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Coal /
Analysis: Severe coal supply-demand imbalance challenges winter supply
Recently, many regions in China have imposed a new round of power rationing. Due to shortages, Guangdong province (Guangzhou) and the three provinces of Northeast China have intervened in power markets. Some regions have even rationed the supply of electricity, directly putting some lives at risk. Behind the power shortage are key precipitating factors: rising prices and tight supplies of thermal coal.
Given the tight coal supply, related policies have been introduced to increase production and guarantee the supply of coal. However, industry participants expect the coal supply shortfall this winter to remain severe because coal inventories are too low.
Chinas coal shortage means higher prices for the world
Evergrande /
In Depth: Evergrande auto races to convince investors it can make a car
Toil for 120 days, ensure the smooth delivery of the first car, read a large red banner draped across the office building of Evergrande New Energy Vehicle Group Ltd.s (Evergrande Auto) factory in Tianjin, northeast China, last week.
While the rest of the country was enjoying a three-day public holiday to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, workers were rushing to finish fitting out the body shop so the automaker could meet a mid-November deadline for pre-production of the Hengchi 5, Caixin learned on a visit to the plant. The pure-electric SUV is the closest to mass production out of the six models unveiled under the Hengchi marque in August last year, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Caixin.
Evergrande to raise $1.55 billion from sale of stake in regional bank
In Depth: Evergrande founders poker buddy folds on teetering developer
FINANCE & ECONOMY China is vying to become the host city of a proposed entity for setting global benchmarks for sustainability-related corporate reporting that will be governed by the nonprofit International Financial Reporting Standards Foundation. Photo: IFRS IFRS /
Beijing seeks to host global board for sustainability in corporate reporting
Beijing is vying with London, Frankfurt, Tokyo and Geneva to become the host city of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB), a proposed entity for setting global benchmarks for sustainability-related corporate reporting.
Being the worlds biggest carbon emitter is an advantage for Chinas application, with its efforts to reduce emissions key to global sustainable development, said Ma Jun, director of the green finance committee of central bank-backed think tank the China Society for Finance and Banking, which mentioned Beijings bid at an annual meeting of the body Saturday.
Central bank /
PBOC governor warns central banks on quantitative easing
Chinas central bank governor said quantitative easing implemented by global peers can be damaging over the long term and vowed to keep policy normal for as long as possible.
Central banks should try their best to avoid asset purchases because in the long run they will damage market functions, monetize fiscal deficits, harm central banks reputation, blur the boundary of monetary policy and create moral hazard, Peoples Bank of Chinas Governor Yi Gang said in an article posted by the central bank Tuesday.
Corruption /
Another China banking regulator probed for graft linked to Inner Mongolia
A senior official at Chinas top banking regulator has come under an investigation by a local anti-graft body in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, according to an official statement (link in Chinese) released Tuesday.
Cai Jiangting, 57, was appointed an inspector at the Law and Regulation Department of the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC) in 2018, the statement showed. The department is responsible for drafting laws and rules for the banking and insurance industries, and proposing punishments for financial institutions wrongdoing.
Quick hits /
China Carbon Watch: National markets trading volume slips during holiday week
BUSINESS & TECH
CIMC, the worlds largest maker of shipping containers, controls over 40% of the global container market.
Shipping /
Chinas container giant CIMC acquires Maersks cold container manufacturing unit for $1 billion
China International Marine Containers Group Co. (CIMC) announced Tuesday that it has agreed to acquire Danish shipping giant A.P. Moller-Maersk A/Ss refrigerated container manufacturing unit for $1.08 billion, a deal that will give the Chinese company control of about half of the global container market.
The deal was signed Monday and is subject to anti-trust regulatory approval. CIMC, already the worlds largest maker of shipping containers, controls more than 40% of the global container market, while Maersk takes less than a 10% market share.
CIMC won the bidding among several suitors, including Chinese home appliance giant Midea Group Co., U.S. air conditioning giant Carrier Global Corp., transport temperature-control systems manufacturer Thermo King Corp., Japans Daikin Industries Ltd., and buyout firm Triton, Bloomberg reported, citing people with knowledge of the bidding.
Talents /
Xi vows to strengthen Chinas efforts to cultivate top talent
President Xi Jinping pledged to strengthen efforts to develop the nations talent pool and build the country into a powerhouse of innovation, according to state media.
Xi said China aims to significantly increase investment in research and development by 2025 and create the foundation for a talent-fostering system that can help the country meet its goals for high-quality economic development, according to a report by the state-run Xinhua News Agency.
In his remarks, Xi highlighted the importance of nurturing domestic talent. We must enhance our awareness of potential dangers, pay more attention to the independent training of talent and accelerate establishing competitive advantage in human resources, Xinhua reported Tuesday.
Telecoms /
U.S. fleshes out rip and replace plan for banned Huawei and ZTE tech
The U.S. telecoms regulator announced details of a $1.9 billion fund that will pay rural telecoms companies to remove and replace equipment and services from Chinese manufacturers Huawei and ZTE, which were deemed national security threats.
The so-called rip and replace program, which was finalized in July, will start accepting reimbursement applications on Oct. 29 through Jan. 14, according to a notice released by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Monday.
Short videos /
Short video app Kuaishou restructures in bid to stem losses
Kuaishou Technology Co. Ltd. has undertaken a sweeping business restructuring while keeping its core leadership more or less unchanged as the short-video and livestreaming company grapples with widening losses and plummeting market capitalization.
According to an internal memo seen by Caixin, the Beijing-based firm will create an all-in-one department to operate its eponymous app, responsible for product development, operations, user growth, gaming ecosystem and search function. Wang Jianwei, who was the head of product development, will lead the department, reporting to co-founder Cheng Yixiao.
Quick hits /
Chinas top two fertilizer firms fined for price gouging
Congo reviews $6.2 billion China mining deal as criticism grows
GALLERY
UNESCO site Jiuzhaigou completely reopens
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Heavy rainfall hit North Chinas Shanxi province, causing floods and landslides that damaged railways and devastated villages. The rain started on Saturday and continued through the National Day holiday. In Puxian county of Linfen, a landslide killed four and injured one on Tuesday; in Qixian county of Jinzhong, train services were interrupted after a railway bridge was damaged Wednesday; and in the ancient town of Pingyao, a 25-meter section of a city wall was damaged on Thursday
Oct 08, 2021 05:36 PM
The FDIC's official problem bank list is comprised of banks with a CAMELS rating of 4 or 5, and the list is not made public (just the number of banks and assets every quarter). Note: Bank CAMELS ratings are also not made public.
CAMELS is the FDIC rating system, and stands for Capital adequacy, Asset quality, Management, Earnings, Liquidity and Sensitivity to market risk. The scale is from 1 to 5, with 1 being the strongest.
As a substitute for the CAMELS ratings, surferdude808 is using publicly announced formal enforcement actions, and also media reports and company announcements that suggest to us an enforcement action is likely, to compile a list of possible problem banks in the public interest.
DISCLAIMER: This is an unofficial list, the information is from public sources only, and while deemed to be reliable is not guaranteed. No warranty or representation, expressed or implied, is made as to the accuracy of the information contained herein and same is subject to errors and omissions. This is not intended as investment advice. Please contact CR with any errors.
Here are the quarterly changes and a few comments from surferdude808:
Update on the Unofficial Problem Bank List through September 27, 2021. Since the last update at the end of June 2021, the list decreased by six to 59 institutions after two additions and eight removals. Assets increased by $3.1 billion to $54.9 billion, with the change entirely from nearly a $5.0 billion increase from updated asset figures through June 30, 2021. A year ago, the list held 64 institutions with assets of $52.4 billion. Additions this month included The Anna-Jonesboro National Bank, Anna, IL ($268 million) and First Savanna Savings Bank, Savanna, IL ($11 million). Removals because of action termination included Patriot Bank, National Association, Stamford, CT ($963 million); CFSBank, Charleroi, PA ($545 million); Metropolitan Capital Bank & Trust, Chicago, IL ($245 million); South LaFourche Bank & Trust Company, Larose, LA ($145 million); AllNations Bank, Calumet, OK ($48 million); and Sainte Marie State Bank, Sainte Marie, IL ($16 million). Removals through unassisted merger included Jackson County Bank, Black River Falls, WI ($205 million) and Towanda State Bank, Towanda, KS ($11 million). On September 8, 2021, the FDIC released second quarter results and provided an update on the Official Problem Bank List. In that release, the FDIC said there were 51 institutions with assets of $46 billion on the official list, down from the 54 institutions with assets of $55 billion in the first quarter of 2021.
With the conclusion of the second quarter, we bring an updated transition matrix to detail how banks are transitioning off the Unofficial Problem Bank List. Since we first published the Unofficial Problem Bank List on August 7, 2009 with 389 institutions, 1,779 institutions have appeared on a weekly or monthly list since then. Only 3.3 percent of the banks that have appeared on a list remain today as 1,720 institutions have transitioned through the list. Departure methods include 1,014 action terminations, 411 failures, 276 mergers, and 19 voluntary liquidations. Of the 389 institutions on the first published list, only 3 or less than 1.0 percent, still have a troubled designation more than ten years later. The 411 failures represent 23.1 percent of the 1,779 institutions that have made an appearance on the list. This failure rate is well above the 10-12 percent rate frequently cited in media reports on the failure rate of banks on the FDIC's official list.
Photo: Contributed
Normally during the third week of September, all MP's would be heading back to Ottawa as the House of Commons would resume the fall sitting.
This year, because of the election called by the prime minister, it will be delayed.
Earlier this week Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced he expects to announce his cabinet sometime in October. He also announced he intends to recall Parliament later this fall. Potentially, this could mean November or even early December.
Typically, the House only sits for the first few weeks of December, which creates two challenges.
The first is that it provides a limited opportunity for Trudeau to advance any legislation through the House before the end of the year. Secondly, it provides little opportunity for all-party Parliamentary committees to properly scrutinize the government and hold it accountable to Canadians.
The prime minister also announced his priorities for his new government this week.
The immediate priority will be to establish mandatory vaccination policies for all federal government employees and similar restrictions for Canadians travelling within Canada on planes and trains as Trudeau often states.
What is interesting about those priorities is that they did not require an election to implement. In fact, it could be argued that those measures could have already been implemented had the prime minister focussed on those priorities instead of calling an election.
One question already arising is will federal employees who refuse to be vaccinated be terminated from employment?
According to media reports the (federal) government is still locked in negotiations with the public sector unions that represent tens of thousands of federal bureaucrats on this topic.
Once more information is available, I will share it in a future report.
On a different and very important note, today (Sept. 30) is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
This day is now a federal statutory holiday intended to create an opportunity for Canadians to commemorate and honour the Indigenous children who died while attending residential schools.
It is also an opportunity to support the survivors, their families and communities still affected by the legacy of residential schools.
We must never overlook that many loved ones never returned home.
Here in our region of Central Okanagan Similkameen Nicola, many of our local Indigenous communities were severely impact by these institutions and to this day there are families still searching for answers.
Today, I ask all citizens to reflect on this dark part of our past and consider what we can do to help support Indigenous communities on our shared road to reconciliation.
My question this week:
What ideas do you have to help advance progress on reconciliation?
Photo: The Canadian Press People drum at a vigil for Hunter Smith-Straight, outside Winnipeg's Childrens Hospital, Friday, Nov. 1, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods
Family members of a three-year-old boy who was stabbed while he slept in his bed hugged and cried outside a Winnipeg courtroom Wednesday night after his accused killer was found guilty.
A jury deliberated for about seven hours before convicting Daniel Jensen of first-degree murder in the death of his former girlfriend's son, Hunter Smith-Straight, in 2019.
Jensen, 34, automatically gets a life sentence with no chance of parole for 25 years.
As the jury members delivered their unanimous verdict, several members of the child's family wiped tears from their eyes. One also hugged a Crown prosecutor as they left the court.
The boy's mother and other relatives declined to comment. A judge is to hear some of their victim impact statements on Friday.
The trial heard that Hunter was stabbed six times in the head and neck.
A relative found him injured in his bed. He was later taken off life support in hospital.
Prosecutors had argued that Jensen attacked Hunter as a way to get back at the boy's mother after they got into a violent argument.
The defence told the jury that no one witnessed the attack and the killer could have been someone else in the home.
Police testified Jensen was considered a suspect early on in the investigation.
He had been in an on-and-off-again relationship with Clarice Smith for about seven months. At the time of the attack, Jensen was bound by a court order not to have contact with her.
But the trial heard that Jensen and Smith spent the evening of Oct. 29, 2019, together visiting lounges and a casino with Smith's sister and her partner.
The couple fought violently that night, and witnesses testified that Jensen threatened to have Hunter taken away from Smith.
Prosecutors said Jensen became upset with Smith when she told him she was moving with Hunter to Manigotagan, a community about 190 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg. Smith told Jensen he was not welcome to come with them.
Video surveillance presented at the trial showed Jensen kneeing and punching Smith before he left a bar in the city's North End by himself.
Court heard Jensen made the short walk home to an upstairs suite of a duplex where he and Smith lived with Hunter and one of Smith's nephews. Several members of Smith's family also lived in the downstairs suite.
Crown prosecutor Jennifer Mann told the jury that Jensen wanted to hurt Smith in the most "cruel and permanent" way possible by taking her only child.
Photo: Pixabay
Some family physicians in Alberta say they are dealing with an increasing number of aggressive, misinformed and untrusting patients who want a note exempting them from getting a COVID-19 vaccine.
Two Calgary doctors say people have yelled racist comments at them after they declined to write the note because the patients did not have health conditions known to cause serious side-effects to a shot.
Dr. Sakina Raj said most of the comments are focused on her skin colour and hijab.
"It's really scary because I feel sometimes they were so abusive verbally, that they could harm us," she said. But I still am kind to them. I calm them down nicely. I'm too experienced to be stressed by them."
Raj said since Premier Jason Kenney announced a proof of vaccination program to try to turn back a crippling fourth wave in the province, safety has become such a concern that Sehet Medical Clinic is now dealing with new patients wanting an exemption only on the phone.
More than three patients a day are asking for an exemption at Dr. Mukarram Zaidi's clinic, including one patient who tried to bribe him with $200.
Zaidi said some worry the vaccine is a cover to plant a microchip in their body, while others anxious about a possible allergic reaction.
The doctors add many of their colleagues across the province have successfully persuaded the vaccine hesitant to get their shots by walking them through what's involved and addressing their concerns.
Photo: Milan Basic
A man convicted of second-degree murder in the shooting death of his wife will remain incarcerated after a Parole Board of Canada panel denied his bid for day parole.
In doing so, the panel found Denis Florian Ratte has made only "minimal progress" toward addressing a "capacity for extreme violence."
In December 2010, Ratte was sentenced to life in prison without eligibility to apply for parole for 15 years - he received credit for time served in custody before sentencing - after a jury found him guilty of second-degree murder in the August 1997 death of Wendy Ann Twiss Ratte, 44.
For years, the disappearance of the woman, noted for her involvement in the community, was a mystery.
However, the couple's daughter, Anna Sieppert, worked to keep the case on the police radar and Ratte eventually became the target of an elaborate undercover operation, known as a Mr. Big sting, in which police officers posing as high-level criminals worked to extract a confession out of him.
Ratte eventually confided that he killed his wife, shooting her from behind while she was feeding ducks in the back yard of their rural Prince George property, then disposing of her body in a swamp east of the city and leaving the family van parked at a supermarket, now Value Village, to make it look like she disappeared.
According to the panel's finding, issued Sept. 14, Ratte, now 68 years old, has claimed he was entrapped and has maintained his innocence. But the panel found the findings of the court "as more reliable and persuasive than your version of events and that you have demonstrated the capacity for extreme violence and deception."
Ratte's behaviour while in custody has been satisfactory, the case management team had expressed support for granting him day parole and he had been accepted into a halfway house in the Lower Mainland.
But the panel remained concerned, noting in part that after the murder, he was convicted and sentenced on a trafficking-related charge, indicating that his involvement in criminal activity was likely greater than his formal record and that he has an "entrenched criminal attitude."
"Your file states that you have little insight or understanding into your actions. Further, reports indicate you are very comfortable playing the victim role and blaming everyone but yourself. You have accepted little responsibility for your offending behaviour and express little by way of victim empathy," the panel said.
The panel went on to say Ratte has not "participated in any programs or other interventions to challenge the problematic thinking patterns and behaviours that contributed to your offending. Overall, the Board remains highly concerned that you are an untreated violent offender with outstanding risk factors and you are unwilling or unable to challenge your persistent cognitive distortions related to your role in the index offence and your willingness to point blame at others..."
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Senator Marsha Blackburn along with Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-Az.) introduced the bipartisan Long-Term Care Veterans Choice Act legislation requiring the VA to expand veterans access to the Medical Foster Home (MFH) program.
This VA program allows veterans in need of long-term care to choose to live in the home of a VA-approved caregiver, rather than enter into institutional care. The Senators bipartisan bill will save veterans thousands of dollars on critical long-term care, while providing veterans with the option to stay in their communities in a home-like setting where they can receive personalized care.
Ensuring the best care for our veteran community is the least we can do to honor their sacrifice. Veterans with service-connected disabilities who cannot live independently may not be best suited for a traditional nursing home. The bipartisan Long Term Care Veterans Choice Act requires the VA to ramp up the Medical Foster Home (MFH) program to provide more veterans with personalized care in a home-like community setting, said Senator Blackburn.
Arizona veterans who sacrificed for our freedoms deserve affordable, quality health care as they age. Increasing options for veterans who prefer to remain in their communities rather than nursing homes will improve quality of life and save money for veterans and taxpayers, said Senator Sinema.
Currently, the VA has an approved Medical Foster Home program, allowing veterans with serious conditions who need a nursing home level of care but prefer a non-institutional setting to live in private homes of VA-approved caregivers. The VA program allows no more than three veterans to reside in the same home to ensure a high level of personalized care and promote a family-like setting. Unfortunately, the VA does not cover the care of this program and veterans must pay out-of-pocket for this option. The typical rate in a traditional nursing home is $7,000 a month, while the cost of a medical foster home is $1,500-$3,000 a month. The Long-Term Care Veterans Choice Act requires the VA to cover the cost of care of the medical foster home program, potentially saving veterans thousands of dollars a month.
After writing an article about Fentress and Polk County native Roger Crouchs career as an astronaut, I was informed that the state of Tennessee has another NASA astronaut who also was the first submarine officer in space.
Although Michael J. McCulley was born in San Diego, California on August 4, 1943, his family moved to Livingston, Tennessee in Overton County, in Middle Tennessee and he considers the rural community to be his hometown.
At the age of 17 he graduated from Livingston Academy and he enlisted in the United States Navy in the submarine service and would serve on both diesel-powered and nuclear-powered submarines.
He would eventually be sent to college in 1965 and received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Metallurgical Engineering from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana in 1970 and at the same time he obtained his Officers commission in the Navy.
After earning his wings as a Naval aviator, McCulley served tours of duty in various aircraft and also was chosen to attend the Empire Test Pilots School in Great Britain.
He served as a test pilot in several locations prior to returning to sea duty on the aircraft carriers USS Saratoga and USS Nimitz.
During his naval flying career, it has been documented that prior to his retirement from the Navy in 1990 that he had flown over 50 aircraft types logging over 5,000 hours and had made over 400 dangerous air craft carrier landings from six vessels.
At the age of 40 McCulley made the decision to apply for the National Astronautics and Space Administration (NASA) with hopes of becoming an astronaut. After applying for a position in the program three times he was finally accepted.
Assigned to Houston, Texas, he and his crew were preparing for a trip into space with the Challenger flight with seven crew members aboard that broke apart right after take-off resulting in the death of the entire group.
AS a result of the tragedy any future space flights were put on hold and it was not until October 18, 1989 that McCulley and four other crew members launched the Shuttle Orbiter Atlantis STS-34 from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
McCulley served as the pilot on mission STS-34 and after a duration of four days, 23 hours, and 41 minutes and 79 orbits of the earth, safely landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California on October 18, 1989.
One of the main objectives of the crews flight was to deploy the Galileo/Jupiter planetary spacecraft that was launched approximately six hours into the flight. Galileo was a NASA spacecraft mission to Jupiter to study the planets atmosphere and perform research and medical experiments. Many of the tests were to study the effects of space and zero gravity to the body to see if and how someone could live several years on Mars.
McCulley and his crew was only the second shuttle flight to deploy a planetary spacecraft.
He next accepted a job with NASA at the Kennedy Space Center and he and his wife Jane and five daughters moved to Florida. Although he was in line for a second flight into space that apparently never took place.
After assuming several prominent positions with private companies in the aeronautical industry and turning down a job with the federal government offered by President Bush, he retired.
In spite of receiving numerous special honors and recognition medals he remains a humble individual with ties to Overton County and Livingston. When he traveled into space on the shuttle launch Mike took with him memorabilia that involved a copy of the July 1989 newsletter of the Upper Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation, flags from other states, schools and organizations, jewelry and souvenirs for friends, family and loved ones.
McCulley proudly claims Livingston as his hometown. I owe so much to my hometown, and I enjoy coming back here for a visit.
Also, although McCulley and Roger Crouch from Fentress and Polk County, Tennessee are two astronauts who traveled into space, Overton County has had other connections to other NASA projects.
NASA Scientist Duvane Dale was born and raised in Livingston and was a significant contributor to the initial moon landing and the successful launch of the first Saturn V Rocket.
The Project Manager of the Hubble Space Telescope was Jimmy Carlock - also from Overton County.
These and other exemplary citizens are proud reflections on the quality of education received by Tennessee students in the rural communities of the state.
* * *
Jerry Summers
(If you have additional information about one of Mr.
Summers' articles or have suggestions or ideas about a future Chattanooga area historical piece, please contact Mr. Summers at jsummers@summersfirm.com
Internationally recognized plastic surgeon Dr. Larry Sargent has opened a full-time practice in Chattanooga. He returns after five years in Salt Lake City, Ut., where he was awarded Best in Salt Lake City the past two years. He is known as a leader in craniofacial surgery, maxillofacial trauma, and has a particular interest and expertise in cosmetic surgery.
He has appeared on the Emmy Award-winning and nationally syndicated show The Doctors, where he discussed his innovative techniques in craniofacial surgery.
His new office, 2290 Ogletree Ave. Suite 112, has a state-certified operative suite for all cosmetic procedures.
Dr. Sargent has a 30-year history in Chattanooga, where he founded and served as director of the nationally recognized Tennessee Craniofacial Center at The Childrens Hospital, serving patients with facial deformities in over 40 states and several countries. Dr. Sargent was also professor and chairman of the Department of Plastic Surgery at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine for over 20 years, where he was involved in the training of more than 70 plastic surgeons.
When the opportunity presented itself to come back to Chattanooga full time, I was excited to make the move. The South has always felt like home, with most of my career spent here in Chattanooga, said Dr. Sargent.
Dr. Sargent was inducted into The Johns Hopkins University Society of Scholars in 2002, the highest honor postdoctoral alumni can receive. In 2016, he received the high honor of the Lifetime Achievement Award from The Erlanger/UT Health System Foundation. He has given over 170 presentations worldwide and authored over 100 publications, including several books. His mission work has been featured in award-winning documentaries on TLC, Discovery Channel and National Geographic. He will be featured in a documentary to be released in 2022, where he will talk about advancements made in craniofacial surgery.
Appointments for consultations can be made by calling 423-305-7274.
Cleveland's Whirlpool Plant employees video among nine videos Whirlpool Corporation released featuring employees from its local plants in nine different U.S. cities to celebrate Manufacturing Day.
Held annually on the first Friday in October each year, Manufacturing Day (MFG Day) traditionally has shown the reality of modern manufacturing careers by encouraging thousands of companies around the nation to open their doors to students, parents, teachers and community leaders. Live tours are not possible this year, however, due to COVID-19 restrictions at the plants, but Whirlpool Corporation still wanted to honor its existing employees and educate potential new employees about careers in manufacturing.
I am incredibly grateful to our essential manufacturing employees not just in the U.S, but worldwide, who kept working during the pandemic to provide the appliances our customers rely on every single day, said Whirlpool Corporation VP of Integrated Supply Chain and Quality Don Metzelaar.
Since we cannot give tours to students and others this year, we decided to create videos for each plant highlighting some of our superstar team members and the great work that they do.Local Cleveland Whirlpool Corporation employees highlighted in this Manufacturing Day Video speak about their roles, how theyve been provided opportunities for educational reimbursement and career advancement, and how they volunteer to make a real difference in the communities where they live and work.We are confident these videos will provide a better understanding of how modern manufacturing jobs at Whirlpool Corporation are high tech, innovative and can provide successful and rewarding careers for our employees, said Mr. Metzelaar. The theme is We invest in you, which is true of all of our plant operations, and is one of the reasons more than 20,000 U.S. team members are proud to call Whirlpool Corporation their home.
Five Jewish-themed, award-winning films produced in the United States, Syria, Israel, Italy and Poland and will be screened virtually beginning Oct. 12, for five consecutive weeks. All films have received recognition at festivals throughout the United States, Europe and Israel. The Jewish Federation of Greater Chattanooga brings the Series to the community. For more information, contact the Jewish Federation of Greater Chattanooga 493-0270 or secure a ticket One-Film-At-A-Time visit www.jewishchattanooga.com
As the longest running, international film series in Chattanooga, we felt that we should make the Film Series would accessible to the greatest number of people. Michael Dzik, executive director of the Jewish Federation. Mr. Dzik also comments on the importance of having discussions after several of the films. The Series virtual schedule is as follows:
Noon, Oct. 12- Noon, Oct. 15 Neighbors In a Syrian border village in the early 1980s, Sero attends school for the first time. A new teacher has arrived with the goal of making Syrian comrades out of the Kurdish children. He uses the rod to forbid the Kurdish language, orders the veneration of Assad, and preaches hate of the Zionist enemy - the Jews. The lessons upset and confuse Sero because his long-time neighbors are a lovable Jewish family. Kurdish, subtitles, 2h 4min Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXoINcqFOOM
A discussion about the Kurds will be streamed the evening of Oct. 13.
Noon, Oct. 19-Noon, Oct. 22 Here We Are Aharon has devoted his life to raising his son Uri. They live together in a gentle routine, away from the real world. But Uri is autistic, and now as a young adult it might be time for him to live in a specialized home. While on their way to the institn, Aharon decides to run away with his son and hits the road, knowing that Uri is not ready for this separation. Or is it, in fact, his father who is not ready? Hebrew, subtitles, 1h 34min Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qsl3zZi75Pc
Noon, Oct. 26-Noon, Oct. 29 Tiger Within A story featuring an unlikely friendship between a homeless teen and a Holocaust survivor, sparking larger questions of fear, forgiveness, healing and world peace, starring Ed Asner. English, 1h 38min Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbzK2ozG5UQ
A discussion about Holocaust, anti-hate education will be streamed the evening of Oct. 27.
Noon, Nov. 2-Noon, Nov. 5 Thou Shalt Not Hate The son of a Holocaust survivor who lives in Trieste as a surgeon begins to doubt his actions of refusing to help a victim of a traffic accident that he encountered on his way home from work. Polish origin, Italian, subtitles, 1h 36min
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTu6FW9n-6g
A conversation about medical ethics from a religious perspective will stream the evening of Nov. 3.
Noon, Nov. 9-Noon, Nov. 12 Starry Sky Above the Roman Ghetto In her Roman attic, a girl finds an old picture of the Jewish child Sarah Cohen whose family had been killed by the Nazis in World War II. She will track down Sarahs past with help of current and new friends. Italian, subtitles, 1h 40min
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3O9xSGXlYeg
Each film will cost $12 and will be only available virtually. Virtual films will be available from noon Tuesday to noon Friday. To purchase One-Film-At-A-Time, register and make payment on the Jewish Federations website www.jewishchattanooga.com Payment will trigger the ability to link you to each film as well as capture your e-mail address in order to send you the viewing codes. Following each film, you will be sent an evaluation to complete.
Chattanooga Jewish Film Series is made possible by our corporate sponsors First Horizon, Kleen-a-Matic, Chattanooga Allergy Clinic, Market Street Partners, Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel P.C., Monen Family Restaurants, Barnett and Company, and Chattanooga Symphony and Opera along with over 60 individual sponsors.
An average of 30 films are reviewed by a committee of dedicated volunteers each year in order to choose six feature films, five for the series and one for the sponsor event. Films screened at major national and international film festivals, those recommended by peers throughout the United States, and those brought to the committees attention by filmmakers are included in the selection process. Past selections have included Academy Award nominees and winners, as well as Israeli Ophir Award winners.
Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful hit the 100,000 lb. milestone for 2021 at an event put on by the Cherokee Lake Users Association held on Tuesday, Sept. 29 in Talbott, Tn. Volunteer students from Carson Newman University removed 2,696 lbs. of trash
Volunteers, KTNRB staff, and Living Lands & Waters staff pose with trash-filled boats at an October 2020 cleanup held on Pickwick Lake in Mississippi during KTNRWB Month
Volunteers participating in a 'Tennessee River Litter Tournament' put on by Keep the Shoals Beautiful on Saturday, Sept. 24, pose in the KTNRB boat with the litter they removed
Over 500 volunteers have helped Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful remove more than 100,000 pounds of trash from the Tennessee River and its tributaries this year in the groups 125,000 Lb. Goal for 2021 River Cleanups presented by YETI.
Its been truly inspiring for us to see the volunteers and partners step up to accomplish so much together for our precious river system, said Kathleen Gibi, KTNRB executive director. Were especially grateful to YETI for making such an aspirational goal possible and for showing everyone else that our rivers are worth the investment.
Based off of weight totals KTNRB has been tallying throughout the year, Ms. Gibi estimates that throwaway drink containers make up at least 32,000 pounds from the 2,273 bags of trash that the volunteers have collected so far this year.
The river group surpassed 100,000 pounds in 2021 at a cleanup held in Talbott, Tn. on Tuesday. They reached the milestone just in time for the launch of the month-long tour of cleanups in Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky in celebration of October being declared Keep the Tennessee River Watershed Beautiful Month'.
Ms. Gibi said that the celebratory month is often the bread and butter of their trash totals and that the group is staged to easily reach their 125,000-pound goal for the year with the upcoming cleanups. The month will also include the 3rd annual Ripple Effect Awards presented by Yamaha Rightwaters and proclamations from governors and mayors across the Tennessee River watershed.
KTNRB is partnering once again with Living Lands & Waters, a national nonprofit that cleans North American rivers and who brings their five 30-foot aluminum boats, adding to KTNRBs boat so that even more volunteers can participate.
Living Lands & Waters is always happy to be a part of KTNRB cleanups and we feel fortunate to help them reach their 125,000-pound goal on one of the nations most amazing rivers, said Chad Pregracke, founder of LL&W and 2013 CNN Hero of the Year.
The cleanups during Keep the Tennessee River Watershed Beautiful Month are scheduled as follows:
Friday, Oct. 1 Scottsboro, AL | Guntersville Lake
Saturday, Oct. 2 Ten Mile, TN | Watts Bar Lake
Friday, Oct. 15 Iuka, MS/Hardin, TN | Pickwick Lake
Saturday, Oct. 16 Hardin, KY | Kentucky Lake
KTNRB will hold more cleanups with its individual boat throughout October. Volunteers may register for any cleanup at www.KeepTNRiverBeautiful.org/upcomingcleanups.
Ms. Gibi said that it was the Tennessee Valley Authority that originally challenged KTNRB to celebrate an awareness month for the Tennessee River. The awareness month was launched in the state of Tennessee in 2018 and has now expanded into a seven-state awareness campaign in 2021.
Proclamations from governors and mayors within all seven states (TN, AL, MS, KY, GA, VA, NC) of the Tennessee River watershed are pursued during the month. Last year, four governors and four mayors issued proclamations for Keep the Tennessee River Watershed Beautiful Month. TVA and Keep Tennessee Beautiful (funded by the Tennessee Department of Transportation) were the founding partners who initiated the formation of KTNRB as a nonprofit that would champion support and protection for the 652-mile Tennessee River. Since forming, KTNRB has rallied more than 2,200 volunteers to remove over 275,000 pounds of trash from the Tennessee River and its tributaries.
As KTNRWB Month is celebrated in different states, Keep Tennessee Beautiful, Keep Alabama Beautiful, Keep Mississippi Beautiful, and the Land Between the Lakes have served as acting co-organizers. Local nonprofits such as other Keep America Beautiful affiliates and the Friends of Land Between the Lakes are also supporting partners.
The KTNRWB Month cleanups held in Tennessee are largely funded through Tennessee Department of Transportation and Keep Tennessee Beautiful. Additionally, TVA has funded KTNRBs efforts since its inception and serves as a major supporter of KTNRWB Month.
Coupled with the river cleanups during Keep the Tennessee River Watershed Beautiful Month will be the 3rd annual Ripple Effect Awards presented by Yamaha Rightwaters. Judges from national level organizations and companies have been enlisted to select from nominated outstanding champions for the Tennessee River to be recognized and awarded glass-blown trophies.
Nominations for the awards have been extended to Friday, Oct. 15, and may be submitted at
www.KeepTNRiverBeautiful.org/awards.
For full information and links on Keep the Tennessee River Watershed Beautiful Month, visit
www.KeepTNRiverBeautiful.org/ktnrwb-month.
Ballinger, Virginia Hubertus (Cleveland)
Virginia Hubertus Ballinger, 85, of Cleveland, passed away on Wednesday, September 29 at Bradley Healthcare Center. Born on Feb. 8, 1936 to the late Hubert and Ola Lee Beaty Davis, she was a native and lifelong resident of Bradley County, and was a member of Mount Olive Church of God.
Virginia was previously employed at Belk in Hamilton Place, where she worked alongside her sister, Gladys Belk, for many years. She enjoyed spending time with family, meeting new people, eating at her favorite restaurant, Cracker Barrel, cooking for her family and friends and relaxing at her home with neighbors and colleagues.
Virginia was preceded in death by her husband, William (Billy) Ballinger; her brothers, Harold Davis, Donald Davis and Dennis Davis; and her sister, Gladys Belk.
Left behind to cherish her memory are her grandsons, Chase Ballinger and Levi Ballinger; great-grandchildren, Pierce and Alyssa; sisters-in-law, Joyce Davis and Ruth Davis; and several extended family members and a host of friends.
A celebration of Virginias life will occur at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 3 at Companion Funeral & Cremation Services, with Pastor Gary Sears officiating.
The Tennessee Department of Education announced Thursday 79 school districts, over half of all districts in the state, intend to participate in the Tennessee Accelerating Literacy and Learning Corps (TN ALL Corps) tutoring program to mitigate learning loss and accelerate student achievement. The participating districts and the department will invest a projected $200 million in federal education funding in TN ALL Corps tutoring supports which stands to benefit nearly 150,000 Tennessee students over the next three years.TN ALL Corps is a matching grant opportunity to empower districts to implement or strengthen tutoring supports for students in low ratios and at a high dosage, with TN ALL Corps tutoring occurring for small groups of students in 3045-minute sessions, two to three times per week.This approach in combination with summer programming will provide students with 250-500 additional hours of academic instruction over the next three years and two summers."Through TN ALL Corps, Tennessee can dramatically increase the amount of learning time children have access to, which will accelerate student achievement," said Commissioner Penny Schwinn. "We know high dosage, low-ratio tutoring works, and we are thrilled to see over half of our districts sign up to participate in this program that will help ensure Tennessee students are on track and on a path to success."Throughout the pandemic, Tennessee has led the nation in providing academic supports for students. In January 2021, Governor Lee convened the Tennessee General Assembly for a special legislative session to pass policies to help mitigate COVID-19 disruptions and support Tennessee students.Structured tutoring programs have been proven to significantly increase student achievement. As part of the Tennessee Learning Loss and Student Acceleration Act passed in the special session, the TN ALL Corps will support students across the state by providing access to tutoring in both English Language Arts (ELA) and math.As the state has implemented strategies and policies to support students during the pandemic, more than $4 billion in federal COVID-19 education funding has also flowed to Tennessee school districts to help students and schools recover and accelerate. The federal government is requiring districts to spend a portion of their funding, a minimum of 20% of their Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) 3.0 funding, to address learning loss. Districts may satisfy the federally required learning loss investment through participation in TN ALL Corps.With such an historic amount of federal funding available to local districts, the department created the Best for All recognition program to reward district investments in programs or initiatives that are most likely to benefit students. To qualify for the Best for All recognition program, a district or charter school must spend 50 percent of its ESSER 3.0 award amount on academics and participate in the TN ALL Corps program.To support districts and increase the investment in tutoring supports, the department developed a financial match model for the TN ALL Corps grant opportunity. For every student tutored, the department will provide $700 per student per year, while a district contributes $800 per year per student. This amount covers at least 15 percent of district students in first eighth grades in year one.Districts were able to select the structure of tutoring, the staffing, and the students served, with the goal of providing high dosage low ratio tutoring. For additional flexibility, districts can choose when to launch TN ALL Corps programming, as an early adopter in August and September 2021 or as part of the year one cohort in January 2022. Districts also have the option of launching in the year two cohort during the Summer of 2022. A list of districts intending to participate is available here District and school leaders and elected officials shared why this program will make such a huge impact on learning loss recovery for students.I am very pleased so many school districts across the state want to take advantage of this new, high-quality tutoring program established earlier this year through legislation passed by the General Assembly, said Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson. Thank you to Education Chairman Brian Kelsey for successfully leading the legislation that made this program possible through the Senate. The program will help students establish strong foundational skills that will have a positive impact on student learning for years to come.As we work to reverse last years learning loss caused by the pandemic, all options must remain on the table for consideration. One-on-one tutoring will provide individualized assistance to get our students not only back on track academically but on a successful path for their future, said Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton. We all want and continue to work towards the same outcome in education- every student that graduates from a Tennessee school does so with the skills and opportunities for success in life."This is a wise investment that will address the significant learning disruptions of the past year by helping students to both recover these losses and to reach new heights throughout their educational journey, said House Majority Leader William Lamberth. We look forward to seeing the results of this investment in our students as we work toward our goal of leading the nation in education."As we continue to work as a district to improve student learning, it is critical that we explore and analyze new data driven educational opportunities as they become available," said Dr. Trey Duke, director of schools, Murfreesboro City Schools. "As educators, we know that additional time spent with high quality and impactful teachers will consistently help students succeed in their education goals and close gaps.""The learning opportunities we provide today help our children become prosperous and productive adults for tomorrow, said House Education Administration Chairman Mark White. This program, along with other measures we have taken, will help us close the gap for those vulnerable students who have fallen behind due to school closures. Im grateful for the partnership of our teachers and tutors across the state who are helping to create a world -class public education system for our students.Through this program many students will have the ability to recover critical learning skills lost during the 2020/2021 school year, said Senate Education Chairman Brian Kelsey. While we still have much work to do, this is a huge step in the right direction towards setting students on a path to a successful learning career with positive education outcomes.Elizabethton City Schools is excited to participate in TN ALL Corps, said Dr. Myra Newman, assistant director of schools for academics, Elizabethton City Schools. We see this as a great opportunity to help our students to become academically proficient through high dosage/low ratio tutoring. Our goal is to provide grade level, standards-based tutoring in small groups throughout the school day to accelerate our students learning in grades first through eighth.Every student deserves a top-notch, high-quality education, and the General Assembly remains committed to ensuring they receive one, said House Education Instruction Chairlady Debra Moody. We know that mitigating the effects of learning loss is not going to be a one-time fix. This three-year, high-dosage program will enhance the tools and supports we already have in place to measure, remediate and close the learning gaps caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.Ensuring students all across Tennessee are receiving the one-on-one help they need is one of the most important things we can do as a legislature, said House Education Instruction Subcommittee Scott Cepicky. This is a huge win for students and teachers across our state as we move Tennessee to number one in education in our country.Hamilton County Schools is thrilled to participate in TN ALL Corps because we know it will help provide much needed supports for our students, said Breckan Duckworth, literacy officer for Hamilton County Schools. "Our schools, students and educators have worked and continue to work extremely hard to close achievement gaps due to the pandemic. Participating in TN ALL Corps will ensure our students have access to qualified tutors and resources."Making sure Tennessee students are not falling behind in the classroom is vital to their success, said House Education Administration K-12 Subcommittee Chairman Kirk Haston. I am excited for what this program will do for our kids and our teachers. This is a great win the students across our state.Some of the best teaching moments come from one-on-one tutoring sessions, said House Education Administration Vice-Chairman Chris Hurt. This program will allow students to receive the extra help needed and put them one step closer to success, and I am excited for where this will take us.District applications are now open in ePlan. To learn more about TN ALL Corps, visit the departments ESSER district planning resources webpage
Because of living conditions, as well as starvation, numerous Irish fled Ireland to come to the United States. It is no wonder that James Joyce described the Atlantic Ocean as a bowl of bitter tears and an earlier poet wrote, They are going, going, going and we cannot bid them stay.
Today in Tennessee over 7,000 teachers are already eligible to retire and by 2024 that number will add another 3,300 teachers. We already had a teacher shortage in special education. We had a teacher shortage in math and science. We are seeing other teachers walking away, some in elementary and other key subject areas, as well.
Vacant teaching positions lead to increased class sizes, student behavioral problems, and lower standards for hiring both permanent and substitute teachers. There are also huge shortages of bus drivers and substitute teachers. If you throw that all on top of a global pandemic, maternity leaves, and natural disasters, our schools are stretched way beyond the classroom walls of any school.
Our Colleges of Education simply cannot meet this demand as the number of applicants to become teachers is inadequate. Fewer students are choosing to go into the education field while schools across America are seeing an increased need for new teachers. As stakeholders, we are concerned about the quality and quantity of applicants entering the field of education. In policy, we better start paying attention to the quality and quantity of those leaving the field of education. The teacher shortage is not looming, the teacher shortage is here.
The existing teacher shortageespecially in special education, math, and science, and in schools serving students of color, low-income students, and English learnerswill likely only increase, based on the predicted increase in the school-going population in the future. Colleges of Education must also address how to serve Career & Technical Education. Areas such as business, agriculture, health, automotive, and mechatronics programs need high-quality teachers. We should also consider how to better build the skills of paraprofessionals who work alongside teachers in classrooms in critical roles.
Teachers are the number one in-school influence on student achievement. Data indicates that in the last 20 years, teacher attrition has nearly doubled. 1630 percent of teachers leave the teaching profession each year. It is estimated by some that school districts now spend $1B to $2.2B per year nationally replacing teachers. The average cost to replace a teacher is about $20,000 each in many districts.
Education degrees can take many years to complete and incur student debt. Alternative certifications routes often take much less time. We need flexible programs designed to have qualified adults teaching quickly and affordably. We need to consider these options if we are going to expand the teacher pipeline to get more applicants for schools and districts. It is time to expand the alternative certification choices in our state.
We know there are many issues facing public education. However, with challenges come opportunities. We need to keep our most effective educators in the classroom and in public education. Our federal, state, and district policymakers must take this issue seriously. We are losing too many good educators, and it is time we address the issue. We must modernize teacher licensure procedures to meet the demand and address the teacher shortage.
Teachers are leaving the profession. Just like the Irish, a century and a half ago, they are moving away permanently. They are going, going, going and we cannot bid them stay. We must reverse this trend as soon as possible, not just for today but for those who come after us.
Terri Lynn Weaver, state representative for the 40th District in Tennessee
JC Bowman, executive director for Professional Educators of Tennessee
Chattanooga States Registered Nursing program was recently named as the best associate degree program in the State of Tennessee by Nursing Schools Almanac.
Nursing Schools Almanac ranks student performance on the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). This is the exam that aspiring registered nurses in the U.S must pass before they commence practice.
We use several years of data to calculate each schools NCLEX pass rate among first-time test-takers, and then we rank the schools accordingly, said Christopher McMillen, editor in chief, Nursing Schools Almanac, in his congratulatory letter.
Being recognized as the #1 Associate Degree Nursing Program in the State of Tennessee is truly an honor, remarked Dr. Martina Harris, assistant dean and nursing program director, Nursing and Allied Health division. I am proud of our outstanding reputation and as a program we remain committed to preparing quality nursing graduates to provide safe, competent care.
Chattanooga States Nursing program is a source of tremendous pride for the College and our community, stated a proud Dr. Rebecca Ashford, president of Chattanooga State. Our graduates have provided outstanding health care services in our community for decades. This recognition from Nursing Schools Almanac is a testament to our outstanding Nursing faculty, students, and our strong Nursing and Allied Health leadership.
Nationwide, there are 1,046 nursing schools that offer an associate degree in nursing (ADN), also known as associate of applied science (AAS) degrees, such as what Chattanooga State Community College offers.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that employment of registered nurses is expected to grow by 9 percent through 2030. They also report that approximately 194,500 openings for RNs are available each year. The National Council for State Board of Nursing reports that there are more than four million registered nurses nationwide with more than 110K active registered nurses in Tennessee.
Chattanooga State information sessions are offered at 9 a.m. or 5 p.m. on October 12, November 9, or December 14. No reservations are needed. Sessions are held in room 1083 of the Health Science Center. Chattanooga State Financial aid assistance options are available through Tennessee Promise, Tennessee Reconnect, PELL, HOPE, or TSAA and other scholarships. The College provides day, night and transition program options.
Applications for the fall 2022 programs are now being accepted. For more information visit Chattanooga States Nursing and Allied Health division.
Senator Marsha Blackburn confronted Facebook for what she said was its active role in endangering children online, during a hearing with the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security.
She said, There are a lot of moms security moms, I call them that are very concerned about what they see happening in the virtual space. In 2019, the CDC released some data. In 2019, the CDC data showed that 20% of our American high school students seriously considered attempting suicide, and 40% reported experiencing sadness, hopelessness. Now our children who have lived through COVID, school closings, and more upheaval in their lives than ever before, deserve better than this. Yet, where are they finding the social interaction and relationships that they so desperately need? Where they are finding this is on social media, on sites like Instagram, Tik Tok, Snapchat. Now, we know that at least one of these sites, Facebook, knows that its services are actively harming young children.
In 2019 and 2020 Facebook's in-house analysts performed a series of deep dives into teen use of Instagram, and it revealed I'm quoting from the report aspects of Instagram exacerbate each other to create a perfect storm, and that perfect storm manifests itself in the minds of teenagers in the form of intense social pressure, addiction, body image issues, eating disorders, anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts. But it gets even worse than this. Facebook, despite touting their compliance with COPPA, was scheming to bring even younger users into their field.
Instagram announced this week that it is temporarily shelving their plans for Instagram Kids. But until this week, they were moving forward with this trying to bring younger children onto their platforms. At the same time that we're learning this, the Wall Street Journal reported how Facebook tried to use play dates that is right play dates to attract more children to its Messenger Kids service. In fact, Facebook is fully aware that underage children are using their platforms. Not only that, they also encourage older teen siblings to recruit their younger siblings and are actually devising marketing plans to help kids and teens create secondary or anonymous accounts that they can hide from their parents. They perform market research on kids as young as eight years old to learn how to recruit them to their sites.
Facebook is also aware of other types of harmful content on their site. In fact, a report shows how Facebook knew about content devoted to coercing women into domestic servitude. Yet they chose to do nothing to stop it, until Apple threatened to pull Facebook from the App Store. Thats correct. It took Apple standing up to get them to stop this. In fact, this seems to be a recurring theme with this company: do everything and anything to mold the world into your own image, your own profit, without any regard for any harm that is going to be done because your focus is on your pocketbook.
We do not trust you with influencing our children, with reading into their minds. Parents also don't want Facebook collecting data on their children because, the bottom line, is these are childrenFacebook has both a legal and a moral obligation to forgo collecting and using children's data. So Mr. Chairman, I'm grateful for the opportunity that we have this hearing today to continue to investigate, continue to expose what is happening in the virtual space. I am certain that we will be holding Facebook to account as other tech platforms will be held to account.
Catoosa County Sheriffs Office detectives charged an eighth grade Ringgold Middle School student with making terroristic threats after he allegedly posted threats late Wednesday night against his school on social media.
Sheriff Gary Sisk says the students threats appear to have been inspired by online threats made in another social media post earlier in the evening.
Sheriff Sisk says the original threatening social media message posted at about 7 p.m. pm Wednesday, and the Ringgold Middle School student then re-posted that message to include his own threatening language later in the evening.
Sheriff Sisk said it is unclear if the original threat made at 7 p.m. was intended for an online audience in Ringgold, or for a similarly named city in another state. Sheriff Sisk said that original post quickly circulated in the Catoosa County community, and his deputies and school officials immediately went to the school to investigate.
Catoosa County Public Schools Superintendent Deana Reese released a statement Wednesday night confirming the original threatening post was being investigated by the Sheriffs Office.
The original threat made at 7 p.m. was determined to be not credible, said Sheriff Sisk. We later interviewed the Ringgold Middle School student and confirmed that he was not a credible threat to his school, students or staff. However, the community chaos that his post caused is a prime example of why we and Catoosa County Public Schools have a zero-tolerance policy toward threats of any kind, whether made in person, online or through any other means.
The Ringgold Middle School student was charged Thursday morning and is in custody at the Youth Detention Center in Dalton.
Hunters may donate the parts of the animal they dont want (usually those that arent trophies) to food banks to justify their actions. But their motives arent really altruistic. They victimize animals and then victimize people in need.
When hunters use lead ammunition, the flesh of the animals they kill is poisoned by it, since most lead bullets shatter into tiny pieces. A study performed in North Dakota found that almost 60 percent of the venison donated to food pantries contained lead fragments. When other animals eat the remains that hunters leave behind, they frequently suffer from lead poisoning, which is exactly what nearly drove California condors to extinction before decades of recovery efforts and a ban on lead ammo helped them start to rebound. Add lead poisoning to the long list of ways that hunters hurt animals, which includes tearing families apart, orphaning young, wounding animals without killing them, and hitting non-target species.
People who truly do want to help underserved families can buy a 1-pound bag of safe, lean, protein-rich black beans for less than $1.
Michelle Kretzer
* * *
Chattanooga readers shouldnt be surprised Michelle Kretzers opinion was anti-hunter and factually wrong, (Donate Beans, Not Shot Animals to Food Banks, 9/30/21). Kretzers a PETA activist from Virginia and doesnt know beans about Tennessee hunters generosity.
Tennessee hunters donating game to help those in need isnt surprising or new. Hunters can drop off harvested game at 55 processing centers where its prepared and safely delivered to hunger relief programs. So much meat was donated last year that the Tennessee Wildlife Federations Hunters for the Hungry program opened seven more locations and each donated deer means 168 servings of protein to hungry Tennesseans.
During the first half of 2020, Tennesseans purchased more than 720,000 hunting and fishing licenses; 113,500 more than the same period in 2019 and 150,000 more than 2018. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency expects more than one million to be sold this year. Thats a lot of healthy game going to Tennessee families when they need it most.
When Tennessee hunters purchase licenses, firearms and ammunition, they fund wildlife management and conservation programs across the country, including in Tennessee. The firearm industry has paid $14.1 billion through excise taxes and Americas wildlife populations have never been healthier. This includes the bald eagle and the California condor Kretzer references. Despite hundreds of years of evidence that it is safe to consume game taken with traditional ammunition, Kretzer and anti-hunting groups continue to falsely argue it poses a threat. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) validated this in a 2008 study. Consuming game harvested with traditional ammunition poses no health risk.
Tennessee hunters know better than to believe Kretzers false claims. Tennessee hunters are generous and help thousands of their neighbors. In doing so, they ensure Tennessee wildlife and public lands remain beautiful and bountiful for all, for generations to come.
Lawrence G. Keane
Senior Vice President and General Counsel for Government Affairs
National Shooting Sports Foundation
Washington, D.C.
Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Banking, Housing, & Urban Affairs Committee, on Thursday voted against the nomination of Rohit Chopra to be the Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).
He said, Rohit Chopra appears ready to push anti-job-creation policies and further insert the CFPB into the private transactions of the American people. This nominee has dodged Senators questions throughout the confirmation process, casting serious doubt on how accountable his agency will be to the peoples elected representatives. I will always support protecting consumers from bad business practices, but we need leaders who will do so responsibly, apolitically, and in a manner that wont cost jobsthat is not likely to be the case with Mr. Chopra, and as such is disqualifying.
Last week, Senator Hagerty introduced legislation that would make the agency accountable to the American people by requiring that its funding be appropriated by Congress, as is the case for other Executive Branch agencies. Currently, the Federal Reserve is required to provide whatever funding that the CFPB requests within certain limits, a highly unusual arrangement that allows the CFPB to avoid the fiscal accountability to which the rest of the Executive Branch is subject.
The bill has 16 co-sponsors.
When A Million Little Things Season 4 premiered, viewers discovered that Delilah Dixon (Stephanie Szostak) was leaving the show again. This time she is moving to France with her son, Danny (Chance Hurstfield), and youngest daughter, Charlie (Everly and Brynlee Fisher), in tow. However, viewers found one major plothole surrounding the storyline.
A Million Little Things actors Everly and Brynlee Fisher as Charlie and Stephanie Szostak as Delilah | Jack Rowand/ABC/ Getty Images
Why is Delilah leaving A Million Little Things?
In the A Million Little Things Season 4 premiere, Delilah received a phone call that her father had a stroke. He might not make it through the night, and she wants to get to France as soon as she can. In the A Million Little Things Season 3 finale, Sophie (Lizzy Greene) and Danny (Chance Hurstfield) voiced that they do not want to move to France. However, after Danny heard about his grandfather, he realized it was vital to be there for his mother. Danny told Sophie that he would go to support her so that Sophie could stay.
Later, Sophie and Delilah had a heart-to-heart, both realizing where they needed to be. Sophie told Delilah that she understood why her mother wanted to move to France. Both agreed that Sophie would stay in Boston, but Delilah would move across the continent. Near the end of the premiere, Delilah explained that being in Boston and at the familys house reminds her too much of her husband, Jon (Ron Livingston). He died by suicide in the A Million Little Things Season 1 premiere. Delilah was happier in France, and for her mental health is leaving to move there.
A Million Little Things: Lizzy Greene, Stephanie Szostak, and Chance Hurstfield | Jack Rowand/ABC/Getty Images
RELATED: A Million Little Things Season 4 Cast: Who Will Return? Who is leaving?
The underlying reason for Delilahs move is that Szostak cannot continue to quickly travel back and forth from her home in Connecticut to filming in Vancouver, British Columbia. There is still a 14-day quarantine rule for travelers entering Canada because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Szostak lives with her husband and two children, who she does not want to be away from, while the actor continuously quarantines and then films the show.
A Million Little Things: 1 major plothole over Delilahs move to France
In A Million Little Things Season 1, viewers find out that Eddie Saville (David Giuntoli) is the father of Delilahs baby, Charlie. However, in season 3, he hardly saw his little girl because Delilah was stuck in France. Delilah chooses to move to France in the new season, but Eddie doesnt put up a fight over taking their daughter there again.
I found it almost unbelievable that Eddie says nothing about her living in France with his daughter, one viewer wrote on Reddit. Why even make them have a kid together if she is an afterthought 90 percent of the time? Nobody seems broken up about her taking Charlie.
Other viewers agreed that the lack of concern for Charlie over Delilah leaving for France was odd in the A Million Little Things Season 4 premiere.
A season of change starts TONIGHT at 10/9c on ABC & stream on Hulu. #AMillionLittleThings pic.twitter.com/kwVIW0Gl8A A Million Little Things (@AMillionABC) September 22, 2021
RELATED: A Million Little Things Delilah: Many Fans Hope She Doesnt Return to the Show
They added ONE comment from Katherine about suing Delilah, but it was really awkward and off-putting, another Redditor wrote. Very bizarre. And with how fierce Eddie is about having custody of Theo, I find it hard to believe that Eddie would be totally OK with Charlie moving to France. Definitely a major plot hole.
Hopefully, the writers rectify the plothole soon and realize that Eddie should fight the move to France. Maybe Katherine was serious about suing Delilah if she kept Charlie away from Eddie.
A Million Little Things Season 4 airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. EST on ABC and is available for streaming the next day on Hulu.
How to get help: In the U.S., call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Or text HOME to 741-741 to speak with a trained crisis counselor at the free Crisis Text Line.
Unlike his comedic peers who aspired to a spot on Johnny Carsons Tonight Show, Norm Macdonald dreamed of joining the cast of Saturday Night Live. Hired as the sixth anchor of the SNL segment, Weekend Update, Macdonald followed in the funny footsteps of celebs such as Chevy Chase, Kevin Nealon, and Jane Curtin. How did Chase and other celebrities react to Macdonalds death at the too-soon age of 61 react? Heres what we know:
Norm Macdonald is already missed
Weekend Update on SNL | Gerry Goodstein/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images
When Norm Macdonald died on Sept. 14, 2021, friends and co-workers were stunned to learn the comedian had been in a private struggle with cancer for at least a decade. Chase, the first-ever Saturday Night Live Weekend Update anchor, called Macdonald one of the sweetest and funniest friends he ever had. According to Outsider, Chase remained in hilarious form even while mourning his late friend:
Norm MacDonald and I have been great friends for many years now. Of course, I first met him after he played the newsman on SNL. He was the best of all! Next to myself. I know Im just kidding now, because Im all teared up.
Rob Schneider, whose tenure as an SNL cast member overlapped Macdonalds by one year, turned to Twitter to mourn his late friend:
Norm, I didnt just like you. I loved you. You didnt just make me laugh. You made me cry with laughter. Im still crying today. But when I think of you, my tears will run down my face with all the memories of all the laughter and all the joys that you brought to all of us. Rest.
Seth Rogen, who hosted SNL 10 years after Macdonald left the show, credited the late Weekend Update anchor for inspiring him as a young actor. Expressing his shock and dismay at Macdonalds unexpected death, he posted on Twitter:
Oh f*ck. I was a huge fan of Norm Macdonald and I essentially ripped off his delivery when I first started acting. I would stay up specifically to watch him on talk shows. He was the funniest guest of all time. We lost a comedy giant today. One of the all-time greats. RIP.
Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels said Macdonald meant the world to everyone at SNL while offering a heartfelt tribute to Macdonald at the 2021 Primetime Emmy Awards show:
When you work with somebody for that many years, and they make you laugh, and youre aware of who they are as a person and as a friend. I think Norm was one of the funniest people Ive ever known and, because hes Canadian, Id put him right up there in the top five.
Adam Sandler, who wrote dozens of SNL sketches and appeared in more than 90 episodes of the classic comedy show, remembered his Billy Madison co-star as a fearless, funny guy who gave him some of the hardest laughs of his life.
It wasnt just SNL alumni who mourned Norm Macdonald
whenever I need a lift I watch this, the Blues Bros. first ever performance. Belushi is the frontman but it is the supercool dance moves of Aykroyd that make this the most electrifying moment in SNL history. Try to keep your eyes off him. https://t.co/TCPji9OU9M via @YouTube Norm Macdonald (@normmacdonald) May 22, 2021
The host of the Late Late Show with James Cordon said there was nobody like Norm Macdonald. According to US Weekly, Cordon explained:
I felt privileged any time I got to be in his orbit. He leaves us as one of the all-time great comics, perhaps the single greatest guest in the history of late-night television, I think.
Stephen Colbert regretted not having the comedy chops to come up with a good joke after Macdonald died. Explaining that only Macdonald could have come up with such a joke, Colbert said, Im going to miss the fact that theres nobody left on the planet who can do that, and the comedy world is poorer for it today.
Steve Martin called Macdonald one of a kind, while Jim Carrey described his late friend as an honest and courageous comedy genius.
Born Norman Gene Macdonald in Quebec, Canada, on Oct. 17, 1959, the future funnyman was the son of two schoolteachers. He honed his comedy at open mic nights in Toronto in the mid-1980s before appearing as a contestant on Star Search in 1990. Two years later, Macdonald landed a gig writing for the sitcom Roseanne.
Macdonalds deadpan delivery and sense of comedic timing made him an ideal Weekend Update anchor on Saturday Night Live, where he provided his singular style of news commentary from 1994 to 1997.
He left us with lots of laughter
Norm Macdonald appeared in dozens of movies throughout his too-short life, including Billy Madison, The People vs. Larry Flint, Man on the Moon, and Screwed. In addition to SNL, he lent his visage and voice to shows such as Family Guy, My Name is Earl, and A Minute with Stan Hooper. As accolades and remembrances continue to come in, well leave you with this typical Macdonald quote:
Jodie Foster has managed to attract a legion of fans due to her extraordinary talent as an actor. From Panic Room to Silence of the Lambs, its clear through her film resume why many admire the Yale graduate. However, some fans cross a line when they stalk the object of their admiration. Foster experienced this type of fan firsthand.
For celebrities constantly under the public eye, stalkers are always a risk. But Fosters situation was particularly unique since her real-life experience eerily paralleled a story arc in Taxi Driver.
John Hinckley Jr. stalked Jodie Foster
Jodie Foster | Toni Anne Barson/FilmMagic
John Hinckley Jr. developed a fascination with Jodie Foster after seeing her in Taxi Driver. As time went on, Hinckleys obsession with Foster grew. He moved to New Haven, Connecticut just to be close to the actor who was attending Yale at the time. There, he would slip Foster notes and leave messages on her phone in an attempt to grab her attention. In 1981, Hinckley attempted to win Foster over by assassinating president Ronald Reagan. Hinckley hoped it would make him famous enough for Foster to notice him. The assassination attempt was unsuccessful and only wounded President Reagan. Hinckley was sentenced to a psychiatric facility for his crimes, where he stayed until his release in 2016.
Its an experience in Fosters life that shes been mostly tight-lipped about. Foster would cancel interviews once she discovered the focus would be on her stalker. But recently, Foster opened up about the incident, getting it off her chest.
How Jodie Foster didnt want John Hinckley Jr. to define her
On the podcast WTF with Marc Maron, Maron was able to get Foster to discuss that period in her life. As it turns out, her silence on her infamous stalker was intentional, as she didnt want Hinckley to leave a permanent stain on Fosters career.
Yes, I mean, I skillfully transcended it, Foster said about the situation. My mom had been a publicist, and she was very clear that she tried to guide me to make sure that I wasnt just going to be known as the person who was involved in the shooting of the President.
According to Foster, her mom advised the young star to avoid talking about the Hinckley situation for the sake of her career. Foster did, however, broach the unusual situation one final time by writing a piece about it in Esquire. Afterward, however, Foster moved on from the issue so she wouldnt let it define her career.
I had written what I had to write about it. I got it out, and there was nothing more to say about it.
Jodie Foster regrets not making more movies
Instead of being defined by a stalker, Jodie Foster has defined her career by her contributions to film. Her accomplishments and accolades speak for themselves, and shes remembered by many as being one of the greatest actors of all time. But when it comes to filmmaking, even Foster has her fair share of regrets.
I didnt make as many movies as I was hoping I would, Foster confessed in an interview with Indiewire. I do regret that I didnt direct more in all those years, that I only managed to direct four movies in the course of 30 years or something. Thats just ridiculous, but I got busy.
RELATED: Forrest Gump: Jodie Foster, Nicole Kidman, and Demi Moore All Turned Down the Role of Jenny Curran
Johnny Cash rose to international fame as a musician whose songs told honest stories about morality and redemption. His musical storytelling and public tribulations generate a perceived closeness with the Man in Black. It may come as a surprise, then, that his real name isnt Johnny Cash. The artist was born under a different name, one he eventually changed for reasons utterly unrelated to his music career.
Johnny Cash in 1977 | GAB Archive/Redferns
When was Johnny Cash born?
According to Cashs official website, he was born to Arkansas sharecroppers in 1932. He was one of seven children in the familys profoundly Baptist household. Growing up, Cash worked alongside his family, farming cotton and other season crops on their farm.
While they worked, the family would often sing hymns and other working songs to pass the time. Per CMT, Cash also spent every night in front of the familys radio, listening to stations from major cities. All of this sparked a love of music in him. According to his sister Joanne Cashs website, Cash would sing along to the radio every night, telling her that shed hear his voice on the airwaves one day.
What Johnny song do you listen to when youre in deep thought? https://t.co/Eb8UQ7JNgl pic.twitter.com/beU9x6vmdm Johnny Cash (@JohnnyCash) September 30, 2021
His real name came from a compromise between his parents
Though Cash sounds more like a stage name, Johnny is the invention here. When the artist was born, his parents couldnt agree on a suitable first name. His father wanted to name the child Ray after himself, and his mother wanted to name him John after her father. Ultimately, they couldnt reach a decision, so they named him J.R., a compromise between the two.
Years later, in 1950, Cash had to change his name, and it had nothing to do with his desire to be a musician. He joined the Air Force, and the recruiter wouldnt accept initials as a first name. So, J.R. became John R., then later became Johnny. It appears that his mothers wishes won out in the end.
How did Johnny Cash become famous?
During his time in the Air Force, Cash worked as a radio intercept operator and started his first band, the Landsberg Barbarians. When he left the service, Cash continued to pursue music with two friends. The trio, who sang gospel music, visited local producer Sam Phillips unannounced to audition. Phillips, whod issued Elvis Presleys album and catapulted his career, liked the band but not the gospel music. He encouraged them to write secular tunes.
A year later, they came back with some Cash-written songs that performed decently well on the charts. With the release of I Walk the Line, though, Cashs career exploded. He spent six weeks at the top of the Billboard country chart. From there, his career only went up.
In 1956 @JohnnyCash wrote and released "I Walk The Line," which went No. 1 and sold 2 million copies. His debut album, released in 1957, included hits "Ballad of a Teenage Queen" and more. Listen to Sun Records Originals: Johnny Cash here: https://t.co/KKfcQgqMSN pic.twitter.com/JAta7dqxMs Sun Records (@sunrecords) September 22, 2021
Though he hit a few bumps along the way, Cash reached the end of his life as one of the most celebrated country artists in history. He was honored by the Recording Academy with a Lifetime Achievement Award and was inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
RELATED: Dolly Parton Said Johnny Cash Made Her Feel Like a Woman
Ever since that day back in 2017 when it was announced that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were engaged to be married, theres been no shortage of comparisons between the dukes bride and Wallis Simpson. But following Megxit, there have been plenty of comparisons between Harry and his great-great-uncle, once known as King Edward VIII, who chose love over his royal duties as well.
Read on to find out whether Meghan is more like Simpson or Harry is more like the former king.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle pose for a photo during visit to 1 World Trade Center in NYC | Gotham/FilmMagic
Similarities Meghan and Harry share with Simpson and Edward VIII
In 1936, Queen Elizabeth IIs uncle became King Edward VIII after the death of his father, King George V. Edward fell in love with and intended to marry Simpson. But that was a problem at the time because as king he was also the head of the Church of England and couldnt wed someone who had been married twice and divorced. King Edward VIII chose Simpson over the crown and announced his decision to abdicate the throne, which sent shockwaves through the monarchy and surprised millions of people around the world.
The main comparisons with the Duchess of Sussex and the Duchess of Windsor are that the Meghan is also an American who was married and divorced before tying the knot with a British royal. Harrys bride was an actress which gave her the opportunity to rub elbows with some Hollywood celebrities. Simpson too had spent time in some elite celeb circles as she was a socialite.
There are plenty of parallels between Edward and Harry as well that go beyond just who they wed. Edward and his brother Albert (later King George VI) experienced a sibling rivalry which has been compared to Harry and Prince Williams strained relationship. Moreover, long before getting together with Meghan, her husband was known for his partying ways and Harrys great-great-uncle was often dubbed Playboy Prince for his wild behavior.
Wallis Simpson and King Edward VIII photographed as they arrived together on a ship, circa 1946 | Bettmann / Contributor
Another thing a lot of royal fans arent aware of is that the Duke and Duchess of Windsor did a televised interview after Edwards abdication. In 1970 they, like Harry and Meghan, gave their side of the story about family issues and leaving The Firm. The interviewer spoke to Edward first before Simpson joined them. You may remember that with the Sussexes TV special, Oprah Winfrey spoke to Meghan first before Harry joined them. And oddly enough, both interviews were watched by 12 million people when they aired in the U.K.
Prince Philip reportedly thought Harrys wife could be as destructive as Simpson
One royal who reportedly voiced concerns over the similarities between Meghan and Simpson is Harrys late grandfather, Prince Philip. In the book Prince Philip Revealed, royal commentator and author Ingrid Seward said that after quitting royal life, Philip had a view of Meghan that she could be as a destructive and divisive force as Wallis.
For Philip, whose entire existence [had] been based on a devotion to doing his duty, it appeared that his grandson had abdicated his for the sake of his marriage to an American divorcee in much the same way as Edward VIII gave up his crown to marry Wallis Simpson in 1936, Seward wrote.
(L): Meghan Markle | Karwai Tang/WireImage, (R): Wallis Simpson | ullstein bild/ullstein bild via Getty Images
While Meghan happens to be from the U.S. and a divorcee like Simpson, its actually Harry who is choosing to do the same things his great-great-uncle did. Harrys decisions make it look as though hes trying to be just like his late rogue relative by not only his marriage and leaving royal life behind but also making no secret of how he feels about his family. Furthermore, the Duke of Sussex is writing a memoir just like the Duke of Windsor did after his abdication all those years ago.
Edwards book was titled A Kings Story The Memoirs of the Duke of Windsor. In it, he told the story of his early youth at Sandringham as well as his years at Naval School and the army during World War I. Edward discussed his royal tours to Canada, India, Australia, and New Zealand too. But it also detailed his abdication and marriage to Wallis Simpson.
Harrys book is expected to follow that same format from his youth to his time in the army before getting to his choice to step back with his wife. Proving that Harry shares even more similarities with Edward than Meghan shares with Simpson.
RELATED: Prince Harry and Meghan Markles Oprah Interview Ripped Apart After It Failed to Win Emmy
Fredrik Eklund from Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles has a bonding moment with Swedish clients when they sing and dance the traditional Little Frog Dance at a listing. Eklund and his clients gleefully dance, which flicks to his love of high kicking.
What is The Little Frog Dance?
Eklund shows a listing to a Swedish couple, but during the tour, they decide to bust out in song. Its so lovely to meet other Swedes, he tells them in a preview clip. Because then I can sing The Little Frog Dance! Shall we do it? The couple seems to be almost more into the playful song and dance than Eklund.
Fredrik Eklund from Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles demonstrates his high kick |Jamie McCarthy/WireImage
Yes! they exclaim while locking arms. They all sing and elfishly dance together. The little frogs, the little frogs are funny to observe, they sing and dance.
I miss Swedish people, Eklund admits in a confessional. I mean theres something about us Swedes and I havent seen them for a long time. So naturally, when we meet I wanna sing [The Little Frog Dance]. Its an ancient, centuries-old childrens song. All three adults hop and flap their arms while they sing with gusto. Old, young, cat, dogs, everyone, Eklund continues. Everyone in Sweden sings this amazing song.
Fredrik Eklund ends the dance with his high kick
Eklund tops off the song with his signature high kick. He revealed that his kick had nothing to do with Swedish culture. Instead, it came from an iconic American film. I started doing it when I was about four, three years before the first Karate Kid movie, Eklund told Entrepreneur in 2015. I was growing so tall so fast that people almost didnt recognize me. If you look at my body, Im 6-foot-4, but Im like 6 foot in legs alone. Im all legs. I would have been a great Swedish supermodel, with big boobs and long legs.
RELATED: Million Dollar Listing: Josh Flagg Shades Fredrik Eklund Says Hes Not Friends with Him Anymore
It was sort of like I had to do something with these legs, he added. The kick was a way for people to kind of be comfortable with me. When I enter a room, its like, Okay, here is the long legs guy. Then it became part of who I am. I just kept doing it. I think its hilarious. What it does is release endorphins. It makes me happy, so I do it when Im sad. I always, always do it when Im really excited. I do it when Im alone. I do it in front of people.
Why does Fredrik Eklund love to high kick?
Indeed, endorphins seemed to be released with his clients during the showing. Everyone is smiling and laughing and the song and dance seemed to lighten the mood. While Eklund isnt likely to try to get other clients to sing The Little Frog Dance with him, he thinks everyone should be more playful in business.
The high kick symbolizes everything I stand for in business, who I am, he said. Im in a very conservative suit and Im in a conservative board room environment, high pressure, multibillion-dollar New York real estate world, and at the same time, I high kick right in front of everyone. It says that I dont take myself too seriously and they shouldnt either.
It also shows that I have really great balance because I do it like a ballerina with perfection on one toe, he described. Then I retract to this pose back and all of the sudden Im back into the more conservative stance. It shows that Im unpredictable, too.
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Vicki Gunvalson is known to Bravo viewers as the OG of The Real Housewives of Orange County. Although the insurance maven is not on the hit show anymore, fans continue to follow her life on social media. After reports that Gunvalson had broken up with her fiance Steve Lodge, the reality star confirmed the news. The split comes after Lodge failed political run in the California governor recall special election.
Vicki Gunvalson and Steve Lodge | Astrid Stawiarz/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
Gunvalson has been out of the limelight and living her best life. Following her exit from RHOC, she has dedicated her time to her insurance company and traveling. Gunvalson bought a condo in Mexico and last year bought a property in North Carolina, where her daughter Brianna was living at the time. Her fiance Lodge was nowhere to be found, which led to rumors that the couple had split up. Gunvalson shut down any speculation she had broken up with Lodge.
Vicki Gunvalson explains what happened
After new reports appeared that the couple had called it quits, Gunvalson confirmed the news in an Instagram post. What triggered Gunvalson to make the statement was a Vibe of the Day quote that she saw on social media.
Once you decide you want a good life, The Universe will start moving things for you to have it, the people you need will appear, the healing you need will happen, the doors you need open will unlock, the quote read. Once you truly, sincerely decide, miracles will happen.
In the caption of the post, she said, This is what appeared for todays Vibe of the day pretty appropriate for what Im going through. Its taken me a day to be able to make a statement after the press started writing about Steve and I.
Steve Lodge and Vicki Gunvalson | Phillip Faraone/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank
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Yes, the rumors are true, Gunvalson confirmed. The time has come for Steve and I to move forward or move on and we are . moving on.
Gunvalson added that there is no fault with either person but they both decided to go in different directions.
I wish him the best life has to offer and to be happy, and he has wished the same for me. I gave it my all, but sometimes the ALL isnt enough. We both have no further comment, she ended.
Vicki Gunvalson and Steve Lodge | Astrid Stawiarz/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
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Fans react to Vicki Gunvalson calling it quits from Steve Lodge
Gunvalson continues to have a big following on social media and it wasnt long after her post that fans came in to show their support.
Oh, bummer Vicki. Your fans just love you so much and want nothing but the best for you!! We loved Steve as your companion. But life will go on. I look forward to your next chapter, a fan said.
Cant say I didnt see this coming you need to find a man who wants to have some FUN!! a follower added.
Vicki Im so sorry you guys didnt work, but I never felt like the two of you were a perfect match. Sometimes we try to fit into someone elses life because we love them, an Instagram user said.
Gunvalson will be returning to reality TV in a Peacock special that will reunite former Real Housewives stars for a getaway at Dorinda Medleys place at the Berkshires.
Ana Navarro has been trending on social media since the viral moment on The View. The part-time co-host made an appearance the same day Kamala Harris was to be interviewed by the shows panel. However, things went out of control when she was informed she had tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19). Haters like Donald Trump Jr. took the opportunity to poke at Navarro but the fiery political analyst clapped back and fans had her back.
Ana Navarro | Lorenzo Bevilaqua/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images
What did Donald Trump Jr. say about Ana Navarro?
The View fans now know that Navarros test result was a false positive and subsequent tests proved she didnt have COVID-19. Despite the facts, Trump Jr. took the opportunity to take a jab at Navarro in the middle of uncertainty for the political commentator. Navarro has been highly critical of Trump Jr.s father during his time in the White House despite being affiliated with the Republican party.
Given the Ana Navarro news, I think its time for a national conversation about the dangers of Covid-19 & obesity, Trump Jr. posted on Twitter.
However, viewers that know Navarro, know that she is not one to receive a jab and not throw a punch back. The ABC television personality quoted Trump Jr.s tweet and fired back with a brutal comeback.
@DonaldJTrumpJr, thanks for your concern, Navarro said. I dont have COVID. Fortunately for you, if you want to have a conversation about the effects of obesity on people with COVID, your dad is a phone call away assuming he answers your calls. Or just ask your sister to call him for you.
Ana Navarro | Heidi Gutman/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images
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Ana Navarro is not done ending Donald Trump Jr.
A day later, Navarro saw that her tweet clapping back at Trump Jr. went viral on the social platform. In addition to what she tweeted, Navarro shared the message exchange on Instagram. The Nicaraguan-born star exposed Trump Jr. and added to her previous take on Twitter.
Im trending on Twitter because of this post. And rather relishing it. The whole Trump family are just a bunch of grifter estupidos, she posted. Imagine having a father whose a is the size of Rhode Island, and taking advantage of it being reported I had COVID to take a shot at my weight. At least Im not orange or twice impeached.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CUTVFnqMKDV/
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Ana Navarro gets support from fans
After Navarro published her post exposing Trump Jr., fans quickly swarmed in to express their support for The View co-host.
These people just keep hitting lower and lower. Your answers always bring me life and a little laugh, a fan replied.
Good clap back Ana!!!!!! Thats why you are my girl! a follower added.
And you are beautiful inside and out unlike their family, an Instagram user said.
Why is it that with women its always a shot at their weight?? Seriously, another fan questioned.
Ana Navarro | Lorenzo Bevilaqua/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images
RELATED: Meghan McCain Reveals Whats Next After The View Exit
The nerve and audacity these people have putting that on Twitter! Good for you, giving it a right back, another follower commented.
Someone call the burn unit for DumbDumb Jr!!! Nice one Anna! Stay strongwe [love] you!!! another Instagram user mentioned.
The View airs weekday mornings at 11 a.m. ET and 10 a.m. PT/CT on ABC.
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In this June 16, 2020, photo, people gather near the Father Junipero Serra statue on the Capitol Park grounds in Sacramento, California. More than a year after protesters toppled the statue of the Spanish missionary on the grounds of the California Capitol, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law on Sept. 24, 2021, to replace it with a memorial for the states Native people. The statue of Father Junipero Serra had stood in Capitol Park since 1967.
When we think about the rapid technological changes within the last ten years or so, obviously nothing has had quite the same impact as social media. Statistics suggest that Americans average around two and a half hours of their day on social media, over 900 hours a year.
In an age when we are more connected than ever, the rates of loneliness and depression are also higher than before. In a recent study from Harvards Making Caring Common Project, reports suggest that 36% of all Americansincluding 61% of young adults and 51% of mothers with young childrenfeel serious loneliness. Not surprisingly, loneliness appears to have increased substantially since the outbreak of the global pandemic.
For such a time as this, Christians face some watershed questions: how do we use our social media presence and platform for Gods glory? How do we use our social media to help curb loneliness? Ultimately, how do we use our social media for good?
Before Twitter existed, the wise king Solomon shared short bits of ancient wisdom. We find, throughout his Proverbs, good guidance when it comes to our social media usage today:
Choose healing.
Proverbs 12:18 says, The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. The old cliche, hurt people hurt people feels like it has never been truer than it is today. People on all sides of every issue are lonely and wounded, and those lonely people spend their days on social media wounding others.
The world makes jokes about rage-posting, but we need to take our emotions seriously before going on social media. We need to check our emotional temperatures before posting, scrolling, and engaging. Are you entering your social media spaces while in an intense emotional state? Are you there to convince others of your right position? Are you posting to degrade another image-bearer? Are you sharing clickbait or insults? Are you venting ragefully?
Its easy to tear others down or share hot-takes that prove your point. It takes more intentionality to use your voice and your words as a source of healing. Before posting, evaluate the state of your own emotionsgo for a walk or check in with a friend, say a prayer, read liturgythen go online with self-health and healing others in mind.
Promote kindness.
Proverbs 16:23-24, The hearts of the wise make their mouths prudent, and their lips promote instruction. Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. As Gods image-bearers, we are Gods tselem, his living statues, his representatives; we are here to mediate his presence on this earth, including social media. Remember that as you engage on social media, you represent Jesus to a hurting world.
And really, if you would not say it to someone over coffee or across the dinner table, it should not be said on social media. Wisdom teaches us that in choosing our words carefully, both online and in real life, we have the opportunity to teach others what it means to live a life for Christ in this world.
Kind and compassionate words refresh the souls of others and reveal that we have a kind and compassionate God.
Post sparingly.
Proverbs 17:17, The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint, and whoever has understanding is even-tempered. Perhaps the most dangerous part of online interaction is how easy it is to forget that embodied image-bearers are on the other side of every post and comment. And the more we post, the more opportunity we have to dishonor the image of God in others.
The world does not need more noise; it needs thoughtful, compassionate content. Each time you go online, ask the Spirit of God to help you remember that the world is isolated and lonely, in need of the great love of God in Jesus. Leverage your voice and your platform for the good of others by choosing words that heal, words that promote kindness, words that speak shalom (justice and peace) over others, and words that are filled with godly wisdom.
Pastors Brian From and Aubrey Sampson host The Common Good podcast Monday through Friday from 4 to 6pm (CT) on AM1160 Hope for Your Life. Aubrey is the author of The Louder Song: Listening for Hope in the Midst of Lament and the upcoming Known: How Believing Who God Says You Are Changes Everything. Brian leads Four Corners Community Church in Darian, Illinois. They are passionate about civility, compassion, and unity in a divided world.
Countries with religion-related terrorist activity at a record low of 49 after five consecutive years of decline. Yet 28 nations still suffered more than 50 people injured or killed.
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Image: Carl Court / Getty Images
A man cries as he prays in the street near St. Anthony's Shrine one week on from Easter terrorism attacks that killed more than 250 people, on April 28, 2019 in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Government restrictions on religion are at a global high.
Social hostility toward religion, however, is at its lowest level worldwide since ISIS.
So says data analyzed by the Pew Research Center in its 12th annual measurement of the extent to which 198 nations and territoriesand their citizensimpinge on religious belief and practice.
The 2021 report, released today, draws primarily from more than a dozen UN, US, European, and civil society sources, and reflects pre-pandemic conditions from 2019, the latest year with available data.
Matching a peak from 2012, 57 nations (29%) record very high or high levels of government restrictionsan uptick of one nation from 2018. The global median on Pews 10-point scale held steady at 2.9, after a steady rise since the baseline of 1.8 in 2007, the reports first year measured.
Regional differences are apparent: The Middle East and North Africa scored 6.0; Asia-Pacific scored 4.1; Europe scored 2.9; Sub-Saharan Africa scored 2.6; and the Americas scored 2.0.
But across the globe, restrictions are present.
Most common, according to Pew, is government harassment of religious groups. More than 9 in 10 nations (180 total) tallied at least one incident. Also common is government interference in worship. More than 8 in 10 nations (163 total) recorded incidents.
And nearly half (48%) of all nations used force against religious groups. China, Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), Sudan, and Syria tallied over 10,000 incidents each.
For example, Pew noted: Renewed fighting between the military and armed ethnic organizations in the [Myanmar] states of Kachin and northern Shan deeply impacted Christians, according to USCIRF. In 2019, thousands were displacedincluding many Christiansin addition to more than 120,000 Rohingya who already had been internally displaced, and the military damaged over 300 churches.
While increases were noted in the above categories, the overall median score stayed level due to decreases in two categories. Fewer countries had limits on proselytizing and on foreign missionaries (on both metrics, 77 nations in 2019, down from 81 in 2018). And there were fewer reports of countries denouncing religious groups as cults or sects (26 nations in 2019, down from 30 in 2018).
The number of nations recording very high scores also decreased, from 26 to 23, matching the lowest total since 2015. Kyrgyzstan and Sudan were added to the ranks of the very high, while Mauritania, Morocco, Vietnam, Western Sahara, and Yemen scored lower this year.
Overall, all but 14 nations scored about the same as the prior year. Modest increases of 1.0 or more were recorded in six countries, while eight declined similarly. No nations registered a large variance of 2.0 or more in their score.
Pew noted that due to the inability of independent observers to have regular access, North Korea has not been included in the report. Also not included are two new measures among the 20 in Pews Government Restrictions Index, in order to maintain continuity with previous reports.
But adapting their methodology in step with a changing world, Pew will hereafter track online restrictions on religion as well as the use of new technologies for surveillance of religion.
For online restrictions, researchers identified 28 nations, including 50 percent of the Middle East and North Africa (10 nations), and 30 percent of Asia-Pacific (15 nations). Two European nations and one from the Americas complete the list.
For surveillance, six of the 10 nations are concentrated in Asia-Pacific, with two in the Middle East and North Africa and two in Europe.
For example, the United Arab Emirates blocked online testimonies from Muslim converts to Christianity. And in China, authorities used facial recognition technology to monitor and collect biometric data on Uyghur Muslims and other groups deemed to be potential threats.
But while governments around the world increasingly restrict religious freedom, the people of the world appear to be growing in their respect for it.
Social hostilities toward religion are present at very high or high levels in 43 nations (22%). This is down from 53 nations the prior year, and a peak of 65 nations in 2012. Meanwhile Pews global median score declined from 2.0 to 1.7, its lowest level since 2014.
Social hostilities declined in 2019 partly due to a decrease in reports of terrorism, mob violence, and hostilities against proselytizing, Samirah Majumdar, the reports lead researcher, told CT.
Pew highlighted declines in five of the 13 measures of its Social Hostilities Index.
Religion-related terrorism (including deaths, physical abuse, displacement, detentions, destruction of property, and fundraising and recruitment by terrorist groups) was recorded in 49 nationsa record low, down from 64 the prior year and from a high of 82 in 2014 (which led the US State Department to declare terrorism as the persecuted churchs biggest threat). In sub-Saharan Africa the number of countries experiencing religious terrorism stayed stable, in all other regions the tally dropped.
However, 28 nations did experience terrorist violence resulting in more than 50 injuries or deathsa grim tally that has stayed relatively stable since 2013. When the report began in 2007, fewer than 10 nations suffered the same.
Pew highlighted Sri Lanka as the worst example in 2019. Over 250 people were killed and 500 injured during an ISIS-affiliated series of bombings at churches and hotels on Easter Sunday. But Afghanistan was also noted, for attacks carried out by the Taliban.
Mob violence was recorded in 34 nations, down from 41. And social hostilities stemming from proselytism were recorded in 28 nations, down from 35.
Efforts to enforce a dominant religion or religious norms also declined. Group hostility was recorded in 94 nations, down from 104, and individual hostility in 74 nations, down from 85.
Bolivia was highlighted, as unlike the year before there were no reports of Protestant missionaries expelled from rural areas by practitioners of indigenous belief. And in Egypt, while violence toward Christians continued, there were fewer abductions and displacements reported, leading to a reduction of social hostilities from very high to high.
Pew also tallied the type of force or violence inflicted around the world. Property damage (occurring in 59% of nations), physical assaults (in 40%), detentions (in 35%), killings (in 24%), and displacement (in 19%) were ranked from most to least common.
Again, regional differences were apparent: the Middle East and North Africa scored 3.8; Europe scored 2.1; Asia-Pacific scored 1.9; Sub-Saharan Africa scored 1.7; and the Americas scored 0.7. Only Europe ticked upward. In Denmark, Pew noted, vandals destroyed over 80 tombstones in a Jewish cemetery on the anniversary of a 1938 pogrom.
The number of nations scoring very high levels of social hostilities also decreased, from 10 to 8, the lowest tally in over a decade. The Central African Republic and Egypt were removed from the list.
Overall, there was more variance in social hostilities year-over-year than in government restrictions. Modest increases in score of 1.0 or more were recorded in 10 countries, while 32 declined similarly. One nationBurkina Fasoscored a large increase of 2.0 or more, while Armenia, Greece, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, and Romania declined by the same amount.
Christians and Muslims remain the religious groups receiving harassment most widely. The number of nations harassing Christians increased from 145 to 153, while the nations harassing Muslims increased from 139 to 147. Jews, harassed in 89 nations (up from 88), were the only group to receive more pressure from society than from government.
An other category of Baha'is, Sikhs, and Zoroastrians followed, harassed in 68 nations, followed by folk religions in 32. Violations against Buddhists (in 25), Hindus (in 21), and an unaffiliated category of atheists, agnostics, and humanists (in 22) were less widespread.
In addition to a tally of nations, Pew also organized data to measure the impact of restrictions and hostilities on a wide scope of humanity. Among the 25 largest nationsrepresenting 75 percent of the world populationEgypt, India, Pakistan, Nigeria, and Russia recorded the highest overall levels. Japan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, Italy, and the United States ranked lowest.
If measuring just government restrictions, China, Iran, and Indonesia join Egypt and Russia with the highest scores. If measuring just social hostilities, then Bangladesh replaces Russia in the grouping.
Only China and Japan score low levels of social hostility, however. The United States, while lowest overall among the 25 most populous nations, is ranked along with Iran and Italy as moderate.
Grading took place on a scale. The top 5 percent of nations in each index are categorized as very high, while the next 15 percent are high. The following 20 percent are categorized as moderate, while the remaining 60 percent are low.
Terrorism and war can have huge direct and indirect effects on religious groups, including destroying religious sites, displacing whole communities and inflaming sectarian passions, Pew researchers noted. Accordingly, [Pew] tallied the number, location and consequences of religion-related terrorism and armed conflict around the world, as reported in the same primary and secondary sources used to document other forms of intimidation and violence. However, war and terrorism are sufficiently complex that it is not always possible to determine the degree to which they are religiously motivated or state sponsored.
Dog the Bounty Hunter's Christian faith prompts him to join search for Brian Laundrie: spokesperson
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Just days after joining the hunt for fugitive Brian Laundrie, Duane Chapman, who is better known as "Dog the Bounty Hunter," has already made significant contributions to the case and it's his Christian faith that drives him.
In a statement to The Christian Post, Dog's spokesperson, Jennifer Willingham, explained that the bounty hunter's faith compelled him to join the search for Laundrie, a person of interest in the homicide of his 22-year-old fiancee, Gabby Petito.
She revealed that Dog and his new wife, Francie, were honeymooning on Marco Island, Florida, when the manhunt began.
"Dog and Francie, who are devout Christians, felt as if their proximity to the search was not a coincidence and they wanted to do something to help the Petito family," she said. "At the same time, Dog's fans were sending him tips and urging him to join the search."
"Therefore, Dog and his team, including his daughter Lyssa and Francie's son Greg who are working from Hawaii and Colorado respectively, opened up a formal tip line, 833-TELLDOG, and volunteered their time to search for Mr. Laundrie this past weekend."
Fox News reported on Thursday that the reality star, who joined the search for Laundrie earlier this week, came across a fresh campsite deep in the woods of a Florida park where he and his team found a can of Monster Energy Ultra Gold.
Despite the find, Dog's team did not find solid evidence that Laundrie is in the woods on Egmont Key, located just southwest of the 1,136-acre Fort De Soto Park. Dog believes that Laundrie is hiding somewhere in the park, which is made up of five interconnected islands.
"This would be and could be a perfect spot for him to hide, not too many people out here. But there's a lot of environmental things that we're going to fight," he said in a video posted to Twitter.
"So here we go. The search now is really on. The search has just begun," the 68-year-old added.
Dog, who has apprehended more than 8,000 fugitives, revealed Wednesday that boat crews and ground teams had been called in and rescue dogs deployed to the search area.
UPDATE: Video is from this morning earlier today we launched an active and specific search in a key area based on the intelligence we are receiving and researching. Boat crews and ground teams have been called in and we have search and rescue dogs deployed. More to follow... pic.twitter.com/g2tq85JTZX Duane Dog Chapman (@DogBountyHunter) September 29, 2021
Petito, an aspiring travel blogger, was reported missing Sept. 11 by her parents after not responding to calls and texts for several days while she and Laundrie visited parks in the western United States. Her body was discovered on Sept. 19 in a remote area in northwestern Wyoming.
Though her death has been ruled a homicide, authorities in Wyoming haven't revealed how she died pending further autopsy results.
Willingham revealed that Dog and his team have the blessing of the Petito family to be involved and have been in touch periodically.
"During their search, they have unearthed multiple new leads. They will be continuing the hunt in the coming days, following evidence and tips in an effort to aid law enforcement," she said.
In the days ahead, Willingham said that Dog and Francie intend to work in ministry together and continue the search for missing persons and fugitives.
Some, like MSNBC's Joy Reid, have complained about the media's "disproportionate" coverage of Petito's case, arguing that she is receiving more attention than other missing or murdered women because she is white.
But in an op-ed for The Christian Post, Ghanaian Canadian Samuel Sey refuted such theories.
"There are several reasons why Gabby Petito has received significant attention, and there's no legitimate reason to believe racism is one of these reasons. Petito was a Youtuber with a relatively strong social media following. She was also a member of the close-knit van life community," he wrote.
"Gabby Petito is the victim of an exceptionally odd and evil missing person and murder case. That's the main reason why her case has received significant attention."
ERLC, faith groups defend Texas inmates right to have pastor lay hands on him during execution
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The Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission and the National Association of Evangelicals joined with five other faith and religious freedom groups on Monday to defend the right of a Texas death row inmate to have his pastor lay hands on him and pray as he receives a lethal injection for murdering a man in 2004.
The inmate, John Henry Ramirez, 37, had his execution for the murder of 46-year-old convenience store worker Pablo Castro in Corpus Christi delayed by the U.S. Supreme Court on Sept. 8, the Associated Press reported. The nation's high court also ordered a briefing schedule for Ramirez's plea to have a pastor present to be argued in October or November.
The ERLC and the Seventh-Day Adventist General Conference joined the Christian Legal Society, the Anglican Church in North America, the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, the National Association of Evangelicals, Queens Federation of Churches and the Rutherford Institute in a 33-page amicus brief in support of Ramirez's "religious exercise."
"In carrying out the execution of John Henry Ramirez, the State of Texas ... will substantially burden his right of religious exercise if it imposes a blanket ban on his pastor engaging in audible prayer or touching him to give spiritual comfort at his moment of death," the brief states.
"Previous cases in this Court have already indicated the importance of the right to such meaningful spiritual comfort in the execution chamber for a condemned prisoner of any faith. The amici joining this brief, who include Christian religious bodies of varying theological views, affirm the importance of that right."
Ramirez stabbed Castro 29 times during a robbery in 2004, from which he only got $1.25 after a three-day drug binge with two women who were with him at the time of the murder. He fled to Mexico after the attack but was arrested 3.5 years later and sentenced to death.
His lawyer, Seth Kretzer, argued that the Texas Department of Criminal Justice was violating his First Amendment rights to practice his religion by preventing his pastor from laying hands and making vocal prayers as he received his lethal injection.
"It is hostile toward religion, denying religious exercise at the precise moment it is most needed: when someone is transitioning from this life to the next," Kretzer said in court documents.
Dana Moore, Ramirez's spiritual adviser the last four years and pastor at Second Baptist Church in Corpus Christi, told the AP that "John's sentence wasn't death and you can't have any meaningful contact."
"He is paying for his crime," Moore is quoted as saying. "I guess the question that would come up, is that not enough?"
Mark Skurka, the lead prosecutor at Ramirez's 2008 trial who is now retired, said the inmate's victim did not have the luxury of a pastor praying for him when he was murdered and supports limitations due to security concerns.
"Pablo Castro didn't get to have somebody praying over him as this guy stabbed him 29 times," Skurka said. "Pablo Castro didn't get afforded such niceties and things like to have a clergyman present."
In their amicus brief, the faith and religious freedom groups cited four distinct reasons that the state has failed to justify this substantial burden under the demanding standard of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act.
"The State has failed its obligation under RLUIPA to present specific evidencenot merely generalized assertions or speculationas to why banning these practices is necessary to serve order and security," they noted.
The groups explained that Texas attempted to excuse its failure to present specific evidence to shift the burden of proof back to Ramirez concerning less restrictive means and compelling interests. They contend, however, that "under RLUIPA, both the burden of production and the burden of persuasion remain on the State, not the person whose religious exercise is substantially burdened."
Even if Texas were to demonstrate that denials of audible prayer and physical touching further a compelling interest, the brief asserts the state must also prove that the rejections are the least restrictive means of furthering that interest.
"The State has multiple less restrictive means of maintaining order and security, and it has not demonstrated that these are inadequate," the brief maintains. "It can (and does) vet and train outside spiritual advisors, and if their actions cause disruption, it can remove them from the chamber and impose penalties. And as Ramirez has suggested, the State can require that audible prayers be soft and nondisruptive."
The faith groups further argue that Texas undercut its argument that a blanket ban on "audible prayer and physical touching are necessary to serve compelling interests" because they have previously allowed the practice in previous executions.
"It has already permitted audible prayer by spiritual advisors in the execution 7 chamber. And it has already permitted spiritual advisors to place their hands on inmates during the execution procedure," the brief reads. "Accordingly, Ramirez is entitled to a continued injunction to prevent him from being executed in a manner inconsistent with his right to exercise his religion in the last minutes of his life. And this Court should order that if the State continues to ban these religious practices, the case should be remanded to litigate Ramirez's demand for a permanent injunction against the State's ban."
Federal judge blocks Arizona's genetic-abnormality abortion ban
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A federal judge has struck down a crucial part of an Arizona law banning abortions based on genetic abnormalities, accusing the state of providing women seeking abortions with "misinformation."
U.S. District Court Judge Douglas Rayes, appointed to the bench by former President Barack Obama, struck down a portion of a pro-life Arizona law that criminalizes the performance of an abortion "knowing that the abortion is sought because of a genetic abnormality of the child."
In his ruling Tuesday obtained by The Arizona Republic, Rayes alleged that the provision of Senate Bill 1457 "essentially requires providers to mislead their patients into believing that their constitutionally protected choice is unlawful."
Additionally, he concluded that the law was designed to "make it less likely that a woman, though desiring to terminate her pregnancy because of a fetal genetic abnormality, will successfully exercise her right to do so" and accused the measure of perpetuating "state-mandated misinformation."
In response to Rayes' ruling, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich vowed to appeal the decision.
"Our job is to defend the law, and we will continue to do so," he said in a statement. "Whether it's pushing back against unconstitutional mandates or defending our laws against pro-abortion activists, we will continue to lead the charge and stand up for Arizonans."
While Rayes struck down a portion of Senate Bill 1457 that bans abortions based on genetic abnormalities, he left other parts of the law in place.
He declined to invalidate the provision of the law awarding unborn children at every stage of development "all rights, privileges and immunities available to other persons, citizens and residents of this state."
Provisions of the law requiring the cremation or burial of aborted babies and banning the distribution of abortion pills by mail were also left untouched by Rayes.
Arizona is one of several states that have enacted bans on abortions performed based on genetic abnormalities.
Other states that have banned abortions based on Down syndrome diagnosis or other congenital abnormalities include North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Utah, Tennessee and Indiana. The laws have received a mixed reception from the courts, with appellate courts upholding the measures in Ohio and Tennessee while the U.S. 8th Circuit Court of Appeals struck down Arkansas' abortion ban.
As courts in the United States continue to debate the constitutionality of laws prohibiting the abortion of babies based on genetic abnormalities, Poland's Constitutional Tribunal, the country's equivalent of a Supreme Court, found that a law permitting such abortions to take place violated the Polish constitution. Meanwhile, last week, the United Kingdom's High Court of Justice upheld a law allowing abortions based on fetal abnormalities after 24 weeks gestation.
Supporters of the bans on abortions based on genetic abnormalities argue that terminating pregnancies because of a prenatal diagnosis constitutes eugenics. They point to the near-extinction of babies born with Down syndrome in Denmark and other European countries as a cause for concern.
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas warned in 2019 concurring opinion of the "potential for abortion to become a tool of eugenic manipulation."
"With today's prenatal screening tests and other technologies, abortion can easily be used to eliminate children with unwanted characteristics," Thomas wrote.
"In Iceland, the abortion rate for children diagnosed with Down syndrome in utero approaches 100%," he added. "Other European countries have similarly high rates, and the rate in the United States is approximately two-thirds."
A group of children with Down syndrome appeared in a 2018 video asking to be put on the international endangered species list.
Public opinion polling has indicated that most Americans support bans on abortions based on genetic abnormalities. A poll conducted by Marist on behalf of the Catholic fraternal organization Knights of Columbus released earlier this year found that 70% of Americans, including 59% of Democrats and 56% of those who self-identify as pro-choice, oppose or strongly oppose "abortion because the child will be born with Down syndrome."
Colorado medical school sued for denying religious exemptions to COVID-19 vaccine mandate
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A medical school in Colorado has been sued by a student and a faculty member who allege that they were wrongfully punished for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine on religious grounds.
The two plaintiffs, one Catholic and one Buddhist, have filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado on Wednesday against the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine.
According to the lawsuit, the university rejected their requests for an exemption to a schoolwide mandate even though the two unnamed plaintiffs hold religious objections to getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
According to the lawsuit, the university would only grant religious exemptions to individuals whose religious beliefs involved opposing "all immunizations," as opposed to just objections to the COVID-19 vaccine.
As a result, the Catholic staff member is facing a possible termination while the Buddhist student has already been compelled to take a "leave of absence" from his coursework.
"Plaintiffs are aware that hospitals and medical schools across the country, and within the University of Colorado's own health care system, have offered religious accommodations to similarly situated individuals who work directly with and around COVID vulnerable patients," argued the lawsuit.
"Their experience, which is consistent with national media reports, confirms that there can be no compelling interest in categorically forbidding similar accommodations for Plaintiffs here simply on the basis of the nature of their religious beliefs and the University's view of the veracity of those beliefs."
Thomas More Society Vice President and Senior Counsel Peter Breen, whose organization is representing the plaintiffs, claimed in a statement that the university had "enacted a policy dividing its staff and students into two categories based on their religious beliefs."
"The 'sheep' whose religions teach the approved orthodoxy receive exemptions to the university's Covid vaccine mandate, but the 'goats' who hold non-approved religious beliefs are refused exemptions, and then fired or expelled," Breen stated.
Breen believes the university was "rendering value judgments on believers in an inquisition that further violates the First Amendment."
According to the Anschutz School of Medicine's website, all students, faculty and other personnel must be vaccinated against COVID-19 unless they successfully apply for an exemption based on medical or religious objections.
"Unvaccinated individuals are required to follow alternative procedures on campus, which include completing the daily health questionnaire, wearing masks and distancing and complying with mandatory weekly COVID-19 testing," the school's website explains.
As more schools and businesses require COVID-19 vaccinations for their personnel, some have objected for religious reasons. Some object over how cell lines from aborted fetuses were used in the vaccine research.
In July, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York issued a memorandum saying that priests can't grant religious exemptions for getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
"Pope Francis has made it very clear that it is morally acceptable to take any of the vaccines and said we have the moral responsibility to get vaccinated," a memo from New York Archdiocese Chancellor John P. Cahill reads.
"By doing so [a priest] is acting in contradiction to the directives of the Pope and is participating in an act that could have serious consequences to others."
In New York, 17 healthcare workers filed a lawsuit seeking religious exemptions to a vaccine mandate that required more than 600,000 workers in public and private hospitals and nursing homes to receive their first dose of the vaccine by Monday.
They were also represented by the Thomas More Society. On Sept. 14, a federal judge issued an order temporarily preventing the New York health department from rejecting employer-approved religious exemptions. The order was extended last week and will last until Oct. 12. Their lawsuit pushes back on the memo from Catholic leadership in New York.
"They do not accept the opinion expressed by certain other Catholic bishops, the Pope included that there is a therapeutically proportional reason to resort to abortion-connected vaccines which can justify 'remote' cooperation in abortion," the lawsuit argues. "They reject as a matter of religious conviction any medical cooperation in abortion, no matter how 'remote.'"
In July, two students at a dental school in Missouri were granted religious exemptions to a vaccine mandate after a Christian conservative legal group sent a demand letter.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf slammed for calling March for Life 'anti-woman rally'
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The governor of Pennsylvania is facing intense criticism from pro-life activists after referring to the Pennsylvania March for Life as an "anti-woman rally."
Pennsylvania's Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf took to Twitter Monday after the Pennsylvania March for Life took place on the steps of the State Capitol in Harrisburg.
"Today's 'March for Life' in Harrisburg is just an anti-woman rally by a different name," Wolf argued. "They want to remove health care options during pregnancy a time when so many already can't access life-saving care. I've vetoed 3 anti-choice bills. I'll veto any others that come to me."
Todays March for Life in Harrisburg is just an anti-woman rally by a different name.
They want to remove health care options during pregnancy a time when so many already can't access life-saving care.
I've vetoed 3 anti-choice bills. I'll veto any others that come to me. Governor Tom Wolf (@GovernorTomWolf) September 27, 2021
Wolf received swift backlash for his comments from the speakers who addressed the pro-life advocates gathered at the event.
Abby Johnson, the former Planned Parenthood director who has become an outspoken pro-life advocate, replied to Wolf's tweet by categorically rejecting his characterization of the rally as "anti-woman."
"'Anti-woman' rally where the majority of [attendees] and speakers were women," Johnson tweeted. "Lol. You are a joke."
Anti-woman rally where the majority of attendee and speakers were women. Lol. You are a joke. Abby Johnson (@AbbyJohnson) September 27, 2021
Jeanne Mancini, president of the March for Life, tweeted that the "women who marched today on behalf of innocent human life would disagree" with the governor's assessment.
"We need more politicians who understand their first responsibility is to protect their own citizens, including the most vulnerable - the unborn," Mancini asserted.
@GovernorTomWolf the women who marched today on behalf of innocent human life would disagree. We need more politicians who understand their first responsibility is to protect their own citizens, including the most vulnerable - the unborn. https://t.co/955TpWtO0O Jeanne F. Mancini (@jeannemfl) September 27, 2021
Speakers at the rally criticized Wolf's stance on the abortion issue.
Michael Geer of the Pennsylvania Family Institute lamented that "some in that building behind you, including our governor have chosen to ignore the silent scream of the innocents, the more than 2 million preborn babies who have lost their lives to abortion here in Pennsylvania alone since the Roe v. Wade decision."
When Geer mentioned the governor, the crowd began to boo.
Other speakers at the march included the top Republicans in the state legislature, Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward and State House Speaker Bryan Cutler.
College student Elena Liguori, Bishop Ronald Gainer of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg, Rev. Herb Lusk III of Greater Exodus Baptist Church and Toni McFadden of the pro-life group Relationship Matters also spoke.
Ryan Bomberger of the pro-life group the Radiance Foundation, a Christian Post columnist, served as the master of ceremonies for the event.
As he indicated in his tweet, Wolf has vetoed multiple pro-life bills passed by the Republican-controlled legislature, including a bill that would ban dismemberment abortions. Wolf is term-limited and cannot run for a third term in office. He is scheduled to leave office when his term expires in 2023.
Mancini elaborated on the rationale for holding a march in Pennsylvania in an op-ed published in Townhall over the weekend.
She warned that a case currently before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has the potential to "strike down Pennsylvania's law prohibiting taxpayer funding of abortion via Medicaid."
"It gets worse," she added. "A win for the abortion industry in this case would not only force state funding of abortion, but would likely enshrine abortion as a right in Pennsylvania's constitution."
In the past, there have been tense encounters between pro-life activists and public officials in Pennsylvania.
In 2019, Democratic State Rep. Brian Sims sparked outrage after harassing an elderly pro-life protester stationed outside a Planned Parenthood in Philadelphia and offering $100 to anyone who identified a woman and her two daughters praying outside the clinic. Sims, who later apologized for his behavior, is now running for lieutenant governor.
In 2017, as pro-life teenagers demonstrated on a sidewalk outside Downingtown STEM Academy in the Philadelphia suburb of Downington, the school's assistant principal at the time, Zach Ruff, angrily confronted them. He told the pro-life protesters to "go to Hell where they are too" and asserted preborn babies "are not children" but "cells." Ruff was placed on administrative leave shortly after the encounter and later resigned.
Planned Parenthood: Texas law turned call centers into hotlines for people pregnant 'against their will'
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The head of the largest abortion provider in the United States is alleging that Texas' heartbeat abortion ban has turned her organization's call centers into "crisis hotlines" for people who have become pregnant "against their will."
Planned Parenthood President Alexis McGill Johnson slammed Texas Senate Bill 8, which prohibits abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, in a statement after filing a petition last Thursday to the U.S. Supreme Court asking the justices to invalidate the law.
On Sept. 1, the bill took effect after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to grant an emergency injunction to block it from taking effect.
"Planned Parenthood call centers have become crisis hotlines and health center staff have become crisis counselors," McGill Johnson said in the statement. "For three weeks, Texans have been without access to basic health care that is their constitutional right forced to travel out of state to get care or carry pregnancies against their will."
Signed into law in May, Texas' Senate Bill 8 bans most abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected, usually around six weeks gestation. Additionally, it allows individuals to take civil action against anyone who "performs and induces an abortion" or "knowingly engages in conduct that aids or abets the performance or inducement of an abortion, including paying for or reimbursing the costs of abortion through insurance or otherwise."
The petition to the Supreme Court was endorsed by other abortion advocates, including the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project, the Center for Reproductive Rights and Whole Woman's Health. It alleged that "Texans are in crisis" due to S.B. 8.
"Faced with the threat of unlimited lawsuits from the general populace and the prospect of ruinous liability if they violate the ban, abortion providers have been forced to comply. As a result, Texans with means must now travel hundreds of miles each way to other States during a pandemic, just to exercise a clearly established federal right," the petition reads. "The surge of Texans seeking out-of-state appointments for this time-sensitive medical care is causing backlogs in those States, delaying abortions by weeks for Texans and non-Texans alike."
Employees of abortion clinics shared the impact that S.B. 8 has had on their day-to-day operations with The New York Times. Jennifer Reince, who works at Trust Women Oklahoma City, recalled that as soon as S.B. 8 became effective in Texas, "We had every line lit up for eight hours straight."
Marva Sadler works at Whole Woman's Health, which operates four clinics in Texas. She told the publication that "I think a majority of women are being sentenced to being parents."
Pro-life groups, meanwhile, are rejecting the idea that Planned Parenthood and abortions are the only reprieves for women experiencing unplanned pregnancies. Jeff Bradford, president of the pro-life non-profit Human Coalition, told The Christian Post in a statement Wednesday that Planned Parenthood is "not equipped" to offer the kind of solutions women need.
"Human Coalition offers counseling for which Planned Parenthood is obviously not equipped. We have discovered through our clinical work that 76% of women would choose to parent if their circumstances were different. The average client interacts with Human Coalition within 24-48 hours of planning to obtain an abortion," Bradford said.
"We meet a woman wherever she is and offer her immediate long-lasting support ranging from financial assistance and housing to education and job training. Planned Parenthood has never offered real solutions to the challenges women are facing."
As litigation against Senate Bill 8 continues, the House of Representatives has approved the Women's Health Protection Act. Passed with the support of all but one House Democrat and no Republicans, the bill would codify the right to abortion found in the 1973 Supreme Court ruling Roe v. Wade into federal law and overrule many pro-life laws passed at the state level.
PolitiFact debunks claim that taxing churches would lower rates for individuals
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Removing religious tax exemptions from churches would not lower the tax rate for individuals in the United States, according to a recent analysis from the prominent fact-checking website PolitiFact.
In August, a Facebook post went viral claiming that the annual cost of religious tax exemption was $71 billion and that "if the church paid taxes, everyone would only have to pay 3% taxes."
However, Tom Kertscher of PolitiFact posted a fact-check on Tuesday that rated the claim "false."
Noting that the post ignores multiple aspects about churches and taxation, Kertscher explained that "the post was flagged as part of Facebook's efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed."
"Tax-exempt organizations are still subject to some taxes. For example, the exemption doesn't apply to the payroll taxes that cover the costs of Medicare and Social Security for their paid employees," Kertscher wrote.
"Tax-exempt organizations that have paid employees are required to pay their share of these payroll taxes and withhold their employees' share, too."
Jared Walczak of the Tax Foundation told the outlet that churches' actual federal tax exemption cost was $2.4 billion, not $71 billion. Additionally, Walczak maintained that stripping churches of their tax-exempt status would only add 0.06% to the federal revenue.
"Even if governments went all-in on the taxation of churches, tossing out all the ordinary rules of taxation, they could only generate a few billion dollars, a drop in the bucket in a system with $3.8 trillion in federal tax collections and about $1.8 trillion in state and local tax collections," Walczak added.
"Even if we bent logic to treat churches as for-profit entities, and assumed an ordinary rate of profit for them, the tiny amount of additional revenue this would generate wouldn't budge individuals' effective tax rate at all."
The idea of eliminating tax-exempt status from churches has gained traction among Democrats in recent years.
In 2019, then-Democratic presidential primary candidate Beto O'Rourke declared at a CNN town hall that, if elected, he would end the tax exemption of churches, schools and charities that oppose same-sex marriage.
"There can be no reward, no benefit, no tax break for anyone or any institution, any organization in America that denies the full human rights and the full civil rights of every single one of us," stated O'Rourke at the time.
While O'Rourke received much applause for his stance, his remarks also garnered backlash from liberals and conservatives.
O'Rourke's openly gay primary opponent, Pete Buttigieg, alleged that O'Rourke did not understand "the implications of what he was saying." Buttigieg warned about the potential consequences of enacting such a policy.
"That means going to war, not only with churches, but I would think with mosques and a lot of organizations that may not have the same view of various religious principles that I do," Buttigieg said.
"If we want to talk about anti-discrimination law for a school or an organization, absolutely, they should not be able to discriminate," he added. "But going after the tax exemption of churches, Islamic centers or other religious facilities in this country, I think that's just going to deepen the divisions that we're already experiencing."
More recently, the debate about eliminating the tax-exempt status has resurfaced as the Catholic Church continues to ponder withholding communion from pro-abortion Catholic politicians.
In response to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' approval of a document "on the meaning of the Eucharist in the life of the Church" at its general assembly earlier this year, Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., suggested withholding the tax-exempt status from the church over such a policy.
"If they're going to politically weaponize religion by 'rebuking' Democrats who support women's reproductive choice, then a 'rebuke' of their tax-exempt status may be in order," Huffman wrote on Twitter.
While the document approved by the bishops will provide guidelines for the reception of communion, it leaves "decisions on withholding Communion up to individual bishops."
Following criticism, the USCCB published a statement stressing that "the question of whether or not to deny any individual or groups Holy Communion was not on the ballot." Stressing that "the document being drafted is not meant to be disciplinary in nature, nor is it targeted at any one individual or class of persons," the statement clarified that "bishops made no decision about barring anyone from receiving Communion."
Supreme Court to hear case over Boston's refusal to fly Christian flag at City Hall
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The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal regarding whether city officials in Boston, Massachusetts, can reject a request to fly a Christian flag at its City Hall.
In a miscellaneous orders list released Thursday, the Supreme Court granted a petition without comment in the case of Harold Shurtleff, et al. v. Boston, MA, et al.
The lawsuit was filed against the city of Boston by Shurtleff of the Christian civic organization Camp Constitution after the city refused to allow him to fly a "Christian flag" on one of the flag poles outside City Hall on Constitution Day 2017 while allowing other organizations to raise flags on one of the poles to celebrate their occasions.
Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver, whose organization is representing Shurtleff, said in a statement that he is optimistic about the appeal and hopes the case will set a "precedent."
"We look forward to the U.S. Supreme Court hearing Boston's unconstitutional discrimination against Camp Constitution's Christian viewpoint. The city cannot deny the Christian flag because it is 'Christian' and allow every other flag to fly on its flagpoles," stated Staver.
"Censoring religious viewpoints in a public forum where secular viewpoints are permitted is unconstitutional and this case will set national precedent."
City officials denied Shurtlett's request to fly the flag, even though the public property had agreed to fly numerous other flags showcasing diverse religious and political opinions.
For example, Boston City Hall had approved the flying of a Turkish flag, which includes Islamic imagery, the gay pride rainbow flag and a transgender pride flag.
Lower courts have consistently ruled against Shurtlett thus far.
In February 2020, U.S. District Court Judge Denise Casper argued that the City Hall flagpoles constituted "government speech" and not private expression, which made flying a Christian flag an unlawful government endorsement of religion in violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.
"There are no additional facts in the record that would suggest any improper preference for non-religion over religion or selective treatment of any person or group based on religion," ruled Casper, an Obama appointee.
"The City did not alter its procedures for review of flag applications because of Camp Constitution's request, instead, Camp Constitution's request presented a novel issue for the City's consideration, which the City considered consistent with its practice and policy."
A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit unanimously upheld the lower court ruling in January, with Judge Bruce Selya writing the panel opinion.
Selya, a Reagan appointee, argued that the flag display would constitute government speech since it would be flown alongside two other flags representing the U.S. and Massachusetts. He alleged that the display of "three flags flying in close proximity communicates the symbolic unity of the three flags."
"It therefore strains credulity to believe that an observer would partition such a coordinated three-flag display into a series of separate yet simultaneous messages (two that the government endorses and another as to which the government disclaims any relation)."
In the past, the Supreme Court has allowed the placement of religious symbols on public property.
In 2019, the Court ruled that a 40-foot tall cross commemorating World War I veterans on public property in Bladensburg, Maryland, did not violate the Constitution's Establishment Clause.
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments in the case of Shurtleff v. Boston in its upcoming October term, which will begin Monday. Liberty Counsel predicts that oral arguments in the case will occur early next year, with a decision issued by the end of June.
Brian Houston reflects on weapons God uses to fight devil before hearing on alleged abuse cover-up
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Hillsong Church founder Brian Houston reflected on the mighty weapons of faith God gives His people to defeat the devil just days before he's slated to go to court over allegations that he helped cover up his father's sexual abuse of a boy.
In a video posted to his Instagram account last Friday, Houston, who founded the global evangelical church network in the suburbs of Sydney in 1983, spoke about 2 Corinthians 10:4.
The verse reads, We use God's mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.
You have mighty weaponry, an armory available to you and it will pull down strongholds, said Houston. The thing about strongholds is the devil tries to use them to put a stronghold on you on your mind, your thoughts, on your life. And so we decide no, I have mighty weapons.
Houston stated that he believes one of the most powerful weapons we have is prayer. He thanked the many people across the globe who were committed to praying for him and his family.
Prayer changes things, continued Houston, labeling prayer one of the most underestimated spiritual weapons. I love being part of a global family. I thank God that we are armed for battle.
In August, Australian police charged the 67-year-old Houston with concealing child sex offenses, with him being required to appear at a Sydney court on Oct. 5.
At issue was the allegation that Houston had known about, yet failed to report to authorities, the sexual abuse of a young man by his father, the late Frank Houston, during the 1970s.
In a statement emailed to The Christian Post by Hillsong Church, Houston said that the charges were a shock to me given how transparent Ive always been about this matter.
I vehemently profess my innocence and will defend these charges, and I welcome the opportunity to set the record straight, stated Houston.
Earlier this month, Houston announced that he was stepping away from his positions on Hillsong leadership boards, though he was retaining his title as senior pastor of the multisite church.
I did this so that these boards can function to their fullest capacity during this season, said Houston in an email, as quoted by the Roys Report.
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.
The allegations surrounding Houston mark the latest in a slew of scandals that have plagued the megachurch in recent years.
In late 2020, Hillsong New York City pastor Carl Lentz was fired for moral failings and "leadership issues"
In April, a senior Hillsong staffer in New Jersey resigned over an inappropriate message on social media. That same month, the church's Dallas branch closed after it was revealed that the lead pastor and his wife used church funds lavishly.
In May, Houston told NBC co-host, Savannah Guthrie, that this season has been difficult for them as a church.
[This season in the church] has been difficult, clearly, because of a lot of disappointment in some of the things that have emerged, he said. Some obviously are false. Other things are real."
Houston added, I have reflected many, many times, and I'm acknowledging that mistakes have been made and that there are things where we need to get far better, much better. I'm not shrinking back from that.
Church in Wales to allow pastors to bless same-sex marriages, wont conduct gay weddings
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The Church in Wales, composed of six Anglican dioceses in the United Kingdom, will allow clergy to hold services designed to bless same-sex civil partnerships or marriages. However, the church will not allow clergy to conduct legally binding same-sex marriage ceremonies.
On Monday, the governing body of the Church in Wales passed a bill by more than the necessary two-thirds majority, following a debate at a three-day conference at the International Convention Centre Wales in Newport.
The bishops approved the bill by a unanimous vote, while the clergy voted 28 to 12 in favor with two abstentions. The laity voted 49 to 10 with one abstention.
The bill's passage will remain in effect for five years for a trial period. However, if any church staff prefer not to participate in the blessing ceremonies for same-sex unions, they can choose not to participate.
Church in Wales Senior Bishop Andy John said he knows the decision to honor and bless LGBT couples in blessing ceremonies would receive backlash from those who disagree. However, he finds the passage of the policy to be a development of the Church.
But every development is to some degree a departure; something changes wherever there is a new expression of practice, he said to the crowd at the meeting. And even when such a change appears consonant with a stated position, it is nevertheless a change.
Bishop Gregory Cameron of St Asaph, who introduced the bill, said, the church has spoken decisively today in favour of blessings.
I come out of this debate with no sense of triumph, he said in a statement, but believing that the Church in Wales has done the right thing under God for the LGBTQIA+ community.
Multiple bishops who introduced the bill stated in an explanatory memorandum in August that they believe the legislation will reveal that loving and faithful commitment is worthy of acceptance by the Church by asking Gods blessing upon their commitment.
The memorandum also acknowledges that the decision would be controversial, but also a step on the way towards repentance of a history in the Church which has demonised and persecuted gay and lesbian people, forcing them into fear, dishonesty and sometimes even hypocrisy, preventing them from publicly living lives of committed partnership.
The Evangelical Fellowship in the Church of Wales expressed disappointment in the passing of the bill.
For many in EFCW, this decision will come with a sense of sadness that the Church in Wales has decided to depart from a traditional understanding of marriage, and with great uncertainty about how to move forward in good conscience, a statement on the EFCW Facebook page reads.
The EFCW executive welcomes any comments that the membership would like to be considered at [a Sept. 20] meeting. It will enable us to ensure that we are properly taking into account the breadth of concerns of the membership.
Before the vote, Bishop John reportedly made an announcement in which he compared the passing of the legislation to other changes in the Churchs history.
When the Church changed its position on forbidding meat with blood in it, or saw that slavery in all and any form was wicked, there was change, he said during the Monday meeting. Mission always lies at the heart of faith. And being alive to God, to what might happen next, is part of remaining curious and open to new opportunity.
A priest in training for the Church in Wales, Ruth Eleri James, is in a same-sex relationship with her partner, Hannah, a lay member of the governing body.
She told BBC news the final vote is important to her and prays for the day when they can have the sacrament of marriage in a church.
"It will reflect the real love and welcome that we have personally experienced in our local churches, who we know long to be able to offer something to couples who are in same-sex relationships, she was quoted as saying. But it's also important because this is a message to LGBTQ folk in society at large to say their relationships are loved and blessed by God, and that's a message that hasn't been given, certainly in my lifetime, and I long to be able to share that with people.
Controversial Episcopal bishop John Shelby Spong, who advocated for LGBT affirmation, dies at 90
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Theologically liberal Episcopal Church Bishop John Shelby Spong, an outspoken advocate of progressive views on LGBT issues and biblical interpretation, has passed away at age 90.
St. Pauls Episcopal Church of Richmond, Virginia, where Spong served as a pastor, announced that he died in his sleep on Sunday morning.
It is with great sadness that we announce the death of the Rt. Rev. John Shelby Spong. He died peacefully in his sleep at his home on Sunday morning, the church stated in an email.
The Westar Institute, which hosted a critical biblical scholarship gathering known as the Jesus Seminar, honored Spong, a longtime supporter of the organization.
His work and witness have inspired and freed many Westar members and a generation of thoughtful people. May his memory be a blessing, tweeted the Institute.
News has come to us that Westar scholar Bishop John Shelby Spong died peacefully in his sleep at his home this morning. His work and witness have inspired and freed many Westar members and a generation of thoughtful people. May his memory be a blessing.https://t.co/nMrgdGvStP pic.twitter.com/cWd9PpMIFw Westar Institute, Home of the Jesus Seminar (@WestarInstitute) September 12, 2021
According to the Westar Institute, Spong was born in 1931 and initially identified as a fundamentalist Christian while growing up in North Carolina. He later rejected such views as being detrimental to faith.
He was ordained into the priesthood in 1955 and consecrated as a bishop for the Episcopal Diocese of Newark, New Jersey, in 1976. Spong held the position of bishop until 2000.
Spong authored several books, including Living in Sin? A Bishop Rethinks Human Sexuality (1988), Born of a Woman: A Bishop Rethinks the Birth of Jesus (1992) and Why Christianity Must Change or Die: A Bishop Speaks to Believers in Exile (1998).
As the Christian Courier's Wayne Jackson reports, Spong became known for his support of progressive sexual ethics in the 1980s. Specifically, he advocated for the Church to accept sex outside of marriage and the blessing of same-sex relationships.
In 1989, Spong made headlines when he ordained an openly gay priest despite opposition from traditionalist Episcopal Church bishops.
Spong also openly embraced the theory of evolution and denied many of the key teachings of the Bible, including the virgin birth and the historical existence of Judas Iscariot.
[Judas] was a totally fictional character, a totally literary character created by [the] early Christian Church in the ninth decade for [the] sole purpose of shifting blame for Jesus death away from Romans who were certainly responsible for it, and placing that blame on the backs of the Jewish people, Spong reportedly claimed in a 2016 lecture.
Many, including Jackson, have critiqued Spong's work over the years, arguing against the bishops claims about the Bible and morality.
Though Spong claims to have studied the Bible with great intensity, his writings reveal an abysmal lack of knowledge of the sacred text. His ignorance is exceeded only by his arrogant disrespect for the time-tested volume, wrote Jackson.
Not everything that parades under the name Christian is deserving of that appellation. And there is no better example of that maxim than that of John Shelby Spong, the rogue priest who has made a career of bashing the Son of God and disgracing that sacred name before an uninformed public.
In recent years, the Episcopal Church has taken a progressive stance on issues of sexuality, particularly regarding LGBT issues. In 2012, the bishops of the Episcopal Church amended the definition of marriage to accommodate same-sex marriages.
Six years later, the Episcopal Church began requiring all dioceses to perform same-sex marriages, even if the diocese bishop remained opposed. Bishops who have refused to allow same-sex marriages have faced disciplinary action.
Gabby Petito and missing white people syndrome
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Gabby Petito and her fiance, Brian Laundre, started what was supposed to be a four-month cross-country, van-life trip in July. Their trip across America was supposed to end sometime in November.
However their trip and apparently, Gabby Petitos life ended sometime in August.
Gabby Petitos last conversation with her family was through a FaceTime call on August 24th. Her last social media post was on August 25th. And her last sighting was at a Wyoming restaurant on August 27th.
Earlier this month, on the first day of September, her fiance Brian Laundre returned to their home in Florida with their van and without her.
He hired a lawyer and maintained silence. He refused to speak with the Petito family and he refused to cooperate with the police. So on September 11, Gabby Petito was officially reported missing. The following week, police officers lost track of Brian Laundres whereabouts and reported that he was also missing.
That attracted more media attention to a case that had already received significant coverage across social media and national and international media.
The significant social media attention created several helpful tips for police officers, leading them to discover Gabby Petitos corpse in Wyoming earlier this week.
Naturally, police officers have identified Brian Laundre as a suspect in Petitos murder. Theyre still searching for him.
While police officers are investigating the motives for Gabby Petitos murder, critical race theorists have already determined the motive behind national and international attention to her murder.
According to critical race theorists, Petito shouldnt be solely remembered as a victim of murder she should also be remembered as a beneficiary of white privilege. Particularly, they believe shes the latest major example of what theyve termed, missing white woman syndrome.
Missing white woman syndrome suggests Western culture and the world as a whole reinforces white supremacy and white privilege by prioritizing missing white women over non-white missing women. It suggests racism is the basis for why missing white women disproportionately receive more attention than missing non-white women.
If youre surprised critical race theorists would force supposed racism into Gabby Petitos case, you shouldnt be. Critical race theory is designed to identify the supposed role of racism in every facet of society.
As James Lindsey consistently suggests, critical race theorists never ask: Did racism play a role in this instance?. No, they ask: How did racism take place in this instance?
In other words, critical race theorists believe racism is always a factor in everything. This is why, in their minds, we need to be critical of or deconstruct every idea or event in our world in order to identify their racist roots or racist results.
In their book, Critical Race Theory: An Introduction, Richard Delgado and Jean Stefancic describe racism as:
Ordinary, not aberrational normal science, the usual way society does business, the common, everyday experience of most people of color in this country.
Therefore, according to critical race theorists its normal science, ordinary, and the usual way society does business to prioritize Gabby Petito over missing non-white women.
Apparently, in the state of Wyoming where Gabby Petitos body was foundover 700 indigenous women have been reported missing over the last ten years, but none of the women received the kind of attention Petito received after she was reported missing.
But that isnt an example of white supremacy or white privilege. Since critical race theorists prioritize supposed racism over everything, they refuse to acknowledge inconvenient factors.
For instance, the concept of missing white woman syndrome cannot answer why Gabby Petito is receiving more attention than other missing or murdered white women. Indeed, the concept of missing white woman syndrome includes the role of intersectionality. Particularly, critical race theorists would suggest the reason why Gabby Petito is receiving more attention than other missing or murdered white women is that shes a middle-class white woman.
However, that actually defeats their original premise since it admits supposed racism isnt the only basis for why shes getting significant attention. If racism isnt the sole or primary reason why Gabby Petito is receiving more attention than other missing or murdered women, then the concept of missing white woman syndrome is a fallacy.
Nevertheless, if Gabby Petito is receiving more attention than other missing or murdered white women because she was a middle-class woman, why is she receiving more attention than other white middle-class women or white upper-class women who are also reported missing?
Racial disparities are not evidence of racial discrimination. Disparities in media attention to missing cases do not independently prove racism.
Interestingly, some of the prominent people complaining about the medias disproportionate coverage of missing cases are members of the media like MSNBCs Joy Reid. The media consistently blames their own supposed failures on society as a whole. If Joy Reid genuinely believes in missing white woman syndrome, why does she participate in it? Why did she only highlight it in a segment about Gabby Petito? Why hasnt she taken the time on her own show to highlight all the non-white missing or murdered women?
There are several reasons why Gabby Petito has received significant attention, and theres no legitimate reason to believe racism is one of these reasons. Petito was a Youtuber with a relatively strong social media following. She was also a member of the close-knit van life community.
The details surrounding her case are also peculiar. Her fiance, Brian Laundre, had a strange return to Florida without her, then he disappeared, prompting a manhunt. His parents allegedly helped him escape police surveillance. The police officers seemingly mishandled the case. Gabby Petito and Brian Laundres consistent social media photos about their van life trip created a social media footprint that attracted social media sleuths and true crime fanatics. These social media sleuths and van life social media influencers produced viral social media posts that provided police officers strong tips, leading them to discover Gabby Petitos body.
Gabby Petito is the victim of an exceptionally odd and evil missing person and murder case. Thats the main reason why her case has received significant attention.
Another reason why her case has received major coverage is that her missing-person case and murder case was unexpected. Clearly, given the reaction to her case the media believes its abnormal for women like her to become victims of murder. And the media apparently believes its abnormal for people like her fiance to become a perpetrator of murder.
We have higher expectations for men like Brian Laundre. And we have higher hopes for women like Gabby Petito. In other words, we do not have the bigotry of low expectations for people like Brian Laundre and Gabby Petito.
We reserve that for non-white people. Especially, we reserve the bigotry of low expectations for black people.
You see, the reason why hypocrites like Joy Reid in the media do not highlight non-white victims is that if they highlight non-white victims of crime, they would have to highlight non-white perpetrators of crime too.
If members of the media like Joy Reid want to highlight black victims of crime, they would also have to highlight black perpetrators of crime. The media isnt interested in spotlighting the shocking levels of black-on-black crime. They dont care.
The medias reaction to Gabby Petito isnt an example of racism. The medias soft bigotry of low expectations on black-on-black crime is the real example of racism.
In their minds, the good in highlighting black victims of black-on-black crime isnt worth the bad in highlighting black perpetrators of black-on-black crime.
A black persons death is only noteworthy for the media if it involves a white person or a white police officer.
This is why black victims of apparent police brutality receive disproportionately more coverage than white victims of apparent police brutality.
So they refuse to highlight the devastating number of innocent black women and innocent black children who get murdered by black criminals on a consistent basis.
For that reason, across America (and Canada) police officers are significantly less likely to solve murder cases involving a black victim and an allegedly black murderer. This is why police detectives in Chicago manage to solve only 22% of murders against black Americans.
So missing white woman syndrome isnt the problem. The bigotry of low expectations for non-white people, especially black people, is the real problem.
But in a society where racism is supposedly the norm, why would the media deviate from highlighting what they think is the norm? Why would the media change their narrative? Why would the media highlight inconvenient news?
Why would the media highlight the black faces of murdered victims when they risk highlighting the black faces of their perpetrators too? Why would they participate in something they deem racist?
That is the depressing consequence of the bigotry of low expectations. That is the consequence of critical race theory.
Originally published at Slow to Write.
African Mission Healthcare awards first African woman $500,000 prize for OB-GYN work
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A Ugandan woman became the first African-born doctor to receive Africa Mission Healthcares $500,000 LChaim Prize, one of the most prominent awards in the medical missionary field, to support her work in pregnancy care.
The first Catholic, woman and African to receive the prize, Dr. Sister Priscilla Busingye is the president of the Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Uganda and a member of the Catholic Banyatereza Sisters of Uganda. She's only one of few OB-GYN specialists in her region.
Knowing that I meet God in every patient gives me great joy, Busingye said.
Busingye received the prize, which is reportedly the worlds largest award dedicated to direct patient care, because African Mission Healthcare determined she could help the most people with it, said Dr. John Fielder, its co-founder and chief executive.
Busingye grew up in an impoverished Ugandan village without access to a doctor, medical equipment or electricity. To attend school as a teenager, she walked 14 miles each way. She learned medicine from the Banyatereza Sisters and devoted her life to serving Ugandas poor.
One defining moment in her life came when she was unable to help a mother in distress.
Lord, give me the opportunity and I will never get tired of helping women, she promised God at the time.
The funds will help Busingye to improve healthcare in Uganda by sponsoring training, establishing new approaches for community outreach and engagement, and transforming the Rwibaale Clinic into a center of excellence for maternal and childcare, Fielder said. The money will allow the clinic to deliver over 1,000 babies each year, provide primary care for 5,100 families in need and train medical personnel to improve healthcare throughout southwestern Uganda.
Sister Busingye and her team of mentors will visit other hospitals in Uganda and help to expand them, he added. Its very important to have a center of excellence that people can look at and say thats the way it should be done.
Fielder runs African Mission Healthcare with cofounder and prize sponsor Mark Gerson. The pair met as roommates in college, both said in an interview with The Christian Post.
The LChaim projects name is Hebrew for to life, Gerson, who is Jewish, said.
It tells us in the Bible 36 times that were commanded to love the stranger. The most profound way to love the stranger is to save their life. Thats the most important and highest thing you can do for someone else, said Gerson. Its all about saving lives.
Gerson and Fielder work to give money in ways that create a lasting impact for good. By giving money to local partners, they try to create institutions that can respond to any crisis rather than putting hasty patches on problems, Fielder said. As someone who worked as a missionary doctor in Africa, Fielder knows the consequences of unwise charitable giving.
If youre going to build an entire system prepared to deal with a lot of different problems, you need to listen to the people on the ground. Donors dont ask about housing problems for medical staff, which are very much needed. If you dont listen to a group on the ground, you dont learn that, he said.
The LChaim Prize goes to long-term Christian missionaries because they best build medical infrastructure in Africa to serve the poor, Gerson said. Money donated to Africa also goes further in saving lives because healthcare costs less there. However, local people often are too poor to buy it.
The per capita income where this health center is located is $250 per person, Fielder said. Healthcare is very cheap in Uganda compared to the U.S., but very expensive for people earning less than $300 a year. We have good contractors, [so] surgeries cost only a couple hundred dollars to do. In Uganda, repairing a fistula costs about $200 to repair. In the U.S., you could pay a couple hundred dollars per stitch for the same thing.
Jewish entrepreneur, wife donate millions for Christian medical missions in Africa
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A Jewish entrepreneur and his rabbi wife have become one of the largest private supporters of Christian medical missionaries in Africa as they have donated millions to support vital health care needs in some of the most impoverished communities in the world.
Mark Gerson and his wife, Erica, have donated well over $10 million to assist Christian medical missions in Africa over the years as they have felt the call from their Jewish faith to love the stranger in a region of the world where access to health care is extremely limited.
Gerson, an investor, businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the Gerson Lehrman Group, told The Christian Post in a recent interview that he began giving to
Christian medical missions in Africa thanks to a friend he met at Williams College in Massachusetts in the 1990s.
That friend, Dr. Jon Fielder, traveled to Africa in the early 2000s to serve those impacted by the AIDS pandemic.
He said, I could be doctor No. 700,000 in the U.S. or become an indispensable source of care for people dying of AIDS in Africa, Gerson recalled Fielder telling him in a conversation they had after finishing his residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Probably the biggest humanitarian problem in the world is a lack of access to doctors to almost anybody in Africa.
Fielder, a Baylor University School of Medicine graduate, moved to Kenya in 2002 to work with World Medical Mission and Africa Inland Mission at Kijabe Hospital. Fielder focused on caring for HIV patients and the training of Kenyan health care providers.
Gerson, his brother, and some of their friends supported Fielders work in Kenya because they saw how dire the need was for trained medical professionals in Africa and understood the value of Christian medical missionaries and mission hospitals there.
Many African countries will have one doctor for anywhere between 20,000 and 50,000 people, Gerson, who said. That is not a specialist. That is just one doctor. The availability of treatment is just unavailable for so many people.
Gersons funding of Fielders ministry continued after the Fielders moved to Malawi in southern Africa in 2009.
In 2010, Gerson and Fielder launched African Mission Healthcare, a nonprofit devoted to strengthening mission hospitals to aid those in greatest need, after noticing a lack of consistent financial support for medical missionaries serving on the continent.
Support from the Western church has weakened
Support for missionaries from the Western church has really weakened in the last few decades for a whole variety of sociological reasons, Gerson, who serves as AMHs board chair, explained. One of which is that denominations used to be prevalent and powerful. So the Lutherans, the Methodists, the Baptists, they could effectively tax the churches and denominations and use some of that tax to send missionaries.
Gerson, who also co-founded the Jerusalem-based volunteer medical services organization United Hatzalah, said there were some great and legendary missionary hospitals set up by the denominations from 100 years ago up until about 30 years ago.
As denominations became weaker and Christianity went into more nondenominational evangelical, it is possible, but it is highly unlikely that one church is going to be able to support a hospital in Africa and the missionaries, the philanthropist explained. When they pull their resources into the denominations, it is possible.
Because missionary doctors work for years on end without coming home, the Yale Law School graduate stressed that they dont have the time they need to build relationships with people and institutions in the West that can financially support their work.
They come home after maybe four years and would go on a speaking tour of sorts, get a few churches lined up maybe over the summer and they get a couple of thousand dollars for each one or something, Gerson explained. It was an inefficient and ineffective mechanism to raise absolutely needed support.
In 2010, we said, What can we do to really be the place that missionaries can turn to for the support they need and people can turn to support the missionaries? he added.
According to the AMH co-founder, AMH provides support for three key areas: clinical care, infrastructure and training.
The organization invests in a wide range of infrastructure projects that range from constructing surgical theaters, building housing for medical professionals, spaces for clinical care as well as procuring and installing expensive medical equipment.
AMH has invested over $26.5 million at 47 hospitals across 18 African countries. AMH estimates that its efforts will make possible over 10.7 million patient visits.
Training is core to all that AMH does as the organization has a variety of programs for surgeons, doctors, nurses, anesthetists and nurse anesthetists.
Through 2019, AMH has trained 3,736 medical professionals. Through June 2020, the organization has invested over $15.9 million in direct clinical care and sponsored over 18,619 surgical and corrective procedures with an average cost of $360. Additionally, the organization estimates that it has enabled 611,000 direct clinical visits over the years.
AMH also works to provide mission hospitals with better infrastructure. AMH has done 85 projects across 15 different countries, with an investment of about $7 million, according to Gerson.
For example, he said that some hospitals can spend 40% of their budget on electricity. To alleviate that, AMH has helped construct solar panels at some hospitals to reduce the amount those hospitals spend on power each month from as high as 40% to single-digit percentages.
Housing is another significant problem for medical missionaries looking to serve in rural areas where there is no private housing market available.
The most valuable resource in the African health care setting is personnel. You get this extremely valuable resource of a person who wants to come train at a mission hospital in Africa but the very last step is no housing for them and nowhere for them to stay. So they dont come, Gerson said.
We construct housing and it can cost $15,000 to $20,000 per room. A three-bedroom house we can put up for about $50,000 to $60,000. That house will fund itself forever because it will be owned by the hospital and the rent of whoever stays there will be deducted from his or her pay.
While AMH has become one of the leading organizational supporters of medical missions in Africa, the Gerson family has also doled out much of their own money to fund what's needed.
Missionary work in coronavirus age: Major disruptions but many still going strong
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Earlier this year, when shutdowns over the coronavirus were fairly recent, experts on mission work came together for a podcast to discuss the possible impact of COVID-19 on their efforts.
Hosted by ABWE International in late April, the Missions Podcast episode examined how mission work was going to be impacted, possibly for the long term, by the pandemic.
Experts on the podcast expressed varied concerns over issues like the future of short-term missions and how well funding for organizations will be sustained.
Several months later, representatives of multiple missionary organizations and one megachurch that oversees many missions abroad, have experiences to report about how the pandemic is affecting them.
The Christian Post talked with multiple missions groups about issues including how they are weathering the pandemic and the future possibilities for mission work abroad.
God has blessed us tremendously
Despite a time known for economic downturn and financial uncertainty, multiple mission groups reported having financial stability and even seeing some increases in giving.
ABWE International, a missionary group previously known as the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism, has seen a surprisingly high amount of support during the pandemic.
Alex Kocman, director of advancement and communications at ABWE International who was part of the April podcast, told CP that this year is set to be one of ABWEs strongest financial years to date.
Once again, we are elated by Gods faithfulness, said Kocman. Some missionaries saw a decrease in monthly support, but this has not resulted in personnel being pulled from the field.
Simultaneously, those raising support have found it easier to build their support teams through Zoom meetings with church leaders, friends, and other supporters.
Kocman noted that while short-term mission trips were at a standstill, long-term missionaries have continued to deploy to the field this year.
Our overall sense is that God has blessed us tremendously, in spite of global events which one would think would immediately bring missions to a screeching halt, he continued.
Kocman referenced the ABWEs Live Global ministry, an entity launched before the pandemic shutdowns that is centered on using technology to connect Christians in remote locations.
Live Global was uniquely poised for ministry in a pandemic, he explained. We are stunned at the providence of God.
Brian Albrecht, president of MissionGO, a missions group founded in 1943 and with outreach efforts in more than 55 countries, told CP that their finances were stable despite a drop in giving.
For the general fund, which is the administrative budget that keeps the thing going, those donations have dropped, but so far weve been very happy, weve been thankful, weve been praying and God has blessed us and used us, said Albrecht.
Albrecht noted that MissionGO had reserves for their finances so they had no issue with possibly going out of business due to recent declines in giving.
For the time being, according to Albrecht, his organization has been able to pay for things without tapping the reserves, aided in part by the paycheck protection program from the government.
Raising support right now is a difficult thing, he acknowledged, because, if people are concerned about their personal income and whether the family is going to be safe, its going to be harder for them to be generous to help missionaries and nonprofit causes.
Training Leaders International President Darren Carlson, whose organization was founded in 2009 and seeks to give theological training to churches across the world, reported a drop in giving.
Carlson, who was one of the experts on the April podcast, told CP that this decline in support was due to no short-term trips to raise money for, adding that this also meant that expenses had decreased.
But overall, giving is still down, he stressed. Based on talking to other organizations like ours, I would say giving is down 30%. Some organizations have taken PPP funds to offset this.
Radius International President Brooks Buser, who was previously part of the April podcast, told CP that his organization has done pretty good, but believed that this stability may in part be due to them not being a sending agency.
Radius is a little bit different, Buser explained. Were a training school and our specific goal is to train people to get to some of the hardest to reach language groups.
So a lot of our support hasnt been affected by the people that are looking to get involved and that are going to be with us through thick and thin.
The International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, which was founded in 1845 and is based in Richmond, Virginia, saw strong giving online this year.
According to IMB spokesperson Julie McGowan, during June 1-Oct. 31, 2019, they saw an increase in digital giving of 47% while in the same time frame this year, they had an additional increase in digital giving of 42%.
The IMB is fueled by a legacy of generous supporters captivated by a seemingly impossible vision for all to know Christ, said IMB Chief Advancement Officer Chris Kennedy in a statement emailed to CP.
Throughout our 175-year history, these sacrificial givers have looked beyond present hardship with hope and continued or even expanded their faithful giving in the toughest times. We fully believe they will maintain this generosity in our present circumstances.
A whole other world for missions
As with so many other aspects of life, overseas missions were deeply impacted by the coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns and restrictions on social gatherings.
IMB spokesperson Julie McGowan recounted to CP how much uncertainty they had when the disease was first reported in East Asia in 2019.
The early stages in East Asia were extremely challenging because the situation came quickly, and we had no information about what would lie ahead, explained McGowan.
Many on the mission field were facing insecurity of how their ministries would be impacted throughout the spring. Following the experience we gained in East Asia, personnel in Europe jumped into the next full-blown crisis, which weve seen spread around the world.
IMB was not exempted from the coronavirus, as multiple COVID-19 cases were reported among their personnel across the planet, with the vast majority being mild in symptoms.
Our people have felt the trauma differently, depending on the ways the particular population around them has been impacted, she said. In every place where our personnel have been located, they are thanking the Lord for resources they have in hand to respond to the crisis, whether in their own homes, or extra resources theyve been able to use to help others and to meet needs.
Mission groups reported having to cut short some trips and bring people back to the United States due to the public health concerns arising from the pandemic.
Albrecht of MissionGO said the pandemic has changed missions a lot over this last year and caused several disruptions here, there, and everywhere.
Weve had to rescue several missionaries, said Albrecht. The American embassies were very helpful to us, we were eventually able to get them home. One person was really sick and had to get back and get decent medical treatment out of Africa.
Albrecht also talked about a Middle Eastern missionary who was in the United States when the pandemic began and had to go back to Amman, Jordan to be with his family.
According to Albrecht, they worked with an embassy to get him back home, where he had to quarantine for 14 days at a five-star hotel in Amman which he had to pay for himself.
We have missionaries in all these different places and it turns out to be that different governments have different rules and regulations, but the outcome is that people cant move around, he explained.
In African countries, the internal air travel is shut down. You cant get from place to place, you have to drive through the jungle. We have less people doing that. And so theres lots of disruption and lots of problems that way.
Albrecht recalled how a recent mission trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, whose infection rate remains fairly small, involved multiple tests for the participants, as well as a two-day sequester.
Theyre testing everybody that comes into the country and you have to quarantine, he said, noting that the mission team got a special dispensation from the usual quarantine rules.
We had the people tested twice before they got on the plane, then they got tested when they landed, and they had to sequester for two days and then because they had to drive up through the jungle, which was another three-day trip, they decided that was good enough that when they got to their destination, if they tested without the disease that they would be allowed to do their work.
Melissa Vandermey, director of communications with MissionGO, described some of the challenges for mission work on the home front, namely the recruitment process.
Before the pandemic, according to Vandermey, a missionary candidate would normally go full time fundraising and doing face-to-face meetings at coffee shops at restaurants, etc.
And now theyre having to do fundraising all over Zoom. So its a whole new world that our missionaries are having to face, she noted.
Vandermey recently spoke with missionaries based in France and how they were going to come back to the United States in a few weeks for home assignments that involve fundraising.
They said it will be very interesting once we get home because it will be: how do we network with people via Zoom, etc.? she added. Its just a whole other world.
A standstill for short-term missions
A major theme reported by multiple groups was the drop in short-term missions, such as those that last only a couple of weeks and often involve philanthropic efforts like medical aid.
Albrecht of MissionGO explained that his organization canceled all of their short-term mission trips that had been planned for the middle and end of the year, with the hope that they can be rescheduled for 2021.
Some trips can be refocused and reprogrammed with flights and things, added Albrecht, cautioning that many who signed up for a trip this year will have scheduling problems next year.
For example, Albrecht cited many short-term missions involve recent college graduates or students who were planning to go on a mission trip during a summer vacation.
That summer you were going to put that aside to go and do that activity, but now youre a year later down the road and hopefully, youve found a job and youre getting more settled, he said. Most places where you find a new job you cant get a lot of vacation, so therefore you cant get the time off to go.
MissionGO plans to, whenever possible, repurpose a short-term mission trip for people that were planning to go abroad this year and will still be willing and able to go next year.
There will probably new people or different people or a mixture of the two that will be going this year, he said. We have a lot of people that are maybes, but the problem is theres so much uncertainty now, you dont know what next year is going to bring.
The longer term reverberations on missions, especially regarding the drop in short-term missions, is still to be seen, Buser of Radius believes, because long-term missions is affected by short-term missions.
People get challenged and commissioned through short-term trips and those have almost entirely stopped for the last six months, explained Buser. So the ripple effects are going to be down the road, two to five years.
While short-term missions saw a standstill earlier this year due to a United States government advisory against global travel, Kocman of ABWE International said they have been able to move more personnel since the advisory was lifted in August.
Thus far this year, ABWE International had 176 short-term workers mobilized and had what Kocma described as a record-breaking 71 mid- and long-term missionaries appointed.
In an ordinary year, the number of short-termers would be far greater, he acknowledged. We have proactively launched an effort to open a new center for short-term missions being developed by Jason Phillips, our most newly appointed executive director.
We are excited at the opportunity to breathe life into our short-term mobilization efforts.
A ray of hope in the midst of a challenging year
Immanuel Bible Church, a nondenominational megachurch based in Springfield, Virginia, was a church that had an extensive missions outreach that shut down during the pandemic.
According to Michael Connor, pastor of Mission and Outreach at Immanuel, his church had 27 international-based missions and normally did about a dozen short-term trips on an annual basis.
We canceled all the short-term trips for 2020. Theres not one that happened, explained Connor to CP, saying the pandemic hit Immanuel pretty severely.
And we also had a number of our international workers who either needed to get out of the country they were in because of COVID lockdowns or have not been able to return there.
Connor nevertheless expressed some optimism about the future of missions, explaining that one long-term impact was enhanced methods of remote communication.
I think thats going to be a gain not just for missions, but for church life in general, he commented. Remote meetings, Zoom face-to-face things, Skype I think there will be more virtual contacts moving forward.
Recently, announcements have been made by multiple major pharmaceutical companies that they have developed highly effective COVID-19 vaccines which will begin distribution soon.
As the vaccinations are set to begin in December and ramp up in the new year, many mission groups have been looking to how the pandemic will influence how overseas missions are done.
Buser of Radius is hopeful that the distribution of new vaccines being approved for use against COVID-19 could allow for more opportunities for mission work.
He noted that since the vaccines developed by Moderna and Pfizer require low temperature storage, it is going to be hard to get into really closed access third world country rural locations.
I think theres going to be a growing need for Christians, from people that care about those parts of the world to be involved. So I think its going to result in, Lord-willing, some opening of some doors, Buser said.
Carlson felt that the efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus by some governments might be used to make it harder for missionaries to operate abroad, citing contact tracing as an example.
I think one really, really bad result of contact tracing is that governments are now tracking foreigners more closely, and scrutinizing itineraries and contacts, said Carlson. There are closed countries that will be very challenging to go to moving forward.
And even if Americans get vaccinated, will you be able to gather people in another country legally?
IMB, meanwhile, is developing plans and thoughts about how to move forward with international missions as the COVID-19 vaccine is widely taken, McGowan said.
We believe that God will bless our work in new ways post-pandemic, as we see new efforts that have been thoroughly undergirded in prayer, and as we engage with new partners to partner alongside in the days ahead, she stated.
We also expect there will be a gratitude for freedom to operate in a more normal fashion that will make post-pandemic work even more satisfying than pre-pandemic work, when we were able to do whatever we decided with few obstacles.
She also saw great potential in the usage of online venues for mission work, noting that Southern Baptist workers are spending more time praying personally and with others via the internet.
People are coming to the Lord through new avenues such as social media in greater numbers than prior to the pandemic, she highlighted.
This is a ray of hope in the midst of a challenging year.
UK-based Methodist Church votes to approve gay marriage, recognize cohabitating couples
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The Methodist Church of the United Kingdom passed resolutions to approve the blessing of same-sex unions and recognize cohabitating couples.
The London-based Methodist Conference announced Wednesday that it has voted to confirm the resolutions at its gathering held in Birmingham.
A report on marriage and relationships, God in Love Unites Us, was received by the Conference in 2019 and the local District Synods were asked to consider the provisional resolutions and report back to this years Conference, a statement detailed.
The Conference received a report on the results of the local conferring which showed that 29 out of the 30 Synods confirmed support for the provisional resolutions.
The conference voted 256-45 to allow its ministers to perform same-sex wedding ceremonies and for churches to be locations for such services.
The Rev. Sonia Hicks, the conference's new president, said in a statement that the debate over the resolutions has been conducted with grace and mutual respect.
As we move forward together after this historic day for our Church, we must remember to continue to hold each other in prayer, and to support each other respecting our differences, Hicks said.
Regarding cohabitation, the conference approved a resolution stating that it recognises that the love of God is present either through informal cohabitation or a more formal commitment entered into publicly.
As a Church we wish to celebrate that the love of God is present in these circumstances, even if that grace is not responded to or even discerned by the people concerned, continued the resolution.
The Church has an important calling, therefore, to point to the presence of Gods love within such relationships, and to encourage people to respond to it in the renewing and deepening (by whatever means) of their commitment.
The Rev. David Hull, chair of Methodist Evangelicals Together, a group that opposed the resolutions, called it a very sad day for the Methodist Church.
It's heartbreaking really to see where we've come and the way in which we've got here, and many of us have wept over it, Hull said in an interview with Premier.
In spite of these votes, there are many, many Methodists who still believe that Jesus offers a unique vision for life one that is rooted deeply in the Bible, that is better than the world has ever known, better than the world will ever know and that includes this teaching on marriage and relationships.
Others have taken to social media to voice their support of the resolutions.
"I am absolutely thrilled that the Methodist Conference has overwhelmingly voted to allow same-sex marriage in their churches," Jayne Ozanne, a gay Anglican evangelical activist and founder of the Ozanne Foundation, tweeted. "This reflects the significant shift that there has been amongst Christian attitudes in England."
UK university approves priest for chaplaincy after rejecting him over tweets on abortion, euthanasia
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An institution of higher education in England has agreed to recognize a Catholic priest as a chaplain after declining to do so due to his tweets about abortion and euthanasia.
Fr. David Palmer of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Nottingham posted a statement from the University of Nottingham on Twitter Saturday, indicating that the institution had "introduced a revised procedure for the recognition of chaplains of all faiths who are nominated to work in the university Chaplaincy."
The new policy essentially involves a new chaplain going through a one-year trial period to determine if "the role is right for both the individual and the multi-faith environment in Nottingham."
"Following constructive and helpful dialogue with the Diocese of Nottingham over recent weeks, it has been agreed that Father David Palmer will be recognised under this procedure as university chaplain for the Catholic faith," the letter stated.
Palmer responded to the news by proclaiming that he looks forward to "getting on with the job."
Nottingham University have released a statement with the agreement of the Diocese of Nottingham. I look forward to getting on with the job, starting with Mass tomorrow morning. pic.twitter.com/WOZaHmBaGW Fr David Palmer (@FrDavidPalmer) September 25, 2021
Palmer announced on Aug. 9 that the bishop of Nottingham asked him to be a chaplain to university students.
Two weeks later, he reported that the University of Nottingham would not "officially" recognize him as a chaplain because of his belief that "assisted dying is killing the vulnerable." He noted that his position on euthanasia aligns with the Catholic Church's teaching on the matter.
"They objected to my Twitter account," he added. "When I asked which tweets they considered 'problematic' they mentioned two one where I had referred to 'assisted dying' as a plan to 'allow the NHS to kill the vulnerable' I was told that this language was not appropriate."
According to Palmer, the university also expressed concern about one of his tweets calling abortion the "slaughter of babies." He stressed that he "refused to back down and defended both tweets as reflecting Catholic belief."
"The abortion tweet was specifically referring to Joe Biden policies on abortion and his receiving of holy communion regardless," Palmer explained.
On Sept. 9, a group of former lay chaplains at the University of Nottingham wrote a letter to the school's vice-chancellor urging the college to reconsider its refusal to recognize Palmer as a chaplain.
The abortion tweet was specifically referring to Joe Biden policies on abortion and his receiving of holy communion regardless. Fr David Palmer (@FrDavidPalmer) August 24, 2021
"Fr. Palmer's views on the sanctity of life from the moment of conception until natural death are views we too share," they wrote. "We took the same stance whilst recognised by you as Catholic Lay Chaplains and believe Fr. David's views and language are within the lexicon of mainstream Catholicism. These are fundamental views of the Church, found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and articulated in far more robust terms than Fr. Palmer's by popes and saints down through the ages."
Alleging that the refusal to recognize Palmer creates "the appearance of the deliberate targeting of a religious minority," they shared their belief that "strong articulation of the position of the Church on moral issues in no way negates the ability to offer pastoral support to individuals in their unique moments of need."
"Catholic belief firmly expressed on topical issues currently the focus of national and international debate cannot be a litmus test for a lack of pastoral sensitivity," the former chaplains concluded.
As part of the statement announcing Palmer's appointment, Registrar Paul Greatrix vowed to "fully respect and safeguard our community's freedom of speech and our chaplains' expressions of the tenets of their faith."
The @UniofNottingham claim that Catholic Chaplaincy remains unchanged as the current chaplain would remain, (statement to BBC), referring to the Catholic, assistant, Lay Chaplain. A group of former UoN Lay Chaplains wrote to @ShearerWest to highlight how lacking this truly is pic.twitter.com/S9JXzXlDMq Fr Jonathan Whitby-Smith (@FrJWhitbySmith) September 13, 2021
In a separate tweet, Palmer expressed gratitude to the "lots of people" who "helped us behind the scenes." He specifically thanked Alliance Defending Freedom International and the Free Speech Union for providing "invaluable" legal advice.
The initial refusal to recognize Palmer as a Catholic chaplain is not the first time the University of Nottingham has faced accusations of expressing hostility toward those who hold pro-life beliefs.
In 2020, midwifery student Julia Rynkiewicz was suspended from her hospital placement due to her involvement with the pro-life Students for Life Society.
After a four-month suspension and a "fitness-to-practice investigation," the University of Nottingham apologized to Rynkiewicz for suspending her and paid her an undisclosed settlement.
Evangelicals push for new bishop after Church in Wales allows pastors to bless gay marriages
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Evangelicals who hold to traditional Christian teaching on sexuality and marriage are pushing for a new bishop to be appointed in the Church in Wales following the results of an early September vote to allow pastors to bless same-sex marriages.
The Church in Wales, composed of six Anglican dioceses in the United Kingdom, does not allow clergy to conduct legally binding same-sex marriage ceremonies. However, in a Sept. 6 vote of 28 to 12 in favor with two abstentions, clergy were approved to host blessing ceremonies for same-sex unions in their churches.
On Monday, members of the Evangelical Fellowship within the Church in Wales expressed formal disagreement with the vote.
In a statement, EFCW addressed the Church in Wales Governing Body, asking for more "clarity and consistency" in the plan to protect and care for dissenting churches and leaders.
EFCW is calling for a new bishop, whom it said, can represent those who "hold to an understanding of the doctrine of marriage as only being between a man and a woman."
The fellowship further expressed that it finds that the Governing Body of the Church in Wales "no longer properly represents the convictions of the wider membership of the Church in Wales."
"[EFCW] deeply regrets the recent decision of the Governing Body to authorise a liturgy to bless same-sex civil marriages and partnerships [and] we recognise the difficulties faced by the bishops and others within the Church in Wales as they have wrestled to bring better pastoral provision for those who are LGBT," the statement reads.
The statement acknowledges that the church has "not always engaged well" with the LGBT community by being "deeply insensitive" and "hurtful."
"This is something of which we repent unreservedly," the statement expressed. "The Good News of Jesus Christ is for all people, regardless of sexual orientation. However, the decision to introduce a rite allowing for the blessing of same-sex unions, while well-intentioned, is the wrong step for the Church to take."
The EFCW finds that the Church in Wales has "departed from" the apostolic faith as revealed in Scripture.
"The only biblical context for sexual activity is heterosexual marriage," the statement argued. "The new rite for the blessing of same-sex unions, which introduces liturgy permitting the blessing of same-sex civil marriages, has, de facto, changed the Church's doctrine on marriage."
EFCW also said they find that the approved vote has caused damage to the Church in Wales' relationship with "the majority of the provinces in the global Anglican Communion" which has taken a stance "committed to an orthodox understanding of human sexuality."
Relationships with bishops and clerics who choose to perform such blessings are now "impaired," the statement stated.
"This decision has brought disunity to God's Church," EFCW added. "Such disunity is a grave and serious matter which grieves the heart of God. The decision dishonours those who, persuaded that Scripture teaches that sexual activity is restricted to heterosexual marriage, have chosen to remain celibate, often at tremendous personal cost."
As a result of the vote, ECFW claims there are a "significant number of Welsh Anglicans" who are faced with the "tough decisions as to where their future spiritual home lies." There "have been and will be resignations from Clergy, Lay Readers, Worship Leaders, Church Wardens, Sunday School Teachers and parishioners."
"A number have withdrawn their regular giving to their churches. Others are determined to remain in the Church in Wales structure. A significant number are seeking help and guidance on deciding their future in the Church in Wales," the statement adds.
"EFCW is committed to helping in this discernment process, including conversations with those offering alternative Anglican structures, and will continue to offer fellowship for all Evangelical Anglicans regardless of whether they stay in the Church in Wales or leave it."
While some clergy have been told that dissenting ministers will not have to surrender their church buildings for blessing services, the statement warns that other bishops "believe they can exercise their prerogative to insist that a same-sex blessing service take place in any building in their Diocese, regardless of the conscience of the local cleric."
"This needs clarity and consistency across the Province with details on how dissenting PCCs, Lay Officers, congregations (as well as ministers) may be protected and cared for if they do not wish their church buildings to be available for such services," the statement asserts.
Even with the current "difficulties, pain and grief," the fellowship assures that it will continue to place its "hope and trust in God."
"God has not abandoned Wales or His people," the statement concludes. "We pray for all those engaged in proclaiming Christ boldly and faithfully to this nation, for it is in Him that help and salvation are found."
Marjorie Taylor Greene, Debbie Dingell shout over whos a good Christian on Capitol steps
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Two congresswomen got into a heated debate over what it means to be a good Christian shortly after the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that would codify the right to abortion into federal law.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., got into a heated shouting match on the steps of the U.S. Capitol Friday after the Democrat-controlled House voted 218-211 to approve the Women's Health Protection Act. The bill received the support of all but one House Democrat and was opposed by all congressional Republicans.
Also known as H.R. 3755, the bill seeks to protect access to abortion nationwide and overrule laws and regulations like Texas' controversial Senate Bill 8, which bans most abortions in the state as early as six weeks gestation.
The bill would also invalidate Texas' more recently passed Senate Bill 4, which prohibits a person "from providing an abortioninducing drug to a pregnant woman without satisfying the applicable informed consent requirements for abortions."
A viral video of the shouting match, shared on Twitter, shows Greene heckling Democrats on the steps of the Capitol as they held a press conference about the Democrats' "Build Back Better for Women" campaign after approving the legislation.
"You should all be ashamed. Killing a baby up until birth is a lack of civility. It's called murder!" Greene yelled.
"You should practice the basic thing you're taught in church: respect your neighbors!" a visibly miffed Dingell replied.
Greene did not take kindly to the questioning of her Christianity and she responded forcefully to Dingell.
"Taught in church?" she shot back. "Are you kidding me? Try being a Christian and supporting life."
Dingell furiously shouted back at Dingell: "You try being a Christian ... and try treating your colleagues decently!"
Dingell almost slipped on the steps of the Capitol as she continued her back-and-forth with Greene.
Republican Rep. @mtgreenee gets into a shouting match with Democrats, incl. @BettyMcCollum04 and @RepDebDingell at the Democrats Build Back Better for Women photo-op pic.twitter.com/S3AZX1zfJg bryan metzger (@metzgov) September 24, 2021
Tricia Flanagan, a Republican congressional candidate from New Jersey, expressed her belief that Greene reflects "REAL Christianity."
Taking to Twitter Saturday, Flanagan asserted that "Debbie Dingell is demanding that Christians be lukewarm. Dingell says be nice, don't make waves, do what you're told."
Debbie Dingell is demanding that Christians be lukewarm.
Dingell says be nice, dont make waves, do what youre told.
REAL Christianity fights back with Truth!
REAL Christianity stands up for Life!
REAL Christianity is ready to ROAR!
Bravo @mtgreenee
with you all the way. pic.twitter.com/tvucwngc6Y Tricia Flanagan (R-NJ) (@NewDayForNJ) September 25, 2021
"REAL Christianity fights back with Truth! REAL Christianity stands up for Life! REAL Christianity is ready to ROAR! Bravo @mtgreenee with you all the way," she added.
Meanwhile, Ron Fournier, a Detroit-based communications consultant who formerly worked for The Associated Press and National Journal, suggested on Twitter that Greene did not reflect God's grace.
"@RepDebDingell is classy, caring and kind, a woman filled with God's grace, a dedicated public servant who puts her country above party and power. @RepMTG is none of those things," Fournier contended.
.?@RepDebDingell? is classy, caring and kind, a woman filled with Gods grace, a dedicated public servant who puts her country above party and power. ?@RepMTG? is none of those things. https://t.co/LWTf7J5Ret Ron Fournier (@ron_fournier) September 25, 2021
While the congresswomen and their supporters debate who's acting more in a Christ-like manner, a recent study from Arizona Christian University shows that of an estimated 176 million American adults who identify as Christian, only 6% actually subscribe to a biblical worldview.
The study showed that most of America's self-identified Christians, including many who identify as evangelicals, believe that God is the all-powerful, all-knowing Creator of the universe. At the same time, more than half reject several biblical teachings and principles, including the existence of the Holy Spirit.
Additionally, the study revealed that most Christians believe that all religious faiths are of equal value, that people are essentially good and that they can use acts of goodness to earn their way into Heaven. The study also concluded that most Christians don't believe in moral absolutes, cite feelings, experience or the input of friends and family as their most trusted sources of moral guidance and say that having faith matters more than which faith one chooses to practice.
George Barna, the lead researcher at Arizona Christian University's Cultural Research Center, reacted to the results in a statement.
"Too often, it seems, people who are simply religious, or regular churchgoers, or perhaps people who want a certain reputation or image embrace the label 'Christian,' regardless of their spiritual life and intentions," Barna said.
"'Christian' has become somewhat of a generic term rather than a name that reflects a deep commitment to passionately pursuing and being like Jesus Christ," he added.
Liz Cheney apologizes for previous opposition to same-sex marriage: 'I was wrong'
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Outspoken Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., has apologized for her previous opposition to same-sex marriage as she continues to fight for her political career.
The 55-year-old lawmaker apologized for her previous opposition to gay marriage in an interview with CBS' Lesley Stahl, which aired on "60 Minutes" Saturday.
Cheney, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney and sister of the openly lesbian Mary Cheney, was pressed by Stahl about her "long-held opposition to same-sex marriage."
Noting that her opposition to same-sex marriage "prompted a bitter falling out with her sister, Mary," who is in a same-sex marriage with children, Stahl asked Cheney, "how do you defend what you did?" Cheney responded by apologizing: "I was wrong."
"I was wrong. I love my sister very much. I love her family very much and I was wrong," she said. "It's a very personal issue, very personal for my family."
After expressing her belief that her "dad was right" to come out in support of same-sex marriage as she initially doubled down in her opposition, Cheney explained that she has reconciled with her sister.
Elaborating on her new position, she claimed that "We have to recognize as human beings that we need to work against discrimination of all kinds in our country, in our state."
Six years after the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Obergefell v. Hodges that invalidated state-level same-sex marriage bans nationwide, Republicans have largely avoided campaigning on the issue. Public opinion polling shows widespread support for allowing same-sex couples to marry in the U.S.
The debate about LGBT issues has shifted as Democrats have rallied behind the Equality Act, which they argue is necessary to codify nondiscrimination protections for the LGBT community into federal law.
Republicans, meanwhile, have expressed concern about the law's impacts on religious liberty, privacy rights and women's rights. Cheney joined nearly all of her Republican colleagues in the House of Representatives in opposing the measure when it came up for a vote in 2019 and 2021.
The bulk of the interview focused on how Cheney has established a reputation as a fierce critic of former President Donald Trump, who carried her state by more than 40 percentage points in the 2020 presidential election. She was one of 10 Republicans who voted to impeach the former president, alleging that he incited an insurrection on Jan. 6.
Cheney's consistent criticism of the former president, who still holds considerable sway within the Republican Party, caused Republicans to oust her from her position as chair of the House Republican Caucus.
Even after the Wyoming Republican Party censured her for her vote in support of impeachment, Cheney continued to focus on the events of Jan. 6. She broke with her Republican colleagues by openly embracing the committee established to investigate the events that led up to the storming of the U.S. Capitol.
Cheney's criticism of Trump has caused her to attract many primary challengers as she seeks a fourth term in office. Trump has endorsed Harriet Hageman, a recent entry into the race whom Stahl described as "a longtime Cheney supporter and family friend."
Polls conducted of the race thus far show Cheney losing to primary challengers, two of whom have exited the race following Hageman's entry. A survey conducted in July by McLaughlin & Associates found Cheney winning 23% of the vote against primary challenger Chuck Gray, who captured 25% in a three-way race featuring a second primary challenger, Darin Smith. Both Smith and Gray have since exited the race.
A previous poll conducted by McLaughlin & Associates in January found Cheney losing by more than 30 points in head-to-head matchups with potential primary challengers while trailing by a smaller margin in a three-way race.
An April poll conducted by Club for Growth found Cheney losing her primary by 38 points to a "generic opponent," who captured 52% of the vote.
Stahl mentioned in her report that Cheney had received the support of former President George W. Bush. Responding to news that Bush and his former chief strategist Karl Rove would be campaigning on Cheney's behalf, Trump released a statement mocking "RINO former President George 'Dubya' Bush and his flunky Karl Rove" for "endorsing warmongering and very low polling, Liz Cheney."
Trump slammed Bush for getting the United States "in the quicksand of the Middle East and, after spending trillions of dollars and killing nearly a million people." He alleged that "the Middle East was left in worse shape after 21 years than it was when he started his stupidity."
Trump consistently expressed disapproval of Bush's foreign policy dating back to his days on the campaign trail and criticized Cheney for embracing a strongly interventionist foreign policy during his Jan. 6 speech, a clip of which was included in the "60 Minutes" report.
Oklahoma man arrested for allegedly sending death threats to pro-life Texas lawmakers
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A 20-year-old man from Oklahoma was recently arrested for sending death threats to Texas legislators who supported the state's controversial fetal heartbeat abortion law.
Austin Wendell Lund was booked last week by Payne County authorities and faces charges including instigating a terrorism hoax and threatening to perform an act of violence.
Lund allegedly threatened 101 Texas lawmakers, stating on a series of Reddit posts that he was "filled with rage at the Texas abortion law passing." Senate Bill 8, also known as the Texas Heartbeat Act, bans most abortions after a baby's heartbeat is detected, usually around six weeks into pregnancy.
"You are not people to me and if I get the chance I plan to play out my sickest fantasies with your bodies, I fully intend to," Lund allegedly posted, as reported by KOTV of Tulsa, Okla.
Democratic state Rep. Ana Maria Ramos of Dallas, a Texas lawmaker who voted against the heartbeat abortion ban, denounced the death threats against her pro-life colleagues.
"It's never OK," stated Ramos, as reported by local outlet CBS DFW last Friday. "And it's scary for all of us, because these are my colleagues."
"These are human beings, that people on the House floor and in [the] legislature, people have also [been] sacrificing their time to fight for what they feel is best for our country. So, so it's never OK."
Republican state Rep. Matt Shaheen of Plano, a legislator who supported the heartbeat law and was among those threatened, said that getting a death threat was not news, per se.
"You're alarmed at first, but quite frankly, every once in a while, we receive these types of threats," continued Shaheen, as reported by CBS DFW.
Shaheen also defended his support for Senate Bill 8.
"It's really, really simple to me," he said. "If there's a little baby with a heartbeat, it deserves to live. The Declaration of Independence says we are endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights and among those are life. So that little baby is a little life."
Senate Bill 8 went into effect on Sept. 1, after the U.S. Supreme Court denied the request of abortion providers and advocacy groups to block the law's implementation. The new law allows private citizens to sue anyone who performs illegal abortions or helps a woman obtain an illegal abortion.
The law has garnered much backlash, including a lawsuit by the Biden administration and the publication of a statement signed by more than 50 companies condemning the measure. Notable signatories include Lyft, Yelp and Ben & Jerry's.
Although the law has received intense opposition from pro-abortion groups and the Biden administration, the American public is evenly divided in its views on Senate Bill 8.
A Rasmussen poll conducted shortly after its passage found that a plurality of Americans (46%) support the law while 43% oppose it. At the same time, 46% of Americans said they approved of President Joe Biden's vow to launch a "whole-of-government effort ... to ensure that women in Texas have access to safe and legal abortions."
The threats against the Texas lawmakers come after the pro-life group Texas Right to Life received a bomb threat at it's headquarters in the Houston suburb of Bellaire earlier this month. Police ordered the evacuation of the facility when a suspicious package was delivered.
While the package ultimately did not include an explosive device, the Bellaire Police Department noted in a statement that it's investigating the incident as a "terroristic threat," which is punishable with a fine of up to $4,000 and up to one year in jail.
Pastor pledges to stop eating until Congress passes climate bill but hopes it wont take long
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As Democrats in Congress push to pass President Joe Biden's climate plan in a $3.5 trillion budget bill that would direct billions of dollars to incentivize coal and natural gas-burning utilities to switch over to renewable energy, a Wisconsin pastor pledged to stop eating on Saturday until the legislation is approved or he reaches 6% body fat.
The Rev. Jonathan Barker, a pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Kenosha, revealed in a Facebook post that he had his last meal of "stir fry vegetables and rice" at 4:26 p.m. Saturday after he felt led by God to embark on a period of fasting and prayer for climate change.
"I have to confess that I have been avoiding this fast. God has been trying to get my attention, but I've kept making excuses," he wrote in the post along with a photo of himself eating in a "Green New Deal" hat.
"Like Jonah, I feel like I was running in the exact opposite way God wanted as I put off this fast. But this morning, like Jeremiah, when I woke up, God put a fire in my bones I could no longer ignore. So this afternoon as I made lunch, I told Rae what God was calling me to do, and she encouraged me to follow my heart."
Barker, whose church is affiliated with the liberal Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, hoped his fast would end as early as Monday. But he will have to wait longer as a motion to move forward with the legislation failed in the U.S. Senate. Senate Democrats will try to pass a bill funding government operations past the yearend before the deadline on Thursday, according to the Associated Press.
"The parameters of this fast are going to be a little different. I'm hoping the big climate bill will pass on Monday or early this week and then I'll be done. If that doesn't happen, I'm going to take this one week at a time and closely evaluate how I am feeling each week as I discern whether or not I can continue. Also, if I get to 6% body fat I will immediately stop fasting," Barker wrote. "I would appreciate your prayers for miraculous strength for this fast and quick action in passing this climate bill."
The Kenosha pastor said government action on climate change this week is a "once-in-a-species moment to avoid catastrophic warming."
"The path to limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees is to pass this big climate bill in the United States and then use that as leverage at COP 26 in Glasgow this fall to convince other countries to take strong climate action as well--they have been waiting for us to act," he wrote.
"What happens this week, and the weeks to come, will be remembered in 500 years as either the moment humanity turned the corner on catastrophic climate change or the moment we missed our last opportunity to act, dooming future generations to intensified wildfires, heat waves, floods, hurricanes, and hundreds of millions of climate refugees," he argued.
"I am praying and fasting that this love-your-neighbor-as-yourself bill passes. And, I call each Christian and person of good will to join me in prayer and fasting that this once-in-a-species bill passes. And as we pray and fast, we need to let our Members of Congress know we are praying and fasting for them to pass this bill."
Mom blasts school board for allowing books promoting pedophilia in school libraries
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WARNING: The following article contains sexually explicit content
A concerned mother has slammed one of the largest school districts in the United States for including sexually explicit books in their high school libraries, which she classified as pornography for their graphic descriptions of sex acts between men and boys.
The parent of a student in Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia read aloud sexually explicit material and shared graphic images featured in two books available in the districts high school libraries at a school board meeting on Thursday. A video of her addressing the board, uploaded by the advocacy group Do Better FCPS, has received more than 300,000 views.
Stacy Langton explained, After seeing a September 9 school board meeting in Texas on pornography in the schools, I decided to check the titles at my childs school, Fairfax High School. Langton held up the two books singled out at the Texas school board meeting that are also available in several public high schools in Fairfax County. She said that both of these books include pedophilia, [and] sex between men and boys.
Both books describe different acts, she added. One book describes a fourth-grade boy performing oral sex on an adult male. The other book has detailed illustrations of a man having sex with a boy.
Langton added, The illustrations include fellatio, sex toys, masturbation and violent nudity. She read aloud from one of the books, Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe: I cant wait to have your c**k in my mouth. I am going to give you the b**w job of your life and then I want you inside me.
She then read an excerpt from the other book, titled Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison: What if I told you I touched another guys d**k? What if I told you I sucked it? I was 10 years old but its true. I s**ked Doug Gobles d**k, the real estate guy, and he s**ked mine too.
As Langton maintained that this is not an oversight at Fairfax High School, a school board member interrupted and told her that there are children in the audience here.
In an article on Substack, Asra Normani, the vice president for strategy and investigations at the grassroots advocacy organization Parents Defending Education, who attended the meeting, disputed the assertion that children were present at the meeting.
Langton, who didn't appreciate the board member's interruption of her time to speak, added: Do not interrupt my time. I will stand here until my time is restored and my time is finished. These books are in stock and available in the libraries of Robinson, Langley and Annandale High Schools.
A school board member then suggested that teenagers' access to the books is OK because they're only available for high school students. However, the majority of high school students are younger than 18, which is the age of consent in Virginia.
Before her time was up, Langton replied to the board member's assertion, saying, Pornography is offensive to all people; it is offensive to common decency. When Langtons time came to a close, the school board attempted to introduce the next speaker as many in the crowd gave the mother a round of applause.
Langton remained at the podium as parents expressed their anger at the school board by chanting, Go to jail! As a security official tried to escort her away from the podium, Langton alleged that This board is in violation of the law of the state of Virginia called 18.2-376! This board should be charged accordingly!
At last night's @FCPSNews school board meeting, brave mom Stacy Langton revealed porn + pedophilia in library books. The board cut her mic + fled but I was able to record Stacy. Parents yelled, "Shame!" at the board for turning the county into #Fairfaxxx. No rest for @defendinged pic.twitter.com/efbT6c79H2 Asra Q. Nomani (@AsraNomani) September 24, 2021
The law cited by Langton is one of Virginias Crimes Involving Morals and Decency. It declares that It shall be unlawful for any person to knowingly prepare, print, publish, or circulate, or cause to be prepared, printed, published or circulated, any notice or advertisement of any obscene performance or exhibition.
Another member of the audience remarked that this is child pornography and every one of you all should be arrested for allowing this bullcrap to be perpetrated in our schools and infecting the minds of these children.
In response to the criticism, one member of the board, Karl Frisch, took to Twitter and implicitly defended the inclusion of the book in high school libraries: Its not every week the School Board receives two exorcisms during public comment. To be clear, nothing will disrupt our Boards commitment to LGBTQIA+ students, families, and staff. Nothing.
It's not every week the School Board receives two exorcisms during public comment. To be clear, nothing will disrupt our Board's commitment to LGBTQIA+ students, families, and staff. Nothing. ?????????????????? Karl Frisch (@KarlFrischFCPS) September 24, 2021
Fairfax County Public Schools released a statement Friday announcing that The circulation of these books has been suspended, while a committee reviews and makes recommendations about the text. After outlining the process for the Request for Reconsideration of Library or Instructional Material, the statement indicated that two committees had been formed to determine whether to remove the books from the schools.
VICTORY. BREAKING @fcpsnews was hammered with calls + emails today from angry parents. At 4:46 PM its public relations machine announces: "The circulation of these books has been suspended, while a committee reviews and makes recommendations about the text." It's still #Fairfaxxx pic.twitter.com/P60v8POYwE Asra Q. Nomani (@AsraNomani) September 24, 2021
Each committee will include two teachers, two parents, one school-based administrator, one member of the Equity and Cultural Responsiveness team, and two high school students. Each year, we identify potential committee members by working with our schools and regions. The committee members will be randomly selected from the list, though we will ensure that the students selected are 18 years of age given the concerns.
The controversy is the latest example of school boards facing pushback over some of the material taught to children in public schools. In nearby Loudoun County, Virginia, parents read aloud similar literature their high school children were exposed to in a high school English class at a school board meeting this past spring.
Earlier this month, Mayor Craig Shubert of Hudson, Ohio, called on the school board to resign or face criminal charges for allowing a book titled, 642 Things to Write About.
The book features sexually explicit writing prompts intended for use in a college-level English class taught in the districts high school. Like Langton and parents in Loudoun County, parents of students in the Hudson City School District read some of the sexually explicit writing prompts that children taking the class were asked to write about to the board.
Prompts students were asked to write about included instructions to explain a time when you wanted to orgasm but couldnt and write a sex scene you wouldnt show your mom.
Concerns about the kind of material children are exposed to in public schools have led to the foundation of several advocacy organizations, including Parents Defending Education and the 1776 Project PAC, which seeks to get school board people in there who can actually start reversing it.
Evangelical foster agency can't refuse same-sex couples, UK appeals court rules
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The Court of Appeal in England and Wales has ruled that an evangelical foster agency may not place foster children only in the homes of opposite-sex married couples.
Cornerstone (North East) Adoption and Fostering Service, also known as CornerstoneUK, plans to appeal last Friday's ruling holding that the group could limit families it works with to evangelical Christians but could not require that they be heterosexual married couples.
The three-justice panel of the Court of Appeal upheld a lower court ruling against Cornerstone. The Christian Institute has vowed to take the case to the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom.
"The difficulty with this logic is that it equates religious discrimination with sexual orientation discrimination in all circumstances when that is something that Parliament has not done," the ruling states.
"Parliament has, speaking broadly, chosen to give priority to religious faith in a private context but to give priority to sexual orientation where public services are concerned always subject to considerations of proportionality in the individual case."
Simon Calvert of the Christian Institute, which is helping to represent Cornerstone, told The Christian Post on Monday via email that the Court of Appeal "wrongly concluded that" Cornerstone was "unlawfully discriminating on grounds of sexual orientation."
"The Courts incorrectly stated that Cornerstone recruits carers on behalf of local authorities and therefore cannot rely on equality law exceptions created for religious organisations," Calvert explained.
"These exceptions protect their ability to make distinctions on grounds of sexual orientation without falling foul of discrimination law. The crucial fact is that Cornerstone recruits carers on its own behalf, not on behalf of local authorities."
Calvert explained that it was "the placing of children which is done on behalf of local authorities." Therefore, "Cornerstone is free to rely on these exceptions which are vital to protecting its distinctively Christian mission."
In 2019, the government's Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (OFSTED) issued a report on Cornerstone concluding that the evangelical agency was "inadequate" due to its policy of only placing children with opposite-sex married couples who agree to the organization's statement of faith.
According to OFSTED, this policy meant that Cornerstone was not compliant with the Equality Act of 2010 and the Human Rights Act of 1998.
Cornerstone disputed the designation, arguing that the charity qualified for exemptions under British law and that its refusal on religious grounds to place children with same-sex couples was justified.
In last Friday's ruling, the Court of Appeal maintained that if "Cornerstone's argument were correct, it could take advantage of the parts of the legislation that protect it and ignore the parts that protect others."
Cornerstone CEO Pam Birtle said in a statement released by The Christian Institute that while she was "disappointed" by the ruling, she believes her organization "won more than it had lost."
"Ofsted's attempt to tell us that we could not work exclusively with Christian carers was rejected by the High Court and has been even more firmly rejected by today's Court of Appeal ruling," stated Birtle.
"We are convinced that equality law protects our ability to operate in a distinctively evangelical way. For the law to do any less would be a breach of human rights and a denial of the values of a liberal democracy."
In the U.S., the Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that the city of Philadelphia could not exclude a Catholic charity from its foster care program because the group won't place children with same-sex couples.
Government fails to act neutrally when it proceeds in a manner intolerant of religious beliefs or restricts practices because of their religious nature, wrote Chief Justice John Roberts.
The refusal of Philadelphia to contract with CSS for the provision of foster care services unless it agrees to certify same-sex couples as foster parents cannot survive strict scrutiny, and violates the First Amendment.
DALLAS (AP) United Airlines says the number of employees facing termination for refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19 has dropped nearly by half, to 320, after more of its 67,000 U.S. workers provided evidence of vaccination.
An airline spokeswoman said Thursday that the declining number of potential firings shows that the company's policy of requiring vaccinations is working.
United Airlines announced in August that it would require U.S. employees to get vaccinated, calling it an important safety measure. Employees faced a deadline this Monday to upload images of their vaccination cards showing that they had gotten at least one shot.
The airline said Tuesday that 593 employees faced termination. On Thursday, United reduced that number and said that more than 99% of its workers have either become vaccinated or applied for a medical or religious exemption. People whose exemption requests are approved will be put on medical or other leave status and could lose their income.
Our vaccine policy continues to prove requirements work," spokeswoman Leslie Scott said in a statement. In less than 48 hours, the number of unvaccinated employees who began the process of being separated from the company has been cut almost in half."
Chicago-based United has the toughest vaccination policy among major U.S. airlines. Delta Air Lines is requiring vaccination or weekly testing, but will begin charging unvaccinated workers on the company health plan a $200 monthly surcharge starting in November.
American and Southwest have offered incentives for employees to get vaccinated, but have not indicated how they will comply with President Joe Biden's order that employers with more than 100 workers require vaccination or weekly testing. Both airlines are based in Texas, where state officials are trying to limit mandates for vaccination and mask-wearing, and resistance to vaccination is stronger than in many other parts of the country.
Pilot unions at American and Southwest are resisting mandatory vaccination and are pushing instead for alternatives such as COVID-19 testing.
According to their union, 4,200 of American's 14,000 pilots are not vaccinated.
United's experience underscores that very few workers usually fewer than 1% are willing to quit or get fired because of vaccination mandates.
Novant Health, a North Carolina hospital system, said this week that about 175 of its 35,000 employees were fired for failing to get vaccinated. At Houston Methodist hospital system, about 150 of the 26,000 employees were fired in June.
Like mask-wearing, Biden's order to require workers at large companies to get vaccinated or tested regularly has become a political issue. A poll released Thursday by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that Biden's order is supported by three-fourths of Democrats but only one-fourth of Republicans.
Six United employees who got exemptions are suing the airline in federal district court in Texas, claiming they are being discriminated against because of medical conditions or religious beliefs. United has said the lawsuit has no merit.
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David Koenig can be reached at www.twitter.com/airlinewriter
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) Droughts that cause leaves to turn brown and wither before they can reach peak color. Heat waves prompting leaves to fall before autumn even arrives. Extreme weather events like hurricanes that strip trees of their leaves altogether.
For a cheery autumnal activity, leaf peeping is facing some serious threats from the era of climate change.
Leaf peeping, the practice of traveling to watch nature display its fall colors, is a beloved annual activity in many corners of the country, especially New England and New York. But recent seasons have been disrupted by weather conditions there and elsewhere, and the trend is likely to continue as the planet warms, said arborists, conservationists and ecologists.
Typically, by the end of September, leaves cascade into warmer hues throughout the U.S. This year, many areas have yet to even pivot from their summer green shades. In northern Maine, where peak conditions typically arrive in late September, forest rangers had reported less than 70% color change and moderate leaf drop on Wednesday.
Across the country in Denver, high temperatures have left dead, dry edges of leaves early in the season, said Michael Sundberg, a certified arborist in the area.
Instead of trees doing this gradual change, they get thrown these wacky weather events. They change all of a sudden, or they drop leaves early, Sundberg said. Its been a few years since we've had a really good leaf year where you just drive around town and see really good color.
The reason climate change can be bad for fall foliage has a bit to do with plant biology. When fall arrives, and day length and temperature drop, the chlorophyll in a leaf breaks down, and that causes it to lose its green color. The green gives way to the yellows, reds and oranges that make for dramatic autumn displays.
Achieving those peak colors is a delicate balance, and one jeopardized by changes in the environment, said Paul Schaberg, a research plant physiologist with the U.S. Forest Service based in Burlington, Vermont. Warm fall temperatures can cause leaves to remain green longer and delay the onset of what leaf peepers look for in terms of fall color, he said.
Worse, dry summers can stress trees and cause their leaves to miss the fall color turn altogether, Schaberg said. A 2003 study in the journal Tree Physiology that Schaberg cowrote stated that environmental stress can accelerate leaf deterioration.
If climate change is going to mean significant drought, that means trees are going to shut down, and many trees are just going to drop their leaves, he said. Severe droughts that really mean that the tree just can't function that doesn't improve color.
It's happening already. This summer's heatwave in the Pacific Northwest brought temperatures of over 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 Celsius) to Oregon, and that led to a condition called foliage scorch, in which leaves prematurely browned, said Chris Still, a professor at the Forest Ecosystems & Society department at Oregon State University.
The leaves' pigment was degraded and they fell shortly thereafter, Still said. That will lead to a less scenic fall season in parts of Oregon.
That's a really big example of color change just due to heatwave shock, Still said.
Climate change also poses longer-term threats that could disrupt leaf peeping. The spread of diseases and invasive pests and the northward creep of tree species are all factors tied to warming temperatures that could make for less vibrant fall colors, said Andrew Richardson, a professor of ecosystem science at Northern Arizona University.
The onset of fall colors, which has been drifting later into the fall, could also continue to arrive later, said Jim Salge, foliage expert for Yankee magazine.
My observations in the last decade have had more years that were later than what we would consider historical averages, he said.
The economic impact of poor leaf peeping seasons could also be consequential. Officials throughout New England have said fall tourism brings billions of dollars into those states every year.
Conservationists say that's a good reason to focus on preserving forests and reducing burning fossil fuels. Recent fall seasons have been less spectacular than typical in Massachusetts, but leaf peeping can stay a part of the state's heritage if forests are given the protections they need, said Andy Finton, landscape conservation director and forest ecologist for The Nature Conservancy.
If we can keep the big, important forests intact, they will provide what we've depended on clean air, clean water, clean forests, as well as fall inspiration, Finton said.
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Texas SB 8, the most restrictive abortion ban in the country, effectively outlawing the procedure after six weeks, has been in effect for almost one month. In that time, hundreds of Texans have been forced to spend hundreds of dollars and drive hours to neighboring states to receive abortion care.
According to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, all that traveling Texas women are being forced to do is actually a good thing. In a filing made yesterday, Paxton argued SB 8 was great for interstate commerce.
[I]f anything, the Act is stimulating rather than obstructing interstate travel, Paxton wrote, citing the stories of Texans who were forced to travel to Oklahoma and Kansas to obtain abortions.
The Supreme Court declined to intervene and stop the law from going into effect earlier this month on technical grounds. Because the new law empowers individuals from anywhere to sue doctors in Texas for providing abortions, it was unclear who should be sued to stop the law from going into effect. The court was unconvinced by the argument that judges and county clerks tasked with arbitrating lawsuits under SB 8 were the right defendants. The Biden administration has tried a different tack: citing testimony from doctors in nearby states, the DOJ has argued it has grounds to sue Texas based on the impact SB 8 is having on interstate commerce.
One of those doctors was Dr. Joshua Yap, the sole health care provider at the Planned Parenthood health center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In the DOJ suit, Yap testified to an unprecedented surge in demand for appointments from Texans.
In the first two weeks after the law took effect, Yap said that he treated 69 patients from the state of Texas a 646 percent increase compared to a normal week at the clinic. And he only expects that number to grow: For the two weeks following his testimony, the doctor said, 240 Texans had already made appointments to have abortions at Oklahoma health centers. Those patients, he added, were coming from as far as Austin, Houston, Round Rock and San Antonio a five to eight hour drive, one-way.
Pregnant people from Texas are scared and are frantically trying to get appointments, Yap said. They are doing everything they can to get to a state that will allow them to terminate their pregnancies.
One of the most heart-wrenching cases, Yap testified, involved a minor who had been raped by a family member and forced to travel from Galveston, Texas, a more than 7 hour drive one-way, to receive an abortion in Oklahoma.
The distance Texans have been forced to travel is just one facet of the burden SB 8 has put on them. Anna Rupani of Fund Texas Choice, which provides financial support for women seeking abortions, told Rolling Stone earlier this month that the cost of abortion care has skyrocketed as travel costs increased, rising from what was $350 on the high end, to more than $2,000 in some cases.
A district court in Austin will hear arguments to suspend the law from the Department of Justice on Friday.
Americans have long had a reputation for being terrible tourists: loud, rude and too often clad in tube socks.
In the years leading up to the pandemic, we got even worse. Not more boisterous or more badly dressed. But driven by cheap flights and cruises, an explosion of vacation rentals and social media-fueled FOMO we were flooding the world, and wrecking it.
Countless people benefit from and depend on tourism. But travelers have also contributed to climate change, destroyed coral reefs and driven residents out of cities once praised for their livability. In 2019, passenger planes blasted record amounts of carbon emissions into the air. That same year, Mount Everest was so overwhelmed with trash that China closed the base camp on its side of the peak to tourists without climbing permits. The Louvre got so jammed that workers walked out in protest.
Its not just Americans who are to blame for this mess. There were 1.5 billion international overnight trips in 2019, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization; Europeans accounted for roughly half of these stays, Asians a quarter. But we were the biggest spenders after the Chinese, lavishing some $150 billion on our holidays.
Then the pandemic forced a reset. Now that we are traveling again, we have a chance to usher in a better era. We can stop loving destinations to death.
To do that, we need to travel less and more carefully.
The last time you planned a vacation, you probably spent a lot of time on research. You may have compared hotel costs and restaurant ratings, or tried to judge the cleanliness of a campground or the walking distance to ski lifts.
What if, in addition to asking how to maximize our enjoyment, we spent some time considering a different question: What impact will my presence have?
Travelers have to do research to get the answer. But if millions of people can scour Facebook, Twitter and other platforms for #travelinspiration, we can mine these sources for context, too. A search for overtourism on Twitter, for example, offers some useful information about fragile destinations to avoid.
This summer, Preethi Harbuck, a travel blogger, canceled a trip to Maui, which was struggling with a COVID surge, a water shortage and a tourist deluge. Her family could have blithely pressed ahead; many others did. But listening to locals on social media convinced her that doing so wouldnt be considerate or responsible.
The vast majority of Hawaiian voices that I could find were saying, Please dont come right now, Ms. Harbuck told me. Her family went to the U.S. Virgin Islands instead.
Approaching travel this way requires a mind-set shift. It may be more pleasurable to browse photos of five-star hotels than it is to review Friends of the Earths annual Cruise Ship Report Card. But there is a payoff: Caring about the places we travel to and the people who live there can make us feel more connected to them.
Some simple changes in how we plan travel can help. Rather than following the crowds, the hashtags or the influencers, look to old-fashioned sources of inspiration, from places mentioned in favorite books to memories of childhood holidays. You could even take that dusty globe off your shelf to get ideas.
Ask yourself what kind of trip youre looking for a beach escape? a culinary adventure? then seek out a lower density version of the hot spot you initially had in mind. Opt out of Pariss overheated restaurant scene, for example, and feast in Padua, Italy, or the Mexican state of Chiapas. Skip Yosemite National Park and try Pinnacles National Park, a few hours away. Travel during the off-season, stay in small inns and guesthouses, and explore the areas cuisine as much as possible, to keep your dollars in local hands.
Of course, its always important to keep a close eye on any travel restrictions and recommendations from the places you want to visit especially now, because of COVID and make sure to comply with them fully, for your own sake and the safety of others.
One surprising way to be a more conscientious traveler is to book a group tour with a responsible operator. Tours may get a bad rap from travelers who prize independence and authenticity, but some operators steer visitors away from over-touristed areas and use their deep local knowledge to support off-the-beaten track small businesses, says Megan Epler Wood, the managing director of the Sustainable Tourism Asset Management Program at Cornell University. The kind of company you want to pick can show you how theyre measuring the impact of their travel, she said. Thats an important area where the consumer will have an impact.
Governments and corporations have the most power when it comes to managing tourism, says Wood, but they almost always opt for a more-is-more approach. Decisions about, say, how many flights can land in Maui are often disconnected from the desires and welfare of local communities. Thats why our own choices as travelers are so crucial.
Some of the most fundamental changes we can make start at home. Xavier Font, a professor of sustainability marketing at the University of Surrey in Britain, believes that often, we travel to escape unhappy daily lives. We even binge on travel the way we might on food.
When you can no longer cope with your job and your bills and your pressures, getting on an airplane and going somewhere warmer and sunnier, where youre not held to account, is really tempting, he told me.
One antidote is to find more joy in your everyday life and community. We can start by getting to know our neighbors and neighborhoods better, as many people did during the pandemic. We can forgo the convenience of big box stores and deliveries, and patronize the kinds of small businesses we enjoy browsing in when were abroad.
Organize old-fashioned block parties, as the City of Santa Monica in California is encouraging residents to do, to channel Romes festive piazzas. Seek out nearby hot springs instead of spewing emissions all the way to Iceland. Grow and share tomatoes like those that your friend Instagrammed in Greece.
When travel is toxic, locals suffer the most. But it hurts tourists, too. We visit national parks to commune with nature, not overflowing parking lots. Being jostled by a crowd is no way to experience a great work of art or architecture. If we continue to exploit the worlds gifts, we may lose them as they degrade into ruins or are closed to outsiders.
Just as some of us are trying to stop stuffing our closets with disposable fast fashion, lets stop gorging on cheap travel. Planning fewer, longer, more meaningful trips can mean more enduring memories and destinations.
Sara Clemence is the former travel editor of The Wall Street Journal. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) Two former prison guards at Leavenworth Detention Center have been indicted by a federal grand jury on counts accusing them of smuggling drugs and other contraband into the prison, according to federal authorities.
Jacqueline Sifuentes, 25, of Laredo, Texas, and Cheyonte Harris, 29, of Raytown, Missouri, were both indicted Sept. 22, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release Thursday.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) Five men were indicted Thursday in the fatal drive-by shooting of a 4-year-old girl in Florida.
A Hillsborough County jury formally charged Zvante Sampson, 30; Quandarious Hammond, 28; Jaylin Bedward, 22; James Denson, 24; and Andrew Thompson, 22. They have been taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Florida Regional Fugitive Task Force, according to a Tampa police news release.
Determined to keep track of their guns, some U.S. military units have turned to a technology that could let enemies detect troops on the battlefield, The Associated Press has found.
The rollout on Army and Air Force bases continues even though the Department of Defense itself describes putting the technology in firearms as a significant security risk.
The Marines have rejected radio frequency identification technology in weapons for that very reason, and the Navy said this week that it was halting its own dalliance.
RFID, as the technology is known, is infused throughout daily civilian life. Thin RFID tags help drivers zip through toll booths, hospitals locate tools and supermarkets track their stock. Tags are in some identity documents, airline baggage tags and even amusement park wristbands.
When embedded in military guns, tags can trim hours off time-intensive tasks, such as weapon counts and distribution. Outside the armory, however, the same silent, invisible signals that help automate inventory checks could become an unwanted tracking beacon.
The AP scrutinized how the U.S. armed services use technology to keep closer control of their firearms as part of an investigation into stolen and missing military guns some of which have been used in street violence.
The examination included new field tests that showed even low-tech enemies could identify U.S. troops at distances far greater than what contractors who install RFID systems say.
Which is why a spokesman for the Department of Defense said its policymakers oppose embedding tags in firearms except in limited, very specific cases, such as guns that are used only at a firing range not in combat or to guard bases.
It would pose a significant operations security risk in the field, allowing an adversary to easily identify DOD personnel operating locations and potentially even their identity, Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Uriah Orland told AP.
Spokespeople at the headquarters of the Air Force and Army said they did not know how many units have converted their armories.
AP found five Air Force bases that have operated at least one RFID armory, and one more that plans a retrofit.
A Florida-based Army Green Berets unit, the 7th Special Forces Group, confirmed it uses the technology in a few arms rooms. Special forces soldiers can take tagged weapons into the field, said Maj. Dan Lessard, a special forces spokesman. A separate pilot project at Fort Bragg, the sprawling Army base in North Carolina, was suspended due to COVID-19.
The Navy told AP one armory on a base up the coast from Los Angeles was using RFID for inventory. Then this week, after extended questioning, spokesman Lt. Lewis Aldridge abruptly said that the technology didnt meet operational requirements and wouldnt be used across the service.
With unit commanders looking to bolster armory security, defense contractors have offered a familiar technology one with origins in the development of radar during World War II.
In the U.S. military, RFID use grew in the 1990s, after the first Gulf War showed a need to untangle vast supply chains of shipping containers. Its use has migrated to weapons management in more recent years. Government armories in Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere have been outfitted.
Conversions cost thousands of dollars, and sometimes more. Convenience is a big selling point. Instead of hand-recording firearm serial numbers on paper or scanning barcodes one-by-one like a cashier, an armorer can read tags in multiple firearms with the wave of a handheld reader and without having to see each weapon. The tags tucked inside dont even need batteries.
Contractors that retrofit armories say tags can be read only within a limited range, typically a few dozen feet or less. But in field testing for AP, two prominent cybersecurity experts showed that a tag inside a rifle can be detected from significantly farther, using inexpensive components that fit in a backpack.
Because the hackers were following federal regulations that limit the power of radio signals, their RFID reader system lost the tag at 210 feet (64 meters). Enemies who would not feel so restricted could detect tags miles away, said Kristin Paget, the Hacker Princess who has worked at tech titans including Apple and Tesla.
The RFID system Paget and her hacking partner Marc Rogers cobbled together cost about $500. They said a tinkerer with YouTube access could learn the needed skills.
Executives at two companies that have installed RFID armories at Air Force bases said they had never heard of a 210-foot reading.
One said he didnt believe it. Eric Collins, the CEO of Trackable Solutions, said hed heard concerns about troop tracking for years, but insisted it wasnt a problem because even with a stronger power source no reader could find a tag more than several dozen feet away.
RFID in weapons poses absolutely no risk at all, Collins said. He called the Pentagons security concerns invalid: The leadership needs their staff to give them better guidance.
But a top weapons expert from the Marine Corps said he witnessed how tags can be read from afar during training exercises in the Southern California desert in December 2018.
RFID tags on tanks, weapons, magazines, you can ping them and find the disposition of where units are, said Wesley Turner, who was a Marine chief warrant officer 5 when he spoke in a spring interview. If I can ping it, I can find it and I can shoot you.
The Corps has decided not to tag guns because doing so would boost troops digital signature on the battlefield, increasing the security/force protection risks, according to spokesman Capt. Andrew Wood.
In written statements, spokespeople for the Air Force and Army said unit commanders can add RFID systems as a further layer of accountability, but no service-wide requirement is planned.
Policy experts within the Office of the Secretary of Defense appeared unaware that the services have been tagging firearms.
Asked why its branches can field a technology that Pentagon planners consider so risky, Defense Department spokesman Orland first said that the services told the Pentagon they are not tagging guns due to security concerns.
Informed that AP found units which acknowledge using the technology, the Pentagon revised its statement and said it allows service branches to explore innovative solutions. The Defense Department tries to balance pre-emptive prohibitions due to current security risks with flexibility to adopt new technologies when they mature and those risks decrease, Orland said.
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LaPorta reported from Hickman, California, Pritchard reported from Los Angeles, and Hall reported from Nashville, Tennessee. Also contributing were Serginho Roosblad in San Francisco and Martha Mendoza in Santa Cruz, California.
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Contact LaPorta at https://twitter.com/jimlaporta; contact Pritchard at https://twitter.com/JPritchardAP; contact Hall at https://twitter.com/kmhall.
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Email APs Global Investigations Team at investigative@ap.org or https://www.ap.org/tips/. See other work at https://www.apnews.com/hub/ap-investigations.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) Arkansas lawmakers considered competing redistricting proposals that would divide the state's most populous county between congressional seats on Wednesday.
The House and Senate State Agencies and Governmental Affairs committees did not advance any proposals for redrawing districts as the Legislature reconvened to redraw the states four U.S. House boundaries. Both panels showed support for plans that would divide Pulaski County.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) A teenage boy was shot and critically wounded Thursday inside a school in Memphis, Tennessee, and police detained a second boy believed to be the shooter. The K-8 school was placed on lockdown and students were taken by bus to a nearby church to be reunited with frantic parents.
Memphis police identified both the victim of the shooting at the Cummings School and the alleged shooter as 13-year-old boys, Assistant Police Chief Don Crowe said. Both were students at the school.
The wounded child underwent surgery at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital and was expected to recover, officials said. Crowe said the shooting took place in a stairwell. Video footage showed there were no other students in the stairwell when the shooting occured, Crowe said.
The suspect fled the school after the shooting, but later surrendered at a police precinct. He was expected to be charged with criminal attempt of first-degree murder and taken to juvenile court, Crowe said.
Police have not released details about what led to the shooting, where the alleged shooter got the gun, and where on his body the wounded child was shot. School officials said Cummings performs random metal detector scans on students.
We also have to think, How did a 13-year-old get their hands on a gun?' Crowe said. "It's a question we all want the answer to. I'm not sure we'll ever find the full truth. But certainly, it begs of everyone to keep their guns secure."
After the shooting, parents held umbrellas in a light drizzle and talked with each other as they waited for children to arrive at the church. Ebonnie Hayslett rushed to the school to make sure her two nieces were safe.
The worst news you could receive is a shooting at a kids school," she said. "My main concern was the kids being OK, the teachers, the faculty. No one wants to go pick up their kids and be surrounded by SWAT cars and police officers.
A school resource officer who was inside the building responded to the shooting and informed police about it, said Shelby County Schools Superintendent Joris Ray. A school nurse applied pressure to the child's wound to help stop the bleeding, Ray said.
Students were lined up and taken out of the school into buses, which brought them to the church.
Tempers flared briefly as parents lined up outside the church, demanding information about the shooting and pushing for the release of their kids. When the students were dismissed, some of them were crying and hugging their parents as they left the church.
Ray said emergency procedures were followed closely. He praised teachers and staff for keeping the children calm and safe, and for using training from an active shooter drill held in early September.
Ray became emotional while speaking with news reporters outside Metropolitan Baptist Church.
Were doing all we can to keep our students safe, Ray said. We cant allow our children to hurt from gun violence.
School board president Michelle McKissack acknowledged that the relatively young age of the detained student, 13, was shocking.
A former TV news reporter, McKissack recalled covering the 1998 Westside Middle School shooting in Jonesboro, Arkansas, which was committed by two boys ages 13 and 11. Four students and a teacher were killed, and 10 others were wounded.
It was very shocking today to find out that this was happening at a middle school, McKissack said.
The shooting is the latest in a rash of incidents in the past two years in which children in Memphis have been shot, some fatally.
Dr. Barry Gilmore, chief medical officer at Le Bonheur, said more than 100 children have been treated for gunshot wounds this year at the hospital. He added that Le Bonheur was expected to surpass its single-year record of 135 child gunshot patients, set last year.
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Reynolds reported from Louisville, Kentucky.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum on Thursday recommended legislators quickly spend most of the $1 billion of federal coronavirus aid the state received this year on infrastructure, economic development and other projects to avoid inflation and rising construction costs.
The second-term Republican governor, in an address at the state Capitol, also recommended using a portion of the states better-than-expected ending fund balance of $1.1 billion in the last two-year budget cycle to provide $207 million in income tax relief to residents and $100 million to bolster the states troubled pension fund, which is threatened to be exhausted in time if lawmakers do not take action.
Burgum, who dubbed his spending plan Accelerate ND, earlier asked state agencies for proposals as a way to set priorities for the federal coronavirus relief money. The proposals totaled nearly $5 billion.
Legislative leaders said they have been meeting for the past several weeks with the governor and agreed in principle to some of the themes in his spending blueprint. The Legislature, which controls spending on state government, will eventually decide where the money goes.
The Legislature is already set to reconvene Nov. 8 to finish work on legislative redistricting. However, lawmakers have just four days left that they can meet until 2023 under the North Dakota Constitution, leaving them little time to squeeze in anything besides redistricting. The Legislature already met 76 of the 80 days allotted under the constitution every two years.
Burgum could call a special session, though, and that would give lawmakers as much time as they need to address the coronavirus funds.
Burgum declined to say if he would do that.
Senate Appropriations Chairman Ray Holmberg, a Republican from Grand Forks, said lawmakers have yet to prioritize how the money would be spent, and would look closely Burgums blueprint. However, he does not think all of the federal money needs to be spent as quickly as possible.
There is something to be said about showing restraint and not spending every penny, said Holmberg, the longtime chairman of the powerful committee.
A previous appropriation of $1.25 billion in federal coronavirus aid last year already has been spent or earmarked for spending.
The more recent round of money must be assigned by the end of 2024 and spent by the end of 2026, under federal rules.
GOP House Majority Leader Chet Pollert said he believed there is some commonality between Burgums wishes and the Legislature on how the money should be spent, particularly on infrastructure projects.
But, he said. legislators are the appropriators and they want input.
PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) Murder charges were dismissed Thursday against a man who spent 15 years in prison for the fire-related deaths of five children in suburban Detroit, the climax of an investigation that found misconduct by police and prosecutors.
Juwan Deering will not face a second trial, Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald said. A judge granted her request to close the case a week after Deering's convictions and life sentences were thrown out at her urging.
Wearing a three-piece suit, Deering, 50, walked into court shackled at the waist but departed as a free man with no restraints.
Its been a hard uphill battle. ... The sun couldn't shine on not a brighter day. This is the brightest for me," Deering said moments later as family members clung to him on a cloudless morning and other Detroit-area men exonerated of crimes stood nearby.
Deering praised the new prosecutor for her exceptional work.
I told her it took a lot of strength to step up against the status quo, he said.
McDonald, a former judge who was elected in 2020, took a fresh look at Deering's case at the request of the University of Michigan law school's Innocence Clinic.
Favorable evidence, including statements by a fire survivor, was not shared with his defense lawyer before the 2006 trial, and jurors didn't know that jail informants were given significant benefits for their testimony against Deering, McDonald said.
Deering has insisted he was innocent in a fire that killed children in his neighborhood in Royal Oak Township in 2000. No one could identify him as being at the house. Authorities at the time said the fire was revenge for unpaid drug debts.
The prosecutor said a dozen law enforcement professionals last week unanimously determined there was insufficient evidence to tie Deering to the fire. The investigation between 2000 and 2006 was totally compromised by misconduct, McDonald said.
There is only one ethical and constitutional remedy, she said in dropping the case.
Law students earlier had been trying to get a new trial for Deering, arguing that the fire analysis was based on junk science. Those requests were unsuccessful in Michigans appellate courts.
McDonald said it's possible the fire was not an arson as Deering's legal team has long maintained. She said state police are investigating it again.
Once there was a belief that it was intentionally set, it was solve it at all costs. There was an unchecked culture here, said Imran Syed of the law school. Cutting corners has enormous consequences.
Deering could be eligible for more than $700,000 from the state, under a law that pays $50,000 for every year spent in prison if new evidence is cited in a wrongful conviction.
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Follow Ed White at http://twitter.com/edwritez
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) Leaders of the four parties that made up the last coalition government in the Netherlands agreed Thursday more than six months after a general election to join forces again for another four-year term, leading negotiators said.
The decision moves the drawn-out process of forming a new governing coalition into a new phase that involves sketching out a brief policy blueprint for the next four years and selecting ministers. Only then can a new Dutch government be sworn in by King Willem-Alexander.
Caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who is expected to lead what would be his fourth government, insisted the next administration would not be more of the same even though the coalition consists of the same four parties: Rutte's People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, the centrist D66, the Christian Democrats and the Christian Union.
There's a huge amount of work to be done, and I think these parties will have to draw up a program to reflect that, Rutte said. It will be a new start, a new culture, with a new program.
It was not immediately clear how long it would take to complete the next round of talks.
The last government quit in January to take political responsibility for a scandal in which the countrys tax authorities wrongly labeled as fraudsters many families who were claiming child welfare benefits.
It was the latest scandal to hit Rutte's third Cabinet amid an increasingly tense relationship with lawmakers and calls for a new culture of openness from the government.
Johan Remkes, the official who led coalition talks in recent weeks, said in his final report that five opposition parties also should be invited to play a role in upcoming negotiations about a brief policy blueprint.
After months of on-off talks, the process of forming a workable coalition finally progressed after D66 leader Sigrid Kaag said Thursday she was prepared to begin negotiations to re-form the four-party Cabinet whose resignation led to a March 17 election,
Kaag long ruled out joining a coalition with the Christian Union party due to ideological differences but removed the condition in recent days in an attempt to breathe new life into the ailing talks.
She said she wants an ambitious policy blueprint for the next government.
This means that the Netherlands will become a climate frontrunner in Europe, that we will make the largest structural investment in education ever and that the Netherlands will take a leading role at the European Union, Kaag said.
She said her party wants the new coalition to be more progressive, more generous, more open and more humane.
But she sounded a note of caution about the next phase of talks.
Will it work? I do not know, said Kaag, who resigned as caretaker foreign minister two weeks ago over the chaotic Dutch evacuations from Afghanistan after the Taliban swept to power.
Jesse Klaver, leader of the Green Left opposition party, said the coalition had failed during its last term to tackle crises such as chronic housing shortages, climate change and inequality.
Why would that be different if the coalition continues?" Klaver tweeted. "What the Netherlands needs is change. This is more of the same.
Populist anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders slammed Kaag's decision, saying it was aimed at preventing her party from being punished by voters in the next elections.
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) County jails across New Mexico are contending with a high-risk environment for COVID-19 infection at the same time that many more beds are being filled with inmates, an association of county governments announced Wednesday.
Grace Philips, general counsel to New Mexico Counties alliance of local governments, warned legislators that overall coronavirus vaccination rates among staff at county detention centers are lower than the statewide average 61% versus about 71% for adults in general.
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) At least 32 people have been killed in Nigerias north after armed groups attacked remote communities in 2 states, authorities said, the latest incident in a spiraling cycle of violence in Africas most populous country.
Local officials and residents told The Associated Press that the killings and the abduction of 24 persons in Niger and Sokoto states were carried out by the marauding gunmen operating across the northwest and central parts of Nigeria who are notorious for abducting hundreds of school children and travelers for ransom.
The attacks happened barely 48 hours after about 40 persons were killed in the northern region in what residents said could be a part of a prolonged religious conflict between Muslim and Christian communities in Kaduna state.
In the north central Niger state, assailants attacked Muya local government area on Tuesday morning, killing 14 people and abducting seven women, according to Garba Mohammed, the chairman of Munya LGA. The police spokesperson confirmed the incident to the AP but said he had no further details.
These bandits invaded one of the communities around 2 a.m. yesterday, set the houses ablaze, burnt the people in their rooms while some of them (the attackers) were standing outside; those trying to escape were caught and slaughtered, said Mohammed.
After the raid in Kachiwe, the assailants went to two more communities nearby, killing 2 persons they saw on their way before killing 16 more residents, the official added.
Mohammed said the gunmen took advantage of the blockade of telecommunications access. Authorities imposed the block to stem the exchange of information between gunmen and local residents who were acting as informants.
During a similar attack in the northwest Sokoto state, 17 persons were abducted from their homes in Sabon Birni local government area, according to Amina Al-Mustapha, the state lawmaker from the affected area.
The bandits attacked the Gatawa community in the neighboring country Niger on Tuesday, less than a week after earlier attacking the area and killing 22 persons mostly security operatives,
We are under bandits now; We are suffering now, the lawmaker said, adding that at least 60% of about 500,000 residents in Sabon Birni have fled the community, some taking refuge in Niger Republic which is just about 100 miles (160 kilometers) away.
Violent attacks by the assailants known locally as bandits are common across the northwest and central parts of Nigeria, especially in remote communities where there is no adequate security presence.
Authorities have said that special military operations targeted at restoring peace in the troubled states have been yielding results with dozens of the assailants often killed when their hideouts in abandoned forest reserves are bombarded.
But Nigerias security operatives, especially those operating in violence hotspots, are still outnumbered by the gunmen who often raid communities in their hundreds. The assailants are made up of various groups and security analysts have said they are mostly young men from the Fulani ethnic group who had traditionally worked as nomadic cattle herders and are caught up in a decades-long conflict with Hausa farming communities over access to water and grazing land.
In Sokoto state, lawmaker Al-Mustapha told AP that the Sabon Birni area had five military bases as of last year, but "now, we have only one in the entire with security operatives present, with the others abandoned after suffering attacks.
BOSTON (AP) The former head of a Massachusetts homeless shelter stole about $1.5 million in part by secretly renting properties he owned to the shelter at above-market rates, prosecutors said Thursday.
Manuel Duran, 69, then falsely certified compliance with state regulations designed to detect such actions, according to a statement from the office of state Attorney General Maura Healey.
LANSING, Mich. (AP) Two more local health department in Michigan rescinded their school masking requirement Thursday despite Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer saying she will not enforce Republican-written budget provisions that threaten funding for counties with COVID-19 orders.
The moves by Allegan County south of Grand Rapids and the Barry-Eaton District west of Lansing came a day after Berrien County in the state's southwestern corner repealed a face covering mandate. The health department for Dickinson and Iron counties in the Upper Peninsula acted last week.
The governor signed the spending plan Wednesday but said two provisions related to local mask and quarantine orders are unconstitutional and have no effect. One reason is the public health law cannot be amended with a budget bill.
The decision to rescind the K-6 mask requirement was not made lightly and has challenged us ethically, professionally and personally, Allegan County health officer Angelique Joynes said in a statement. However, we cannot risk our essential local public health services funding, which is around $1 million of our total budget and provides the ability for us to continue to offer those services."
Eleven health departments covering 15 counties, and nearly half the state's residents, appeared to have stuck with mandates to reduce the spread of the virus as of late Thursday.
Local health departments should keep their mask policies in place, Whitmer spokesman Bobby Leddy said, adding that the state will continue to send funding to the agencies. As the governor has made clear, the budget provisions that attempt to prohibit these policies clearly violate the state constitution.
At least three departments without masking orders rescinded or planned to repeal quarantine orders St. Clair, Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph and Ionia said Norm Hess, executive director of the Michigan Association for Local Public Health.
By and large, health officers believe that in the end this unenforceability concept will stand and that their money would be released. But for some of them, the very specter of a lawsuit coming their way is really too much risk for them, he said.
He believes the boilerplate language is inapplicable but said health departments should follow their lawyers' advice.
It's very unfortunate that this language was put in there. It has caused huge disruption, which I'm sure for some was the intent. It's very distressing that politics is once again putting public health out there on the tip of the spear, Hess said.
GOP lawmakers say parents, not the government, should decide if their kids wear face coverings to school. Whitmer has declined to reinstate a statewide mask mandate, saying it is better for decisions to be made locally to increase the odds of compliance.
The budget does not restrict schools from requiring masks. The main provision in dispute states that local health departments would lose funding if they have a pandemic order in place when the budget takes effect Friday, unless county commissioners vote to support the order.
Im glad to see some communities are moving back to local control through locally elected officials, said House Appropriations Committee Chairman Thomas Albert, a Lowell Republican. The Legislature included the mask mandate language in the budget because locally elected boards and parents are the ones who should be making these decisions not unelected bureaucrats. The House will respond to the governors enforceability analysis soon.
Allegan's health department said it asked the local board to add a resolution to Thursdays meeting agenda backing the mask measure, but it was not included.
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Follow David Eggert at https://twitter.com/DavidEggert00
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) A Maine man has been sentenced to three years of supervised release for making a hoax distress call about a boat taking on water.
A federal judge also sentenced Nathan Libby, 32, of Rockland, to four days of time served and ordered him to pay $17,500 in restitution to the U.S. Coast Guard. Libby communicated a false distress call for a vessel and crew in the vicinity of Spruce Head in December 2020, court documents said.
ASUNCION, Paraguay (AP) Indigenous groups demonstrated in Paraguay's capital Wednesday against a law that makes it a crime to invade private property, and the protest escalated into violence that authorities said saw seven police officers injured, four cars set on fire and other acts of vandalism.
The police command said one officer was hit by an arrow shot by archers from an ethnic group not yet identified. Television coverage showed the commander of a police station about 300 meters (yards) from the Congress building lying on the ground and being hit by demonstrators with stones and sticks. Prosecutors said those protesters could not be identified as Indigenous.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) Regulators want the family of West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice to pay a penalty and follow through on a promise to fix environmental problems at eastern Kentucky coal mines.
The Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet asked a circuit judge this week to enforce an agreement over reclamation violations against Justice; his son, Jay Justice; and several family coal companies. It included a $3 million penalty, plus interest, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported.
In a motion filed in Franklin County, the Kentucky agency wants to revoke five permits at Justice-company mines and seize money that had previously been posted for reclamation. The motion seeks to force the companies to fix the site violations and block any new or amended permits until then.
The Justices and their companies have been provided many second chances to meet their permit obligations and time and again have failed, the motion said.
Lexington attorney Richard Getty, who represents the family, said the states request was unnecessarily severe.
Justice has said many of the violations were inherited when he acquired the properties.
The companies admitted to hundreds of reclamation violations in eastern Kentucky in 2014 and agreed to monitor water quality, fix drainage problems, stabilize landslides, clean out sediment ponds and eliminate highwalls at dozens of mines.
After the companies missed a deadline to fix the issues, the state sued in 2015 to enforce the earlier agreement. A new settlement was reached in 2019 setting deadlines to complete reclamation work at five mines, along with other requirements.
Last year, Justice's companies agreed to pay more than $5 million for thousands of mine safety violations in a civil case brought by prosecutors in Virginia on behalf of the U.S. Department of Labor and the Mine Safety and Health Administration.
Justice blamed a bankrupt United Kingdom bank in a court filing earlier this year for fraudulently inducing him into personally guaranteeing $700 million in loans that were taken out by his companies.
The Republican governor, who Forbes recently took off its list of billionaires because of mounting debt, also revealed in a separate lawsuit that he is personally on the hook for $368 million to Virginia-based Carter Bank & Trust.
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont asked the National Guard on Thursday to be ready to help provide critical state services as a deadline looms for state workers to meet his COVID-19 vaccination mandate.
State employees have until 11:59 p.m. on Monday to provide proof of vaccination or compliance with weekly testing requirements if they are not vaccinated.
The governor's office said those who don't meet the mandate will be placed on unpaid leave as soon as Tuesday and no later than Monday, October 11.
I continue to remain optimistic that our employees will submit their testing and vaccination information quickly, Lamont said in a statement. But as we have done throughout the pandemic, we will prepare for the worst to prevent impacts to the critical services the state provides."
Just over 8,000 state employees had not complied with the mandate as of Thursday afternoon, the governor's office said. That represents about 25% of the state workforce. The number of non-compliant state workers has dropped by 2,000 over the past two days, Lamont's office said.
There is no reason all our employees should not be in compliance, Lamont said. "I continue to count on state employees to lead by example and to respect their co-workers and the public by complying with this executive order, which is the law.
Lamont said should the mandate lead to severe worker shortages, he will activate the Guard to support critical health and safety services in the state until replacement employees can be hired or employees comply with the mandate.
The news comes as Lamont's office released numbers showing that 53 people died in Connecticut over the past week from causes related to COVID-19.
That brings the state death toll during the pandemic to 8,629, a number which also reflects the addition of 93 deaths that occurred among Connecticut residents who died out of state during the pandemic. Most of those deaths occurred during 2020, the governor's office said.
LONDON (AP) A former London police officer was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole Thursday for the kidnapping, rape and murder of a woman he tricked into his car using his police identification and COVID-19 laws.
Wayne Couzens, 48, was accused of falsely arresting 33-year-old Sarah Everard for violating lockdown restrictions as she walked home from visiting a friend in south London on March 3. Prosecutors said Couzens, who was on the Metropolitan Police force at the time, handcuffed Everard, drove her far outside the city, and then raped and killed her.
He had pleaded guilty to the charges.
In handing down the sentence, Justice Adrian Fulford described the details of the case as devastating, tragic and wholly brutal." Couzens went hunting a lone female to kidnap and rape," having planned the crime in unspeakably grim detail, the judge said.
You have eroded the confidence that the public are entitled to have in the police forces of England and Wales," Fulford told the ex-officer, who had finished working an overnight shift at the U.S. Embassy on the day he kidnapped Everard.
The seriousness of the case was so exceptionally high that it warranted a whole life sentence, Fulford added. The sentence means that Couzens will die in prison with no chance of parole.
The body of Everard, a marketing executive, was found in woodland in Ashford, Kent, about 60 miles (nearly 100 kilometers) southeast of London, a week after she went missing. Prosecutors said Couzens strangled her with his police belt before setting fire to the body.
Couzens joined the Metropolitan Police in 2018 and had worked as part of a team protecting diplomatic locations in central London. During the U.K.s winter pandemic lockdown, he also spent time patrolling the city in search of people violating the governments restrictions on public activity.
He was arrested at his home in Deal in southeastern England after police connected him to a rental car he used to abduct Everard.
Everard's slaying and the officer's arrest prompted an outpouring of grief and anger across Britain, touching a nerve with women particularly because Everard was abducted while walking home along well-lit areas of Clapham and Brixton -- urban, busy areas of the capital frequented by scores of women and girls every day.
The case also raised wider questions about trust in police, with many asking how police vet their officers and others criticizing Scotland Yard for not doing enough to protect women and girls and tackle allegations of sexual violence.
After Couzens arrest, it emerged that he had been accused of indecent exposure at least twice before he murdered Everard, and the police department is being investigated over whether the allegations were dealt with properly.
Home Secretary Priti Patel said the Metropolitan Police force needed to answer serious questions about all the requirements and checks that should have been put in place regarding Couzens. But Patel backed London police chief Cressida Dick amid calls for the commissioner to resign.
Dick attended Thursday's sentencing hearing. She said outside the Central Criminal Court afterward that she recognized the case had damaged a precious bond of trust between the police force and the city it serves.
This man has brought shame on the Met. Speaking frankly as an organization, we have been rocked," the chief said.
Labour Party lawmaker Harriet Harman led calls for Dick, the Metropolitan Police's first female chief and Britain's most senior police officer, to step down. She said urged the implementation of urgent reforms, including the immediate suspension of officers accused of violence against women.
Women need to be confident that the police are there to make them safe, not to put them at risk," Harman wrote in a letter to Dick. Women need to be able to trust the police, not to fear them.
Also on Thursday, the suspect in a similar, more recent slaying appeared in court accused of the premeditated and predatory murder of a 28-year-old school teacher in southeast London.
Koci Selamaj, 36, is accused of attacking Sabina Nessa as she walked to meet a friend on Sept. 17. Her body was found a day later in a local park.
No woman should have to fear harassment or violence. We will do everything possible to prevent these abhorrent crimes and keep our communities safe, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said.
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) A man who threw a Molotov cocktail at an occupied Dover apartment building and smashed its gas meters last summer has been sentenced to five years in prison, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday.
Court documents state that Benjamin Glanden of Camden-Wyoming was arrested in June 2020 after police and the fire marshals office responded to a report of a man trying to start a fire at Liberty Court Apartments.
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) Mesa police fatally shot a suspected bank robber in Tempe, authorities said.
The suspect has not yet been identified following the Wednesday shooting.
Tempe police said officers with the Mesa Police Department were searching for a man who allegedly robbed a bank of more than $1,000 on Monday.
Officers spotted the suspect in his vehicle in a parking lot and told him to get out of the car, but the man refused.
SWAT teams responded and tried to negotiate with the man, who reportedly indicated that he was armed.
Authorities said the suspect got out of the vehicle and was shot. He was taken to a hospital where he later died.
Authorities said a gun was found near the man after he had been shot.
No police officers were injured, according to authorities.
HELENA, Mont. (AP) A judge has recused himself from a case challenging four new laws restricting access to abortion in Montana, a day before he was set to rule on whether to grant an injunction that would delay their implementation.
Unless the new judge grants an injunction Thursday before midnight, the laws will go into effect, putting new limits on access to abortion in the state.
The state had asked for the recusal in a court filing Wednesday, arguing that during a hearing on the abortion cases, District Court Judge Gregory Todd expressed personal bias and prejudice against the state regarding a separate case. That case relates to a new law changing the way judicial vacancies are filled.
Todd recused himself Thursday afternoon and was replaced with District Court Judge Michael Moses.
Planned Parenthood of Montana filed the lawsuit in August seeking to block four laws, including three that are set to go into effect on Oct. 1. The laws would ban abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy, restrict access to abortion pills and require abortion providers to ask patients if they would like to view an ultrasound.
The state's move to disqualify Todd from the case was an outrageous delay tactic," said Martha Stahl, president of Planned Parenthood of Montana.
Todd previously said he would issue a ruling on whether to grant a preliminary injunction on or before Thursday. If granted, such an injunction would have stopped the laws from going into effect as scheduled while the legal challenge was underway. It remains unknown if Moses will consider the injunction Thursday before the law goes into effect.
Planned Parenthood of Montana also filed an emergency petition to the state Supreme Court on Thursday asking justices to temporarily block the enforcement of the new abortion laws until the matter of the judge is resolved. That petition was denied after the new judge was appointed.
Planned Parenthood has argued the laws violate Montana's constitutional right to privacy, which they say protects access to abortion before the fetus is viable, generally at 24 weeks of pregnancy.
The suit names Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, a Republican, as a defendant. The state is represented in the case by the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative Christian legal group.
A spokesperson for Knudsen did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.
The state has argued the laws should be allowed to go into effect, and that they will help minimize the medical risks during pregnancy. But medical experts and abortion advocates broadly dispute that the new laws would make the procedure safer.
The laws were passed earlier this year by the Republican-dominated Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Greg Gianforte, who last November became Montanas first Republican governor in 16 years. His Democratic predecessors blocked previous attempts to limit abortion access.
Montana joins several other GOP-led states in passing additional restrictions on abortion access this year.
BANGKOK (AP) Myanmars military-installed government on Thursday defended its detention of an American journalist it has now held for four months, without offering any details of the crimes it alleges.
Military spokesman Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun did not elaborate in his response at a news conference to a question about Danny Fenster, who is awaiting trial on a charge of incitement, also called sedition. Fenster, 37, is managing editor of the Yangon-based online news and business magazine Frontier Myanmar.
The charge, used frequently against dissidents and journalists, criminalizes any attempt to cause fear, spread false news, or agitate directly or indirectly a criminal offense against a government employee. It is punishable by up to three years in prison.
Asked about the reason for the arrest, Zaw Min Tun responded: As for journalists, if they do only journalists work, there is no reason to arrest them. Danny Fenster did more than just what a journalist does. He said he could not say more, other than that Fenster was kept detained because he has been charged.
Fenster's lawyer and colleagues have denied any wrongdoing on his part.
Fenster was among about 100 journalists detained since the Feb. 1 military takeover ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. More than half have since been released, but free speech remains under tight restrictions, with independent media forced to operate underground or from outside the country. Resistance to military rule was initially met with widespread peaceful street protests, but security forces used deadly force against demonstrators killing more than 1,100 and now face violent counterattacks.
Zaw Min Tun denied Fenster's statement in mid-July that he believed he had contracted COVID-19 and was not given medicine he had requested. The authorities at Yangons Insein Prison also have denied he is infected. He also told his lawyer on Sept. 20 that he had not received a COVID-19 vaccination.
Danny Fenster is in good health, said Zaw Min Tun. The COVID-19 vaccine is being given to all those in prisons. It is up to him to decide whether or not to get vaccinated.
Fensters lawyer Than Zaw Aung said Fenster seemed demoralized when he last spoke with him in a video conference during a Sept. 20 court hearing.
His hair grew longer. He seemed disappointed and he told me in a frustrated tone that I have nothing to say, the lawyer said. I asked him if he had been vaccinated by the prison authorities, and he said no. His words showed that he is not feeling well. He didnt request anything.
Fenster was detained at Yangon International Airport on May 24 as he was trying to board a flight to the Detroit area in the United States to see his family, who are now leading a campaign for his release. The U.S. government and international media organizations backed their call for the release of Fenster and other journalists.
Than Zaw Aung said in July that his client was charged in connection with his previous job as a reporter and copy editor for the online news site Myanmar Now.
Myanmar Now, along with several other media outlets, had its license revoked in early March, banning it from publishing on any platform. However, it has continued to operate online.
Fenster resigned from Myanmar Now in July last year and joined Frontier Myanmar a month later, and it was unclear why he was arrested, his lawyer said.
What I can say is that he was accused as a staff member of Myanmar Now. Im not clear if it concerns a story posted on Myanmar Now or not, he said.
RENO, Nev. (AP) The Nevada Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a Salvadoran immigrant accused of killing four people during a string of crimes in 2019 must be tried separately in both counties where the slayings took place.
Prosecutors argued that Wilber Ernesto Martinez Guzman should be tried for all four killings in Washoe County, where a grand jury indicted him on four murder and five burglary charges.
In a 5-2 decision, the justices agreed with Martinez Guzmans public defenders that he is entitled to two trials, one in Washoe County for the deaths of a Reno couple and another in Douglas County for two women who were fatally shot in separate homes in rural Gardnerville.
The court ordered a Washoe County judge to dismiss the charges related to Douglas County because the grand jury in Reno lacked proper jurisdiction to indict him for those crimes.
The trial had been scheduled to begin early next year in Reno. Martinez Guzman was in the country illegally and had worked as a landscaper at all three properties where the four were killed over a two-week period, police said. They said he confessed to the shootings.
They say he stole a .22 caliber revolver from Gerald and Sharon David's Reno home on Jan. 4, 2019, burglarized and killed Connie Koontz five days later, then did the same to Sophia Renken the next week before burglarizing and killing the Davids on Jan. 15.
Prosecutors said the ruling will further delay a resolution in the case and that they will have to prosecute the same facts twice.
However, Washoe County District Attorney Chris Hicks said the prosecution remains his highest priority. Douglas County District Attorney Mark Jackson said the families of the victims know our commitment to seeking justice for the senseless murders of their loved ones.
They are seeking the death penalty if Martinez Guzman is convicted in the killings.
Prosecutors had argued that Nevada law allowed for one trial because the facts in the cases were intertwined, including evidence showing Martinez Guzman shot all four victims with the same gun he stole from the Davids' residence.
Those theories were too speculative and unsupported by the evidence" to allow the Douglas County killings to be tried in Washoe County, Justice Lidia Stiglich wrote in the majority opinion.
Justice Kristina Pickering, joined by Justice Ron Parraguirre, wrote in dissenting opinion that prosecutors had presented enough evidence that all the crimes were interconnected to warrant one trial in Washoe County.
But for obtaining the revolver in Washoe, he could not have committed the Douglas offenses, she wrote.
The majority acknowledged that the case touches on an important and largely unsettled legal question in Nevada: what nexus between where a crime is committed and where it is charged must exist to make venue proper?
While Nevada law provides some exceptions allowing some crimes to be prosecuted in more than one county, the prosecution had failed to satisfy the standards, the court said.
The majority said prosecutors argue that Martinez Guzman had an original plan to rob outbuildings and garages on the three properties and then changed his intent after finding the Davids firearm in Washoe County.
There is no evidence that Martinez Guzman took the firearm in preparation for the burglaries and murder in Douglas County, the ruling says.
In the dissent, Pickering wrote that the Legislature has passed laws to allow some crimes to be prosecuted in more than one county because there's no reason to conduct multiple trials and risk inconsistent results" when crimes are connected enough.
This is to say nothing of the level of extreme anguish communities, victims, victims families and criminal defendants face at the prospect of the sort of duplicate proceedings the majoritys approach would foster, she said.
SALISBURY, N.C. (AP) Authorities have apprehended a man who they say pulled a gun on a North Carolina sheriffs deputy, then head-butted her before running off from a fast-food restaurant and prompting a search.
News outlets reported a Rowan County sheriffs deputy was going to a drive-thru line early on Wednesday when workers asked her to check on two men who appeared to be passed out in a car in the line, according to a news release. The deputy and a Salisbury police officer dispatched to the scene spoke to one of the men, who kept putting his left hand under his leg despite commands to keep his hands where they could be seen, authorities said.
BIG CYPRESS, Fla. (AP) Three endangered Florida panthers were killed by separate vehicle strikes earlier this week, officials said.
That makes 18 panther deaths attributed to fatal collisions, out of 24 total deaths this year, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The remains of a 4-month-old male panther were found Tuesday within Big Cypress National Preserve in Collier County, and a 3-year-old male was found dead the same day on the western edge of the park, wildlife officials said. Also Tuesday, the remains of a 10-year-old female were found just north of Southwest Florida International Airport in Lee County.
Florida panthers once roamed the entire Southeast, but now their habitat mostly is confined to a small region of Florida along the Gulf of Mexico. Up to 230 Florida panthers remain in the wild.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) A plan to possibly sell the South Florida property where the collapse of a condo building killed 98 people to a United Arab Emirates-based developer was endorsed Thursday by a Florida judge.
Under the plan, the almost 2-acre (0.8-hectare), oceanfront property would be purchased for $120 million in cash by East Oceanside Development. At the same time, an attorney appointed to manage the interests of Champlain Towers South will continue to market the Surfside property, and an auction will be held if competitive bidders emerge willing to pay a higher price.
Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Michael Hanzman said during a court hearing that he would approve the plan, provided his court maintained jurisdiction over any lawsuits that come out of the proposed sale. He said he didn't want the property tied up in litigation" if the contract falls apart.
The proposed sales contract makes no mention of a memorial that many family members of survivors are pushing for at the property.
The collapse of the 12-story condominium last June is being examined by federal investigators, but homeowner association documents show that the building had many unaddressed repairs for years.
An appraiser has valued all the units of the building at more than $95 million, according to Michael Goldberg, the lawyer handling the interests of Champlain Towers South. Almost $50 million will be coming from insurance coverage.
The valuation of the the condos came from a fair market appraisal" of what they would have sold for the day before the collapse and used comparisons from other, similar properties, Goldberg said.
The judge told the condo owners that they would be able to review the appraisal of their units and he would listen to their concerns, but he still expected many of them would feel their units were being undervalued.
Its a science, not an art, Hanzman said. Its going to be one of those incidents when the perfect is going to have to be sacrificed for the greater good.
Plus, the judge said, if the amount of damage to the building had been known publicly before the collapse, the units probably couldn't be sold."
The judge also asked attorneys in the case to research how any excess between the $95 million appraisal value and a sale valued at $120 million or higher should be distributed. Without yet making a decision, Hanzman said he was inclined toward giving the additional money to the relatives of the 98 people who died in the building collapse.
He urged family members of the deceased and surviving owners not to fight over how proceeds are distributed.
We have 98 people who perished in this. If the choice I have is to give unit owners more, or take the excess and give it to relatives of family members who died, Im going to go with the latter, Hanzman said. These decisions are difficult. Its going to be sad, in my view, if we see unit owners going up against each other on this issue."
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Follow Mike Schneider on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MikeSchneiderAP.
CHICAGO (AP) When Democrats passed President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, Republicans called it liberal pet projects disguised as pandemic aid.
But now that Republican governors and local leaders have the money in hand, they are using it for things on their wish lists, too.
Alabama lawmakers are advancing a plan to use $400 million of the state's share toward building prisons in what Gov. Kay Ivey says is a great deal for taxpayers. In Texas, a Republican-led county is sending deputies to assist police along the U.S.-Mexico border and pledged to help Gov. Greg Abbott revive former President Donald Trump's plans for a border wall.
In other places, the money has been used to score political points or as leverage in partisan fights over COVID-19 precautions.
Decrying a defund the police, soft on crime liberal agenda, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp announced $1,000 bonuses for first responders paid for with the relief money. In Wyoming, a Republican legislative leader suggested the money could be used to pay the federal fines of businesses that defy Biden's vaccine mandate.
This probably isn't what the bill's supporters had in mind when Democrats approved the American Rescue Plan along party lines in March, and some Democrats have complained that Republicans are misusing the money. But it's the inevitable result of Washington sending money with few strings attached to places with very different and partisan ideas about how best to spend public dollars.
Democrats also are using the cash to fund their priorities, including expanding Medicaid benefits, putting in place a child tax credit and offering $4 billion in debt forgiveness for farmers of color. In Illinois, Republicans blasted the Democrats who control state government for handing out over $1 billion for capital projects and groups in Democrat-held districts. That included $250,000 for Black Lives Matter to do youth mentoring and $300,000 for a suburban Chicago drill team and drum corps.
The federal aid package provided $350 billion to states, counties, towns and tribes. It was billed as money for fighting the coronavirus, providing economic relief to small businesses and households, replacing revenue that governments lost during the pandemic and improving local water, sewer and broadband infrastructure. It also allowed for premium pay for essential workers, such as police officers, who faced the biggest health risks.
There were some clear restrictions, such as prohibiting funds from being used toward pensions or to cut taxes, and that led Republican attorneys general to sue. But the money came with more flexibility than most federal funding and a longer deadline for spending it. Officials say that will enable governments to deal with the current crisis and make more innovative, longer-term investments.
The Treasury Department says it has received roughly 1,000 public comments on proposed rules outlining how the money may be spent, including requests for clarifications of eligible uses. The department is monitoring expenditures and will require governments to repay any federal dollars that were used inappropriately, an official said.
But what qualifies as fighting COVID-19 or promoting economic recovery is often left up to the people spending the money.
In Galveston County, Texas, Republican county commissioners approved a plan to spend $6.6 million of its total $27 million in coronavirus relief money for security roughly 350 miles (560 kilometers) away on the U.S.-Mexico border. They say the money will protect residents from COVID-19 and other dangers brought by people entering the United States illegally. They approved a disaster declaration that says extraordinary measures must be taken, given an increase in the number of border crossings.
We have a deliberate public health and humanitarian crisis unfolding on our southern border that the Biden administration refuses to address, County Judge Mark Henry said.
So far, the county has spent $165,000 to send three constables deputies and five sheriffs deputies to the border, including to Del Rio, where thousands of Haitians convened recently at a makeshift encampment after crossing the Rio Grande. Galveston County plans to apply for reimbursement from the state, spokesman Zach Davidson said, after Texas legislators voted to approve reimbursements for counties that assist on the border.
In some places, lawmakers say American Rescue Plan dollars intended to make up for lost revenue are fair game to use as they see fit. That's the argument Ivey and other Republicans made as a plan advanced in the statehouse to use $400 million of Alabama's $2.2 billion share toward prison construction. After Democratic Rep. Jerrold Nadler of New York, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, wrote Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Tuesday seeking to block the $1.3 billion construction plan as a misuse of money, Ivey shot back with a letter of her own.
The fact is, the American Rescue Plan Act allows these funds to be used for lost revenue and sending a letter in the last hour will not change the way the law is written," Ivey said. These prisons need to be built, and we have crafted a fiscally conservative plan that will cost Alabamians the least amount of money to get to the solution required.
Asked Wednesday about Alabama's plan, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, I would be surprised if that was the intention of the funding."
Democrats in Texas' congressional delegation want Yellen to block Abbott from using coronavirus relief money for the border wall. They sent a letter after Abbott announced new, tougher plans to fight illegal immigration, including shifting $250 million in state money toward finishing Trump's border wall.
The costly monstrosity certainly should not be paid for directly or indirectly" with coronavirus relief money, the Democrats wrote.
Texas legislators are expected to debate how to use the states share of funds during a special session now underway.
In northwest Iowa, the Republican-led Woodbury County Board of Supervisors voted to use about $15 million in rescue funds to cover higher-than-projected costs for a new jail in Sioux City. Some residents said the money could be put to better use, but board members contended that it was a proper use of the money because the larger facility will allow inmates to be less crowded, helping prevent the spread of COVID-19.
In Wyoming, GOP Senate Majority Floor Leader Ogden Driskill suggested to a conservative online publication that a more creative approach to using the money would be to push back against Biden's vaccine mandate by paying any fines imposed on businesses that ignore it.
Its obviously COVID-related, Driskill said.
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Associated Press writers Kim Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama, Mead Gruver in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Paul Weber in Austin, Texas, contributed to this report.
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) The Taliban on Thursday ordered their fighters to leave private homes they had taken over during last month's blitz when the group seized control of Afghanistan, an apparent effort to impose order among Taliban ranks.
Meanwhile, in the capital of Kabul, the Taliban fired shots to disperse a women's rally demanding equal rights while the regional chief for the International Federation of the Red Cross warned that Afghanistan was sliding into a deep major humanitarian crisis with the coming winter and severe financial shortfalls.
The order by Taliban Prime Minister Hasan Akhund followed recent public statements by Taliban officials hinting at plans to improve organization and marshal fighters. It said Taliban members belonging to the militant group's defense, interior and intelligence agencies who are living in private homes need to report back to military bases" across the country.
In recent weeks, the Taliban abandoned their traditional, civilian dress and donned military fatigues to project an air of authority. Bilal Karimi, a Taliban security official, confirmed the directive to The Associated Press.
The Afghan army abandoned most of its positions or surrendered to the Taliban during the August blitz, allowing Taliban fighters to take over military bases as well.
In Kabul on Thursday, the Taliban fired shots to disperse a small rally of six women outside a local school, demanding equal rights to education. They confiscated posters held by the women that read: Do not burn our books!
Other women coming to join the protest in the Kart-e-Char neighborhood were later told to go home, according to a witness who spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing Taliban reprisal. Mawlawi Nasratullah, a Taliban official, later told reporters women had not asked for permission to rally.
Since their takeover, the Taliban have violently dispersed rallies by women demanding that the rights they had gained in the past 20 years in Afghanistan not be taken away. When they last ruled the country in the 1990s, the Taliban had imposed their harsh interpretation of Islamic law or Sharia, banishing women to their homes and denying them the right to education, work and a public life.
At a press conference in Kabul, Alexander Matheou, IFRC's regional director, predicted extremely difficult few months ahead as temperatures drop, compounding food shortages from drought and poverty. Cuts to health services put many vulnerable Afghans, particularly in rural areas, at risk, he added.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is appealing for 36 million Swiss Francs ($38 million) to continue funding health clinics, emergency relief, and other services across Afghanistan's 16 provinces. On Wednesday, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric asked donors to fast-track funding for a $606 million flash appeal that is only 22% funded to help 11 million Afghans for the remainder of the year.
There needs to be some solution to the financial flows into Afghanistan to ensure that at least salaries can be paid, and that essential supplies, power and water being two of them, can be procured, Matheou said.
Since the Taliban takeover in mid-August, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have paused disbursements to Kabul, while the U.S. froze billons of dollars in assets held in American accounts by the Afghan Central Bank. Foreign aid previously accounted for nearly 75% of Afghanistans public expenditure, according to a World Bank report.
Cuts to healthcare have resulted in 2,500 health facilities no longer working, and over 20,000 health staff, 7,000 of them women, no longer being paid, said Matheou as he concluded a five-day visit to the country.
The international community is divided over the issue of resuming aid to Afghanistan as the world waits to see whether they will again impose their harsh rule.
China, however, has delivered winter supplies Afghanistan and will soon start flying in food and other supplies as a friendly neighbor, the Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Thursday. The shipment arrived on Wednesday night.
China, which shares a narrow border with Afghanistan, has mocked the chaotic end to the U.S. presence in the country, and said Washington was to blame for the intensified hardships now facing the impoverished country under Taliban rule. Beijing has kept its embassy in Kabul open and established diplomatic ties with the Taliban.
Matheou said the diplomatic missions that have remained in Kabul after the Taliban takeover have taken a pragmatic approach to the reality as it stands now" on a Taliban-run Afghanistan. The IFRC envoy also met with representatives from Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey and Russia in Kabul.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) Nebraskans who need certain types of surgeries will need to wait longer under a public health measure that will continue through October.
Gov. Pete Ricketts announced Wednesday that he was extending the measure through Oct. 31 to help short-staffed hospitals cope with existing patients. The directed health measure had been scheduled to expire on Thursday.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) A lawsuit accuses the Catholic Diocese of Nashville of failing to protect a minor child from sexual abuse by an employee at a Murfreesboro church.
The suit filed on Monday in Circuit Court in Nashville claims the diocese received multiple warnings from parishioners and employees at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church that Michael Lewis had an inappropriate relationship with the plaintiff, who filed the lawsuit under the pseudonym of Jane Doe. Doe says the abuse began in 2014 when she was 13 years old and continued until 2017, when her family cut off contact with Lewis for what the lawsuit says was his controlling behavior.
Several months before that, a parishioner who was also a licensed clinical psychologist had written to then-Bishop David Choby expressing concerns about the relationship between Lewis, then the church's director of religious education, and the girl.
In response, Lewis was given a letter from the diocesean attorney instructing him to follow diocesan safe environment policies and follow professional standards set forth in the Dioceses code of conduct, according to the lawsuit. Lewis refused to sign and resigned his positioin instead, the lawsuit states.
The diocese issued a statement on the lawsuit, saying it would in inappropriate to respond before the diocese's attorneys had a chance to review it.
We encourage everyone who suspects that abuse is taking place to report it to civil authorities, and we pray for everyone involved in this matter, it states.
The suit claims that the letter from the psychologist was just one of many warnings the diocese had about Lewis' behavior. For example, in 2014 a parish employee examined Lewis' diocese-issued cell phone and found he exchanged numerous text messages and pictures with the girl, according to the lawsuit. These exchanges were often lengthy and some occurred late at night, it added.
In response, according to the lawsuit, the parish priest met with Lewis, his wife, and his mother. They told the priest that Lewis loved the plaintiff and wanted to help her, and that she was like family," the lawsuit states. No further action was taken.
Twice, Lewis met with a coordinator for the diocese's Safe Environment Program, which is supposed to help protect children from abuse, according to the suit. It said the coordinator warned Lewis that he was not allowed to be alone with the girl.
Lewis responded by saying he would do what he wanted and he loved Plaintiff like a daughter, according to the lawsuit. No further action was taken, the suit states.
The girl did not fully understand that she had been abused by Lewis until 2019, according to the lawsuit. She filed a police report accusing Lewis of rape and sexual assault in January 2020. He was indicted in June on 10 counts of statutory rape by an authority figure and four counts of sexual battery by an authority figure, all felony counts, The Tennessean has reported. Trial is scheduled for next February.
Lewis' attorney did not immediately respond to an email sent late on Wednesday.
It was not until September 2020 that a former parish employee informed Doe of the many letters of concern for her welfare the parish had received.
The lawsuit claims Doe experienced anxiety and panic attacks and has ongoing emotional problems stemming from the abuse she suffered. It seeks a jury trial and damages of an unspecified amount.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) A North Carolina grand jury has indicted a teenager in the fatal shooting of a high school student, and a prosecutor will transfer his case to adult court.
Maurice T. Evans Jr., 15, appeared in juvenile court Thursday for a custody hearing, news outlets reported.
Forsyth District Judge Ted Kazakos confirmed with Forsyth County District Attorney Jim ONeill and Evans attorney, J.D. Byers, that Evans was indicted on a murder charge, the Winston-Salem Journal reported. The grand jury handed down an indictment Monday, but it will remain sealed for 10 days.
Byers asked Kazakos to release Evans to his parents custody with an ankle monitor. Kazakos said that while the juvenile justice system has ankle monitors, the Forsyth County Sheriffs Office no longer provides ankle monitors for defendants in adult court. The judge ordered that Evans will remain in custody at a juvenile detention center without bond.
Evans is charged in the Sept. 1 shooting death of William Chavis Raynard Miller Jr. at Mount Tabor High School in Winston-Salem. The newspaper reported that ONeill has said that the shooting was the culmination of a summer-long dispute between Evans and Miller, but he hasn't elaborated. The DA also said Evans was shot earlier in the summer but didn't say what led to that shooting or if anyone was arrested.
UNITED NATIONS (AP) Russia is holding up the appointment of independent experts to monitor implementation of sanctions on four African countries, saying the panels proposed by the U.N. secretary-general are not geographically balanced and some members are not impartial, U.N. diplomats said Wednesday.
The Russian refusal to sign off on members of new expert panels is already delaying investigations of sanctions violations in South Sudan, Congo and Central African Republic, said the diplomats, insisting on speaking anonymously to reveal details of what are supposed to be private consultations. The mandate for the panel of experts on Mali expires Thursday.
MANILA, Philippines (AP) U.S. and Philippine military officials have held initial talks to assess the future of their countries 70-year Mutual Defense Treaty, including revising it in a possible move that has made China wary, the Philippine defense chief said Thursday.
The 1951 treaty commits the United States and the Philippines to come to the aid of the other in case of an attack. American officials have repeatedly assured their Philippine counterparts that they would honor their treaty obligations if Filipino forces, ships and aircraft come under attack in the disputed South China Sea, including by China.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the treaty could be abrogated, replaced or revised after many decades. The treaty alliance is Americas oldest in Asia.
Initial discussions have been made between officials of both militaries to achieve some consensus on how to move forward, Lorenzana said in videotaped remarks at an online forum that discussed issues surrounding the treaty.
While the U.S. welcomes the idea of revisiting the MDT, an outside party does not. When I first broached the idea of revisiting the MDT, the former Chinese ambassador came to me and said, `Please do not touch the MDT, leave it as it is, Lorenzana said, without elaborating.
A Philippine diplomat has told The Associated Press that China may be concerned Philippine and U.S. officials might insert provisions that could threaten Beijings security interests if the treaty were amended. They could recognize, for example, a 2016 international arbitration ruling that invalidated Chinas vast territorial claims in the South China Sea on historical grounds, said the diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of a lack of authority to speak in public.
China and the Philippines, along with Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei have been locked in a tense standoff over territorial disputes in the busy waterway. There are fears that the long-simmering disputes could spark a war that could ruin the bustling economies in Asia and beyond.
Lorenzana said there have been suggestions to revise the treaty to address current regional security concerns, including Chinas use of civilian militias instead of military forces to seize territories in the disputed waters to avoid a military dispute that can give the U.S. and the Philippines a reason to activate their treaty.
Chinese Embassy officials did not immediately react to Lorenzanas remarks. China has warned the U.S. not to intervene in what it says is a purely Asian dispute that governments in the region are trying to resolve peacefully through negotiations.
Washington lays no claims in the disputed waters but has declared that the peaceful resolution of the disputes, along with freedom of navigation and overflight in the contested waterway, were in its national interest.
WASHINGTON (AP) Hundreds of clinics pushing unproven stem cell procedures caught a big break from the U.S. government in 2017: They would have three years to show that their questionable treatments were safe and worked before regulators started cracking down.
But when the Food and Drug Administration's grace period expired in late May extended six months due to the pandemic the consequences became clear: Hundreds more clinics were selling the unapproved treatments for arthritis, Alzheimers, COVID-19 and many other conditions.
It backfired, says Leigh Turner, a bioethicist at the University of California, Irvine. The scale of the problem is vastly larger for FDA today than it was at the start.
The continuing spread of for-profit clinics promoting stem cells and other so-called regenerative therapies including concentrated blood products illustrates how quickly experimental medicine can outpace government oversight. No clinic has yet won FDA approval for any stem cell offering and regulators now confront an enormous, uncooperative industry that contends it shouldn't be subject to regulation.
Although emerging research suggests stem cells could someday have broad use for a number of medical conditions, experts say they should not be used outside of well-controlled studies or a handful of established uses. For instance, stem cells collected from blood or bone marrow have long been used to treat leukemia and other blood diseases.
Many clinics use so-called adult stem cells collected from tissue like fat or bone marrow not the more versatile but controversial stem cells from embryos used in research.
Turner and other experts have tracked the growth of the clinics for nearly a decade. Clinics charge between $2,000 to $25,000 for adult stem cell injections and other infusions which they advertise for an assortment of diseases, including diabetes, autism, cancer, multiple sclerosis and vision problems. Some clinics use stem cells derived from fat, harvested via liposuction then reinjected into patients, aiming to repair joints or fight disease. Others use bone marrow or blood taken from umbilical cords after birth.
There is no government tally of how many clinics operate in the U.S. But Turner counted more than 1,200 of them in 2019, up from the 570 clinics he and a co-author identified in 2016. Hes working on an update but says the number has consistently grown.
The FDA has repeatedly warned Americans to steer clear of unapproved and unproven stem cell therapies, which have occasionally caused blindness, bacterial infections and tumors. During FDA's three-plus years of enforcement discretion, the agency sent formal warning letters to more than a dozen businesses performing the riskiest procedures. Regulators also prevailed in a Florida court case to shutdown a major clinic offering unproven treatments. Another case against a similar prominent company is pending in California.
Its time to actually get the data we need, to assess clinics' stem cell procedures, FDA's Dr. Peter Marks said at an industry conference in June. He pointed to a multiyear effort by FDA to help clinics through the review process.
Many stem cell doctors continue to argue that their in-office procedures are outside FDAs purview. But FDA has concluded that processing stem cells and giving them to patients with serious diseases amounts to creating a new drug, which the agency regulates.
The FDA hasnt disclosed how many clinics sought approval since 2017, but public comments suggest it was troublingly low.
We have been very disappointed in the number of clinics that have come in, FDAs Dr. Wilson Bryan said at the same conference.
Bryan, who directs FDA's cell therapies division, added that he is extremely concerned by how many stem cell and related offerings remain available.
Tracking injuries from the procedures is difficult. Drugmakers and hospitals are required to report drug-related complications to the FDA, but no such requirements exist for individual doctors. And patients often don't know where to report problems.
David Stringham of Provo, Utah, says undergoing a procedure for joint pain at a local clinic was the worst decision of my life.
In 2018, Stringham was looking for an alternative to surgery for chronic pain in his right shoulder and elbows after years of weightlifting. He paid $2,400 for injections of so-called platelet-rich plasma at a clinic. It doesn't involve stem cells but the procedure is similar: doctors take a blood sample, process it to concentrate the platelets and then reinject them into the patient's problem areas in an attempt to speed healing.
The procedure went smoothly, but within hours Stringham was wracked by pain in his back, shoulder and arms.
It was a crazy amount of pain and I kept calling them saying something is not right," said the 51-year-old. And to this day Im not right."
The clinic gave Stringham medication for the pain and told him to be patient. But things didn't improve, even after months of physical therapy. Since then, a neurologist has told Stringham he probably suffered nerve damage at the places where he was injected.
His case was included in a Pew Charitable Trusts review of 360 reported injuries from stem cell and other regenerative procedures between 2004 and 2020. Nearly all the reports came from medical journals, government publications, social media or news reports. Just five came from FDAs database for medical injuries.
There are a lot of holes in the safety system, said Liz Richardson of Pew, who led the project.
The FDA didn't clearly assert its authority over such clinics until 2017. The next year, it began sending form letters to some 400 clinics, warning that they may be violating FDA rules. But the names of the clinics havent been publicized, and such warnings are often ignored.
Traditional medical researchers welcome the FDA actions but say its impossible to gauge their effect.
The business model is this: We can keep offering these products until things get serious with the FDA and then we can just take down our website', said Laertis Ikonomou, a stem cell researcher at the University of Buffalo who also heads a task force on the topic for the International Society for Cell and Gene Therapy.
He and other specialists say the clinics have damaged the reputation of legitimate stem cell research while also siphoning off patients who might otherwise enroll in studies.
Lawyers representing stem cell clinics say they have no choice but to resist FDA regulation.
FDA is pushing them into this drug development pathway, which nobody is adopting because it requires a million dollars worth of toxicology and animal studies just to show something is safe for human use, said Marc Scheineson, a former FDA attorney.
For now, people on both sides are waiting to see what FDA does.
We shouldnt feel too confident that the FDA has this wrapped up said Turner, the bioethicist. They really have invested some resources and they are trying to do something here but I think theyre just outmatched and overwhelmed.
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Follow Matthew Perrone on Twitter: @AP_FDAwriter
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
WASHINGTON (AP) The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose for the third straight week, a sign that the highly contagious delta variant may be slowing a recovery in the job market.
Claims rose unexpectedly by 11,000 last week to 362,000, the Labor Department said Thursday, though economists had been expecting claims to go in the opposite direction. The four-week moving average of claims, which smooths out week-to-week ups and downs, rose for the first time in seven weeks to 340,000.
Since topping 900,000 in early January, applications had fallen fairly steadily as the economy bounced back from last year's shutdowns. But they've been rising along with coronavirus infections.
The applications, which are a proxy for layoffs, remain elevated: Before the pandemic hit the United States hard in March 2020, they were typically coming in at around 220,000 a week.
Americas employers have rapidly increased their hiring since they slashed 22 million jobs in March and April 2020 as the coronavirus outbreak and the shutdowns meant to contain it brought economic activity to a near-standstill. Since then, the economy has recovered about 17 million jobs as businesses to open or expand hours and Americans to return to bars, restaurants and hotels.
But hiring, which has averaged more than 585,000 jobs a month this year, slowed to just 235,000 in August as the delta variant disrupted the recovery. Restaurants and bars cut nearly 42,000 jobs last month, the first drop this year. Hiring is expected to pick up to more than 560,000 this month; the Labor Department issues the September jobs report next week.
In a research note, Contingent Macro Advisors said that technical factors seasonal adjustments and processing backlogs in California, where claims soared by nearly 18,000 were responsible for last week's increase in filings. Overall, the jump in claims in the last three weeks bears close watching but is not yet alarming,'' Contingent said.
Altogether, 2.8 million Americans were receiving some type of jobless aid the week of Sept. 18, down by 18,000 from the week before. Earlier this month, the federal government stopped additional aid including $300 a week on top of traditional state benefits that was meant to ease the economic impact of the pandemic.
SEATTLE (AP) The Washington Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously upheld a new tax on big banks aimed at providing essential services and improving the states regressive tax system.
The 1.2% business and occupation surtax a tax added on top of other taxes was passed by the Legislature in 2019. It applies to banks that make more than $1 billion in annual profits, but it is assessed only on their economic activity in Washington.
The banking industry sued, saying the tax discriminated against banks engaged in interstate commerce, in violation of the U.S. Constitution, which gives Congress the right to regulate trade among the states.
The justices ruled that the tax does not discriminate against out-of-state banks.
It applies equally to all financial institutions meeting the $1 billion income threshold, irrespective of whether they are based inside or outside of Washington, Justice Barbara Madsen wrote.
The ruling overturned a decision last year by King County Superior Court Judge Marshall Ferguson, who found that the tax did have a discriminatory effect.
In their challenge, the Washington Bankers Association and the American Bankers Association noted that of the 153 financial institutions that had to pay the tax during the first quarter of 2020, 150 were based out of state. Out-of-state entities paid more than 99.7% of the $34 million collected during that period, an attorney for the groups, former Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna, told the justices during arguments in May.
But state Solicitor General Noah Purcell said that argument would lead to absurd results: If Washington couldn't impose taxes that are written neutrally but which wind up affecting more out-of-state businesses than in-state ones, the state wouldnt be able to tax tobacco.
Lawmakers said they designed the surtax to help make the state's taxation more progressive by targeting businesses best able to pay. Washingtons middle class and poor residents pay two to six times as much of their income in taxes as the wealthy do, lawmakers found.
Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, a Democrat, called the ruling "a win for those fighting to make Washingtons tax system fairer.
The Washington Bankers Association said in a statement the industry groups were reviewing their options. Given the potential interstate commerce issue, they could ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review the decision.
We continue to believe that a tax that is actually only paid by banks based out of state or otherwise heavily engaged in interstate commerce violates the U.S. Constitution, the statement said.
Further, the statement criticized the Legislature for passing the law in the last few days of the 2019 session, with what it described as limited public input. The first legislative hearing for the measure was on April 26 that year; within two days it had passed both houses and been delivered to the governor.
The case drew a friend-of-the-court brief from labor and community activists, including the Washington Black Lives Matter Alliance, who argued that the tax was a legitimate way for lawmakers to target Washingtons regressive tax system.
The fact that the Supreme Court came back with a unanimous decision that referenced these issues the regressive tax structure, the predatory nature of it, the disproportional impact of it and the state's desire to bring equity to it is a victory across the board, said Sakara Remmu, lead strategist for the Washington Black Lives Matter Alliance.
Another effort by Democratic lawmakers to have the rich pay more in taxes a capital gains tax due to take effect in January is also facing a legal challenge. The measure creates a 7% tax on capital gains from stocks, bonds and other assets above $250,000, with exemptions for retirement accounts, real estate and some other assets. It's expected to raise about $445 million a year for early learning and child care programs.
McKenna is also representing groups challenging that tax, saying it is an income tax barred by the state constitution.
(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)
Kevin Welner, University of Colorado Boulder
(THE CONVERSATION) Proponents of charter schools insist that they are public schools open to all students. But the truth is more nuanced. As an education policy researcher and as author of a new book about charter schools I wrote with fellow researcher Wagma Mommandi I have discovered that charter schools are not as accessible to the public as they are often made out to be.
This finding is particularly relevant in light of the fact that charter school enrollment reportedly grew at a rapid rate during the pandemic. Specifically, according to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, enrollment increased 7% from 2019-20 to 2020-21. The organization says that is the biggest enrollment jump in a half-decade.
In our book, we identify and describe 13 different approaches that charters use to bring certain types of students in and push other kinds of students out.
Here are four examples from our book.
1. Targeted marketing and advertising
By using specific types of language in their promotional materials and by targeting those materials to specific audiences, charter schools often send a message that they are looking for a certain type of student. This is a way for charter schools to reach or appeal to a certain audience but not others, which in turn shapes who ends up applying to a given school.
For instance, Mueller Charter Leadership Academy in San Diego told prospective families that All eligible students are welcome to apply. However, it should be noted that because this is a highly advanced, demanding program, it may not be appropriate for everyone.
Targeted advertising can also carry a message. LISA Academy in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 2016 sent out targeted recruitment mailers to area neighborhoods skipping over the three zip codes for the heavily Black and Latino parts of town.
Theyre sending a message they dont want the kids on the east side of town, Max Brantley, editor of the Arkansas Times, remarked after his newspaper exposed the practice. The school later apologized and explained that its plan was to subsequently reach out to those populations through digital advertising.
2. Conditional applications
Charter schools sometimes require multiple essays or a minimum GPA as a condition for initial or continuing enrollment.
Roseland Accelerated Middle School in Santa Rosa, California, for instance, required applicants to submit five short essays plus an autobiography using well constructed and varied structure.
Minimum GPA requirements can be imposed at the application stage or once admitted. At Lushor Charter School in New Orleans, parents and students are asked to sign a contract that requires students to maintain a 2.0 GPA in core subject areas for continued enrollment.
3. Parents required to volunteer
Some charter schools require parents to volunteer a certain amount of time at the school, or pay money in lieu of volunteering. Pembroke Pines Charter High School in Florida, for example, required each family to complete 30 such volunteer hours per year, but allowed 20 of those hours to be purchased US$100 total to buy out the first 10 hours and $200 more for the next 10 hours. These requirements place an additional burden, in terms of time and money, on families that are already struggling economically.
4. Aggressive use of discipline.
At so-called no excuses charters that sweat the small stuff, students have at least historically been subjected to harsh discipline for minor infractions, such as chewing gum or failing to constantly keep their eyes on the teacher during class.
Some of these schools repeatedly suspend students and call parents to leave work to pick up a suspended child. The most high-profile example is Success Academy charter school in Fort Greene, in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, where school leaders created a Got to Go list of 16 students who were then subjected to harassing discipline. In one case, a school official threatened to call 911 on a 6-year-old because the child was having a bad day. Nine of the 16 students did in fact withdraw from the school.
Functioning like private schools
Cumulatively, these and the other approaches we detail in our book titled Schools Choice make charter schools more like private schools than the public schools they claim to be.
These practices influence which students are admitted to charter schools and then stay in those schools. Charter school choice therefore affects schools demographics, including the degree to which they are segregated.
They affect funding equity as well, since state school-finance formulas often dont adequately account for the actual costs of educating different students. In Pennsylvania, for example, charter schools are funded through a system that creates problematic incentives related to access for students with special needs. As explained in a report by the states bipartisan legislative Special Education Funding Commission, the current funding system provides charter schools the same funding for each student with a disability, regardless of the severity of that students disability.
This creates a strong incentive to overidentify students with less costly disabilities and to under-identify (or under-enroll) students with more severe (or more costly) disabilities, the report states. A speech impediment, for example, is an example of a mild disability, versus a student with, say, a traumatic brain injury, which is a more severe disability. As the report explains, A student with a mild disability can be a financial boon to a charter school, given that the funding the charter receives will exceed the charters cost to educate a child.
Notably, Pennsylvanias funding system does not create these incentives for district-run public schools.
These practices also can play a decisive role for comparisons of academic outcomes between charters and traditional public schools run by a school district. Overall, research consistently shows little if any difference in the average test-score outcomes for the two types of schools. But the comparisons may not be fair and accurate. If charter schools can improve their test scores by screening out students they dont think will do well, it can give them an unfair advantage in comparisons with public schools that accept all students.
Policy incentives revisited
So what can be done to make charter schools more accessible? One way is to change policy incentives such as the Pennsylvania funding system mentioned earlier. States can also change the way they reward schools for how well their students do on tests. Arizona, for instance, has policies that give extra funding to charters and other schools with higher achieving students.
In the final two chapters of our book, Schools Choice, Mommandi and I point to a future with charter schools that dont screen or push out students who are lower achieving or more expensive to educate. First, we hold up examples of charter schools that have resisted the incentives to limit access by, for example, working to support their communities most marginalized students. We then offer a design for a healthier charter school system that doesnt put these exemplary schools at a disadvantage when it comes to accountability and funding systems.
Even in a post-pandemic world, charter school enrollment may continue to grow. But until the public has more access, charters will not be truly public.
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This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/why-charter-schools-are-not-as-public-as-they-claim-to-be-168617.
MILAN (AP) Young climate activists denounced Italian police for temporarily detaining delegates who protested peacefully inside their Milan conference before Italian Premier Mario Draghis speech.
Discontent with the three-day conference had bubbled from its start. Swedish activist Greta Thunberg said the delegates had been cherry-picked and that organizers were not really interested in their ideas or input for a document that will be sent to this year's United Nations climate conference.
But the frustration overflowed on the youth event's final day, with minor clashes involving climate activists outside the venue and the police intervention with delegates inside. Half a dozen young activists demonstrated their disillusionment with world leaders' response to global warming by flashing a cardboard sign reading The Emperor Has No Clothes at Draghi, chanting People united will not be defeated, and walking out before he addressed the group.
The delegates said police then detained them, asked to see their passports and photographed their conference badges. They said they were released after about 20 minutes, but the action left them shaken.
Italy's environmental transition minister Roberto Cingolani, who is host of the event, said he did not have details of the police action, but said it appeared to have involved the premier's security detail and be related to tight security around the event.
"There was no violence whatsoever. At the end of the day, it was peacefully fixed,'' Cingolani told a closing press conference.
Saoi OConnor, an Irish activist in the Fridays for Future movement founded by Thunberg, waved at reporters the well-worn cardboard sign that she has carried in demonstrations since 2018 and had flashed at Italy's leader.
They are having police escort us to and from the building, and they are the same police who are brutalizing protesters and keeping our friends out, OConnor said. She criticized the document being finalized inside for the U.N. climate conference.
They are going to say that this is what the youth movement wants, she said. And we will not let them.
Danish delegate Rikke Nielsen estimated that at least one-third of the delegates were not happy with the process that had unfolded at the Milan conference. She said they pushed to include a demand that fossil fuels be abolished by 2030 but wasn't sure if it would end up in the final version.
The document itself was not yet complete by the end of the conference. Organizers said the youth delegates wanted to fine-tune it and had until Oct. 25. Organizers also chafed against suggestions that it was pre-written, saying it was a compilation of suggestions they had received from delegates going into the meeting, and that the three days had been spent hammering out details.
Thunberg, Ugandan activist Vanessa Nakate and Italian activist Martina Comparelli delayed a news conference where they planned to discuss their private meeting with Draghi to ensure that the detained delegates were free to move around.
In the end, Thunberg declined to speak to demonstrate discontent with police actions, organizers said.
Come to the demo tomorrow, the 18-year-old Swedish activist said. Thunberg plans to lead what is expected to be Milans largest climate demonstration on Friday.
Comparelli accused political leaders of youth-washing and green-washing -- that is using environmental terminology and recruiting youth activists to make their pledges for reducing greenhouse gas emissions seem legitimate.
They cannot divide us into delegates and non-delegates, into activists that can talk to prime ministers and activists that cannot talk to prime ministers. Activists who are stopped because they are raising cardboard, literally cardboard, she said.
Comparelli said that Draghi was sincere in their private meeting but that she was suspending judgment until a Group of 20 summit scheduled to start in Rome on Oct. 30, the day before the U.N. climate conference begins in Glasgow, Scotland.
Nakate said the premier had promised to use Italys current position as the head of the G-20 to advance their demands that governments follow through on pledges to mobilize $100 billion each year from 2020 to 2025 to fight climate change.
Cingolani, the Italian government minister, said about 60% of the 2020 pledges had been met, acknowledging it wasn't enough.
We are going to keep demanding for climate action, for a future that is livable a future, that is sustainable, a future that is equitable, a future that is healthy for all of us, Nakate said outside the conference venue. We cannot eat coal, we cannot drink oil and we cannot breath so-called natural gas.
Not all the youth delegates were unhappy with the process. Iraqi delegate Reem Alsaffar, 21, thanked organizers for the opportunity to meet other delegates from countries like hers that are under-represented in the climate discussion.
"I think this event really gave us a new chance for hope for representing our countries bringing our thoughts and talents to the spotlight,'' she said during a closing news conference with Cingolani and Britain's Alok Sharma, the president of the United Nations Climate Change Conference taking place Oct. 31-Nov. 12 in Glasgow.
Texas officials on Wednesday defended the state's strict abortion law that bars the procedure as early as six weeks into pregnancy and urged a federal judge to allow the measure to stand.
Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said the court should dismiss the Biden administration's lawsuit seeking to block the measure that has effectively halted most abortions in the nation's second-most-populous state.
The Justice Department, the state said in its court filing, does not have the authority to use the federal courts to enforce a constitutional right to abortion. Rather,the Texas law must be challenged in state court through lawsuits brought by private citizens, Paxton contends.
"If the Department of Justice wants to expand its authority, it should direct its requests to Congress, not this Court," the filing states."At bottom, the federal government's complaint" is that the law is difficult to block in federal court. "But there is no requirement that a state write its laws to make them easily enjoined."
The court filing comes in advance of a hearing scheduled for Friday before U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman in Austin. It landed just as the Senate Judiciary Committee was examining the impact of the Texas law that allows individuals to take legal action against anyone who helps a woman terminate her pregnancy and the Supreme Court's refusal to block the law's enforcement immediately.
The ban took effect Sept. 1 after the high court allowed the measure to stand while litigation continues. Abortion rights advocates last week asked the justices a second time to review the six-week ban, which they say clearly conflicts with the high court's rulings that guarantee the right to abortion before viability, usually around 22 to 24 weeks.
The initial request from abortion providers to stop the Texas law sharply divided the Supreme Court, and it was clear from remarks Wednesday from Justice Sonia Sotomayor that those divisions remain.
Sotomayor was among the four dissenters who would have stopped it, and she pointed to the Texas case in a virtual appearance at an American Bar Association convention on diversity. She explained to a questioner that "there's going to be a lot of disappointments in the law, a huge amount."
"As you study cases and look at outcomes you disagree with, it can get frustrating," she said. "Look at me, look at my dissents, OK?" she laughed. "At least I have a vehicle, I have a dissent mechanism that I can explain how I feel."
She continued: "So you know, I can't change Texas's law, but you can. You can and everyone else who may or may not like it, can go out there and be lobbying forces in changing laws that you don't like."
"I'm pointing out to that when I shouldn't because they told me I shouldn't," she said, referencing the practice that justices do not comment on cases that are before them.
"But the point is, there are going to be a lot of things you don't like."
Because of the law, women in Texas are traveling long distances to Oklahoma, Kansas, New Mexico and Colorado to terminate pregnancies. The Texas law makes no exceptions for rape, sexual assault or incest.
A dozen other states have passed similar bans on abortion after a physician has detected cardiac activity, usually around six weeks into pregnancy. But federal judges prevented those measures from taking effect because of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision of 1973 protecting the right to an abortion.
The Texas law is different and specifically crafted to avoid judicial review. State government officials, who are typically targeted in lawsuits to block such measures, are barred from enforcing the ban. Instead, private individuals can file lawsuits against anyone who helps a woman obtain an abortion.
Clinic employees, abortion providers and people who provide women with money or transportation to abortion clinics can be targeted in the civil actions with the threat of having to pay at least $10,000.
In Wednesday's court filing, the Texas attorney general said the injunction sought by the Biden administration to block the "Heartbeat Act" is untenable "because Texas could not institute a heartbeat suit against anyone, much less the federal government."
The state rejected the Justice Department's argument that private individuals charged with enforcing the law are essentially "state actors" who can be subject to an injunction from the court.
Paxton also defended the law as constitutional and said it does not conflict with the Supreme Court's decision that said states may not place an "undue burden" on a woman's right to an abortion.
Abortion providers and opponents of the law strongly disagree. About 85 to 90% of women who obtain abortions in Texas are at least six weeks into pregnancy, meaning the law has effectively stopped all abortions in the state.
The law, they say, has also imposed a significant financial, professional and personal burden on the women who now must travel long distances outside of Texas if they want to terminate their pregnancies.
Even if the judge in Austin temporarily blocks the measure, the victory for opponents of the law may be short-lived, according to the attorney general's office. Physicians who perform abortions after the six-week mark, and while an injunction is in place, are not shielded from future legal liability.
If the injunction is later dissolved on appeal, lawsuits can be brought retroactively, and up to four years after the abortion at issue has been performed, according to state officials.
"The threat of liability would remain given the significant possibility that a preliminary injunction would be stayed, reversed, or not turned into a permanent injunction," Paxton said.
On I-5 is a drab stretch of highway, mostly lined by farmland and occasionally broken up with signs condemning California's water use policy.
But one innocuous sign near Bakersfield has long inspired curiosity, befuddlement and hundreds of online dispatches from travelers passing. The sign, just outside the oil derrick town of Lost Hills, reads Tom McCleod slept here in an austere sans-serif font. It raises the question asked again and again by drivers: Who is Tom McCleod?
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Perhaps the first and only piece of documentation available online of the sign, aside from the Google Street View shot of the sign, is from a 2009 blog entry by Mike Sakasegawa, a San Diego writer and photographer.
Here's a place whose only claim to fame, what they've decided to proudly display to the world, is that some B-lister that we've all long since forgotten once decided that he couldn't make it all the way to San Francisco or Los Angeles that day and tucked in there instead, Sakasegawa surmised back then.
But even 12 years after he shared his little road-trip dispatch, he's still as far away from solving the mystery as he was when he made that drive.
"I don't really have any more information about that sign than what's in the original blog post," he said in an email.
It was one of those things, he said, that he wanted to dig into but never got around to further investigating.
The curiosity is there. In the 12 years since Sakasegawas post, hundreds of visitors, all wondering the same thing, stopped by to comment. They range from the pleasant (Interesting conundrum! Maybe I'll investigate more when I retire!) to the jokingly conspiratorial (The sign is a foreshadowing of our savior, begins one message).
But one comment, posted by Mark no surname in 2012, was the most compelling and detailed, and therefore, seems to be accepted as the definitive explanation.
Mark tells of a wily expatriate hunter and trapper named Tom McLeod, who formed his own nation known as the American Kern Island Republic shortly after the Gold Rush.
It's a great story, almost too great. McLeod was clever, enterprising and singular, a Robinson Crusoe figure who traversed the Central Valley before it got covered in asphalt and farmland. In this telling, McLeod spoke fluent Latin and Greek, bonded with the nearby Yokuts tribes and, most famously, single-handedly seceded from the state to form his own nation. The storys details are so specific, how could it be wrong?
And because the story remains neither debunked nor confirmed, it makes for one hell of an urban legend.
But theres zero documentation of the American Kern Island Republic existing online or in newspaper archives. And messages to the Tachi Yokut Tribe and the Kern County Museum to corroborate this wild tale went unanswered. So, whether Marks post was a tall tale constructed by a historical fabulist or that of a Daniel Defoe in the making, I tried another route.
Will the real Tom McLeod (or McCleod) please stand up?
No one is sure who Tom McCleod is, not even other men all named Tom McCleod or McLeod.
Four guys, all sharing the name with various spellings, spoke to SFGATE about the mysterious sign.
One of our Toms lives in San Francisco. Tom McLeod's an investor at a firm named Saltwater Capital who says he laughed when he received my inquiry.
"Oh man," he said over a LinkedIn message, "I get pinged about this a lot."
He first encountered the sign the same way the rest of us did, on the drive down to Los Angeles from San Francisco about eight or nine years ago. Since then, hes received a handful of messages, all asking him about the mysterious man with whom he shares a name. He even considered putting up an accompanying sign reading, Yes, that Tom McLeod, to complicate the riddle for observant drivers.
I just havent had the moment, he said. Like, its not a thing I think about enough to be like Well, today Im going to go put up that sign on the highway for the jokes.
For what its worth, he also linked me back to the anonymous comment about McLeod being a California hunter and trapper proof that Marks comment is slowly becoming its own piece of mythos.
A Southern California man named Tom McCleod who shares the exact spelling as the name on the sign had no leads of his own. He had just seen it driving on the 5 and think it's hilarious, he told SFGATE via a Twitter DM.
"Also fascinated by the mystery of the sign, but kind of don't want to know the answer at the same time," he added. "I've searched the internet before, to no avail."
A third McLeod, who runs a trucking software company out of Alabama, would be a convincing candidate considering how many truckers navigate this stretch of interstate, as Sakasegawa pointed out back in '09. Unfortunately, according to a now-deleted article from his alma mater, McLeod didnt do any trucking himself.
He later confirmed that hes not responsible for the sign, but pointed us to a somber lead.
I had a first cousin [named Tommy McLeod], he told SFGATE through a LinkedIn message, who lived in Manteca, CA, played in a rock and roll band and died in a car wreck with his wife in the early 1970s.
He has no proof that the sign honors his late cousin, and another relative who lives in the San Joaquin County town did not immediately respond to a request for comment by the storys publication.
But the fourth McLeod provided perhaps the most definitive lead Ive found during my search. Also the most vexing.
After days of failed phone calls and redirected emails, the fourth Tom McLeod, a Vietnam War veteran who now works as the curator at the Museum of the Pacific in Texarkana, Texas, got back to me. This Tom is closely linked to Pacific Wrecks, a group that seeks to identify and otherwise valorize soldiers who were missing-in-action or prisoners of war.
While hes familiar with the sign on I-5, living on the border of Texas and Arkansas means hes seen stretches of road that few Californians have driven.
And Tom McCleod slept here signs are in Texas and Arkansas, too, he says. Louisiana and Mississippi, as well.
But he has no idea who the guy is.
Its a big puzzle for us also, he said in an email. Apparently someone has more money than brains.
Its perhaps reassuring to know that this mystery potentially extends beyond this small stretch of mid-state freeway, a cross-country piece of folklore for road trippers and lonely truckers. But, if true, it also seems to remove the possibility that McLeod was a forgotten California legend intelligent, hubristic man, a modern-day Icarus whose ambition overpowered his alliances.
So for now, it seems like the Tom McCleod mystery is still unanswered, a disappointing end to my search, though hopefully not a dead end for other amateur sleuths. (An Instagram account purporting to be getting closer to uncovering the truth everyday did not immediately respond to a request for comment from SFGATE, though they seem to know just as little as anyone else does.)
Throughout my whole search, a comment on Sakasegawas blog from four folks on their way to San Diego for a bachelor party stuck in my head. Googling and finding this post has [at] least provided [10 minutes] of distracting conversation, the message reads.
As a purpose, stoking idle chatter on a drive with little else to do isnt much. But its something.
Early in Ghosts of Karabakh, a documentary about the 2020 Karabakh War, journalist Jake Hanrahan interviews a young Armenian soldier stationed at the frontline. A blasted-out tank and bare winter mountains serve as backdrop while Hanrahan asks the soldier whether he believes a ceasefire with the Azerbaijani army will last. The war isnt over yet, the young man replies. Theres a big possibility that the enemy wont stop until theyve taken over all of [Nagorno-Karabakh] and even Armenia. Hanrahans film moves through territories recently destroyed by war and invites locals including veterans, nurses, refugees, and widows to tell their stories before the camera. This isnt the full story of Nagorno-Karabakh, but its a fair attempt to highlight the experience of those who were on the ground for some of the worst fighting the region has seen in decades.
For the documentary, Hanrahan and his team, who make up the independent platform Popular Front, reported only from the Armenian side; Azerbaijan denied them entry. The Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, too, tried to control the teams access to fixers and locations, so they relied on cooperative locals to travel to shooting locations. When I asked Hanrahan how he approached reporting without access to both sides, he told me context was key. The way of balancing it was just to go into detail, he said. During the war, a lot of the reporting was accurate, maybe in terms of facts, but facts without context are useless.
Nagorno-Karabakh is a mountainous enclave in the Caucasus region that is claimed by Azerbaijan but has been inhabited and governed by Armenians. The disputed territory has seen several wars and ethnic cleansing committed by both sides. The most recent fighting began last September and ended with an Azerbaijani victory and ceasefire in November. During that war, the self-determined Artsakh Republicwhere Karabakhs ethnically Armenian population of about 150,000 livewas supported by Armenia. Azerbaijan, meanwhile, received military aid from Turkey. The conflict displaced thousands of Armenians and left a significant portion of Nagorno-Karabakh under Bakus control. Today, tensions along borders remain high, and skirmishes are frequent. Azerbaijan is still holding dozens of Armenian prisoners of war.
I can attest to this recent wars devastating impact: I am an Armenian living in Yerevan, and my relatives and friends have served at the frontlines. In forty-four days, more Armenian soldiers were killed than American soldiers during the entire twenty-year invasion and occupation of Afghanistan. For Armenia and Artsakh, whose combined population is just three million, that death toll is equivalent to a lost generation.
During the war, when I looked for coverage of what was happening in the international press, I found mostly misunderstanding or indifference. Through Twitter, I discovered Popular Front, as well as reports from a handful of independent journalists who visited the frontline under great personal risk to collect firsthand experiences of the war. Their work was and is the exception. The international press remained mostly uninterested. As thousands died in a conflict involving major playersTurkey, Russia, France, and the United StatesWestern news outlets ignored it or engaged in lazy, under-researched storytelling. When Azerbaijan waged an unprecedented drone war against Nagorno-Karabakh, the media silence persisted. The ongoing POW crisis barely appears in the international press.
In Armenia, we relate to the international press the way one relates to a ghosting love interest. You may not care about us, but we hang on your every word. Global headlines register as decrees because they reflect the attitudes of larger countries that decide our fate. Two days before Azerbaijan launched its attack on Nagorno-Karabakh, Americans within Armenia received a US Embassy alert advising them not to travel to the region. It seems world powers knew what was coming before the first shell hit. The local Armenian press, especially independent and investigative reporting, is limited. During the war, news outlets mostly reiterated statements from the government, which meant that the wars devastating reality was hidden from Armenians until the moment of capitulation.
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Because there was so little coverage of the war, every story broaching the topic felt monumental. Armenians fervently collected foreign press articles and shared them on social media. Our collectors enthusiasm, however, soon gave way to frustration because much of the reporting painted an incomplete picture. Major outlets like the Financial Times made embarrassing errors, publishing photos showing Artsakhs capital, Stepanakert, alongside headlines about Azerbaijani cities. Many reports hesitated to identify an instigator to the conflict, employing passive voice to say that fighting had merely erupted. And most of the press failed to point out the power imbalances between the two sides: Azerbaijan is militarily superior, has roughly three times the population of Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia combined, and was backed by Turkey.
In Armenia, we relate to the international press the way one relates to a ghosting love interest.
The majority of coverage simplified the conflicts complicated history, tracing it only as far back as the nineties. The New York Times described Nagorno-Karabakh as conquered land, while the Associated Press emphasized the presence of Armenian troops in the region without mentioning that Armenians have lived there for centuries, alongside Azerbaijanis. Nagorno-Karabakhs population was 94 percent Armenian when the Soviets made it a semi-autonomous part of Azerbaijan in 1923, and roughly 75 percent Armenian when it declared independence in 1991. This act of self-determination led to violence, which turned to war. A ceasefire ended fighting in 1994, when Armenian forces gained control and displaced hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis from districts bordering Nagorno-Karabakh. That territorial gain was aggressive. Still, implying Armenians are occupiers in the region is a willful ignorance of history.
For Armenians, the misframed coverage felt personal, as if the world was turning its back. Reporters on the ground, too, noticed errors of omission. It really seemed as though some journalists hit the Nagorno-Karabakh Wikipedia page before churning out their pieces, Lindsey Snell, an independent reporter, wrote to me in an email. Peter Liakhov, an editor of the independent Tbilisi-based news platform, OC Media, noticed a pattern of reporting that defined the conflict through imported frameworks. It takes work to understand what the context is for the conflict geopolitically, nationally, he said. They just slot in Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Nagorno-Karabakh based on preconceptions and thats deeply irresponsible. I think it belies a great lack of respect for whats actually happening.
Some of the misunderstanding is surely also due to practical limitations. Covering Nagorno-Karabakh is difficult and dangerous. Azerbaijan and Turkey rank 167 and 153, respectively, on the World Press Freedom Index. Both regimes jail journalists who are critical of their governments. Many reporters who travel to Nagorno-Karabakh find themselves in the line of fire. They spend nights in bomb shelters or face threats from propagandists on social media. For some outlets, the Karabakh conflict is just too remote and too marginal to justify the resources needed to cover it. In its pitching guidelines, Foreign Policy actually names Nagorno-Karabakh as a topic they dont want to hear about unless its relevant or worth reading by someone in, say, Antananarivo
This method of story selection is reductive at best. In a globalized world, everyone is complicit. If youre an American citizen, your tax dollars have directly funded Azerbaijan with military aid. If youre European, your elected officials have been bought by a multi-billion-dollar laundromat set up by Azerbaijans ruling elite. If youre British, your government has lobbied to open mines in territories newly taken by Azerbaijan, and your economy is bolstered by UK companies that are set to develop Shushi, a city Armenians lost during the war, and BP, which is deeply invested in Azerbaijani oil. From a less cynical perspective, the sheer scale of human suffering and the loss of democracy in Karabakh should be enough to garner interest. As Jake Hanrahan puts it: For me, when kids are dying, its important to report it no matter where it is.
Journalism without context always has consequences. The stakes are especially high with Nagorno-Karabakh, where the erasure of a peoples history is beginning to align with physical erasure. Perhaps the most important context left out of virtually all coverage of the war and that of the POW crisis is the violent state rhetoric of Turkey and Azerbaijan. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey, uses phrases such as remnants of the sword, which refers to Armenian and other non-Muslim survivors of twentieth-century Ottoman persecution. At a meeting with a German municipal delegation, Hajibala Abutalybov, who was the mayor of Baku for seventeen years and a deputy prime minister until 2019, said: Our goal is the complete elimination of Armenians. You, Nazis, already eliminated the Jews in the 1930s and 40s, right? You should be able to understand us. And of course, both states continue to deny the Armenian Genocide, in which Ottoman Turks massacred at least 1.5 million Armenians.
Ilham Aliyev, the president of Azerbaijan, promotes a systemic Armenophobia that has acquired new fascistic forms in the past year. In April, Aliyev opened a victory park to celebrate Azerbaijans gains in Karabakh. The park displays helmets of dead Armenian soldiers and exhibits with mannequins that show Armenians in humiliating poses. Aliyev has said Armenians are being driven out of Karabakh like dogs. And he often makes claims on the territory of nearly half the Armenian Republic. Ongoing altercations along Armenias borders indicate that these arent empty threats.
Any coverage of Nagorno-Karabakh that doesnt address Erdogans and Aliyevs dangerous rhetoric tacitly endorses it. One month into the recent war, Genocide Watch declared that Azerbaijans persecution of Nagorno-Karabakhs Armenians had become a genocide emergency. A few days after that reports release, the New York Times published an article, written by its Istanbul bureau chief, that focused on the shelling of Terter, an Azerbaijani village; it made no mention of the tens of thousands of Armenians whod fled Nagorno-Karabakh due to nonstop bombardment of major towns and cities.
In painful moments, a nation, like an individual, wants to be seen. While Armenians grapple with the aftermath of war, the loss of life and right to ancestral lands, we turn to the outside, hoping our story might be recognized and told. Yet the international press believes a story is only valuable if it serves market interests or is happening in the more important parts of the world. This attitude applies a hierarchy to suffering and inevitably warps the historical recorda history that, for Armenians, has never been set straight.
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Lilit Markosian is a writer and journalist based in Yerevan. She completed her undergraduate degree in creative writing at Columbia University.
In June, the Washington, DC chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists surprised me with their Robert D.G. Lewis Watchdog Award, for an investigative story I wrote about one mans journey through the mental-health and criminal-justice systems. It was the chapters only award to include a cash prize. What to do with it was a no-brainer.
I work at Street Sense Media, a small, nonprofit street paper that heavily relies on intern labor. Weve always done what we could to support our interns in other ways, such as helping them pursue grants and scholarships; still, weve never paid them directly. Now, thats finally about to change: with the help of individual donations, we have begun to offer a needs-based stipend to one student per semester. This step, while significant, moves us only inches towards justice.
Street Sense Media began paying staff in 2005 when an executive director/editor role was created, two years after the organization was founded. Weve been fighting for years to fund more paid positions and expand our programmatic support.
But, until last year, our newsroom relied on what amounts to a single full-time journalistsupplemented by many volunteers, including unpaid internsto get the paper out. That was the system I was hired into and that is the system I have worked to expand: creating more unpaid positions to grow and refine our output, converting general-assignment reporter positions to beat reporters who consistently produce deeper stories, and partnering with professional journalists to provide training and networking opportunities for interns. Alumni have gone on to work for notable local and national media companies, as well as to careers in related fields. Its a fantastic program doing meaningful workif you can afford to work for free.
Unfortunately, we all know the facts: Unpaid internships are racist and classist structures that exploit less-experienced workers. They exclude a broad range of low-income people from opportunities and favor advantaged applicants. Distressingly, unpaid internships will remain competitive for as long as employers and universities favor or require internship experience from young people at the start of their careers without footing the bill.
As nonprofit and for-profit newsrooms alike struggle with sustainability, paying for work you could otherwise get for free can be a hard sell. But relying on any gains achieved through unpaid labor is shortsighted. In the end, budgeting for inclusive pathways into your newsroom and the field at large is absolutely critical for adequately serving a diverse audience.
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Since 1978, the American Society of News Editors (now News Leaders Association) has tracked newsroom diversity through an annual survey, with an initial goal of shifting staff diversity at media outlets to match the demographics of the US by the year 2000. It pushed that deadline back to 2025 due to slow progress and the industry is still on track to miss the mark. Survey data from recent years shows that not one major newsroom has reached racial parity with the census yeta goal post that shifted again with the new 2020 Census data.
Our newspaper covers homelessness and poverty. While poverty intersects with all identities and subpopulations, race is particularly relevant to our coverage. Eighty-six percent of unhoused people in DC identify as Black or African American, five percent identify as Hispanic or Latino, and one percent identify as Asian. Meanwhile, 41 percent of DCs overall population identifies as Black or African American, 11 percent as Hispanic or Latino, and five percent as Asian. The racial diversity of the people writing stories in our newsroom should consistently include people of similar backgrounds.
However, of the more than 150 students I have trained, fewer than 20 were Black. Fewer than 10 were Asian American. I could count the number of Latino students on one hand. Only two interns were Arab American. And those numbers are a direct result of a dearth of applications.
We talk about diversity and inclusion a lot, almost to the point where its a canned phrase. But how many interns, how many low-income folks, are you just going to turn off of journalism because theyre actually compensated if they just go to Google? Katlyn Alo, a newsroom developer with the San Francisco Chronicle who completed a 2016 summer internship for Street Sense Media, told me in an interview. We like to treat young folks like were doing them a favor. And only certain young folks cant afford that illusion.
Alo, a first-generation college student from a low-income background, earned both her bachelors and her masters in communications and media from Stanford University. She discovered journalism halfway through undergrad, and pivoted from biology. She was eager to find an internship that summer to help cement her relatively new path, and received a stipend to support an internship in DC writing articles for me. There was just one problem: the stipend would not be paid until the end of the term, once she could show her clips to prove she had done the work. (The program she participated in was recently changed; now, in cases where students face financial constraints, they can request and receive their stipend earlier in their internship.)
She accepted it anyway, a move she says was not a wise financial decision. She worked as a live-in nanny, looking after three children who were elementary-school age or younger, in exchange for free housing, and maxed out her credit card to pay for Metro fare and groceries. She was committed to making it work, and she didbut at significant personal, emotional, social, and financial costs.
Alo later told me she pretended to be busy, one of those things that you do when youre ashamed, to avoid social engagements with other friends who were interning in DC because she could not afford dining out with them or transportation to meet up. I just never wanted to bring it up. And I dont know if that was pride or if it was some sort of commitment just being like, You said you would make it work, so make it work, Alo explained. There was one day that my grandmother sent me a money order out of the blue, just because sometimes grandmothers do that sort of thing. I think it was $50, and I almost cried because I would not have been able to get food that week.
According to a 2018 study published by Georgetown University, close to 70 percent of students work while attending college; of those, more than half have no other option. The same study found that students who work more than 15 hours per week are more likely to drop outeven as they incur debtand nearly half of students working more than 15 hours per week had a grade average of C or lower. The type of work is just as important: If a student must work while juggling classes, doing so in a position related to their degree enables them to build professional contacts and refine skills relevant to their industry of choice. Paid internships are the best way to guarantee relevant work.
When people complain about industries like journalism and publishing being incredibly white or incredibly financially privileged, unpaid internships are how that starts.
STREET SENSE MEDIAS NEW STIPEND is modeled after work done by student journalists at the Georgetown Voice, a student-run news outlet at Georgetown University. The Voices fiftieth anniversary brought an unexpected influx of donations. Sienna Brancato, the Voices former editor-in-chief, said in an interview that the publication wanted to do something significant with the windfall. An editorial-board member suggested an internship stipend; the paper had recently published an editorial about the importance of paying interns. Once their colleagues heard the idea, there was no debate; it was an issue they had all faced personally. As a result, after additional fundraising, the Voice distributed four Steve Pisinski Student Journalism Grants last year, named for a Voice founder. Each was worth $2,500.
The Voices new stipend is an extension of the papers approach to student journalism, Brancato told me. The paper welcomes anyone who is interested in reporting to join, and makes training a significant part of its operations; likewise, the grant was open to all studentsnot just those in the journalism programand gave preference to younger applicants, to provide experience and success from as early a point as possible.People can be deterred from pursuing a field if, repeatedly, theyre unable to take advantage of certain opportunities, Brancato said.
Brancato, like Alo, said unpaid internships support an unhealthy workplace culture that tells interns and employees they should feel lucky to be there instead of valuing their labor. When a person is selected for an unpaid position, that says, I see the value of what you can contribute to the team but not so far as that Im going to compensate you for that, Brancato explained.
During the past year, I attended more internship fairs than I ever have before, because the pandemic had forced all of them to take place online. While digital equity and access issues can still limit participation, the registration fees for employers were reduced, and I could make it to two separate universities in a single day without running across town between them. This led to our first-ever internship fairs with Howard University, Trinity Washington University, and Bowie State University. For the first time, I spoke with dozens of students of color in a single semester who were enthused about working for our organizationuntil, that is, I told them that our positions were unpaid.
This detail was made clear in our position postings, but was often and understandably overlooked in the rush to sign-up for one-on-one conversations. When I raised the lack of pay, one student asked me for advice on housing assistancesomething we cover closelyto help avoid eviction when the moratorium was lifted. Another studenta mother with a toddlerhad an impeccable resume, experience, and passion, but needed any work commitment to be compensated with income. Ultimately, only one of the students I spoke with applied. They were hired, but then withdrew from the internship before the semester started, after their advisor warned against becoming overwhelmed by keeping up with school, working to pay their bills, and taking on the internship. We lost talent.
When people complain about industries like journalism and publishing being incredibly white or incredibly financially privileged, unpaid internships are how that starts, Brancato said. When an industry is homogenous, the content that they put out is less likely to be as diverse and all-encompassing of and reflective of the society that its reporting on. And so then people consume that, then that shapes and influences the way that people see the world. And so its just this self-perpetuating loop.
Paid internships are not a silver bullet for fixing journalisms long struggle with diversity, but they are an essential piece of the puzzle.
PAID INTERNSHIPS continue to gain traction. The average hourly wage for undergraduate internsnow $20.76has increased steadily for the past seven years, according to a 2021 report by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). While many internships were canceled due to COVID-19 last year, employers surveyed by NACE anticipated that internship hiring would fall by just 0.5 percent this year.
But the number of students seeking an internship is far greater than the number of available positions, and between 30 and 40 percent of all internships are still unpaid. While employees with internship experiences are more likely to be retained by their employer, the majority of interns hired last year were white men, which suggests a disconnect with employer priorities around diversity, equity, and inclusion, according to NACE. Paid internships are not a silver bullet for fixing journalisms long struggle with diversity, but they are an essential piece of the puzzle.
We have a number of firms that still practice unpaid internships, which, thats neo-slavery, Esther Odejimi-Uzokwe, program director for 10,000 Black Interns, told The Talent Revolution podcast in June. If you dont have the funds for an intern, then you dont hire an intern. Increase your capacity as a team. This summer, 10KBI recruited hundreds of investment firms to commit to hiring paid interns this summerselected and vetted by the campaignwho would be paid a minimum of the local living wage.
Journalism has seen a few like-minded efforts. The Emma Bowen Foundation has placed more than 1,000 students of color in multi-year media internships over the past three decades. Through its Emerging Reporters program, ProPublica provides $9,000 stipends and mentorship to five college juniors and seniors who are pursuing investigative journalism. The New College of Florida is partnering with employers to provide funds for humanities interns.
Were starting small, providing $2,000 to one part-time intern for each of three semestersa total commitment of $6,000 for one year. That amount was roughly copied from the Voices Pisinski grant, because it had proven to help journalism students in our area and also because the $6,000 total cost seemed like an achievable crowdfunding goal, with my $1,000 prize as seed funding. Still, it should be only a starting point; a decade ago, a low estimate for holding a three-month full-time internship in Washington, DC, was $4,050, and housing, tuition, and transportation costs have only climbed in the years since.
After a few semesters, I hope to have improved diversity among Street Sense Media interns and that well bring in new funders to expand the stipend. Paying all five interns in our newsroom at this rate would cost $30,000 annuallyless than the cost of a salary for a single full-time employee. (This estimate doesnt account for the interns we hire in other departments each semester.) If the amount proves insufficient to make our positions accessible to low-income students, well need to consider increasing how much is paid per student before expanding the number of recipients.
If paid in advance, Alo said the stipend she received for her part-time 2016 internship with Street Sense Media would not have been enough for housing. She still would have had to work as a nanny. But it would have covered most of her food and transit expenses. It was definitely designed to be more supplemental than it was to be something that you could live off of, Alo told me. It would have been enough for me to not carry a balance on a credit card.
Street Sense Media is playing catch up. But thats what any news outlet still offering unpaid internships ought to doand what their audiences, including potential funders, should demand of them.
Industry-wide, progress towards paying interns remains frustratingly slow. Were basically inching there, Alo, who is now working to unionize her department at the San Francisco Chronicle, said. And its never gonna be fast enough, because were talking about really fundamental human needs. Still, she added, were gonna get there.
The viewpoints in this article are the authors, and do not necessarily represent those of Street Sense Media.
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Eric Falquero is the editorial director for Street Sense Media, where he got his start as an unpaid intern, taking out additional student loans to cover food and transit while living in Washington, DC, for a summer.
Earlier this month, an Australian court issued a decision in a long-running defamation case of Dylan Voller, who, in 2017, filed suit against a number of Australian media outlets, including Murdoch-owned The Australian and Sky News, for comments made on their Facebook pages by other Facebook users. In effect, the Australian court said the media outlets are legally responsible for the comments their readers left in response to posts, likening them to publishers of those comments for their participation in facilitating, encouraging and thereby assisting the posting of comments by third-party Facebook users. In its ruling, the court added that an attempt by the media companies to portray themselves as passive and unwitting victims of Facebooks functionality was not credible: Having taken action to secure the commercial benefit of the Facebook functionality, the appellants bear the legal consequences.
The ruling doesnt mark the end of the case; as David Rolph, a law professor at the University of Sydney, wrote for The Conversation, Now its been established the media companies are publishers of the comments, Vollers defamation case can start in earnestin other words, its still yet to be decided whether or not the comments were in fact defamatory and what defences the media publishers might have under defamation law. Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald, Rolph said the ultimate outcome of Vollers case may depend on whether the media outlets had knowledge of any defamatory comments.
Still, the ruling has sent ripples through Australian media. When it was first released, some speculated that media companies might shut down their comments, or even their entire Facebook presence, for fear of being caught up in similar lawsuits. Dave Earley, the audience editor for the Australian version of the UK-based Guardian, told the New York Times that his newspaper plans to shut off comments on any story that is controversial in order to avoid lawsuits, and limit what it posts to social media. We wont post stories about politicians, Indigenous issues, court decisions, anything that we feel could get a problematic reaction from readers, he said.
The ruling has also had an impact beyond Australia: according to a report in the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, CNN says it has shut off all public access to its Facebook pages in Australia because of the ruling. CNN reportedly asked Facebook for help in turning off comments on all of its posts in Australia, but the social network refused. Until recently, Facebook didnt allow comments to be turned off on pages, presumably because they are a significant source of user engagement. It introduced the ability to do so in 2019, after the original Australian court decision in the Voller case, but comments have to be disabled on a per-post basis, rather than across all a publishers pages. In response to CNNs request to turn off all comments, the Journals Benjamin Mullin reports that Facebook instead offered to help CNN disable comments on its posts one by one. As Earley noted, Facebook is not interested in making it easy for page publishers to shut off comments because its to their benefit for there to be comments on everything.
While the Australian ruling might be used as precedent in countries such as the United Kingdom and Canada, which are part of the British Commonwealth and share similar legal traditions, such a decision seems unlikely to affect the US. Social networks and publishers are protected from that kind of liability by Section 230, a clause in the Communications Decency Act of 1996 that says interactive service providers are not responsible for anything posted by their users. While that might seem like ironclad protection, Section 230 has come under fire from both Democrats and Republicansthe former because they feel social networks dont take down enough disinformation, and the latter because they feel these services censor too much.
Heres more on defamation and the internet:
Defamation : In a piece about the Australian high court ruling, Rolph, the law professor, pointed out that while the decision might open the door to more such defamation lawsuits, Australia has also recently updated the law surrounding defamation , which could make it more difficult for cases like Vollers to succeed in proving defamation. The new laws raise the bar for proving that defamation has occurred, requiring that plaintiffs show that they have suffered serious harm as a result of the comments. They also provide a defense for material that is considered to be in the public interest, which could apply to news stories.
Malicious : For the Nieman Journalism Lab, Josh Benton wonders what the impact might be if a malicious actorlike Silicon Valley investor Peter Thiel, who financed the lawsuit that bankrupted Gawker Media decided to pursue defamation lawsuits against other companies . I dont expect a ruling like this in the United States anytime soon, Benton says. But other countries across Europe and Asia? Its easy to imagine especially in less-free countries where the man who lives in the palace would be happy to open up independent media to a whole new genre of lawsuits.
Right and left: In July, CJR invited a wide range of legal and technology experts to do a series of online interviews about Section 230 using our Galley discussion platform. The conversations followed a number of related developments, including an attempt by Senator Amy Klobuchar to amend Section 230 in order to make social networks like Facebook liable for spreading medical disinformation about the COVID pandemic. A group of Republican members of Congress have also proposed their own carve-outs to the law, which they hope they can implement to reduce Section 230s protections for certain things, including the removal of conservative speech by social platforms.
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Mathew Ingram is CJRs chief digital writer. Previously, he was a senior writer with Fortune magazine. He has written about the intersection between media and technology since the earliest days of the commercial internet. His writing has been published in the Washington Post and the Financial Times as well as by Reuters and Bloomberg.
BOZALAN, Turkey (AP) As Turkish fire crews pressed ahead Tuesday with their weeklong battle against blazes tearing through forests and villages on the countrys southern coast, President Recep Tayyip Erdogans government faced increased criticism over its apparent poor response and inadequate preparedness for large-scale wildfires.
Fed by strong winds and scorching temperatures, the fires that began Wednesday have left eight people dead, forced thousands of residents and tourists to flee homes or vacation resorts in boats or convoys of cars and trucks. Charred and blackened trees have replaced some of the pine-coated hills in Turkeys Turquoise Coast while many villagers lost homes and livestock.
Firefighters on Tuesday were still tackling nine fires in the coastal provinces of Antalya and Mugla that are popular tourist destinations. Other active fires were reported in the provinces of Adana and Isparta. In all, 137 fires that broke out in over 30 provinces since Wednesday have been put out, officials said.
A senior Turkish forestry official described the wildfires as the worst in Turkey in living memory, though he could not say how many acres of forest land the fires had devoured. He also could not estimate how long it would take the crews to put the fires out, saying strong winds were reigniting flames that had previously been brought under control. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government regulations.
As residents lost homes and livestock, anger turned toward the government, which admitted that it did not have a usable firefighting aircraft fleet. Opposition parties accused the government of failing to procure firefighting planes and instead spending money for construction projects that they say harmful the environment.
In the village of Bozalan, in Mugla province, where homes and olive groves were incinerated, residents complained that the governments response was inadequate.
Our fire-extinguishing helicopters were insufficient, said 58-year-old Mahmut Sanli. Our homes burned down. If there was a firefighting crew in our neighborhood, this wouldnt have happened.
Nevzat Yildirim, 30, said he had called authorities in Mugla pleading for help but nothing came.
We tried to protect our own homes through our own means, by filling up buckets. We organized ourselves with neighbors, youths and saved our homes, he said.
Erdogans government has also been accused of compromising firefighting efforts by refusing help from Western nations, including rival Greece, during the early stages of the fires. Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli rejected that accusation, saying the government had only refused offers for small water-dumping planes.
The Israeli Embassy said Tuesday that Israel had offered to help but Turkish officials had refused the offer, saying the situation is under control. It said the offer still stands.
Mayors posted videos pleading for aerial firefighting responses to local wildfires while celebrities joined a social media campaign requesting foreign help to combat the blazes. The campaign drew an angry response from a top Erdogan aide, Fahrettin Altun, who said Our Turkey is strong. Our state is standing strong.
Erdogan himself was accused of insensitivity after he threw bags of tea at residents from a bus during a weekend visit to the fire-hit Antalya region.
Fire-dumping planes sent from Spain and Croatia were joining planes from Russia, Iran, Ukraine and Azerbaijan on Tuesday. A total of 16 planes, 51 helicopters and more than 5,000 personnel were tackling the fires, officials said.
Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said 36 people in Mugla and 11 people in Antalya were still being treated in hospitals for fire-related injuries.
Authorities have launched investigations into the cause of the fires, including possible sabotage by Kurdish militants. Experts, however, mostly point to climate change as the culprit, along with accidents caused by people.
A heat wave across southern Europe, fed by hot air from North Africa, has led to wildfires across the Mediterranean, including in Italy and Greece.
The Turkish meteorology authority warned that temperatures would rise between 4 and 8 degrees Celsius above seasonal norms around the countrys Aegean and Mediterranean coasts.
In Italy, the head of the civil protection agency, Fabrizio Curcio, described the wildfires affecting central and southern Italy as dramatic. Firefighters on Tuesday were fighting seven major blazes in Calabria, Sicily, Basilicata and Puglia, employing aircraft near Matera, in Basilicata and around three fires in Calabria.
The mayor of Altamura, near the southern Italian city of Bari, advised residents to keep windows closed after a fire broke out in a plastics factory warehouse. A helicopter was dispatched near the city of Pescara in Abruzzo to prevent a wildfire from reaching a gasoline depot, while industrial production sites were under threat in the regions foothills.
Italian firefighters have battled more than 37,000 fires since June 15, an 76% increase over last year, when 62,623 hectares (nearly 155,000 acres) were destroyed, according to the Corriere della Sera newspaper. In the Oristano province of Sardinia alone, 20,000 hectares of woodlands have burned, dealing a blow to local beekeeping.
About the photo: A fire engulfs a house in Cokertme village, near Bodrum, Mugla, Turkey, Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2021. As Turkish fire crews pressed ahead Tuesday with their weeklong battle against blazes tearing through forests and villages on the countrys southern coast, President Recep Tayyip Erdogans government faced increased criticism over its apparent poor response and inadequate preparedness for large-scale wildfires. (AP Photo/Emre Tazegul)
Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
BANGKOK (AP) Bangkok and other areas of central Thailand received new warnings of possible major flooding, even as disaster relief authorities said Wednesday the threat had eased in 13 of 30 provinces elsewhere that were lashed by seasonal monsoon rains.
Seven people have died and two are missing since the weekend from flooding triggered by Tropical Storm Dianmu, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigations said. It announced Wednesday that 197,795 households in 30 provinces, mostly in the north, northeast and central regions had been affected, a 56% increase over the 126,781 reported a day earlier.
Bangkok has had no major flooding yet, but many rural areas have been severely affected. Thai television has shown villagers in several areas walking through chest-high water or being evacuated from their homes on small boats.
However, conditions have improved in 13 provinces around the country, including Chiang Mai, the disaster prevention agency said.
Heavy rains are still forecast for many areas, but the immediate threat triggering warnings to Bangkok and the provinces of Lopburi, Saraburi, Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani and Nonthaburi comes from water that has flowed down the Chao Phraya River from the north in such quantities that it overwhelmed the capacity of dams and reservoirs to retain it.
The dilemma facing planners is that the dams and reservoirs are used to store as much water as possible to help with irrigation during perennial droughts, but have to be able to cope with the unpredictable overflow during rainy season.
Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang acknowledged Wednesday on his Facebook page that because the capital is on low-lying ground, it is vulnerable to flooding from the Chao Phraya, and cannot be drained quickly. Parts of the city were inundated in a major 2011 flood, fed primarily by water released from reservoirs in the north.
The governor listed measures the city is taking to cope with flooding, including preparing water pumps that connect to a large drainage tunnel.
While large dams and reservoirs in the north have so far been able to cope with this years rainfall, others closer to Bangkok have approached or exceeded their capacity this month and have had to discharge water.
The most recent flood warnings follow decisions to increase the discharge of water from the Chao Phraya Dam, 190 kilometers (120 miles) north of Bangkok, and the Pasak Jolasid Dam, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of the capital.
Another crisis point is in the northeast, where thousands of people have been displaced by floodwaters.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha on Wednesday visited Chaiyaphum, another hard-hit northeastern province, where he offered aid packets.
Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
NEW YORK (AP) Prince Andrew has acknowledged through his lawyer that he has been served with a lawsuit by a U.S. woman who says he sexually assaulted her, clearing a hurdle that had stalled legal proceedings for several weeks.
The acknowledgment was confirmed in a joint agreement signed by a lawyer for the British prince, approved by a Manhattan federal judge and entered into the public court record Tuesday.
The court papers said Andrew had been challenging acceptance of the lawsuit until lawyers spoke by phone on Sept. 21. An agreement was signed three days later, according to the order signed by Judge Lewis A. Kaplan.
In the lawsuit, Virginia Giuffre claims Andrew abused her on multiple occasions in 2001 when she was under 18. His lawyer has called the allegations baseless.
Delivering a lawsuit to a defendant is usually a routine matter but can be more complicated when a defendant resides outside the United States.
A judge must be satisfied that a defendant has been properly notified of the allegations and has a reasonable period of time to respond to them. The prince must file responses to the lawsuits claims by Oct. 29. A conference was scheduled for Nov. 3.
Lawyers for Giuffre had told the judge that theyd delivered the lawsuit to Andrew in numerous ways, though never directly into his hands. At one point, Britains high court accepted a request from Giuffres lawyers to formally contact Andrew about the lawsuit.
Los Angeles attorney Andrew Brettler, who signed the papers on Andrews behalf acknowledging the prince was aware of the lawsuit, had argued at a hearing this month that Giuffres claim was baseless, nonviable and potentially unlawful.
In late 2019, Andrew told the BBC Newsnight program that he never had sex with Giuffre, saying, It didnt happen.
Brettler has said that Andrew cannot be sued because an earlier lawsuit in the United States that was settled absolves our client from any and all liability. That 2009 settlement document, however, remains sealed.
The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they choose to come forward publicly, as Giuffre has.
SUDBURY, Ontario (AP) The last four miners trapped deep below the surface in the Totten Mine climbed to safety early Wednesday, the company that owns the mine near Sudbury, Ontario, said.
Vale said the 39 workers trapped by an accident on Sunday climbed a series of ladders with the aid of rescue crews.
This is tremendous news flowing from very difficult circumstances, Vale CEO Eduardo Bartolomeo said in a statement.
The last miner reached the surface shortly before 5 a.m. and was taken away in an ambulance as a precautionary measure, said company spokesman Jeff Lewis.
He walked onto the ambulance and was giving fist bumps to the mine rescue team, Lewis said.
It was a emotional ending to a very stressful exercise, said Gord Gilpin, head of mining for Vales Ontario operations. There were a lot of smiles, a few laughs and fist bumping and congratulations going on.
The workers became trapped on Sunday when a scoop bucket being sent underground detached and blocked the mine shaft while some were as deep as 1,200 meters (nearly 4,000 feet) below the surface, the company said.
Climbing ladders is not part of their daily routine. That is the reason why we had the medical team here. They will be continued to be monitored for the next three or four days and then well know the extent of the struggles that they had to get up to the surface, said Nick Larochelle, president of United Steelworkers Local 6500.
He said they rested at different points of the climb.
The provinces Ministry of Labor, Training and Skills Development said an inspection team will investigate the incident. Bartolomeo, who was on site, said Vale also will investigate so that the company can learn from it and take steps to ensure it never happens again.
Vale said the workers stayed in underground refuge stations and had access to food, water and medicine before climbing out.
A team of 58 responders from the companys rescue team and the Ontario Mine Rescue agency helped the workers through their lrek up the ladder system, the company said.
The Totten Mine opened in 2014 and produces copper, nickel and precious metals. It employs about 200 people.
Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
SEATTLE (AP) A timeshare exit firm accused by the Washington state Attorney Generals Office of misleading customers must refund some of its former clients.
The terms of a consent decree filed Tuesday in King County Superior Court say Reed Hein & Associates LLC of Kirkland must give money back to clients who paid the company to help them escape their timeshares, The Seattle Times reported.
The firm also faces $22 million in penalties and legal fees, but will only pay $2.6 million if it adheres to the terms of the consent agreement. The agreement compels the company to halt making inaccurate claims about its abilities to get timeshare owners out of their financial obligations to resort developers.
Reed Hein was established in 2012 by Trevor Hein and Brandon Reed after Reed attended a trade show where he noticed a long line at a booth selling timeshare exit services.
Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson sued Reed Hein last year, alleging the companys promise to get you out (of your timeshare) or give you every penny back was a scam that bilked clients for up to $8,795 per timeshare without delivering results in many cases.
Reed Hein proved unable to help nearly half of its nearly 32,000 clients nationwide, the AG contended in the suit, but made inflated claims to woo new customers. Reed Hein merely provided customers with a script they could use to negotiate their own exits, or advised them to stop making payments on their timeshares, knowing that would lead to a credit-trashing foreclosure, the suit said.
And despite its stated 100% money-back guarantee, many unhappy Reed Hein clients were never able to get a refund, according to the AGs complaint.
Reed Hein deserves its F rating from the Better Business Bureau, Ferguson said in a statement Tuesday. Their dishonesty and reckless behavior had grave financial consequences for its customers.
Steven Fogg, attorney for Reed Hein, cast the consent decree as a win for resort developers selling timeshares.
Reed Hein has also faced litigation from resort developers Diamond Resorts, Westgate and Wyndham, claiming that Reed Hein falsely advertised its ability to get clients out of their timeshare contracts. Reed Hein reached settlements this year with Westgate and Wyndham.
Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 30) The return of tight quarantine rules in August barred more Filipinos from finding jobs, latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed.
National Statistician Dennis Mapa reported on Thursday about 3.88 million individuals aged 15 and up were unable to find work during the month climbing from the 3.07 million tallied in July.
The latest figure yielded a national unemployment rate of 8.1%, also worse than the 6.9% rate recorded the month prior.
Main economic hub Metro Manila shifted to general community quarantine (GCQ) "with heightened and additional restrictions" from July 30 to August 5 in a bid to quash the increase in COVID-19 cases said to be fueled by the highly contagious Delta variant.
The region then shifted to a two-week enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) period starting August 6.
Laguna, a key neighbor of the National Capital Region, also reverted to strict lockdowns during the month.
Other areas in the country were placed under different quarantine levels ranging from modified enhanced community quarantine, GCQ, and modified GCQ.
"Kapag may ECQ, ang apektado talaga ay ang unemployment rate. Malaki ang impact ng ECQ, particularly 'yung National Capital Region," Mapa said during a virtual briefing.
[Translation: When there is an ECQ, the unemployment rate is really affected. The impact of the ECQ is huge, particularly in the National Capital Region.]
Employment rate also dipped to 91.9% against July's 93.1%, translating to 44.23 million out of 48.12 million individuals in the labor force were employed. However, the figure in August was higher versus the 91.3% recorded in April, when the national government imposed hard lockdowns in the NCR Plus bubble.
Mapa also reported a drop in the underemployment rate, which stood at 14.7%. Underemployed Filipinos seeking more work hours or better job opportunities reached 6.48 million in August, down by 2.21 million from July's 8.69 million.
Meanwhile, the country's labor force improved to 48.12 million from 44.74 million in Julycorresponding to a 63.6% labor force participation rate.
Mapa said the increase in labor participation could be attributed to graduates entering the labor market.
Although falling to 24.76 million employed individuals from July's 24.14 million, the services sector continued to have the most gains in the employment hub with 56%.
Agriculture picked up during the month at 25.1% from 22.1% a month earlier. The industry sector's share to total employment, however, went down to 18.9% from 20% in July.
Agriculture and forestry led the major industries with the largest month-on-month growth in employment figures at 1.78 million. Wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles came second with 992,000. Manufacturing, other service activities, and fishing and aquaculture followed.
Education posted the biggest drop in employment in August, slashing 238,000 jobs from July. Administrative and support service activities, professional scientific technical activities, construction, and human health and social work activities also saw month-on-month decreases in jobs.
CNN Philippines' Pilar Manuel, Lisbet Esmael contributed to this report.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 1) President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday said he may fly to the United States to personally thank the Americans for donating COVID-19 vaccines to the Philippines.
Ang bait ng Amerika. Baka pupunta ako doon (America is kind. I might go there) just to thank the American government and the people, he said after confirming with vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. that the U.S. will be donating additional 5 million COVID-19 doses.
Washington has been donating vaccine supply to several countries - including the Philippines -- through the World Health Organization led-COVAX facility.
Duterte has been vocal in criticizing the Western superpower throughout his leadership.
Last year, Duterte even issued an official notice to terminate the country's Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the U.S. This occurred after Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa's visa was canceled due to alleged extrajudicial killings during his term as chief of the Philippine National Police from 2016 to 2018 under Duterte's war on drugs.
The termination notice was recalled in July this year after the President's meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III.
The chief executive admitted that the American vaccine donations played a role in his decision not to cancel the VFA.
Meanwhile, Duterte also warned Filipinos against getting more than two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, saying it will only cause danger for them.
When you do that, multiple you deprive your countrymen... sa isang bakuna na maibigay doon sa kapwa mo tao, he said.
[Translation: When you do that, multiple, you deprive your countrymen of the vaccine that will be given to them.]
The country has so far received over 71 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines and more than 21 million individuals have received full protection from the virus.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 30) - Users will no longer be able book the Move It motorcycle taxi service from the Grab app temporarily starting Sept. 30.
The Department of Transportation's (DOTR) Motorcycle Taxi Technical Working Group (TWG) on Thursday confirmed the firms' partnership has been suspended.
"Nag-isyu po ang TWG na kung saan po inihihinto po muna ang pag-implement ng partnership ng Move It gayundin po ng Grab," DOTr Assistant Secretary Mark Steven Pastor said during the Senate hearing of the department's 2022 budget.
[Translation: The TWG issued an order to suspend the implementation of partnership between Move It and Grab.]
Pastor explained the TWG will further study the tie up while waiting for more important documents from Grab and Move It.
The two companies have partnered to provide motorcycle taxi services to Grab app users just last week.
Move It focuses on motorcycle taxi services while Grab serves as an online platform for delivery, food, rides, and other services.
In a statement, Move It said it's frustrated and disappointed with the suspension. It even decried the decision as a form of "bullying."
"This suspension was orchestrated by a number of stakeholders in the Motorbike Taxi Pilot against Move It - the smallest player in the Pilot," the company said in a statement released Thursday afternoon.
"We strongly condemn the maneuvering by the other stakeholders resulting to this suspension as it is anti-consumer, anti-Filipino, and is tantamount to bullying," it added.
The Lawyers for Commuters' Safety and Protection earlier urged the TWG to probe what it called the "backdoor" entry of Grab through Move It.
"The ride hailing company's dubious partnership with Move It is clearly a circumvention of the program's guidelines as the Singapore-based company is not part of the pilot study of the government," the group's spokesperson Atty. Noel Valerio said.
JoyRide, Angkas, and Move It are the only motorcycle ride-hailing companies allowed to join the extended pilot implementation of the government's motorcycle taxi pilot study.
"The backdoor entry of the giant foreign multinational Grab through the help of Move It is tantamount to anti-competition practice as it hopes to dominate the transport market which is disadvantageous to Filipino-owned companies," the group added.
Move It, however, said it has been transparent and forthcoming with their dealing with the TWG and stakeholders.
It added their partnership with Grab has gone through several rounds of discussions with the TWG. "So bakit ngayong naka-launch na kami, tsaka kami ipapasuspend?"
[Translation: Why is it that our partnership is being suspended after we've launched already?]
Grab Philippines, meanwhile, said it's currently engaging with transport regulators and looking forward to resume their partnership soon.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 1) Lawyer and author Alex Lacson, the vice presidential candidate of Kapatiran Party, shared his plans on how to address the countrys current problems if elected.
He said he will start by restructuring the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases by getting the very best from the private sector.
Maraming magagaling na presidente at CEOs from private sector na may expertise in handling this kind of crisis, Lacson told CNN Philippines The Final Word.
[Translation: There are many skilled presidents and CEOs from the private sector who have the expertise in handling this kind of crisis.]
Lacson said he will also ensure that public funds will be used properly to prevent allegations of corruption against some government officials.
The vice presidential hopeful said he will make sure proper measures are implemented to address this, which does not stop at appointing the right person on the job.
When it comes to eliminating illegal drugs, the lawyer said violence should not be used, but instead make sure that the right procedures are still followed.
Above all these, Lacson said his main focus if he becomes the countrys next vice president is utilizing the freedom and flexibility of his office to address unemployment and poverty, which remain to be the biggest problems of Filipinos today.
Lacson previously ran for other government posts, including a Senate seat in 2010, but failed.
So far, he will be going against President Rodrigo Duterte, Senate President Vicente Sotto III, and Dr. Willie Ong.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 29) The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is considering imposing a temporary deployment ban to Saudi Arabia over recent cases of abuse against overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
In a virtual briefing on Wednesday, the DOLE-Information and Publication Service (IPS) said Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello is studying the recommendation to suspend the deployment of OFWs to the Kingdom.
"Kung hindi po maisasaayos ng foreign employers ang kanilang pagpapalaya baka po mapilitan ang ating pamahalaan na i-suspend ang deployment sa Saudi Arabia," DOLE-IPS director Rolly Francia said.
[Translation: If foreign employers will not free the remaining OFWs, the Philippine government may suspend the deployment to Saudi Arabia.]
At least 16 OFWs have been allegedly abused by a retired Saudi military general since 2018.
Some of the maltreated workers were able to escape, including five Filipino women who returned home last Sept. 2.
Two more OFWs are still in the hands of the allegedly abusive employer.
"Sinampal sila multiple times, walang araw na hindi sila sinasaktan. 'Yung isa sinabunutan hanggang matanggal ang buhok, may pinapaso ng sigarilyo, at sinisipa sa genital area," Blas Ople Policy Center head and OFW advocate Susan Ople told CNN Philippines in an interview.
[Translation: They suffer from physical abuse every day. Their employers slap them multiple times, pull their hair, or burn them with cigarettes. Some of them even experienced being kicked in their genital parts.]
Ople added that the entire household of the retired general maltreated their Filipino workers.
"May isa pa sa kanila pinag-wrap ng droga kasi iyon ang negosyo ng anak ng general," Ople said.
[Translation: One of the OFWs was even told to wrap illegal drugs as ordered by one of the general's children.]
Apart from physical abuse, the OFWs also suffered from verbal and mental torture. They were also not being paid accordingly.
DOLE said the government is exhausting all means to rescue the two remaining OFWs.
Bello is still looking into the impact of a temporary deployment ban on Saudi Arabia, according to the DOLE-IPS.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 30) The Palace has not received any resignation from Cabinet members considering running in next year's elections, spokesperson Harry Roque said Thursday.
However, Roque said that should a Cabinet member file a certificate of candidacy, it would be as good as resigning.
"Wala pa po akong nababalitaan na nagreresign. Ang paghahain ng certificate of candidacy will have the effect of resignation," he said during a televised briefing.
[Translation: I have not received news of anyone resigning. The Filing of a certificate of candidacy will have the effect of resignation.]
President Rodrigo Duterte earlier announced that he is running for vice president in the 2022 polls, but Roque previously said he knows of no rule that a president running for the vice presidency needs to resign.
Earlier this month, the Commission on Elections said candidates for national posts in the 2022 polls can file their COCs from October 1 to 8 at an outdoor tent of Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila in Pasay City.
Comelec said it has set strict rules to ensure physical distancing and to prevent the filing of COCs from becoming a superspreader event. The poll body is limiting the number of people accompanying candidates and requiring negative COVID-19 tests prior to entry.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 30) The witness presented by Senator Risa Hontiveros during a Senate hearing has denied being bribed into testifying against Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp., the firm that bagged more than 11 billion worth of contracts to supply medical goods to the government.
Ako po yung unang nag-email sa page po ni Senator Risa Hontiveros para humingi ng tulong po Gusto ko lang pong i-share doon yung mga anomalya po doon sa ginagawa naming face shield, the unnamed witness said in an online media briefing in response to questions raised by Atty. Jaye Bekema, Hontiveros chief legislative officer.
[Translation: I was the first to email Senator Risa Hontiveros page to ask for help. I just wanted to share the anomalies we have been doing with the face shields.]
Only the witness cap could be seen during the virtual interview. It was held to dispute the claims made by Atty. Ferdinand Topacio, counsel for Pharmally director Linconn Ong, whos now being held by the Senate for allegedly lying during the hearings.
In a press conference on Wednesday, Topacio showed a video of another warehouse staff, who claimed that Hontiveros witness received money from Bekema in exchange for his testimony.
Bekema belied this. She showed the email sent by the witness on Sept. 9, saying that it even took them more than two weeks to vet the information before presenting the testimony during the hearing on Sept. 24.
In the video, the witness introduced himself as a Pharmally warehouse employee and admitted to changing the expiration dates of face shields to be supplied to the government. He added they were told to repack even the dented and dirty medical-grade face shields.
Inamin na rin naman po ni Ms. (Krizle) Mago yun kaya po talagang totoo po lahat ng sinabi ko, the witness said. Kusang loob ko pong sinabi po sa inyo yun. Wala naman po akong bayad na hiningi po sa inyo.
[Translation: Ms. Mago herself confirmed it, so that means what I am saying is true. I volunteered the information. I did not ask for money in return.]
Pharmallys regulatory affairs head Krizle Grace Mago admitted to swindling the government by tampering with the expiration date of face shields. The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee wanted to place her under protective custody to ensure her safety, but they had not been able to contact her since weekend.
Asked if they would file a libel complaint against Topacio, Hontiveros said consultations are underway, but they want to focus now on the Senate inquiry on alleged anomalies in the procurement of medical supplies for pandemic response.
Gusto tayong ilihis ni Atty. Topacio at ng mga kasabwat niya, Hontiveros said. Iyan ay dahil ang mga naghahanap, tulad ng Blue Ribbon Committee, tulad ng aming opisina, ay nakikita na, nasusulyapan na ang landas tungo doon sa katotohanan.]
[Translation: Atty. Topacio and his conspirators want to divert our attention It only shows that the ones investigating, like the Blue Ribbon Committee and our office, are now seeing the right path to the truth.]
She did not name who Topacio's cohorts are, but pointed out that his efforts are not different from President Rodrigo Duterte's attempts to discredit the Senate probe.
Hontiveros said that during the tenth hearing on Thursday, she wanted to know if the supposedly substandard face shields were delivered to the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management.
Bekema said nothings certain now because the only recent notice of award available online is for Pharmallys supply of testing kits to the Procurement Service.
Earlier, Pharmallys corporate secretary Mohit Dargani confirmed they have a pending delivery of PPE, including medical-grade face shields, but he did not go into detail.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 30) Jinggoy Estrada is eyeing a Senate comeback in 2022 and has expressed his views on what can be done to help the country bounce back from the effects of the pandemic.
"What I want to happen, right now especially during the time of pandemic...is to create jobs," Estrada told CNN Philippines on Thursday.
In this regard, the two-term senator said the involvement of the private sector is crucial.
"What I feel is the private sector must be involved in helping our government. Kasi itong mga pribadong sektor, ito yung nakakaalam sa mga negosyo. They have the knowledge, they have the capacity to engage in businesses. So, dapat tulungan nila 'yung ating gobyerno para makapag-generate o makapag-create ng trabaho para sa ating mga kababayan," he told News Night.
[Translation: What I feel is the private sector must be involved in helping our government. The private sector knows business. They have the knowledge, they have the capacity to engage in businesses. So, they have to help the government to generate or create jobs for our countrymen.]
Estrada, however, did not lay out details on how to go about his plan.
Estrada also said his father, former president and Manila mayor Joseph Estrada, is aware of his plans to run for office, and that he was supportive of his bid, together with that of his brother, JV Ejercito.
"Ayaw na niyang makialam. 'Matatanda na kayo, you can decide on your own. Basta ako, as a father, I am here to support both of you,'" Estrada said of his father's reaction.
[Translation: He doesn't want to get involved. "You're old enough. As I father, I am here to support both of you."]
READ: Campaign funding 'main consideration' in 2022 Senate reelection bid Ejercito
The former senator said he had spoken with Ejercito, who said he was considering running in San Juan but eventually decided to run for the Senate.
"My appeal only to JV is sana huwag nang magsisiraan, huwag nang magpahapyawan. Let's concentrate on what we can do for our country. As an older brother, I want him to win. I want to win also para mas marami kaming matulungan," he said.
[Translation: My only appeal to JV is I hope there will be no more fighting. Let's concentrate on what we can do for our country. As an older brother, I want him to win. I want to win also so we can help more people.]
Estrada served as senator from 2004 to 2016, the last two years of which were spent in jail due to plunder charges in connection with the pork barrel scam. He was released on bail in 2017 after three years in jail, but his plunder case remains pending.
READ: Senate race shaping up as 'veterans' eye comeback
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 30) Should Metro Manila extend or ease COVID-19 restrictions by October? The decision will be up to health experts, an official said Thursday.
In a statement, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Benhur Abalos said the local chief executives would be deferring to the wisdom and knowledge of health experts with regards to the next alert level status that will be implemented in the capital region.
In this case, we leave it up to the decision of the Department of Health, which assesses the COVID-19 situation in the country, factoring in the shift of use of RT-PCR test to antigen test, which are yet to be included in their daily bulletin update, Abalos said.
While the local chief executives are hopeful that the alert level will be downgraded since the number of reported cases has been decreasing in the past few days, they leave the decision to the capable hands of the health experts as people's lives are of primordial importance while at the same time calibrating the economy, he added.
Where mayors stand
Some mayors earlier expressed differing stands on the matter.
San Juan Mayor Francis Zamora said while there was a huge drop in active cases in the city in the past two weeks, restrictions should be eased gradually.
"For me, it's not time yet to be complacent, so I would rather probably extend Alert Level 4 for another two weeks and then observe once again," he told CNN Philippines.
Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte said there was also a downward trend in new infections in the city, but hospitals remain full. She said another week of Alert Level 4 should be enforced to ensure that the decrease in cases is sustained.
Marikina Mayor Marcy Teodoro supported easing to Alert Level 3 because residents need to make a living. He also cited the lowering of cases, but he said the government needs to reconcile its data on hospital care utilization.
Mandaluyong Mayor Menchie Abalos and Navotas Mayor Toby Tiangco also said their cities are ready for the shift.
Health workers caution vs easing restrictions
A health workers group, however, believes it is not yet time to step down from Alert Level 4 despite the decline in new infections.
Alliance of Health Workers president Robert Mendoza said the implementation of general community quarantine (GCQ) with Alert Level 4 in Metro Manila should be extended due to high hospital capacity and shortage of manpower.
"Sana bumaba muna at humupa muna ang dami ng pasyente sa ospital... Hindi na yata kakayanin ng health workers kapag magka-surge ulit," he said.
[Translation: I hope they wait until the number of patients in hospitals goes down. Our health workers cannot bear another surge.]
The NCR was placed under GCQ with Alert Level 4 from Sept. 16 to 30. The DOH will recommend an alert level for October based on the region's COVID-19 risk classification and hospital utilization rate.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 30) Over 1.2 million additional doses of Modernas COVID-19 vaccine procured by the government and the private sector arrived in the country on Thursday morning.
Those bought by the government would be deployed to Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Central Luzon, Davao Region, and Soccsksargen, and other cities vulnerable to COVID-19, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez told reporters. Galvez was at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport to receive the shipment carrying 1,233,300 Moderna doses.
Meanwhile, 369,000 doses would go to the private sector, according to Raymond Azurin, senior vice president of Zuellig Pharma.
The fresh supply brings the total number of COVID-19 vaccines received by the country to 71.3 million, with 45.2 million shots already administered, he added.
Around 21 million Filipinos have been fully vaccinated, the vaccine czar said.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 30) The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee on Thursday issued a subpoena against a Pharmally accountant said to be blocking the release of financial documents needed in the probe on the company.
Committee chairman Senator Richard Gordon asked that accountant Jeff Mariano be required to testify before the panel and submit the files which would back Pharmallys financial statement.
The committees move came after outsourced auditor Iluminada Sebial failed to answer Senator Franklin Drilons questions on the firms financial report, which she audited and signed. Included in the records are over 7 billion in sales and 33 million in donations to different government offices last year.
Sebial said she was merely tapped for a one-time auditing job and that she was only provided by Pharmally with a list of the transactions.
When she asked for the supporting documents, she said Pharmally refused to comply.
One time lang po yung chineck ko nga po yung mga ano, tapos ngayon pong humihingi po ako ng mga documents, ayaw na po nila magbigay, she said.
[Translation: I only audited that one time, and when I later asked for the documents, they refused to provide them to me.]
Asked to specify the person she was referring to, Sebial pointed to Mariano.
Pharmally president Twinkle Dargani confirmed that Mariano is the companys accountant but added that she personally doesnt know Sebial.
4,000 fee
When Gordon asked how much Sebial was paid to examine the company's multi-billion financial statement, the auditor replied that she received 4,000.
Maam, I'm sorry ha. I know nasasaktan kayo nang kaunti dahil parang ang laki-laki ng binubuhat sa shoulder ninyo, tapos 4,000 lamang pala ang sinweldo ninyo, Gordon said. I'm sorry maiipit kayo dito."
[Translation: Ma'am, I'm sorry. I know you're somewhat hurt because you seem to have so much weight on your shoulders, and it turned out you were only paid 4,000. I'm sorry you'll be caught in this.]
Earlier in the hearing, Senator Panfilo Lacson said Sebials license may be revoked over her failure to comply with the rules of her profession.
Ang pagkakaalam ko kapag kayoy nag-audit at nag-certify, kailangan meron kayong kopya, he said. Kasi kapag wala kayong kopya na sarili ninyo, pwede kayong mareklamo...at maalisan kayo ng lisensya.
[Translation: To my knowledge, if you audit and certify a report, you should have your own copy. Because if you dont, a complaint may be filed against you and you may lose your license.]
Pharmally is being investigated by both houses of Congress after it bagged billions of pesos worth of contracts from the government despite having only 625,000 in capital. It is also being probed for supplying allegedly overpriced medical items amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 30) About 75% of adult Filipinos support the single six-year term limit for president as provided by the 1987 Constitution, a Social Weather Stations survey shows.
Conducted last June 23-26, the survey also found that 11% of adult Filipinos disagree with the Constitutional provision on term limit for president while 14% were undecided.
Agreement in all areas was very strong, the SWS said. Visayas was highest at +75 (83% agree, 8% disagree), followed by Mindanao at +64 (75% agree, 11% disagree), Metro Manila at +61 (75% agree, 13% disagree), and Balance Luzon at +60 (72% agree, 11% disagree). The net agreement score was +64, classified by the SWS as very strong also.
Those who disagreed proposed an average of 7.1 years for the term limit, while their proposed average number of terms was 2.1.
Respondents from Metro Manila who disagreed recommended an average of 8 years per term, while those from Balance Luzon wanted 7.7 years, those from Mindanao suggested 6.5 years, and those from Visayas proposed 5.4 years.
The recommended number of terms was 2.4 in Mindanao, 2.3 in Metro Manila, 2 in the Visayas, and 1.8 in Balance Luzon.
Across educational levels, very strong net support was also observed.
It was +62 (74% agree, 12% disagree) among non-elementary graduates, +68 (77% agree, 9% disagree) among elementary graduates, +65 (75% agree, 10% disagree) among junior high school graduates, and +54 (72% agree, 19% disagree, correctly rounded) among college graduates, the SWS said.
Among those who disagreed, college graduates recommended the longest term limit of 9 years, followed by junior high school graduates with 7.8 years, elementary graduates with 5.1 years, and non-elementary graduates with 4.6 years.
The recommended number of terms averaged 2.5 among junior high school graduates, and 1.8 among non-elementary graduates, elementary graduates, and college graduates.
The SWS survey was conducted through face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adult Filipinos across the country.
The sampling error margins were 3% for national percentages and 6% for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 30) The COVID-19 vaccination drive for children aged 12 to 17 will begin next month, but local government units may scramble for additional resources to get started, a Metro Manila mayor said Thursday.
Speaking to CNN Philippines' The Source, Marikina City Mayor Marcy Teodoro said the region's mayors are hoping that the government will provide them a list of guidelines and an initial inventory of vaccines to prepare for the inoculation of children at the soonest possible time.
"We are hoping to get it at least a week earlier before the actual start of the vaccination. Isa pang bagay dito, pati mga doctors, mga vaccinators kailangan natin silang i-train at ire-orient [Another thing is that our doctors and vaccinators need to be trained and re-oriented], Teodoro said, noting the more delicate process of inoculating children compared to the regular vaccination of eligible adults.
"We will be needing more doctors with expertise and knowledge on how to do pediatric vaccination. Similarly, we need to prepare and be able to address any contingency that might arise during the vaccination process," he said.
Teodoro said the city will need to hire social workers and child psychologists who can properly communicate with children during the vaccination process. Teachers will also be oriented to help secure parental consent.
"Maraming iko-consider plus the emotional and moral condition of the parents dahil iba ito. Hindi lang bata, pati magulang ang papaliwanagan," he said.
[Translation: We need to consider a lot of factors, plus the emotional and moral condition of the parents because this is different. It's not just the children, you also need to explain the process to the parents.]
Marikina City alone expects to inoculate up to 130,000 minors, at least 65,000 of whom are from the city's public high school system, he added.
Teodoro said the city will set up a clinical setting in its designated vaccination centers, since hospitals may pose risks brought by COVID-19 cases.
President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday gave the go-signal to open the COVID-19 vaccination program to the general public next month, starting with immunocompromised children aged 12 to 17.
Adolescents with comorbidities will fall under the A3 priority sector and will be given Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
The Colorado Freedom Fund is hiring Rebecca Wallace as senior policy counsel, the same role she recently left at the Colorado chapter of the ACLU.
Wallace in an interview indicated she took on the challenge for a pair of reasons: It allowed her to focus on her passion for pretrial detention reform and to work with an organization tied more directly into those affected by Colorado's current pretrial policies.
"That is the work that I came to the Colorado Freedom Fund to do and to do exclusively," she said. "I've never been able to focus in on one subject matter, and even though pretrial is still broad in a sense. That's what I'm excited about."
I am beyond thrilled to join @FreedomFundCO and their daily work to Bring Our Neighbors Home. Its been a beautiful 11 years at the ACLU. Time for a new chapter working even closer with community, and especially people directly impacted by the pretrial system. https://t.co/2ggsuJYuQV Rebecca Wallace (@RWallaceEsq) September 30, 2021
As the ACLUs senior staff attorney and senior policy counsel, Wallace worked extensively on pretrial reform efforts, leading her to fight side-by-side with CFF on a number of criminal justice issues. Those included House Bill 19-1225, which ended monetary bail for some low-level offenses, and Senate Bill 19-191, which standardized times for posting bail and release after bond is posted.
"Those pretrial gains ... were a direct result of years of work that Rebecca had put in, long before I even met her," Elisabeth Epps, CFFs executive director, said in an email that also noted a number of Wallace's other policy wins.
"Rebeccas experience is unparalleled when it comes to liberatory pretrial policy in Colorado. While she comes to us to lead policy work with an emphasis on community-driven legislative efforts, she has also represented plaintiffs in critical lawsuits to right wrongs of pretrial detention, lawsuits that resulted in pretrial reforms that would not have been gained but for her and her colleagues advocacy."
Wallace's policy wins continued last legislative session with the passage of House Bill 1280, which requires courts to hold a bond setting hearing within 48 hours of an arrestee arriving to jail.
While that bill, which Epps described as a "monumental piece of pretrial legislation," was signed into law in July, another key policy in reforming the pre-trial detention process stumbled before reaching the finish line.
Senate Bills 62 and 273 from Sen. Pete Lee, D-Colorado Springs, represented an initial and subsequently scaled-back effort to clamp down on the use of arrests and cash bail. SB 62, the first of the two measures, died in committee in the Senate before SB 273 was doomed to the same fate in the waning days of session by opposition in committee from a pair of House Democrats.
Sen. Pete Lee scraps jail population reform bill and starts over After three months of fighting with law enforcement over a bill that would limit their abili
Lee told Colorado Politics in June he intends to put the policy back in front of lawmakers in the upcoming legislative session and Wallace said she felt a more "modest" version of the bill could clear the General Assembly in the future.
"This is like an education process that is going to, in the long run, lead to positive reform," she said. "Will it be this year? Will it be next? I guess we'll find out."
Both Wallace and Denise Maes, the ACLUs former public policy director who also worked intimately on policies in SB 62 and 273, resigned from the ACLU earlier this month. According to a report from CPR and The Colorado Sun, Maes cited a shift in direction at the ACLU, which was not going to align with where I was hoping things would go.
That report also noted Epps, who was a key player in rallying support around senate bills 62 and 273, also chose to move on from her role as policy contractor with the ACLU but is leaving the ACLU on good terms and is proud of her work there.
U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper and nearly every other member of the state's congressional delegation want President Joe Biden to know they support Colorado's bid to host next summer's meeting of leaders from throughout the hemisphere.
In a letter delivered Wednesday, Hickenlooper and the other Colorado lawmakers pitched the state as the ideal location for the ninth Summit of the Americas, an event held every three years that convenes heads of state from North America, South America and the Caribbean.
"This milestone presents a unique opportunity to showcase the entrepreneurial spirit and expansive beauty that makes the United States so unique," the lawmakers wrote. "We believe Colorado is the perfect candidate to tell this story to the world."
The summit, which hasn't been held in the United States since the inaugural meeting in 1994, is expected to draw around 10,000 visitors, including participants in a heavy schedule of official proceedings, business leaders, security staff and media. The most recent summit took place in 2018 in Lima, Peru.
Organized by Hickenlooper, the bipartisan letter to Biden was signed by U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet and U.S. Reps. Diana DeGette, Joe Neguse, Ken Buck, Doug Lamborn, Jason Crow and Ed Perlmutter, with only U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert missing.
The lawmakers noted that Colorado has a history of hosting "big events with significant lodging needs and security requirements," citing the annual Space Symposium in Colorado Springs and the Summit of the Eight gathering in 1997.
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Juvenile giraffe pair emigrate from India to Singapore Zoo
It seems like the pandemic is unable to bring all immigration to a halt as the Singapore Zoo recently welcomed two young Rothschilds giraffes from Indias Mysuru Zoo.
With fewer than 2,000 of the subspecies left in the wild, this latest addition to the Singapore Zoos bachelor herd contributes to the managed programme for this threatened subspecies of giraffes.
New kids on the block Balaji (leftmost) and Adhil (rightmost) explore Singapore Zoos giraffe exhibit while a towering Jubilee (middle) keeps a watchful eye over the juvenile brothers. Photo courtesy: Wildlife Reserves Singapore
Following a 22-hour inter-state road journey and seven-day sea voyage, the healthy males, Balaji and Adhil, arrived safely on Singapore shores on May 26, 2021. Serving a three-month quarantine since their arrival, both giraffes have since settled well into their new habitat, according to a release.
Zoo guests can come see them at the giraffe exhibit in the parks Wild Africa zone from today.
This is the latest instance in a collaboration between Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) and Mysuru Zoo dating back to 2010. Discussions on the animal exchange kickstarted in 2018, long before the birth of the calves in 2020.
The giraffes, both slightly over a year of age, will be a part of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) ex-situ programme (EEP) for the species, which aims to maintain healthy and sustainable populations of animals under human care for both conservation and educational purposes.
Wendy Chua, Zoology Curator, WRS, said that zoological institutions have had to rise above the numerous challenges posed by the pandemic situation.
While the COVID-19 situation has impacted the ways in which international zoos collaborate, it has also reiterated the importance of such collaborations to help conserve nature and biodiversity. We hope that guests will also take the chance to learn about the plight of endangered subspecies like the Rothschilds giraffe, and the importance of conservation efforts, she added.
One such challenge was a dearth of suitable air freights to transport the lofty species during the pandemic. As there was a limited window period to ship the fast-growing youngsters before they outgrew all forms of transport, the team explored the option of surface transport.
Detailed preparations were made to minimise the risks and to ensure the journey was as smooth as possible for the giraffes. Road recces and a dry-run simulation involving mock-ups of crates were conducted, in order to map out the best possible route to Mandai once the giraffes had arrived at Jurong port.
The two yearlings were accompanied by two experienced WRS animal caretakers during their nine-day long trip to Singapore in custom-designed crates with adjustable tops to allow the lanky animals to stretch to their full heights for most of the journey while allowing the crates to duck when clearing road infrastructures.
Parmasivam Ramasamy, Curator of Herbivores, WRS, who tended to the giraffes throughout the voyage, shared, We are very excited to welcome these gentle giants to Singapore Zoo, and have since introduced them to our resident father-and-son duo, Marco and Jubilee.
The pair has been adopted by Kuok Singapore Limited Group, whose shipping line PACC Line Pte Ltd was engaged in the pairs sea voyage from India to Singapore.
Balaji, which means strength in Hindi, was named after an Indian prince. Lively and playful Adhil was named after a star in the constellation Andromeda and shares the same name as one of PACC Lines fleet of vessels.
Image 2 (above): Jubilee has naturally slipped into a big brother role and is showing the young brothers the ropes as they settle into their new home at Singapore Zoos Wild Africa zone.
Here, he shares a picture-perfect moment with Adhil (in foreground) while Balaji (partially hidden) forages in the back. PHOTO CREDITS: WILDLIFE RESERVES SINGAPORE
09/30/2021
Photo (c) bogdankosanovic - Getty Images Coronavirus (COVID-19) tally as compiled by Johns Hopkins University. (Previous numbers in parentheses.)
Total U.S. confirmed cases: 43,367,242 (43,247,791)
Total U.S. deaths: 695,418 (693,323)
Total global cases: 233,434,862 (232,967,743)
Total global deaths: 4,777,272 (4,769,021)
CDC: Pregnant women should get vaccinated
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is stepping up its campaign to persuade pregnant women to get vaccinated against COVID-19. In a public appeal, the health agency said vaccination would prevent serious illnesses, deaths, and adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Through September 27, the CDC reports more than 125,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in pregnant women, including more than 22,000 hospitalized and 161 deaths. Twenty-two deaths occurred in the month of August alone.
Pregnancy can be both a special time and also a stressful time and pregnancy during a pandemic is an added concern for families, said CDC Director Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky. I strongly encourage those who are pregnant or considering pregnancy to talk with their healthcare provider about the protective benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine to keep their babies and themselves safe.
Study finds lingering symptoms are common
Researchers say about a third of people who recover from COVID-19 have at least one symptom of the illness that may persist for months after diagnosis.
Scientists at Oxford University analyzed data from millions of health records, mostly in the U.S. They found that 36% of recovered patients reported symptoms that emerged after recovery. Some initially had no symptoms at all.
The lingering symptoms include pain in the chest or throat, abnormal breathing, abdominal distress, fatigue, depression, headaches, cognitive dysfunction, and muscle pain.
Hundreds of health care workers fired for refusing vaccine
Hundreds of health care workers across the U.S. are headed for the unemployment line. With vaccine mandates now in effect for most U.S. hospitals, employees who refuse to be vaccinated are being fired.
But with hospitals still full of COVID-19 patients, officials are concerned that even a small number of terminations could lead to staff shortages. Dr. John Brownstein, an epidemiologist and professor at Harvard Medical School, says the system needs everyone.
"Were seeing a greater need of health care -- there was a lot of deferred care for elective surgeries and behavioral health -- juxtaposed with existing shortages of health care workers, Brownstein told ABC News. Any impact is going to create even more pressure on health care systems."
Around the nation
Arkansas: Arkansas appears to have recovered from the summers COVID-19 surge that pushed hospitals in the state to the brink. The state health department reports that the number of active cases of COVID-19 in Arkansas hit its lowest point in two months this week. However, 861 people remain in Arkansas hospitals.
New York: New York Citys vaccine mandate for city schools has survived another court challenge. After initially granting an injunction against the city, Judge Lawrence Love lifted the restraining order on Wednesday, leaving in place the order that school employees must be vaccinated against the virus.
California: A state law giving workers expanded COVID-19 sick leave expires today. Under the law passed in March, people who work for companies with more than 25 employees were entitled to up to 80 hours of COVID-19 related sick leave that could also be used for quarantine time.
Iowa: Hospitalizations in many hard-hit states began to fall over the last two weeks, but Iowa is an exception. State health officials report hospitalizations for treatment of COVID-19 have increased for a 12th straight week.
The Oglala tribal council attempted to impeach Wilson, but he avoided trial. This, as well as frustration at the overall mistreatment that Natives in the region had faced, led members of the Oglala Tribe and activists from the AIM to occupy the reservation town of Wounded Knee on February 27, 1973. Wounded Knee already carried weight as the site of the infamous 1890 massacre, and the symbolic value of choosing this space for the protest was not lost on anyone.
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For 71 days, roughly 200 Native American protesters occupied Wounded Knee and proclaimed themselves the Independent Oglala Nation. As with other occupations, the U.S. government surrounded Wounded Knee, as did Wilsons GOONs. They set up roadblocks to limit travel to and from the occupation. This eventually turned into a full siege. Utilities to Wounded Knee were cut off, and so were supply lines. The FBI attempted to turn the public against the AIM through misinformation that claimed that hostages were held in Wounded Knee. This was ultimately unsuccessful, as the public generally took the Native American side during the occupation.
rlh/Wiki Commons "Anyone who's willing to plunk down in South Dakota deserves all the support they can get."
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As the siege went on, there were incidents of shots being fired by both the government and protesters. On April 26, an occupier named Lawrence Buddy Lamont died after being shot by a sniper. This death marked the beginning of the conclusion, and the occupation was ended by other sides on May 8. Key AIM leaders were arrested for their role in the occupation, but their charges were dropped.
After the occupation, Richard Wilson continued to rule through violence and corruption. He won reelection in 1974 despite many claims of fraud, and some believe that his GOONs killed up to 60 political opponents.
Like other occupation movements on this list, the Wounded Knee Occupation did not grant Native Americans the rights that they wished for, but it did highlight the struggles they faced. This was a highly publicized movement, and without it, the average American likely would have never heard of what Wilson was doing or about the overall conditions faced by the Oglala.
Top Image: Loco Steve/Wiki Commons
All through Israels history, the population fluctuated between repentance and sin. Prophets proclaimed messages to them and when they didnt listen, the nation was taken into captivity and faced droughts and famines as judgment for their behavior.
After the last prophet, there was a dry spell of 400 years without a message from heaven.
The Lord prophesied in Malachi 4:6 NIV, See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.
Before the Father could reveal His Son to Israel and then the world, He had to prepare the nations heart to receive salvation.
Johns preaching started to soften them to hear what God wanted to say. The kingdom of heaven was at hand, but hard hearts would not be able to receive without the spiritual groundwork laid. So, the Almighty sent His man to do that work.
John came in the same power as Elijah and compares to him in these seven ways.
Photo Credit: Unsplash/Aaron Burden
Across the ocean in the Middle East sits the nation of Israel. The nation itself is approximately the size of New Jersey, yet this nation has played and will continue to play an important role in the history of the world. Throughout the Bible, the Israelites are referred to as Gods chosen people. If you are new to the faith or even if you arent, you might wonder why did God choose Israel to be his chosen people? I mean what is so special about Israel that makes them different from any other nation? The term itself might make it seem as if God surveyed all the nations of the earth and said, that is the one I will choose. That is not exactly how it happened but the fact that they are referred to as Gods chosen people forces you to ask the question why did God choose Israel to be his chosen people? I pray these reasons I share with you will help you understand this a little better.
1. God did not choose a nation; he chose a man.
So often when you think of Israel you think in terms of a nation of people, which is what they are now, but that is not what they always were. When you read the book of Genesis one thing you will notice is that there is no nation of Israel, that is because it did not exist. For a moment I want you to consider not a nation but a man. The beginning of Gods promise to this nation did not start when they became a nation, it started from one man, Abraham.
The Lord had said to Abram, Go from your country, your people, and your fathers household to the land I will show you.
I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you. Genesis 12:1-3
From this promise you see that God did not choose a nation, he chose a man and built a nation from this man. The reason I point this out is because it is not as if God just randomly chose Israel, he made Israel into a great nation and God doing this was a fulfillment of a promise he made to Abraham. This doesnt make Israel more special; it makes God more special because he keeps his promises. When you think of the nation of Israel, even the very land where Israel sits, let it be a reminder that when God says something he will do it. The Israelites were Gods chosen people because they represent Gods faithfulness to Abraham and that he keeps his word.
The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. Genesis 13:14-15
2. God needed a group that would represent his character in the earth.
One of the reasons why God chose Israel to be his chosen people is because he needed someone to uphold his standards in the earth.
Then Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said, This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites. Exodus 19:3-6
One of Gods purposes for Israel was that they would be a people who would obey him and keep his covenants. By doing this they would be Gods representatives in the earth. Israel would be a model of Gods way of living to the nations around them. If you look at the covenant that was made it was a conditional covenant. If they decided to forsake Gods laws and walk in disobedience, which they often did, they would forfeit many of the blessings and privileges that God offered them. However, the objective remained that Gods desire would be for this nation to be a holy nation set apart for his purpose.
Photo Credit: Thinkstock/RomoloTavani
3. God needed Christ to come through a lineage and fulfill the prophecy of Genesis.
The final point to answer the question of why did God choose Israel, and without a doubt the most important purpose for the nation of Israel, is that God was setting up the lineage for which Jesus would come through. This really is the crux of why God chose Israel to be his chosen people. The coming of Jesus fulfilled a major promise that God made to Abraham that everyone on this planet who is living, who will live, or who has ever lived can benefit from.
and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you. Genesis 12:3
How is this even possible that a little nation not much bigger than New Jersey could bless all the peoples on earth? That reason is because from Abrahams lineage we get to the Messiah, Jesus. It is in Jesus that this promise is fulfilled. It is because of Jesus that the offer of salvation flows to every person and all peoples on the face of the earth.
If you fast forward to the book of Revelation, there is a scene where John sees people gathered around the throne. Notice what John says:
After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. Revelation 12:9
When God called Abraham in Genesis 12, he had Revelation 12 in mind. He didnt just have one nation in mind, he had all the nations of the world in mind. He chose Abraham, built a nation out of him, which bridges the gap to Jesus. In Jesus, we see the fulfillment of this promise in Genesis, and we understand the result of this promise in Revelation. Notice that people from every nation, every tribe, every language, every people will one day gather around the throne and worship the lamb. I think it is safe to say this is an example of all the people on earth being blessed through the seed of Abraham.
From promise to promise, from covenant to covenant.
I want to take a moment just to make a parallel between the promise God made to Israel and the promise God makes to you and me as believers.
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, Gods special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 1 Peter 2:9-10
Thankfully Gods promise did not stop with the nation of Israel. His faithfulness to keep his Word is not just true for Israel, it is true for you. If you have put your trust in Christ as savior, then you are now Gods special possession. You have been called out of darkness and God has saved you so that you could be a light to point people to Jesus. Like Israel, we were once not a people, but now we are the people of God. It is now our responsibility to uphold Gods standard in the earth. The beautiful thing is that this promise, like the one God made to Abraham, will endure forever. Let not only the nation of Israel be a reminder but let the cross of calvary be a forever reminder that God is faithful and that he keeps his word. What he has said he will do. Why did God choose Israel to be his chosen people? Ultimately the cross of calvary and Jesus dying on it is why, and it is because of that same cross, why God chose you to be his special possession.
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Luke Franzen
What makes a hard season even harder? When your friends and close ones seem to get everything you've prayed for in the past few months (or years, or decades): a home, a steady and fulfilling job, a marriage, a pregnancy announcement, etc.
So we screw our faces into the best smiles we can muster and say, "I'm so happy for you." But are we really? Or do friends avoid telling us the good news in their lives because they know we'll slump our shoulders and throw a pity party for ourselves?
I can certainly think of a few friends along the waywho will remain namelesswho I purposely avoided telling any good tidings. Why?
Because they'd immediately shove their hands into their pockets, sigh, and say, "Wow, I wish that would happen to me."
So how do we avoid becoming this friend? How do we experience true joy (Colossians 3:15-17) for our friends who seem to accomplish or receive the very things we've yearned for without trying to hold back tears? Let's dive into some of the things to keep in mind.
Tip One: Remember, Everyone Has Mountains
I have an author friend who I couldn't be prouder of. She has gone through so much. But when she friended me on social media, and I saw her picture-perfect profile, I assumed the opposite. She finally messaged me at one point and said, "Instagram lies. I'm living with my parents, after having a fiasco with some former apartment-mates. I can't land a steady job, work until my eyes hurt from staring at the computer screen, and I can't seem to land another publishing contract, even though my agent has tried so hard."
So when she got a contract from Harpercollins (a HUGE publishing house) I didn't harbor resentment. Why? Because I knew which mountains she had to climb to get there.
Jealous of a couple who just got engaged? Who knows how many fights they've endured? Or how many heartbreaks they experienced before this.
Mad at a woman who just got her dream job? She probably got her resume rejected hundreds of times and had to work jobs she hated too.
Everyone has mountains. Even if it seems like something landed in someone's lap, that seldom ever happens. In fact, I don't think I've run into a case in life where event moments like that didn't include some hardship the person had to endure.
Tip Two: God's Timing Works Differently for Everyone
Sure, he bought a house at 22. And you, 46 years old, still live in an apartment, saving up.
One of the most important things to remember is that God sets us on different paths. Some of us have to trek up mountains during certain seasons. Others enter into deep, dark valleys (Psalm 23).
God doesn't want us to compare our lives with others. After all, he uniquely crafted the plan for your life. It would make no sense for you to follow the trajectory of someone else's.
I know that often people can get snagged in this tip because outside pressure and influences say that we have to get married by a certain point, have kids by a certain age, retire by a certain year, etc. And believe me, I want to shake those people who perpetually try to force their timeline onto God's plans for you. Many times I do.
But remember that only God's opinion matters, no one else's. People jeered at Hannah for not producing children (1 Samuel 1). Then God, in his timing, gave her a son who would change the history of Israel forever. Scripture is littered with stories of people who received flack for not accomplishing something by a certain age.
Tip Three: To Be Exalted, You Must Exalt
Matthew 23:12: "For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."
Romans 12:10: "Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves."
There's something I tell every writer, advice many of them tend to ignore. "If you want to sell your books, you need to promote other authors." At first, it doesn't make sense. Many authors will selfishly invite all their author friends to like their pagesand refuse to like theirs. Or they'll slide into DMs and ask authors to buy their books when they have no intention of getting the books of their friends.
And this marketing fails every time.
Whereas the authors who regularly share the work of others, who tag their author friends on social media, who cheer on writers when they get contracts, seem to do the best. Why?
Take a look at the two verses above. We exalt others and outdo one another in honor. When this happens, we see that we reap what we sow.
The same goes for difficult periods of life. No one wants someone to comment, on a wedding engagement post, "Gee, if only a guy would finally pay attention to me, maybe I could get married too." Therefore, we should experience joy for our friends when they have uplifting moments because we would love for them to do the same for us. Wonderful and hard seasons exist for everyone. So why not celebrate with a friend when they finally emerge from a dark valley into a place of splendorous light?
Why Should We Uplifting Our Friends in Our Darkest Moments?
Apart from the easy answer, "Because it's biblical" I think it shows us the true test of friendships. Everyone can treat friends and family well when everything goes right in life. I've seen it happen. People treat others to dinners, call more on the phone, etc., when they feel the thrill of God's timing.
But our truest test of character comes when we undergo rough patches and watch others flourish. How do we respond? Do we try to one-up them, take away the spotlight from them, or throw ourselves pity parties to steal attention from them? Or do we celebrate with them, like the older brother should have done when the prodigal son returned (Luke 15)?
Your day in the sun is coming. We all undergo beautiful seasons. So for now, be so joyful for your brother or sister who is experiencing theirs now. You know you'd love for them to do the same to you when your time comes.
Photo credit: Priscilla du Preez/Unsplash
Hope Bolinger is an editor at Salem, a multi-published novelist, and a graduate of Taylor University's professional writing program. More than 1,100 of her works have been featured in various publications ranging from Writer's Digest to Keys for Kids. She has worked for various publishing companies, magazines, newspapers, and literary agencies and has edited the work of authors such as Jerry B. Jenkins and Michelle Medlock Adams. Her modern-day Daniel trilogy is out with IlluminateYA. She is also the co-author of the Dear Hero duology, which was published by INtense Publications. And her inspirational adult romance Picture Imperfect releases in November of 2021. Find out more about her at her website.
CLINTON Flowers, stuffed animals, a red tinsel heart and gold sign that reads, Mr. Reynolds we love you, now rest at John Jack Reynolds parking spot at Lewin G. Joel Jr. Elementary School, a tribute for a beloved teacher who died this week.
Reynolds, 57, lived in Westbrook and worked at the elementary school since 1997. This year, he was a kindergarten teacher.
He was found dead Tuesday at the Pattaconk Recreation Area, according to Department of Energy and Environmental Protection spokesman Will Healey. Foul play is not suspected.
Social media posts, including one with over 130 comments, poured in on Clinton groups, saying Reynolds had a sense of humor and big heart. Many parents of current and former students said Reynolds touched many during his time as a teacher.
Mother Aly Vece said her son keeps asking who will be his teacher now.
Every day after school, Dylan would say, I love Mr. Reynolds. My 11-year-old also had Mr. Reynolds. He really got her to enjoy school. At the beginning, she would cry with separation anxiety from mom, Vece wrote on Facebook.
Reynolds mailed Veces daughter a letter to show how proud he was of her progress in school, she said.
Patty Atwater, a para-educator in Reynolds classroom, said he was a gentleman and scholar who was full of life and wisdom.
Nancy Samler said her son had Reynolds in kindergarten.
He was such a positive, friendly person. The teachers and students at Joel must be devastated, Samler said.
Maria Phillips, whose daughter had Reynolds in first grade, remembered him fondly, calling him quick-witted and smart.
He had his Reynolds kids and once a Reynolds kid, you were always a Reynolds kid, Phillips said, referring his students.
Phillips recalled that when she was going through a divorce, Reynolds took her daughter, now 21, under his wing.
Jack became like a surrogate father, a male role model for her for that year that she was in his class, and followed her throughout her entire school history, she said.
Katie Bruch McCollom has known Reynolds since she was a teenager. Her father, Bob Bruch, mentored Reynolds. McCollom was a colleague when she started teaching, and her son had him as a kindergarten teacher.
Jack was a ray of light at Joel, she said. It didnt matter if a child had him directly as a classroom teacher or if they just passed him in the hall, they knew him from bus duty, they knew him from assemblies. He made every child feel joy and made every child feel special.
He had a gift of making people feel connected and joyful in his presence, she said. I say that he was a teacher of a lifetime for my child.
Clinton Town Council Chairman Christopher Aniskovich released a statement Wednesday, extending the towns condolences to Reynolds family, friends, co-workers and students.
Not only was Jack a great educator, but for those lucky enough to know him, knew him to be a better person, Aniskovich wrote. He will be sorely missed by a community that he did so much for, please keep his loved ones in your prayers.
Susan Braden contributed reporting to this article.
christine.derosa@hearstmediact.com
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) Alabama lawmakers on Wednesday headed toward swift approval of a prison construction package that would tap $400 million of the states pandemic relief funds to help pay for building three new lockups.
The House of Representatives voted 74-26 for the $1.3 billion construction plan and 75-25 to use $400 million from the states share of American Rescue Plan dollars to help pay for the construction. The votes came after Republicans, who hold a lopsided majority in the Alabama Legislature, voted to cut off debate. The bills now move to the Alabama Senate, where lawmakers hope to approve them by the end of the week.
Addressing our decades-long prison infrastructure challenges is not easy, but sometimes, doing the right thing and the hard thing are one in the same," Republican Gov. Kay Ivey said in a statement after the House votes.
Ivey and GOP legislative leaders touted the construction plan as a partial solution to the state's longstanding problems in corrections that led the U.S. Department of Justice to sue the state last year. The proposal brought sharp criticism from state Democrats, who argued it will not remedy the prison problems and said the state has needs in health care and education that could be helped by the $400 million.
I'm thinking about families, and how this money was supposed to be an additional injection of resources into the community. All of these folks that have been hurting, and we're using this $400 million to build prisons, said Democratic Rep. Merika Coleman of Pleasant Grove.
Ivey and Republican legislative leaders have argued that the plan is appropriate because the American Rescue Plan says states can use some of the funds to replace revenue lost during the coronavirus pandemic to maintain services.
House Speaker Mac McCutcheon said he thought the money would be well spent to improve conditions in prisons.
You've got people who are stacked on top of each other. You've got the safety of the inmates and the people taking care of the inmates. You've got facilities that don't have good plumbing. They are not worth fixing, the Republican said.
The lone Democrat in Alabamas congressional delegation, U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, wrote on Twitter that she is disturbed her state is using the pandemic money for prisons, especially as the virus rages in our state.
To be clear, the current state of the Alabama prison system is abhorrent, but the use of COVID-19 relief funds to pay for decades of neglect is simply unacceptable, she said.
The Department of Justice last year sued Alabama, saying male inmates in the state live in prisons riddled with prisoner-on-prisoner and guard-on-prisoner violence."
In a 2019 report that preceded the lawsuit, the DOJ made it clear that new prisons alone will not solve the problems. Federal officials wrote that dilapidated conditions were a contributing factor to what it called unconstitutional conditions but emphasized that, new facilities alone will not resolve the contributing factors to the overall unconstitutional condition of ... prisons, such as understaffing, culture, management deficiencies, corruption, policies, training, non-existent investigations, violence, illicit drugs, and sexual abuse.
Alabama Democratic Party chair and state Rep. Chris England said the prison plan being proposed would not translate into a better system.
We will still be overcrowded. We will still be understaffed. We will still be under-resourced. And if our current commissioner is somehow still working, we will still be mismanaged, England said.
Republican Rep. Steve Clouse of Ozark said new modern prisons in which prisoners would be housed in cell blocks instead of large dormitories with rows of bunks would be a foundation for improving the system.
It's a piece of the puzzle. It's a big piece, Clouse said.
The Alabama prison construction proposal calls for at least three new prisons: one with at least 4,000 beds in Elmore County with enhanced space for medical and mental health care needs; a second of the same size in Escambia County; and a womens prison as well as renovations to existing facilities. Six prisons would close.
The package of bills also includes a retroactive sentencing change that could allow up to 700 nonviolent inmates to seek shorter sentences. The House did not vote on the sentencing bill Wednesday, effectively killing it for the short special session, after it became doubtful that there was enough Republican support to pass the bill.
Outside the Alabama Statehouse, about 40 people, including some parents of inmates, protested the plan and the use of pandemic funds. Carrying a banner that read, Stop the Spending Spree," the group said Alabama had other needs in medical care and education.
All they want is to build these prisons. They don't care about reform, said Sandy Ray, whose son died in a state prison in 2019 following a confrontation with officers.
Determined to keep track of their guns, some U.S. military units have turned to a technology that could let enemies detect troops on the battlefield, The Associated Press has found.
The rollout on Army and Air Force bases continues even though the Department of Defense itself describes putting the technology in firearms as a significant security risk.
The Marines have rejected radio frequency identification technology in weapons for that very reason, and the Navy said this week that it was halting its own dalliance.
RFID, as the technology is known, is infused throughout daily civilian life. Thin RFID tags help drivers zip through toll booths, hospitals locate tools and supermarkets track their stock. Tags are in some identity documents, airline baggage tags and even amusement park wristbands.
When embedded in military guns, RFID tags can trim hours off time-intensive tasks, such as weapon counts and distribution. Outside the armory, however, the same silent, invisible signals that help automate inventory checks could become an unwanted tracking beacon.
The AP scrutinized how the U.S. armed services use technology to keep closer control of their firearms as part of an investigation into stolen and missing military guns some of which have been used in street violence. The examination included new field tests that demonstrated some of the security issues RFID presents.
The field tests showed how tags inside weapons can be quickly copied, giving would-be thieves in gun rooms and armories a new advantage.
And, more crucially, that even low-tech enemies could identify U.S. troops at distances far greater than advertised by contractors who install the systems.
Which is why a spokesman for the Department of Defense said its policymakers oppose embedding tags in firearms except in limited, very specific cases, such as guns that are used only at a firing range not in combat or to guard bases.
It would pose a significant operations security risk in the field, allowing an adversary to easily identify DOD personnel operating locations and potentially even their identity, Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Uriah Orland told AP.
Spokespeople at the headquarters of the Air Force and Army said they did not know how many units have converted their armories.
AP found five Air Force bases that have operated at least one RFID armory, and one more that plans a retrofit. Executives at military contracting companies said many more units have sought proposals.
A Florida-based Army Green Berets unit, the 7th Special Forces Group, confirmed it uses the technology in a few arms rooms. Special forces soldiers can take tagged weapons into the field, said Maj. Dan Lessard, a special forces spokesman. A separate pilot project at Fort Bragg, the sprawling Army base in North Carolina, was suspended due to COVID-19.
The Navy told AP one armory on a base up the coast from Los Angeles was using RFID for inventory. Then this week, after extended questioning, spokesman Lt. Lewis Aldridge abruptly said that the technology didnt meet operational requirements and wouldnt be used across the service.
Momentum for RFID built within the Air Force after a 2018 case in which a machine gun disappeared from the 91st Security Forces Group, which guards an installation that houses nuclear-tipped missiles. Authorities recovered the weapon, but the incident reverberated across the service.
With Air Force commanders looking to bolster armory security, defense contractors offered a familiar technology one with a military pedigree.
The origins of RFID trace to World War II and the development of radar. In the U.S. military, use grew in the 1990s, after the first Gulf War showed a need to untangle vast supply chains of shipping containers.
The U.S. military is not alone in employing RFID for firearms management: Government armories in Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere have been outfitted.
Armory conversions cost thousands of dollars, and sometimes more. Convenience is a big selling point. Instead of hand-recording firearm serial numbers on paper or scanning barcodes one-by-one like a cashier, an armorer can read tags in a rack of firearms with the wave of a handheld reader and without having to see each weapon. The tags tucked inside dont even need batteries.
Contractors that retrofit armories say tags can be read only within a limited range, typically a few dozen feet or less. But in field testing for AP, two prominent cybersecurity experts showed that a tag inside a rifle can be read from significantly farther, using inexpensive components that fit inside a backpack.
While the hackers who devised the experiments observed U.S. government restrictions on transmitting signals, enemies who would not be so constrained could detect tags miles away, they said.
Some within the military share the tracking concern.
The Marine Corps has, according to a spokesman, decided across the service not to tag guns.
The use of RFID tags on individual weapons systems increases the digital signature of Marines on a battlefield, increasing the security/force protection risks, said Capt. Andrew Wood.
A top weapons expert from the Corps said he saw how tags can be read from afar during training exercises in the Southern California desert in December 2018.
RFID tags on tanks, weapons, magazines, you can ping them and find the disposition of where units are, said Wesley Turner, who was a Marine chief warrant officer 5 when he spoke in a spring interview. If I can ping it, I can find it and I can shoot you.
The Air Force and Army did not answer detailed questions about use of the technology in firearms. In written statements, spokespeople said unit commanders can add RFID systems as a further layer of accountability, but no service-wide requirement is planned.
Policy experts within the Office of the Secretary of Defense appeared unaware that the services have been tagging firearms with RFID.
Asked why service branches can field a technology that Pentagon planners consider so risky, Defense Department spokesman Orland first said that the services told the Pentagon they are not tagging guns due to security concerns.
Informed that AP found units which acknowledge using the technology, the Pentagon revised its statement and said it allows service branches to explore innovative solutions. The Defense Department tries to balance pre-emptive prohibitions due to current security risks with flexibility to adopt new technologies when they mature and those risks decrease, Orland said.
___
HACKERS ON THE HUNT
The two hackers had locked onto their target: The rifle held by a man walking away from them under the scorching summer sun.
Still reading, still reading, still reading, called out one, Kristin Paget, whose prowess has landed her jobs at tech titans including Apple and Tesla as well as the nickname Hacker Princess.
Here in Californias San Joaquin Valley, in a sloping field surrounded by almond orchards, Paget and her hacking partner Marc Rogers were testing the limits of an RFID system theyd cobbled together for about $500. To see how far they could detect a tag in the rifle, they were telling the man, firearms trainer Michael Palombo, to keep going.
By now more than half a football field away, the hackers had to shout or wave hands to communicate.
Because the hackers were following Federal Communications Commission regulations that limit the power of radio signals, their antenna lost the tag at 210 feet (64 meters).
That is nowhere near the farthest distance possible, according to Paget. She theorizes that a reader with enough of a power boost could detect an RFID tag on the outside of the International Space Station, 250 miles (402 kilometers) above.
Whats more, Paget said, it doesnt take a Chinese or Russian cyber army to take advantage a tinkerer with YouTube access could learn the needed skills.
Its one of those situations that in the security world we say it keeps honest people honest, or its secure unless theres an attack, said Paget.
Paget warned publicly about the vulnerabilities of RFID in 2010, during presentation at the annual DEF CON hacker convention. From a stage in Las Vegas, Paget broke down a test that read a tag 217 feet (66 meters) away.
Dale Woody Wooden, who at the time was part of naval special warfare, saw that presentation and warned fellow service members.
If the disease is missing weapons and the cure is RFID tags, then you have a cure that is worse than the disease, said Wooden, who after 20 years in the Navy founded Weathered Security, which teaches digital protection to the military and law enforcement. Theyre prioritizing convenience over service member lives.
In the California field tests, Paget and Rogers were prepared to demonstrate what they see as other vulnerabilities created by putting RFID in firearms. They thought about showing how a tag could trigger a roadside bomb, but settled on something more mundane: inventory checks.
One benefit of RFID is that it can reduce daily weapon count drudgery. Instead of cataloging dozens of guns one-by-one, an armorer at the end of an aisle can read all their tags at once.
Rogers demonstrated his doubts by showing how a thief could defeat the system.
Aiming his RFID reader at a rifle inside a hard carry case, Rogers replicated the rifles tag with the lid still closed. Palombo then removed the firearm and Rogers put the cloned tag inside. As a clone, that tag had all the same data as the rifles tag and indeed, with the case again closed, the RFID reader was fooled into thinking the original tag, and thus the rifle, was still inside.
It took Rogers less than two minutes.
Its the ultimate false sense of security, said Rogers, who designed the hacks on the TV show Mr. Robot and is now vice president of cybersecurity at Okta. It lists all the weapons and tells you that theyre there, but youve never actually seen the weapon.
Executives at two companies that have installed RFID armories at Air Force bases agreed that a corrupt insider could trick the technology.
RFID is not truly an anti-theft system, said Cody Remington, president of Enasys.
The executives also said they had never heard anything like the 210 feet (64 meters) that the hackers achieved.
Remington suggested there might be ways to mitigate the risk, but said he deferred to the Pentagon. Our expertise certainly isnt on the battlefield, he said, our expertise is inside the buildings and tracking where items are.
Another executive said he had been hearing the concern about troop tracking for years. Eric Collins, the CEO of Trackable Solutions, said it wasnt a real life problem because a reader would need a stronger power source, and even then couldnt exceed several dozen feet.
Collins said RFID in weapons poses absolutely no risk at all, especially if the guns stay on base.
He said he didnt believe a tag could be detected from more than 100 feet (30 meters), making the Pentagons security concerns invalid. The leadership needs their staff to give them better guidance, Collins said, because thats not good guidance.
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THE LURE OF RFID
RFID is a relatively expensive solutions for armory management, but the payoff is enticing.
Consider normal inventories. Between physical inspections and voluminous paperwork, counting all the guns on just one base can stretch to days or even weeks. Meanwhile, time seems to stop when a weapon is lost or stolen, as the installation shuts down and search parties launch to find it.
RFID offers a simpler, more efficient system. Which is why two airmen went to an Air Force 2020 Innovation Rodeo an ideas competition patterned after the TV show Shark Tank to pitch a project to a panel of senior officers.
The airmen offered another scenario, one service members dread and that RFID promises to eliminate: A thousand troops suddenly need to deploy overseas, fast. To get the weapons they will carry, each must wait in a line that snakes around the building and barely seems to move.
We need to get on board with the 21st century, Staff Sgt. Nicholas Mullins said from the stage.
Though the proposal didnt win that competition, with the support of another federal program it found a home at an armory for security forces that patrol Eglin Air Force Base in Floridas Panhandle.
Open with full operational capability," the RFID armory is a success as promised, according to spokeswoman Jasmine Porterfield. The new system cuts inventory time in half, limiting the need for two armorers and creating more schedule flexibility and training opportunities.
The maximum distance tags can be read, according to experts on the base: about 8 feet (2 meters).
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LaPorta reported from Hickman, California, Pritchard reported from Los Angeles, and Hall reported from Nashville, Tennessee. Also contributing were Serginho Roosblad in San Francisco and Martha Mendoza in Santa Cruz, California.
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Contact LaPorta at https://twitter.com/jimlaporta; contact Pritchard at https://twitter.com/JPritchardAP; contact Hall at https://twitter.com/kmhall.
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Email APs Global Investigations Team at investigative@ap.org or https://www.ap.org/tips/. See other work at https://www.apnews.com/hub/ap-investigations.
Sen. Chris Murphy is urging the quick and safe approval of youth vaccines.
The United States senator alongside Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Bob Casey (D-Penn.) and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) sent a letter on Wednesday to the Food and Drug Administration, calling on the agency to approve COVID-19 vaccines for children under 12 as soon as science allows.
The letter comes the day after Pfizer submitted clinical trial data to the FDA on children ages 5 through 11.
We write to urge the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to work as quickly and aggressively as possible to authorize safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines for children under the age of 12, the senators wrote.
Pfizer has yet to formally file an application to authorize emergency use, though the pharmaceutical company said they would do so in the coming weeks. The shot may not be authorized until November.
The senators addressed their appeal to Janet Woodcock, the acting commissioner of the FDA.
Parents, teachers, and caregivers have been eagerly awaiting a vaccine for children 11 years of age and younger, the senators wrote. It is needed even more now with the rise of the Delta variant.
The senators cited data from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Childrens Hospital Association, noting they reported in the last few weeks the largest increase in pediatric COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic.
More than 5.2 million American children have tested positive for COVID-19, the letter read, and over 460 have died. Murphy and his colleagues also raised concerns about the impact of lingering symptoms on the countrys youngest residents.
The prevalence of Long COVID among children is of particular concern for the long-term impacts on their success and health, they wrote.
The senators cited a study conducted in Israel that showed 11 percent of children reported symptoms of Long COVID after contracting the virus.
We urge your continued dedication to help ensure that COVID-19 vaccines for younger children can be authorized as swiftly as possible, they wrote.
Murphy has also been involved in multiple events encouraging vaccination for students at Connecticut colleges, including visits to Southern and Central Connecticut State University over the summer and Quinnipiac University last month.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) An arson investigation was underway after a man wearing an American flag bandanna threw a Molotov cocktail into the headquarters of the county Democratic Party in Austin.
The incendiary device did not ignite when it was thrown at the Travis County Democratic Party headquarters at about 2 a.m. Wednesday, Austin Fire Capt. Brandon Jennings said. A small stack of papers was set on fire, but that was quickly put out by employees of a neighboring business using a fire extinguisher.
Lee Forsyth knows the drill a little too well. When it looks like a storm is heading for his Stratford home, a few houses up from the beach in the Lordship section of town, he slides foot-high slats in front of the garage doors, puts two layers of sandbags inside the doors and runs a hose down the garage floor drain.
The final step is crossing his fingers.
None of this will count for anything with a real storm, he said after completing the usual preparations in advance of Ida, the states third tropical system in a six-week span this summer.
With flood insurance costing him around $3,000 a year, what Forsyth would really like is to elevate the house and knock down that bill. But FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, has turned him down twice for a subsidy because his flooding hasnt been severe enough probably because of the mitigation strategies hes employed.
I almost feel like Im being penalized for going above and beyond, he said.
And for all his effort, its now possible hell be facing higher flood insurance rates.
Thats because FEMA is rolling out a new flood insurance premium assessment system Risk Rating 2.0 that kicks in for new policies on Oct. 1. Existing policy renewals will switch to the new system beginning April 1, 2022.
But exactly how the new system works and what it means for individual property owners like Forsyth is murky. Even state officials who are experts in the federal flood insurance program are confused.
Its a black box, said Diane Ifkovic, who oversees flood insurance at the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and is considered the states go-to authority on all things flood insurance.
Despite the lack of clarity, the new system is already eliciting criticism that FEMA has missed an opportunity to overhaul the fundamental paradigm of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) that has existed since its inception in 1968 providing money after a flood to put things back roughly where they were before the flood.
With climate change whipping storms into bigger, stronger, wetter, windier and more frequent events, the notion that just changing the premium system will be enough to lower the climate change flood risk to homes near the water on the shoreline and inland has elicited similar comments from multiple experts: Its a good start, but not enough.
Risk Rating 2.0 is a good step forward, but thats all it is a step forward, said Steven Rothstein, managing director of the Accelerator for Sustainable Capital Markets at Ceres, a sustainability investment nonprofit.
Theres more that needs to be done to plan for the physical risk that were seeing more and more, he said, referring to Julys designation as the hottest month on record. We are literally running out of records to break.
But he said its not a matter of just dumping the 53-year-old system. We need to look at both a set of incremental approaches as well as some bold ideas that are different.
Rather than rely on the financial incentive of increasing flood insurance premiums to get homeowners to make the kinds of changes that would make their homes more resilient to climate change generally and sea level rise in particular, many say the bolder ideas would be to keep the flooding from happening in the first place as well as finding newer insurance models the would streamline and speed up the claims process when floods do happen.
Some of those bold ideas would be up to Congress to approve. But in recent years, federal lawmakers have reauthorized NFIP only after a couple of failed attempts in 2012 and 2014, when the real estate industry went ballistic, that included steep premium increases. Members of Connecticuts congressional delegation were among many that had initially supported the changes but then sided with the real estate industry.
An eleventh-hour effort to delay Risk Rating 2.0 implementation began in the last couple of weeks, with letters to FEMA from legislators in New York, New Jersey, Louisiana and other flood-prone states. Connecticut did not participate this time. FEMA is reported to have refused to delay.
This time, real estate industry reaction is somewhere between muted and non-existent.
For us, its a sit and wait period, said Michael Barbaro, a broker who handles shoreline properties and a former president of the Connecticut Association of Realtors. He said buyers do ask if properties are in a flood zone.
When the answer is yes? Click. Hang up the phone, he said.
What worries him is the uncertainty around the new system. My buyers they dont have an appetite for uncertainty.
While Risk Rating 2.0 is still arguably the most dramatic change to flood insurance in its history, some still wonder why FEMA did not opt for more foundational changes to fulfill the basic NFIP mission, as stated in a Congressional Research Service report released this summer.
The general purpose of the NFIP is both to offer primary flood insurance to properties with significant flood risk and to reduce flood risk through the adoption of floodplain management standards. A longer-term objective of the NFIP is to reduce federal expenditure on disaster assistance after floods, the report read.
And that expenditure is considerable.
Government Accountability Office reports in the last two years noted that as of a little more than a year ago, FEMAs debt was $20.5 billion, despite Congress having canceled $16 billion in debt in October 2017.
And many wonder why 2.0 doesnt do more to address inequity on shorelines, which are rapidly becoming the domain of wealthy owners who can afford to rebuild each time they are crushed by storms while pushing out lower income residents who cant.
The black box
Risk Rating 2.0 all but retires the 50-year standard for determining flood risk and insurance premiums flood maps. Theyll still be around, along with base flood elevation, a standard for the height at which flooding is likely to occur. But theyll mostly be used for municipal planning and to indicate properties that must have flood insurance if they have mortgages or certain other federally backed loans.
Instead, FEMA will use higher tech measurements to rate property risk than it has used in the past. FEMA will also use a suite of factors it hasnt used before, including distance from the water, types of flooding inland or coastal, frequency of flooding, ground elevation, first floor height and number of floors, construction or foundation type, the cost to rebuild, prior claims and more.
Theyre factoring it inside that black box, and were not exactly sure how its being spit out the other side, said Ifkovic, who has repeatedly questioned how FEMA measures distance to the water. Were all kind of waiting, to be honest with you.
Before it was pretty clear what they were using. You had a map with a number on it. You had your floor elevation and that was about it. Now theres that other stuff in there, she said. Whats the percentage of how thats weighted?
FEMA would not provide anyone to answer questions, offering via email only general information largely taken, in some cases verbatim, from their website.
What is clear from the FEMA website is that the vast majority of U.S. property owners with flood insurance will see their premiums go up the first year. Rates could increase by as much as 18% a year until they reach actuarial rates, but theres no time limit, and the actuarial rates could fluctuate. More specifically, 66% of policy holders will see premium increases of about $10 a month in the first year, 7% will see increases of $10-$20 a month, and 4% will see increases above $20 a month.
Roughly 23% of policy holders will pay lower premiums, according to FEMAs data, and current policyholders whose rates will go down may be able to switch to that lower rate at their next renewal.
FEMA also provides breakdowns by state. In Connecticut, premium decreases are expected to be higher than the national average 37%. But the highest increases in Connecticut are expected to be higher than the national average 8% in the $10-$20 range and 9% in the more than $20 range. Forty-six percent fall in the up to $10 per-month-increase category.
In Stratford, slightly more than half of policy premiums will increase, almost all of them in the smallest category up to $10 per month. The rest will decrease 40% of them by the largest category of decline. Other shoreline communities are looking at high rates of increase. In Milford, the number of policy holders who see premium increases could top 70%, while Bridgeport and Branford could reach 60% or higher.
But higher flood insurance premiums aren't just limited to shoreline properties. Those who live along large inland waterways, such as the Connecticut River, will also pay more. In Middletown, for instance, more than 92% of policyholders could be looking at premium increases, including 2.6% that will pay an additional $100 per month.
That data, however, masks data showing that participation in the national flood insurance program in Connecticut has decreased steadily since a small increase that followed Irene and Sandy in 2011 and 2012, respectively. The reasons are unclear.
One possibility, experts say, is that property owners are using private insurance, which is available, though not widely. Another is that lower-income owners have been pushed off the coastline due to rising costs and those coming in are wealthy enough to pay cash for homes. That means even if they are in a flood zone, they would not be required to have flood insurance. And another is that until this summer, flooding events had fallen off and people with non-mandatory policies may have dropped them.
George Bradner, director of the property and casualty division of the Connecticut Insurance Department, said FEMA may have missed an opportunity with 2.0 to devise more inventive ways to structure flood insurance in the face of climate change. But, he said, FEMAs plan as part of Risk Rating 2.0 to provide informational risk scores to homes just outside the 100-year floodplains was a good move, since about 25% of flood losses typically happen outside that floodplain. He hoped it would get those homeowners to purchase flood insurance on their own.
And I hope banks will start saying I want you to have flood insurance because even though youre not in the floodplain you have a higher risk, Bradner said. Get out of the mantra, 'Youre not in a flood zone, you dont need flood insurance.' We have to stop that conversation.
Bradner also likes FEMA's decision to include replacement costs as a criteria in the premium formula.
A person thats living in a $200,000 home was paying the same price for their flood insurance as a person living in an $800,000 home. So the rates for homes of higher value are going to be more reflective of the value of the higher value property, versus someone thats in a lower value property that was paying the same rate, he said.
But hes less thrilled about the potential for up to 18% premium increases every year.
It gets to the point when does affordability become an issue? And Connecticut already has some of the lowest up-take rates for flood insurance in the country. Will it just compound the problem? he said.
Another thing hes not too happy about is that FEMA still isnt including sea level rise in its flooding calculations. Thats one of several high-profile considerations many folks think were left out of 2.0.
Whats missing?
That FEMA does not include sea level rise in its flood maps or insurance calculations has been a point of dispute for several years. On one hand, the argument goes, sea level rise is an estimate, not a certainty of how high the water will go.
But, as Bradner points out, if you mandate an elevation to a structure without considering sea level rise, that elevation may be useless in a period of time far shorter than the structure should have lasted.
It may be partly a fundamental failing of the component of insurance that looks at history as a way to gauge the future. Its been likened to driving a car with the front windshield blacked out and two actuaries looking out the back window telling you where to go.
Insuring for climate change requires planning for the future, not planning based on history. But with sea level rise a long-term problem and flood insurance policies issued yearly, how to mesh the two is difficult.
Another part of the flood insurance universe that FEMA did not address when it overhauled premiums is the Community Rating System (CRS), much to the chagrin of just about any municipality thats ever used it.
The CRS establishes municipal guidelines for a number of resiliency measures designed to prevent flooding and thereby reduce the number of insurance claims. Depending on the success of the resiliency measures, which the town pays for, all flood insurance holders will get a discount anywhere from 5% to 45%. Measures can be as small as minor structural changes to flood-proof buildings and annual inspections of drainage system components to larger, more complex improvements such as more robust stormwater management and the acquisition and relocation of buildings.
But the documentation due to FEMA every five years is hundreds of pages, and the overall program often requires the kind of expertise, such as a floodplain manager or a town planner, that small communities dont have. Of the 1,500 communities that participated in the program nationally, only 19 are in Connecticut. Just about two-thirds of those 19 are on the shoreline, fewer than half of all shoreline towns. New Haven has the largest discount 15%. The rest top out at 10%.
Ifkovic said she doesn't blame towns for not participating, given the amount of work entailed. The Western Council of Governments (WCOG) decided to help out several years ago, grouping four towns Greenwich, Darien, Norwalk and Danbury and applying for them. But WCOG found the process so onerous, they gave up.
It was a huge lift, said Mike Towle of WCOG. A bigger lift than we realized.
While there have been some updates to the latest CRS manual, towns would like to have seen a more user-friendly process incorporated into the new flood insurance model or some more efficient way, such as regional configurations or state-run assistance, to get more communities to use it. In the long run, it can help lower flood risk, which in turn would put less stress on the insurance itself.
Other adjustments that were not made that come up for discussion frequently include stricter repercussions, including prohibition from even getting flood insurance for properties that flood frequently those known as repetitive loss or severe repetitive loss. Those categories are determined by frequency of flooding and payout levels on claims.
And there continues to be discussion about whether the parameters for mandatory flood insurance should be expanded. A GAO report released in July recommended such action.
The Association of State Flood Plain Managers is also advocating for expanding the mandatory purchase requirement. And theyre pushing for changes to the NFIP minimum standard of using base flood elevation. The organization, along with the Natural Resources Defense Council, have filed a petition under the Administrative Procedures Act to begin updating those minimum standards.
We know we can do better; we have to do better from a resiliency standpoint if we expect our houses, our businesses and our infrastructure to withstand the changes in our flood risk over the next 100 years, said Chad Berginnis, ASFPM executive director, who still said 2.0 was drastically needed.
And he said it will help people along shorelines and rivers better understand their true risk.
Often so many people they look at the FEMA flood map and think its the end-all, be-all totality of their flood risk, he said. "At the federal level, we have got to make sure our programs dont reward stupid behavior. If all you could do is repair or replace back to the original condition well, thats stupid.
The proposed and the theoretical
The real key may be to prevent or lower the risk of flooding through pre-disaster mitigation steps homeowners and municipalities can take, such as elevating a house or moving a wastewater treatment plant. The Biden administration is already throwing a lot of money at that sort of thing.
It will be up to Connecticut to figure how to get some of it.
Three programs are slated for infusions of funding. One is the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HGMP), with an influx of $3.46 billion, which allows states that receive major disaster declarations due to COVID-19 to use 4% of it for large climate mitigation projects.
Biden wants to double the $1 billion budget for Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC), a program to reduce vulnerability to natural hazards like flooding. But the administration is looking for shovel-ready projects, which Connecticut has struggled to provide.
And about $160 million would go to the Flood Mitigation Assistance program, which is targeted at reducing repetitive loss risk for properties covered by the NFIP.
The administration also is targeting at-risk communities with these efforts.
But none of these programs or the insurance overhaul itself adopt any of the new, break-the-mold ideas coming from risk and insurance experts.
The Wharton Risk Management and Decision Processes Center at the University of Pennsylvania has churned out paper after paper on flood insurance issues, including many that focus on the low- and moderate-income community and others who are least able to absorb flood recovery costs, never mind pre-disaster mitigation.
One publication, Improving the Post-Flood Financial Resilience of Lower-Income Households through Insurance, outlines several policy options. Among them: parametric microinsurance. Its a lower-cost approach that sets a threshold, such as wind speed in a hurricane. Once the threshold is met, money is immediately made available, though not as much as traditional insurance.
Because its using a more modern technique, you can essentially have the process be automated and people could even get a payout to their cellphones, said Helen Wiley, a co-author of the paper and a policy analyst and project manager at the Risk Center. In order for it to be cheaper, you dont get rate adjustments. You get X amount if the thresholds are met.
This approach is already in use in developing countries and other emerging economies. Puerto Rico has implemented new regulations essentially to create a microinsurance market.
If it were done right, you would have it such that you use a microinsurance policy, and more people could go this route and have some money after the disaster, Wiley said. It would be a mechanism to help prevent people from going further down the cycle of being worse off after every event.
The paper also suggests finding ways to help lower-income households do pre-disaster flood mitigation, such as elevating a home's mechanicals or installing drainage through grants; discounts; use of less costly techniques and public-private partnerships. They, in turn, would result in lower flood insurance costs. It also examines several community-based models, including having the municipality buy a group policy for use by low-income households, set up local programs to help pay for insurance or provide other financial incentives, such as property tax reductions, to induce people to purchase flood insurance.
The paper notes that North Carolina is piloting a program that provides premium assistance for qualified households to buy federal flood insurance. Portland, Ore., and Syracuse, N.Y., have also tried municipal incentive programs to help lower mitigation costs and other expenses.
The challenge of course is I dont think theres one solution, Wiley said. I think having more programs that are tailored specifically for the LMI (low and moderate income) community is whats going to make sense.
Bradner at the Connecticut Insurance Department has talked for years about insurance models that use incentives for proactive local and state governments.
It doesnt do any good to have one person elevate their house and everyone around them does nothing, he said, recalling a Texas house on stilts that survived a flood while everything around it was obliterated. That person doing their duty protected themselves but, at the end of the day, their house is probably worth nothing. So this really has to become a community effort.
Hes intrigued by the Wharton ideas. Since an entire community can suffer economically when a portion floods, if communities could come up with a way to asses all residents within that community and obviously it would be weighted towards the greater your risk, the more that you would be assessed but everyone would be contributing to this policy. Even those with greater risk can pay less because it would be community-based pricing, he said.
Lets put our toe in the water and start having these conversations.
But those conversations can also run headlong into reality.
Real-time on the ground
Its important to look beyond the flood insurance program. There are limitations to a flood insurance program, said Laura Lightbody, project director for the Flood-Prepared Communities program at the Pew Trusts.
She thinks the mitigation investment the Biden administration is making shows the federal government is thinking about risk more broadly.
Its important what FEMAs doing. This [Risk Rating 2.0] is the first and most profound change to the rate-setting system that has happened in decades, and it will be the best and most modern version of a rate-setting system that will reflect todays risk, she said. I think whats important is that we couple it with other parts of a comprehensive flood risk reduction program.
That, she said, means money for pre-disaster mitigation coupled with a real means-tested affordability program paired with Risk Rating 2.0.
She pointed to the CRS as a great candidate for overhaul, saying it needs a stronger incentive mechanism.
She and others point out that a lot of what drives flooding situations are local policies and rules, so communities should think about updating floodplain, zoning and land use regulations. And they need to make some hard decisions.
I feel like were talking out of both sides of our mouth here, she said. We cannot continue to subsidize and bail out beach houses and repetitive loss properties while at the same time we say we cannot continue to keep people in the way of climate change.
Fairfield has had its share of flooding woes with swamped low-lying beach neighborhoods. They are now dotted with dozens of elevated homes along many still low-lying roads.
Keep in mind when we talk about insurance who does it impact the most? The private property owner. But flooding is a public-private problem, because its not just the house and the property it sits on, but its how do you get there, said Emmeline Harrigan, Fairfields assistant town planner, who said shes pleased with the Biden administration's mitigation effort. But she said the insurance changes are just wait-and-see at this point.
I think the owner has to be responsible for whats private for them, and the towns have to figure out how to improve drainage and figure out how to do all those other public projects where they can. Not everything is solvable.
Sometimes it feels like almost nothing is solvable to Susmitha Attota, the town planner in Stratford.
While Stratford developed a coastal resilience plan five years ago, Attota is reminded constantly of how much effort and time it takes to make the kinds of changes that will help make Stratford a town that faces flooding from Long Island Sound and two rivers more resilient.
In 2017, the town applied for funding to build an additional dike around its water pollution control facility, which sits a parking lot away from the Sound and came close to flooding in storms Irene and Sandy. In 2020, they finally heard they would get funding for one-third of the $7.5 million cost. But it took so long, it will probably cost more, she said.
Last year, it applied for BRIC funding for a berm that would help with flooding in other areas but got turned down.
But its the effort to elevate three homes including Lee Forsyths on Washington Parkway that continues to drag on. A joint application in 2018 to elevate all of them was turned down. Then the town reapplied for each individually, and one that was considered a severe repetitive loss property was approved. But its unclear how much that homeowner will get. In the meantime, the owner has spent her own money on preliminary drawings, hoping to someday be reimbursed.
One single property took us three years of hard work back and forth, Attota said. I have no idea how to expedite the process, but something has to be done.
The homeowner is frustrated. We have to communicate to the state, the state has to communicate to FEMA, thats the chain right now, she said. Theres also a matter of equity. Imagine if she was a low income homeowner would she have the time and resources and the patience to do something like this?
Ida dumped 8 inches of rain on Stratford. And while streets flooded all around town and the lot next door was under water, Lee Forsyth's contraptions worked one more time.
Even so, the town will be applying a third time on his behalf for money to elevate his home. If he gets this one, hell have to pay 25% of the cost which is fine with him fingers crossed, again.
Kasturi Pananjady contributed to this story.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) More than a year after U.S. health care workers on the front lines against COVID-19 were saluted as heroes with nightly clapping from windows and balconies, some are being issued panic buttons in case of assault and ditching their scrubs before going out in public for fear of harassment.
Across the country, doctors and nurses are dealing with hostility, threats and violence from patients angry over safety rules designed to keep the scourge from spreading.
A year ago, were health care heroes and everybodys clapping for us, said Dr. Stu Coffman, a Dallas-based emergency room physician. And now were being in some areas harassed and disbelieved and ridiculed for what were trying to do, which is just depressing and frustrating.
Cox Medical Center Branson in Missouri started giving panic buttons to up to 400 nurses and other employees after assaults per year tripled between 2019 and 2020 to 123, a spokeswoman said. One nurse had to get her shoulder X-rayed after an attack.
Hospital spokeswoman Brandei Clifton said the pandemic has driven at least some of the increase.
So many nurses say, Its just part of the job, Clifton said. Its not part of the job.
Some hospitals have limited the number of public entrances. In Idaho, nurses said they are scared to go to the grocery store unless they have changed out of their scrubs so they aren't accosted by angry residents.
Doctors and nurses at a Coeur dAlene, Idaho, hospital have been accused of killing patients by grieving family members who dont believe COVID-19 is real, said hospital spokeswoman Caiti Bobbitt. Others have been the subject of hurtful rumors spread by people angry about the pandemic.
Our health care workers are almost feeling like Vietnam veterans, scared to go into the community after a shift, Bobbitt said.
Over Labor Day weekend in Colorado, a passerby threw an unidentified liquid at a nurse working at a mobile vaccine clinic in suburban Denver. Another person in a pickup truck ran over and destroyed signs put up around the clinics tent.
About 3 in 10 nurses who took part in a survey this month by an umbrella organization of nurses unions across the U.S. reported an increase in violence where they work stemming from factors including staff shortages and fewer visitor restrictions. That was up from 2 in 10 in March, according to the National Nurses United survey of 5,000 nurses.
Michelle Jones, a nurse at a COVID-19 ICU unit in Wichita, Kansas, said patients are coming in scared, sometimes several from the same family, and often near death. Their relatives are angry, thinking the nurses and doctors are letting them die.
They cry, they yell, they sit outside our ICU in little groups and pray," Jones said. "Lots of people think they are going to get miracles and God is not passing those out this year. If you come into my ICU, there is a good chance you are going to die.
She said the powerful steroids that have shown promise often make patients angrier.
It is like roid rage on people, she said. Ive worked in health care for 26 years. and Ive seen anything like this. Ive never seen the public act like this.
Across the U.S., the COVID-19 crisis has caused people to behave badly toward one another in a multitude of ways.
Several people have been shot to death in disputes over masks in stores and other public places. Shouting matches and scuffles have broken out at school board meetings. A brawl erupted earlier this month at a New York City restaurant over its requirement that customers show proof of vaccination.
Dr. Chris Sampson, an emergency room physician in Columbia, Missouri, said violence has always been a problem in the emergency department, but the situation has gotten worse in recent months. Sampson said he has been pushed up against a wall and seen nurses kicked.
Dr. Ashley Coggins of St. Peters Health Regional Medical Center in Helena, Montana, said she recently asked a patient whether he wanted to be vaccinated.
He said, F, no, and I didnt ask further because I personally dont want to get yelled at," Coggins said. "You know, this is a weird time in our world, and the respect that we used to have for each other, the respect that people used to have for caregivers and physicians and nurses its not always there, and it makes this job way harder.
Coggins said the patient told her that he wanted to strangle President Biden" for pushing for vaccinations, prompting her to change the subject. She said security guards are now in charge of enforcing mask rules for hospital visitors so that nurses no longer have to be the ones to tell people to leave.
The hostility is making an already stressful job harder. Many places are suffering severe staffing shortages, in part because nurses have become burned out and quit.
I think one thing that we have seen and heard from many of our people is that it is just really hard to come to work every day when people treat each other poorly," said Dr. Kencee Graves, a physician at the University of Utah hospital in Salt Lake City.
"If you have to fight with somebody about wearing a mask, or if you arent allowed to visit and we have to argue about that, that is stressful.
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Follow Grant Schulte on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GrantSchulte
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Associated Press writer Rebecca Boone contributed to this report from Boise, Idaho. Hollingsworth reported from Mission, Kansas.
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Iris Samuels contributed to this report from Helena, Montana. Samuels is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
NEW YORK (AP) New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has encouraged religious-minded people to get a COVID-19 vaccine by saying it is God's will that they get inoculated.
A lawyer argued before a federal appeals court Wednesday that the Democrat's comments about God could be encouraging hospitals and nursing homes to ignore court orders that for now are supposed to prevent them from punishing workers who won't take the vaccine because of religious objections.
Health care institutions across New York this week began suspending workers who failed to meet a state deadline to get a COVID-19 shot. Statewide, about 92% of hospital and nursing home staff had received at least one dose as of the vaccine as of Wednesday morning, according to figures from Hochul's office.
New York's vaccine mandate for health care workers doesn't include a religious exemption, but because of legal challenges, courts have temporarily barred employers from enforcing the mandate against people with a sincerely held religious belief against vaccination.
During court arguments Wednesday, the judges with the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan did not appear to be particularly impressed by an argument by Cameron Lee Atkinson, an attorney with We The Patriots USA Inc., a group challenging the state mandate, that Hochul's comments about God were discouraging health care employers from granting religious exemptions.
One of three judges on a panel said Atkinson's claim that Hochul is telling people that God wants you to get the vaccine was not the same as ordering employers to fire workers.
Earlier this week, Hochul, who is Roman Catholic, told a gathering of people at the Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn that God answered prayers and made scientists, doctors and researchers successfully develop the coronavirus vaccine.
Those who are vaccinated are the smart ones," she said, and added that you know theres people out there who arent listening to God and what God wants. You know who they are.
Attorney Steven Wu, New York's deputy solicitor general, told the appeals court judges that the state is in full compliance with a temporary restraining order granted this month by U.S. District Judge David N. Hurd that prevents disciplinary action against health care workers who have sought a religious exemption.
Hurd is scheduled to rule by Oct. 12 on a request for a more permanent order.
The fact that Hurd's temporary order is already in place left the 2nd Circuit questioning Wednesday whether it needed to take action at all. It made no immediate rulings.
The state health department has set up an operations center to monitor health care staffing, and Hochul tweeted Wednesday that zero health care facilities across the state have been reported closed.
Our 24/7 Operations Center is constantly monitoring developments and working with facilities to troubleshoot any issues, she tweeted. We stand ready to take additional action as needed.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) Louisiana has recovered a missing lunar rock gifted to the state to commemorate the last manned U.S. mission to the moon after it turned up in the hands of a man who recycles wooden plaques.
The rock from the 1972 Apollo 17 landing was in the possession of the Louisiana State Museum on Tuesday, The Advocate of Baton Rouge reported. It was returned to the state late last year by a Florida man who planned to use wood from the plaque that held it to repair a gun, according to the newspaper.
But the recovery was not revealed until Monday when a journalist and space historian, Robert Pearlman, reported it in the online publication CollectSpace, The Advocate said.
"As you can appreciate, Im just happy that it is here now, museum interim Director Steven Maklansky said.
The lunar fragment was one of hundreds presented to states, territories and foreign nations in the early to mid-1970s by the administration of former President Richard Nixon. They include samples taken by Neil Armstrong and the Apollo 11 crew during the first moon landing in 1969.
But many of them later went missing.
Louisiana also had an Apollo 11 rock that was thought to be missing, but The Advocate discovered it was in storage at the Louisiana Art and Science Museum.
How or when the Apollo 17 rock went missing is not clear. It is encased in an acrylic ball that is attached to a wooden plaque with a miniature replica of the state flag and inscriptions.
The Florida man who discovered it told Pearlman he likely bought the plaque at a garage sale at some point in the past 15 years. He had been gathering old plaques to use the wood to refurbish the stocks on his guns, and had recently discovered this one in his collection.
Pearlman said the man did not want to be identified.
Maklansky said the museum still plans to review its authenticity, but officials haven't decided what steps they will take.
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) The Biden administration said Wednesday it will draft rules to govern the killing of wild birds by industry and resume enforcement actions against companies responsible for deaths that could have been prevented, a longstanding practice that ended under President Donald Trump.
The move came as North American bird numbers have plummeted in recent decades. That decline was punctuated by news Wednesday that the famed ivory-billed woodpecker and 22 other species of flora and fauna have gone extinct.
Conservation groups, which have urged President Joe Biden to take stronger action to protect wildlife, said the planned rules were urgently needed to hold companies accountable for bird deaths.
But the administration got immediate pushback from the oil industry, which has been subject to some of the most high-profile prosecutions under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Most notable was a $100 million settlement by energy company BP, after government investigators concluded the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill killed about 100,000 birds.
The Trump administration ended enforcement against companies for accidental bird deaths in 2017, following pressure from oil companies, utilities and other industries.
The Independent Petroleum Association of America said resuming prosecutions would harm businesses that killed birds through no fault of their own. Arkansas Rep. Bruce Westerman, top-ranking Republican on the House Natural Resources Committee, said the Biden administration seemed intent on making government as heavy-handed as possible."
Federal officials pledged to be judicious in prosecuting violations of the century-old bird law. Enforcement will be reserved for cases where companies could have foreseen bird deaths but did not take steps to avoid them, said Jerome Ford, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service assistant director for migratory birds.
The new rule would be prepared over the next year.
In crafting the regulations, Ford said officials would look at a wide range of causes from collisions with glass buildings, power lines and vehicles, to chemical poisonings and birds killed in oil pits. Hundreds of millions of birds die annually due to industry causes, according to government officials and researchers.
We've lost almost 3 billion birds in the last 50 years, Ford said. We want to create a commonsense approach that works to both conserve birds and provide regulatory certainty to industry."
Under then-President Barack Obama, the Interior Department started to develop a permitting system that would have allowed industry to kill limited numbers of birds, but the work was not finished before the Democrat left office.
The American Bird Conservancy said a permit program would compel companies to take measures such as installing screens to keep birds out of oil pits and turning off or altering telecommunication tower lights to reduce collisions, according to the conservancy.
It's that deer in the headlights situation: The birds are attracted and then disoriented and collide with the towers, said conservancy spokesperson Jordan Rutter.
Trump's ending of prosecutions was among dozens of environmental actions by the Republican that Biden ordered reconsidered on his first day in office. Former federal officials, environmental groups and Democrats in Congress said many of the Trump rules were aimed at benefiting private industry at the expense of conservation.
More than 1,000 North American bird species are covered by the treaty from fast-flying peregrine falcons to tiny songbirds and more than 20 owl species. Non-native species and some game birds, like wild turkeys, are not on the list.
Former federal officials and some scientists had said billions more birds could have died in coming decades under Trumps rule.
Researchers have said that cats in the U.S. kill the most birds more than 2 billion a year.
In documents released with Wednesday's proposal, Interior officials said a future permitting system could include exemptions for non-commercial activities or homeowner activities," but did not define them.
Besides the BP case, hundreds of enforcement cases targeting utilities, oil companies and wind energy developers resulted in criminal fines and civil penalties totaling $5.8 million between 2010 and 2018.
Enforcement will resume once Wednesdays action goes into effect after 60 days, officials said.
Relatively few enforcement cases end with prosecutions because most companies are willing to take measures to address hazards that their operations may pose to birds, according to wildlife officials.
Courts have been split on whether companies can be prosecuted for unintentional bird deaths.
___
Follow Matthew Brown on Twitter: @MatthewBrownAP
Branford Police / Contributed
BRANFORD A local teen was charged after he allegedly threatened another juvenile while wielding a BB gun, according to police.
Around 6 p.m. Wednesday, police got a call about a juvenile being threatened with a gun in the parking lot of the community center on Church Street. At the time, the parking lot was full to capacity for events at the center and the nearby Hammer Field.
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BRIDGEPORT Health officials and political leaders, including her potential City Council partner, are questioning council candidate Wanda Simmonss stance on COVID-19 vaccination in the wake of her online comments Tuesday.
Simmons, who announced that she had been diagnosed with the illness over the weekend and was subsequently hospitalized, took to social media to urge residents not to allow her situation to convince them to get inoculated against the coronavirus.
Do not allow my bout with COVID-19 scare you into getting vaccinated!!!, Wanda Simmons posted Tuesday evening on Facebook. Stop allowing people (to) push their agenda onto you.
Her comments questioning coronavirus vaccines come as Bridgeport struggles with a low vaccination rate 58.57 percent of the population has received at least one shot, according to the state. Of the three available vaccines, two require two doses.
According to data from a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study published Aug. 27, those who are not vaccinated may be more than four times more likely to contract COVID-19, and nearly 30 times more likely to be hospitalized as a result of the disease.
One reason for the low vaccination rate in the city is continued hesitancy among the Black and Hispanic communities.
Simmons is Black, as is Councilman Ernie Newton, her council district running partner in the East End. Each district has two representatives. Simmons defeated incumbent Eneida Martinez, Newtons fellow Democratic Town Committee-endorsed candidate, in their Sept. 14 council primary, by 13 votes. Simmons instead had the backing of the Working Families Party.
In contrast to Simmons, Newton has used his role as an elected official and prominent Democratic activist to promote the COVID vaccine. In February he posted a video of himself receiving a shot on Facebook to encourage other Black residents to do so.
Listen, if people dying is not enough to make people realize you should seek counsel from your medic (physician), what can I tell them? Newton said Wednesday of Simmons position. I got my vaccination. Im not a doctor, but my doctor said, Ernie, you need to get it. Youre of the age now 65. You should get it. And I got it.
Simmons vaccination stance is also in conflict with the Working Families position, though that organization on Wednesday said it will continue to endorse her as a champion for her community for many years.
Besides appearing on the Democratic ballot line alongside Newton in Novembers general election, Simmons will also appear on the Working Families line.
Our endorsement is based on a candidates stance on a multitude of issues that impact working class people, from education and economic opportunity, to jobs, immigrant rights, housing, or healthcare, wrote Roger Senserrich, Working Families spokesman, in a statement Wednesday.
But he also emphasized, While we understand that some communities remain vaccine hesitant for cultural, historic, or faith-based reasons, we encourage all Connecticut residents to get the vaccine to protect themselves, their loved ones, and their communities from infection.
In a brief text exchange with Hearst Connecticut Media Tuesday morning, Simmons said she was in an unidentified intensive care unit but declined to reveal whether she had been vaccinated. Tuesday evening, Simmons went back online and provided more details about her treatment and stated her issues with vaccination.
On Wednesday afternoon after a media request to comment on her social media posts opposing the COVID vaccines, Simmons returned to Facebook and wrote, I am not opposed to vaccines. Families should make informed choices for their families. Not be forced, mislead, coerced and mandated! CHOICE.
She also clarified on Facebook she is under excellent care by the amazing staff at Bridgeport hospital and had mistakenly thought I was in ICU from a sign I saw. Simmons also wrote she is not on a ventilator to assist her breathing, a common treatment for severe COVID cases.
Dr. Anthony Santella is the interim chair of the University of New Havens Department of Health Administration and Policy, and that educational institutions COVID response coordinator. He found Simmons Facebook posts troubling and irresponsible, particularly given she is a public figure.
The datas clear both at the state and federal level that unvaccinated persons drive the pandemic, Santella said Wednesday. So when I hear someone who has a platform contribute toward misinformation myths around how the illness works, how its spread, how concerned people should be, its alarming.
Santella continued, Id encourage the individual to look closely at the health system the state of the health systems in Connecticut how fragile they become because of COVID and the mental health consequences and burden on health professionals by the unvaccinated.
BRIDGEPORT Another city official has resigned following criminal charges.
Michael Nastu, an appointed member of the citys Zoning Board of Appeals since May 2020, resigned Wednesday three months after he was arrested by the FBI on child exploitation charges.
Please accept this as my formal resignation from the Zoning Board of Appeals effective immediately. Thank you for allowing me to serve, Nastu stated in his letter received by the City Clerks Office Wednesday morning.
In return, Nastu was mailed a form thank you for your service letter from the mayor. Nastu had served as secretary on the ZBA, according to the citys website.
The mayors office acknowledged receiving the resignation but would not comment on it.
Nastu, 62, is charged with attempted transfer of obscene materials to a minor, attempted receipt of child pornography and attempted enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity.
He was arrested June 30 and posted $100,000 bond. He was ordered to have no unsupervised contact with children.
Nastu could not be reached for comment. He is represented by a public defender.
The federal complaint alleges that Nastu used the Kik social media smartphone application in March to start talking with an undercover FBI agent, posing as a 14-year-old girl from Connecticut, prosecutors said.
From March 31 through June 25, Nastu sent the undercover officer sexually explicit messages, along with pictures and videos of male genitalia, prosecutors said. They allege that he also tried to get the officer who investigators said Nastu believed to be a teenage girl to send sexually explicit images in return.
Nastu and the undercover officer exchanged messages about meeting in person to engage in sexual activity, prosecutors said, claiming Nastu ultimately opted not to due to the risk of being caught.
Nastu was fired from his job as a food service employee in an Easton school following his arrest, according to a report by News12. His application for the ZBA stated he previously worked in food service in the Trumbull school system.
Nastu joins a number of other city and state officials and representatives who are facing criminal charges.
Recently resigned City Council member Michael DeFilippo is facing federal absentee ballot fraud charges, while City Councilman Alfredo Castillo has pending threatening and breach of peace charges related to an alleged altercation earlier in August with the public facilities chief. Both cases are pending.
City Councilwoman Eneida Martinez, who lost her primary this month to keep her seat, is facing illegal alcohol sales charges related to her operation of a social club where a man was fatally shot to death last year. Her case is pending in Superior Court.
State Sen. Dennis Bradley, D-Bridgeport, is facing federal conspiracy and wire fraud charges, and Board of Education member Jessica Martinez, Bradleys campaign treasurer, is facing federal campaign fraud charges related to Bradleys campaigns for his senate seat. They have pleaded not guilty to the allegations that they tried to fraudulently obtain or attempt to obtain $179,850 in campaign grants, according to an indictment affidavit. Bradley and Martinez are tentatively scheduled for trial in December.
And fellow Board of Education member Board of Education member Christopher Taylor is facing state kidnapping charges after he was arrested in 2019 and charged with allegedly posing as a police officer and attempting to kidnap a Seymour man at gunpoint. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is awaiting trial in Superior Court in Milford.
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) The Connecticut Supreme Court overturned on Wednesday the convictions of a businessman charged in an alleged human trafficking ring that prosecutors said preyed on young men who were mentally ill and intellectually disabled.
Justices ruled 7-0 that prosecutors did not prove Bruce Bemer knew the young men he paid for sex acts were victims of human trafficking.
Bemer, 67, of Glastonbury, who owns the New London-Waterford Speedbowl racetrack and other companies, was convicted by a jury in 2019 of four counts of patronizing a prostitute and one count of accessory to trafficking in persons. A judge sentenced him to 10 years in prison, but he remained free pending his appeal.
While Bemer admitted patronizing prostitutes, which is a misdemeanor, he was charged under a section of the law that makes it a felony to pay someone for sex knowing the person is a human trafficking victim.
Prosecutors said another man charged in the case, Robert King, of Danbury, found the young men at drug rehabs, group homes and other places and brought them to Bemer for sex acts. King, police said, gave the men drugs and took them to other men for sex acts so they could earn money to pay him back for the drugs.
King was convicted and sentenced to more than four years in prison. A third man pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a year in prison.
Police said they identified at least 15 victims of the trafficking ring but believed there could be dozens more.
Danbury State's Attorney Stephen Sedensky III said Wednesday that he was reviewing the Supreme Court's ruling, but was disappointed given the behavior that was shown to the jury.
Brendon Levesque, a lawyer for Bemer, said the defense position had always been that there wasn't enough evidence to prove the charges.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) The first-degree murder trial of a woman charged in a 4-year-old Jefferson City boy's death will be moved to another county, a Cole County judge ruled Wednesday.
Cole County Prosecutor Locke Thompson said Quatavia Givens' case would likely be reassigned to a judge determined by the Missouri Supreme Court, KMIZ reported.
BRIDGEPORT The city and school district have formed a joint committee focused on youth and education.
The group met for the first time via Zoom on Wednesday, mayoral aide Tom Gaudett told Hearst Connecticut Media.
The two groups have pooled federal COVID-relief dollars together, with the district contributing $2 million per year and the city $4 million per year for the next few years.
Committee members have been tasked with evaluating 58 proposals for the government funding that Gaudett described as solid applications. And though the review has only just begun, there are many organizations and programs in Bridgeport that support learning, such as tutoring and college and career preparation, and social services.
The city solicited public input over the summer and received hundreds of responses to a Bridgeport-wide survey, according to Gaudett.
Youth and education was a high priority in terms of how the city should spend ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) dollars, he said of the survey results.
The Ganim administration announced last month that pandemic-era funds would be made available for small businesses and nearly a dozen categories of nonprofit work, including youth and education.
Superintendent of Schools Michael Testani said officials asked him if the school district would match the citys funds earmarked for youth services.
I thought it was a great idea, since one of the requirements of ARP-ESSER (American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Relief) is to involve community-based agencies to provide services to support student learning, social emotional growth, and different physical activities as well, he told the school board.
The city has since raised its contribution, while the schools maintained their $2 million commitment.
Testani suggested last week that he could facilitate meetings, and pictured district staff and two board members would serve on this committee, alongside representatives for the city.
The superintendent said he also supported the plan because community partners could be better positioned than the district to operate at lower costs and outside certain contractual obligations, and to monitor and gather data.
They are and have the capacity to expand if the funding was available, and they also do a much better job in some cases because that is their area of expertise, he said.
Teachers have also added they are burned out and want support from outside partners, while those plugged into the citys many offerings say this is a chance to introduce families to these types of programs.
Theres a lot of parents that dont even know these programs exist, board member Bobbi Brown said last week. I think its a win-win.
The school board voted Monday evening to move forward with the joint committee to distribute pooled relief funds.
And though the funds are allocated for a few years, officials say they would like to see the money go further.
Were hoping that were building capacity within these organizations to keep them going beyond the three years, said Gaudett.
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) A Kansas City, Kansas, man has been sentenced 15 years in prison for attacking an undercover federal agent during a transaction involving a firearm, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Kansas announced Wednesday.
Nicholas Newman, 20, was sentenced this month after pleading guilty in May to forcible assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon and one count of using a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime.
RENO, Nev. (AP) Newly confirmed COVID-19 cases have trended downward in Nevada since a summer peak in mid-July as vaccination rates improve.
But misinformation about the effectiveness of masks and vaccines being spread by a vocal minority poses serious challenges to turning the tide on the resurgent pandemic, Washoe County's health district officer warned Wednesday.
I would say that the misinformation is perhaps a greater challenge that we face than the COVID-19 virus, Kevin Dick told reporters in Reno. We have the vaccine. We can beat the COVID-19 virus. Im not sure we can beat misinformation."
The 14-day rolling average for new daily cases statewide has fallen to 694, the lowest since 648 cases were reported July 15 before a surge fueled by the highly contagious delta variant kept the average above 1,000 from mid-August through mid-September, state statistics showed.
Nevadas test positivity rate is 10.4%, down from 20% Sept. 13. Nearly 65% of Nevada residents age 12 and older have initiated vaccination and 55.6% are fully vaccinated.
Clark County and the Las Vegas area posted the states best numbers, with a 7.9% positivity rate and 614 new cases per 100,000 residents, compared to 16.9% and 1,454 in Washoe County, and 18.3% and 1,707 in all counties outside Washoe, Clark and Carson City.
But Dick said the seven-day average for new daily cases has dropped by more than 100 in Washoe County since mid-September to an average of 204.
It appears we may have peaked and are coming down off that peak, he said.
Nearly 65% of Washoe County residents 12 and older are fully vaccinated and 70% have gotten at least the first shot. In Clark County, with 2.3 million of the state's 3 million residents, those figures are 55% and 65.6%.
The rest of Nevada, outside Washoe, Clark and Carson City, reports 44% of residents 12 and older are fully vaccinated and 48.5% have initiated vaccination.
Improving vaccination rates may indicate the number of naysayers is shrinking, Dick said.
But they are quite vocal and quite aggressive in how they're continuing to try to spread the falsehoods and convince people to not do the safe and effective thing," he said. They are refusing to wear masks and making frankly outrageous claims and comments."
Dick said two studies recently released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention make clear that masks are highly effective at reducing transmission of COVID-19.
One study that surveyed schools nationwide found that transmission rates in schools with universal masking were less than half those of schools without mask mandates. Another conducted in Arizona found that the odds of a school-associated COVID-19 outbreak were 3.5 times higher in schools with no mask requirement than in those with a mask requirement implemented when school started.
Dick said some critics point to packaging on masks that say they don't eliminate the chance of infection.
Eliminating the chance of infection is completely different than severely reducing the chance of infection. The masks' benefit is in hugely reducing the chance of infection, he said.
Likewise, the science shows that while a small percentage of vaccinated people become infected, the vaccine prevents them from being hospitalized and dying and if people do get a breakthrough case, for the most part they are much less severe cases, he said.
Dicks said he continues to hear critics exaggerate potential side effects, including some who refer to the vaccines as the death shot.
We are not seeing anybody dying from getting vaccinated here in Washoe County. We are seeing many dying because they are not vaccinated, he said.
Dick said the latest falsehood being spread is that the availability of Pfizer's booster shot means the vaccine isn't working.
"That couldn't be further from the truth. We have many vaccines and it is quite normal that there be a booster dose administered because we know from our past history with vaccines and the science behind them that there is waning immunity that occurs and that people can be greatly benefited from getting a booster," he said.
Dick said some argue it's a personal choice to get vaccinated. But if they choose not too, I would hope that they make that a personal choice and try to convince others not to get vaccinated by spreading misinformation instead of looking at the science.
As COVID cases have been reported in more than 100 Connecticut school districts, the state has launched a project to test thousands of school-aged children for the coronavirus.
More than 55 percent of school districts in the state have reported at least one COVID case in the past week, according to the latest state data released Thursday.
Of the 204 school districts listed in the Connecticut database, 113 of them have reported COVID infections among students and staff.
Though COVID is widespread in schools, the numbers are low and declining, according to school district officials.
Five of the 113 school districts that reported COVID cases to the state last week have more than six cases in at least one school, according to the data. Due to privacy laws, if any school reports fewer than six COVID cases the state lists it as less than six.
Fran Rabinowitz, executive director of the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents, said district leaders do not seem to be overly concerned about widespread infections.
I have not heard their concern about mounting numbers, she said.
Though few districts are reporting high COVID numbers in any individual school, there have been some clusters of cases. There are 10 schools in the state with more than six active COVID cases.
In an effort to get a better picture of COVID spread in schools, the state has started Project COVID DeteCT, which keeps schools safe by catching cases before they spread to other students and other staff, according to Department of Public Health spokesperson Chris Boyle.
So far, the program has been rolled out to 38 public school districts, which include 421 individual public schools and 39 individual state-approved private special education programs, and private or charter schools.
The program offers free COVID testing to all students attending a Connecticut public school in grades K-6, as well as unvaccinated students in grades 7-12 in the states largest school districts: Bridgeport, Danbury, Hartford, New Britain, New Haven, Norwalk, Stamford and Waterbury.
Were starting next week, said Jonathan Supranowitz, director of communications for the Greenwich school district. Were testing the younger students that are not eligible for the vaccine in Greenwich.
Not every student will be tested for COVID. Supranowitz called it a pool test, and participating students will get tested weekly.
Parents have to sign their children up to be a part of that testing, he said. Whoever has signed up will get tested.
Though Boyle said the states goal is to provide COVID testing to as many students as possible, it will likely be hundreds if not thousands of students statewide.
Though he couldnt share an exact number, Supranowitz said in Greenwich alone, Ill say its in the hundreds.
The state announced Thursday a daily positivity rate of 1.26 percent for new COVID tests one of the lowest in weeks. Hospitalizations dropped a net of 16 patients for a total of 234. The state also announced Thursday there were 53 COVID-related deaths in the past week, bringing the total number to 8,629 Connecticut residents who have died with the disease.
The state said Thursday 78 percent of children age 16 and 17 had been vaccinated, and 68 percent of children age 12 to 15 have received their doses.
Manchester High School has more COVID cases than any other school in Connecticut with 14 active cases and 40 districtwide, according to the states data.
Greenwich has 12 active COVID cases among students and faculty as of Thursday, according to district data, down two from Tuesday. Westport school officials told parents the district had 15 total COVID infections identified over the past week.
We are actually trending down right now, Supranowitz said. On Tuesday, we added only five new reported positive cases our lowest since the second week of school.
We are finding that our mitigation strategies are working right now, and overall, the staff, parents and students seem to be very determined to do all of the things to keep us safe, Supranowitz said.
In New Haven, schools spokesperson Justin Harmon said the district had nine active cases and 49 people quarantined as of Wednesday.
Since the start of the school year, 49 individuals have had cases of COVID confirmed after they presented in school 290 individuals have quarantined as a result, Harmon said.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) West Virginia will end September with its deadliest monthly toll from the coronavirus pandemic as officials put a new spin a 2016 deadly flood on their exhaustive pleas for residents in one of the lowest vaccinated states to get their COVID-19 shots.
Weve got to act, Gov. Jim Justice said Wednesday. "Thats all there is to it.
Justice and retired National Guard Maj. Gen. James Hoyer, who leads the states coronavirus task force, discussed the June 2016 flooding that killed 23 people statewide along with the destruction of countless homes, businesses and infrastructure.
Hoyer spent a great deal of time responding to what the National Weather Service labeled as a 1,000-year flood event. It was the worst in the county where Justice owns the Greenbrier resort.
At a news conference, Hoyer said that while a lot of work was done aimed at mitigating future floods, the same thinking and efforts must be made during the pandemic to avoid what could be far more COVID-19 deaths.
Based on 3,642 total deaths since March 2020, West Virginia is going through the equivalent of 158 2016 flood events, Hoyer said.
Weve got to get people educated and weve got to get vaccinated so that doesnt go up to 200 or 300, Hoyer said. "So West Virginia, please get educated on the value of the vaccine and get vaccinated."
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, West Virginia had the nations lowest vaccination rate among the states per 100,000 population. And it also had the second-highest rate over the past week in cumulative virus cases per capita.
West Virginia hospitals continue to be stressed by the number of COVID-19 patients, including a record 298 in intensive care units.
And there have been 558 virus-related deaths this month alone. That's more than the previous four months combined.
September's toll includes 73 people, or 13% of the monthly total, who were considered breakthrough cases those were vaccinated but suffered from underlying health conditions.
Justice highlighted the need both for unvaccinated people to get their shots and for those who already have them to consider getting a booster shot.
Were going to lose a bunch of more people, West Virginia. There's no question about that," Justice said. Absolutely, for them, for respect for them, I truly believe that all weve got, all we can possibly do to stop this is to get vaccinated.
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Follow APs coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic.
There are various generational differences when it comes to financial habits. Lets begin by talking about bill pay. What is it, and how does it work? If you are familiar with the payments industry, you know electronic bill pay is growing extremely fast. Its fast growth can be compared to Zoomers, whose financial impact is also on the rise. Financial institutions recognize that their future customers or members are Zoomers. They value speed and efficiency, and the most modern payment experience is extremely attractive to Zoomers since some are already paying their phone bills and about 42%, their tuition. Here, find out some critical facts about Zoomers and bill pay from data and Zoomers surveyed for this blog.
Its Faster and Convenient
Since Zoomers have grown up surrounded by technology, mobile payments through their smartphones are a given. They demand newer ways to pay and expect transactions to happen at a faster pace. They want a more seamless experience when it comes to billing and payment services. Therefore, they prefer to pay bills by linking their debit cards, cutting down on paper billing statements, and choosing a digital payment. For Zoomers, it also means reduced paper waste, which they value so highly that they are willing to pay more for ecologically friendly services. As the next generation of workers, generation green, roughly 73% of Zoomers are willing to pay up to a 10% price premium for a more sustainable option. So, if financial institutions wish to attract a larger Zoomer audience, this is a critical factor to consider.
However, lets not confuse a Zoomers interest in digital payments with wanting to bank completely online. Maha, student, and CEO of Maha Cosmetics shared, With a robot representative, it can get tedious because they might not be able to solve your issues. I would prefer [a human representative] so I dont have to drive and be face to face with someone. Its more convenient to do it quickly over a chat box. Financial institutions, while stepping up their game when it comes to automated payments and other advancements, should keep in mind that although the Zoomer generation is very digital, we still expect some sort of human interaction. It adds a more personal touch, especially when Im having an issue on my phone with my payments. I would rather talk to someone to get help, Cristian, a recent graduate and project administrator at ITG Larson, shared.
Credit Scores Are Definitely Important
With many Zoomers currently in college or fresh out of college, many may be in hopes of building up their credit scores. Connecting with financial institutions to obtain a credit card can help them build their score if they pay close attention to their payment history. Maintaining excellent credit habits and a good credit score requires making sure all payments are made on time. This brings up the topic of automated bill payments. They can be easy to process and are used by many Zoomers. But what else could be just as important to having a solid credit score when it comes to automatic payments? Convenience. Its what Zoomers look for when it comes to the services they prefer. Kevin, a recent Zoomer graduate and Software Development Engineer at Amazon, stated he has automated payments set up which are linked directly to his bank account. So essentially, he only [looks] at the statements afterward to make sure the transactions made sense.
Experians 11th annual State of Credit report found that Gen Z has lowered its credit utilization rate and decreased its number of missed payments. The data shows that Zoomers have missed fewer payments than other generations. It serves as evidence as to how much Zoomers care about building their creditwhich means making on-time payments. They are being better educated on credit and can benefit from various tools and sources that provide free credit scores and that show the potential of paying off debt or opening a new credit line.
Zoomers are starting to have long-term goals when it comes to building credit. They dont want to make the same mistakes their predecessors made when it came to debt. One out of every two Zoomers say in the next ten years, owning a home will be their challenge but its something that they plan on working on. I always make sure I schedule my bills ahead of time because Im scared to see my credit score drop, especially now that Im working towards purchasing a home in the next couple of years, Lashawna, a recent graduate and Marketing Coordinator at a mortgage company stated. Zoomers are looking ahead and plan on making careful decisions when it comes to paying off their bills.
It Goes Both Ways
Although not every Zoomer is savvy when it comes to credit or bill payments, a lot of them want to learn more about their finances. I dont know where to begin when it comes to banking, so any help or tips would be great, says college student Kayla from the University of New Haven. For financial institutions to go to schools and colleges and meet Zoomers where they are could serve a tremendous benefit, especially those who are newly entering higher education. Resources should be customized so that they resonate with Zoomers more. That said, offering value-based programs to attract upcoming college students can be highly effective. When coming up with a strategy, keep in mind that becoming educated about the preferences of Zoomers is just as key as effectively teaching them about building credit scores and other important financial decisions.
Read more about Zoomers in Zoomer Generations Core Qualities and Values.
Todays legacy and siloed banking technology infrastructure limit financial institutions ability to rapidly innovate. Its time to look at money movement in a new way. Alacritis Orbipay Unified Money Movement Services does just that. Whether its real-time payments, digital disbursements, or bill pay, our cloud-based platform enables banks and credit unions to quickly and seamlessly deliver modern digital payments and money movement experiences. To speak to an Alacriti payments expert, please call us at (908) 791-2916 or email info@alacriti.com.
Co-authored by Saman Kazmi
Researching stocks involves incorporating multiple sources of information, deduction and strategies, all whilst markets are constantly transforming. Stock traders and investors need to know what information is useful to them as well as the most efficient and accurate way to go about stock research.
This article will explore key aspects of researching stocks:
How to get started
A step by step guide to stock research
Stock r esearch t oolbox
How to do research on stocks: Key takeaways
Just getting started in the stock market? Read our guide to stock trading basics
How to get started with your stock research
Prudent investors do not often make investments without prior research or substantiation as to why the stock is attractive for purchase. Stock research in a general sense begins with an understanding of three key details about a company:
Present financial health Current management Future vision and roadmap
Crucially, one thing many investors fail to do is align a companys values with their own, which is important for finding the best investment that meets their specific goals. Therefore, being mindful of your investment strategy, and why you are looking to invest in stocks can help to guide your decision-making processes.
A Step by Step Guide to Researching Stocks
As well as understanding the current and future position of a company, effective stock research needs to consider the following factors to help investors reach a decision in the effort of meeting their goals and desired strategy:
Time horizon for investment Risk levels Type of stock industry/sector Understanding the company product/service Financial reporting Competitor and industry analysis Following industry experts Using research platforms and terminals Stock order types Broker fees
1. Investment time horizon
Time horizon is important as it allows investors to identify which types of stocks may align with their goals. For example, many young investors with long time horizons are willing to take on more risk when it comes to an investment portfolio. These types of individuals will often prefer more aggressive portfolios which may include growth stocks that carry more expensive valuations.
Because of the longer time horizon, these investors can usually tolerate larger swings in the market. The opposite would be true for shorter time horizons (under five years) as these investors have less tolerance for large drawdowns in the portfolio, as larger adverse market movements can create a long-lasting effect for someone nearing retirement that may need to soon begin drawing income from the portfolio.
2. Risk levels
Risk ties in with time horizon as investors use these two components together to help identify which types of stocks to invest in. Higher risk-seeking individuals will often prefer growth stocks such an Amazon or Tesla; whilst risk-averse investors usually head towards value stocks which often carry lower P/E ratios. These value stocks might be considered as undervalued and potentially attractive for long-term investing.
Regardless of investment style, its important to practice good risk management so that the investor can aim to benefit from upside movement while attempting to minimize downside risk.
3. Type of stock industry/sector
Many investors are familiar with a certain stock sector which can potentially make researching stocks in that sector easier. Understanding an industry allows for more in-depth research in terms of variable inputs and nuances that cannot often be retrieved from financial statements.
The stock market is often divided into eleven sectors, uncover stock sectors for a more structured method to stock research
4. Understand the company product/service
Familiarising oneself with the companys product/service will assist in the later step of competitor analysis. Knowing what makes the companys product/service unique, which includes the cost factor, is crucial for future forecasts.
Many companies have a diverse product/service offering which then makes this step more central to stock research. For example, with multiple products/services, investors need to understand how each offering affects the company with regards to cost, revenue and the future potential of each.
5. Financial reporting
Publicly traded companies publish financial reports which give a quantitative overview of the company. These include Earnings Announcements, which provide vast amounts of information about a companys financial health and performance. From the companys publicly filed reports, investors can identify potential red flags/risks within the company, management capability, debt management and income sources.
Explore the foundations of earnings season and how it fits into stock research
Current financials are not the only important documents to review. Past data can offer investors deeper knowledge and appreciation of where a company comes from as well as how it reacted under previous market conditions. This being said, fundamental analysis involves complex techniques and a thorough understanding of financial statements, mathematical formulas and a solid overall grasp of financial markets.
Uncover some basic tools to help you value a stock!
6. Competitor and industry analysis
There are regular instances whereby companies have direct competitors with the same/similar business models. Therefore, it is a good idea for investors to compare and analyse stocks between these competitors to find discrepancies which could further uncover potential investment opportunities.
The same applies to the industry as a whole. Often there are times where a company within an industry outperforms the industry and its competitors, or vice versa. Delving into why these seemingly perplexing patterns may occur can broaden understanding of how a stock or industry behaves under certain conditions.
Competitor and industry analysis are seen as obvious comparisons to make when researching stocks but, it may be prudent to analyse other markets as well. For example, Royal Dutch Shell Plc may do direct competitor analysis against a company such as BP Plc, but another comparison may be to overlay these companies with that of the underlying oil price. This major commodity (oil) is heavily correlated to the business model, therefore looking outside the scope of the equity markets may uncover some valuable insight.
7. Follow industry experts
A great way to further stock research is by following industry experts, such as highly regarded equity analysts. These experts often publish in-depth stock research which can be a good way to draw comparisons between individual and expert analysis. This is also a good way for investors to broaden equity analysis techniques by studying the analysts approach and what they look for in making investment decisions.
8. Research platforms and terminals
The use of research platforms and terminals such as Bloomberg can give investors/analysts a plethora of additional analytical tools and techniques. These can help investors with efficiency and access to many other financial markets and stocks for comparative purposes.
Quantitative tools are also available on such platforms for more complex types of analysis. These platforms can be costly, so before investing in one, the investor should make sure to consider the expense factor relative to their expected benefit.
9. Stock order types
After the research has been completed, investors will need to place the order to buy the stock. Knowing how order types work in the stock market can help investors to better focus the execution of their strategies.
Liquidity is another concept that can result in varying spreads and pricing. Stock market liquidity refers to the ease at which the company shares can be bought and solid without experiencing large price fluctuations. Large companies with high liquidity such as Apple Inc will often have tighter spreads with a larger volume of shares available to buy/sell at a given price.
10. Broker fees
An important but often overlooked portion of the stock investment process is that of broker fees or commissions. Brokers have differing fees so investors should become familiar with fees in order to avoid any unwanted surprises. These should be available on the broker website and should be transparent.
How to do research on stocks: Key Takeaways
Investors can purchase stocks after doing thorough research; and taking into account as many variables as possible can help the investor to arrive at a more adequate investment decision. This can take many hours of work but sacrificing the time will enable investors to make more informed decisions. Keep in mind the steps outlined above to help streamline the stock research process and employ suitable portfolio management practices.
Learn more about the stock market and getting started
Saturday Kitchen star Aktar Islam has revealed how he was forced spend 51,000 of his own money to defend himself against false claims he had unfairly dismissed a pregnant employee after he closed down his critically acclaimed restaurant Legna.
The chef, 41, who won Great British Menu in 2011 and Gordon Ramsay's The F Word the year before, won an employment tribunal battle last month, after his former Assistant General Manager Sara Cowie claimed she had been fired due to falling pregnant.
Aktar - also runs Michelin-starred Indian restaurant Opheem in Birmingham as well as Argentinean steakhouse Pulperia - sent shocks through the culinary world when his upmarket Italian restaurant suddenly closed in January 2020.
Now, speaking exclusively to FEMAIL he has revealed how he felt 'extorted' out of 34,900 by his former employee - who he had hired due to his close relationship with her long-term partner. He also revealed the battle 'completely devastated' his mental health.
Speaking for the first time about the restaurant's closure, the father-of-one explained how he has battled 'tremendous financial, mental, and emotional strain' to have his name cleared in a tough three-year battle
He believes the claims against him were unfounded because Ms Cowie had been let go due to 'poor performance' before her sacking.
He added that he has battled 'tremendous financial, mental, and emotional strain' to have his name cleared in a tough three-year battle.
Saturday Kitchen star Aktar Islam has revealed how he was forced to close down his critically acclaimed restaurant Legna and spend 51,000 of his own money to defend himself against false claims he had unfairly dismissed a pregnant employee.
Ms Cowie (pictured) was hired as an Assistant General Manager at Aktar's Legna restaurant from 22nd October 2018 having previously worked as a Deputy Manager for Mitchells & Butlers pub group. She is pictured with her partner Ben Ternent
The former F Word winner told FEMAIL: 'Once Legna had been dissolved I was allowed to be brought in personally by the tribunal even though in my opinion and in the opinion of my legal advisors, the evidence was overwhelmingly clear that this was an unfounded claim, this really caused great strain on me mentally and I was questioning the entire process and how it seems that it's designed to extort employers.
'I did no wrong, the business was dissolved yet I was allowed to be brought in personally.
'I worry for those individuals who may have found themselves in a similar position without the ability to defend themselves. What if the pandemic killed my businesses would I have to go into debt to continue to defend myself?'
He added the case 'could have been make or break for his career' and went on for three years throughout the pandemic which decimated the hospitality industry.
He claimed the funds used could have been used to safeguard 100 jobs at his restaurants, which like many others in hospitality, were closed for the best part of over a year.
Ms Cowie was hired as an Assistant General Manager at Aktar's Legna restaurant from 22nd October 2018 having previously worked as a Deputy Manager for Mitchells & Butlers pub group.
The pair mutually agreed to a three-month probation period, even though the standard term within the industry is six months.
Concerns had been flagged to Ms Cowie multiple times throughout November and December regarding her performance - which Aktar described as 'poor'.
In January 2019, at the end of her probation, Ms Cowie was notified that her employment as Assistant General Manager would not continue due to concerns surrounding her job performance.
Aktar pictured appearing on Saturday Kitchen with Jennifer Saunders in 2017
She was offered three alternative roles within the company, with the same salary as hers or up to a 40 per cent more, alongside training funded and administered by the restaurant.
Sara had also expressed interest to other members of staff about other roles within the business that were not frontline hospitality.
Aktar said he gave 'extra support' to Sara, because he had a close relationship with her partner Ben Ternent, who has been his friend for more than 10 years.
Ben also works as a chef in Birmingham and is due to open his own restaurant Chapter in the city soon.
When did Sara fall pregnant and when did she get dismissed from her job at Legna? 13th December: Recruitment agent authorised to find replacements
Recruitment agent authorised to find replacements 17th December Adverts placed on The Caterer to replace Sara
Adverts placed on The Caterer to replace Sara 4th January Acting management team installed
Acting management team installed 8th January Further adverts placed
Further adverts placed 23rd January Sara verbally informed Aktar that she was pregnant (1-2 weeks late on her period)
Sara verbally informed Aktar that she was pregnant (1-2 weeks late on her period) 26th January Sara confirms pregnancy in writing
Sara confirms pregnancy in writing 30th January End of probation meeting as per the contract. Sara offered three non-management roles
End of probation meeting as per the contract. Sara offered three non-management roles 30th January (Afternoon) Sara leaves the business, refuses to work notice and no discussion is entered into regarding the alternative roles that were offered.
Sara leaves the business, refuses to work notice and no discussion is entered into regarding the alternative roles that were offered. 1st February Sara appoints solicitors and lodges her claim at ACAS. Less than 48 hours passed since her end of probation meeting Advertisement
Due to this relationship 'a lot of leniency and exceptions were made for Sara', Aktar said.
Sara received additional support and was allowed to complete the probation period until the end of January instead of being let go along with her co-manager at the end of December.
However, the decision to replace Sara was made on 13 December, six weeks before Aktar was notified of her pregnancy.
Sara notified Aktar that she was pregnant verbally after being 'a week late on her period'.
She then put this in writing three days later, a few days before her dismissal.
Aktar believes it was 'clear from this point that Cowie was laying the foundation for a claim against Aktar and his team', something employment Judge Miller concurred with in court.
Sara did not take the opportunity to explore the other three roles offered by Aktar and his team, and instead forged forwards with her plan, Aktar says.
The tribunal also heard how Sara had contacted Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (known as ACAS) and appointed a solicitor, and drafted a statement within 48 hours of her end of probation meeting ending.
The manager had up to three months to explore the roles that were offered to her before proceeding with bringing forward a claim, yet she made no effort to discuss the roles, two of which were in the same salary band and the other accounts role would have come with a 40 per cent salary increase and training funded by the company.
Sara's initial claim was for 34,900 for unfair dismissal and discrimination despite the irrefutable evidence that her role was in jeopardy even before she fell pregnant because adverts had been posted seeking a replacement for her role whilst she was given the courtesy of working out her probation period.
Sara was contacted by a friend of hers asking to apply for her role, though Sara went on to deny any knowledge of her role being in jeopardy, until court, when text messages were produced proving that she was indeed aware that replacements for her role were being sought.
Aktar decided to dissolve Legna at the end of 2019 meaning he had to fund his defence personally.
He explained: 'I've spent 51,000 and 3 years of my life on defending against this blatantly unfounded claim.
'This has caused tremendous financial, mental, and emotional strain on me as I've had to fund this personally as Legna closed in 2019.
Aktar - also runs Michelin-starred Indian restaurant Opheem in Birmingham as well as Argentinean steakhouse Pulperia - sent shocks through the culinary world when his upmarket Italian restaurant suddenly closed in January 2020.
'These funds would have been of great help considering what the business has had to endure over the last 18 months.
'This is the equivalent of one year rent for one of the restaurants or a years salaries for two trainee chefs.'
'Instead of having these funds available to support and safeguard the jobs of nearly 100 individuals or to invest in a young trainees future I have had to use these funds to defend against a selfish person's greed and desire to use the ACAS system - one that's there to help and support employees who have been wronged by their employers - to attempt to extort funds from me.
'Sara put the potential of financial gain for herself over the job safety for 100 employees and the wellbeing of their families and dependents.
'This is disgusting behaviour.
'They make a point of submitting evidence to the tribunal to confirm I'm a man of means.'
Speaking exclusively to FEMAIL he has revealed how he felt 'extorted' out of 34,900 by his former employee - who he had hired due to his close relationship with her long-term partner. He also revealed the battle 'completely devastated' his mental health.
'The strain of this whole situation has had a detrimental effect on the mental health of both myself and my management team, to be accused of something as disgusting as discrimination against a pregnant individual is hurtful as I'm a father and we have many parents within our group and have also supported several individuals through maternity and paternity.
'Also, with the worry of having to divert much needed resources to defend against this was difficult as both of my restaurants have been closed for most part of the last 18 months.'
'Situations like this can unconsciously create biases in an employer's mind and highlights the unfortunate reality whereby people like Sara can take advantage of the system for financial gain.
'The lack of support and awareness puts employers and businesses in difficult situations, in some cases crippling them and forcing them into liquidation.
'Thankfully we continue to support diversity within our team with over 50 per cent of our management team being women, some of whom have been supported by the company through maternity and provided flexibility to work around their childcare needs.
'Sara Cowie's selfish intent hasn't affected my resolve and I continue to support women in hospitality.
Jamie Brown, Partner at Wosskow Brown Solicitors added to FEMAIL: 'We are pleased to see the court dismiss claims against our client for both discrimination and unfair dismissal.
'The termination of employment is always a last resort but, in this case, our client felt strongly that the allegations were unfounded.
'We are proud that we have successfully defended these wrongful claims and thank the Employment Tribunal for their equitable judgement.
'We would like to wish Aktar every success for his future business endeavours.'
FEMAIL has contacted Sara Cowie for comment.
An Australian department store is selling a bargain version of a designer bag beloved by some of the world's biggest stars.
The $25 'Top Handle Bag' from Big W looks remarkably similar to the iconic 'Shoulder Pouch' from Italian fashion label, Bottega Veneta.
But the over-sized style, which has been worn by supermodels including Kendall Jenner and Emily Ratajkowski, will set you back an eye-watering $5,160.
For mere mortals, it's hard to look past Big W's budget-friendly alternative, which comes in black, mustard and a trendy shade of wasabi green.
Save or splurge: The $24 Top Handle Bag from Big W (left) looks remarkably similar to Bottega Veneta's iconic Shoulder Pouch (right), which will set you back a cool $5,160
Australia's top fashion bloggers have been rocking the piece, with a Melbourne influencer named Bianca receiving gushing responses to it on a recent outfit post.
'Love this look,' one woman wrote, while a second added: 'The bag - nailed it.'
Sydney stylist Donny Galella said luxury houses like Bottega have proved themselves to be master trend-setters, season after season.
'This Spring season soft, slouchy bags are trending thanks to global fashion brand Bottega Veneta,' he said.
'But you can get that Bottega look without the designer price tag at Big W.'
Australia's top fashion bloggers have been rocking the piece, with a Melbourne influencer named Bianca receiving gushing responses to it on a recent outfit post
Sydney stylist Donny Galella said luxury houses like Bottega have proved themselves to be master trend-setters, season after season
Celebrity stylist, Donny Galella (pictured)
Donny has been hard at work hunting for bargain dupes of designer buys.
Earlier this week, he spotted a cut-price version of this season's hottest designer shoe at Big W.
Fashion veteran Donny Galella was browsing online when he saw $20 slides that look almost identical to the double-buckle sandals worn by the likes of Hailey Bieber.
The slip-on style is sold by luxury fashion houses including Fendi and Alexander McQueen for as much as $1,190, but you can get the look for less on Big W's website.
'I personally can't justify these $1,000+ styles, but I know the $20 ones will sell out,' Donny told Daily Mail Australia.
Big W's $20 slides (left) are almost identical to a $1,190 pair from Italian fashion house, Fendi (right)
Luxe for less: The bargain shoes are similar to a style worn by some of the world's biggest stars, including Hailey Bieber (pictured)
And it seems thrifty fashionistas have already caught on - the budget-friendly sandal is no longer available for pick-up from major city stores in Sydney or Melbourne.
Limited sizes can still be ordered direct to your door, but you'd better be quick because they're selling out fast.
While Donny is a fan of the laidback look for summer, there's one twist he can't abide.
'Slides are back, but I really hope the slides with socks trend is dead, it's not a good look,' he said.
A former Disney princess is lifting the lid on what it is really like to work as a theme park character, recalling how 'creepy dads' would hit on her while she was dressed up in costume and how the pressure to look more like Ariel from The Little Mermaid led her to develop an eating disorder.
Sarah Daniels, 32, from Florida, has more than 65,000 followers on her TikTok account, where she fields questions from fans who want to know everything about the nearly 12 years she spent with the company.
The performer, who is now a gamer and musical-theater actor, went viral last week after sharing a video detailing how men would come on to her and slip her their rooms keys when she was dressed as Tinker Bell.
Scroll down for video
Say what? Sarah Daniels, 32, from Florida, opened up on TikTok about the 'creepy dads' who would hit on her while she was working as a Disney princess
Wild: She recalled how married men would hand her their keys to their hotel rooms, particularly when she was dressed as Tinkerbell
'I feel like if dudes are going to be creeps and hit on you, theyre going to hit on you whether or not youre a character or not,' said Daniels, who started working as a cast member at Walt Disney World in Florida when she was 16.
'But there were many moments, especially as Tinker Bell, where I had married men hand me keys to their hotel room and tell me where they were staying.'
In a follow-up video, she explained how she handled the dads without breaking character, admitting she was 'always caught off guard' when men would do this.
'You're not supposed to say no, just straight up. As a face character, no is not in your vocabulary. You have to find ways around no,' she said, giving an example of how she would respond to someone who asked her to fly as Tinkerbell.
'Well, Fairy Mary wouldn't like it because then I wouldn't have enough pixie dust to get back to the mainland, blah, blah, blah. Stuff like that.'
Tough to navigate: In a follow-up video, she explained how she handled the 'creepy dads' without breaking character, saying cast members are never allowed to say no
Usually, when she was having an issue, she would 'divert the attention to the character attendant, and they will take care of the creepy dads for you.'
Daniels' followers seem to be particularly interested in the characters' costumes, including whether or not they smelled.
'So many people ask this question,' she said in a recent video. 'No, they're washed. You don't put one on after someone else has worn it. Everything gets washed. The heads get sprayed. Everything gets cleaned. So, no, typically things don't smell, and if they do smell, you just go pick a different one.'
As to whether or not they are heavy, she said it really depends on the costume because some are more cumbersome than others.
'A lot of princesses have some issues with the skirts being super duper heavy or really heavy wigs, like Rapunzel,' she said. 'I know a lot of friends who have had injuries from those specific wigs and costumes.'
Looking back: Daniels has been candid about the nine-year eating disorder she developed after being cast as Ariel in Voyage of the Little Mermaid show
Outage: 'What ruined my impression of Disney was when I weighed 115 pounds, and I was told my silhouette didn't match Ariel's,' she recalled in one video
What performers wear under their costumes was another point of interest, but that also depends on what character the person is playing. Daniels has taken on the roles of Ariel, Alice from Alice and Wonderland, and both Wendy and Tinkerbell from Peter Pan.
She said face characters cast members who have costumes that show their faces typically get to wear whatever they feel like under their work clothes, but Disney princesses are all required to wear bloomers and tights.
Daniels explained that most characters are provided 'basics,' which are gray T-shirts and black shorts with barcodes on them (so they can be scanned out).
'Basics are what people typically wear, and you would bring a few of them because, you know, you typically sweat through shirts during the day,' she said.
Characters sweating in their costumes in the oppressive Orlando heat is definitely one factor that has contributed to the assumption that the costumes smell. Passing out is a real concern, and Daniels said characters have their very own distress signal.
Disney past: The musical theater actor has also taken on the roles of Alice from Alice and Wonderland (pictured) and both Wendy and Tinkerbell from Peter Pan
Answering questions: The former Disney princess insisted the costumes are washed and do not smell, but some are a lot heavier than others
'If you're having trouble and you need to go, you put one hand over one eye and then put the other hand in the air, and that's how they know that you are having trouble,' she shared in one clip.
Daniels has been open about her favorite character to play and how much she loved bringing joy to families, but the positives didn't outweigh the mental anguish she suffered.
In a 2019 interview with the Indianapolis's Star, she detailed how she developed a nearly decade-long eating disorder after being told to slim down to play Ariel in the Voyage of the Little Mermaid show.
'What ruined my impression of Disney was when I weighed 115 pounds, and I was told my silhouette didn't match Ariel's after they had already put me through rehearsal for the show,' she recalled in a recent video.
Daniels said the experience 'launched me into a nine-year eating disorder that cost me thousands in therapy.'
Don't even try it: Daniels warned that cast members aren't allowed to break character and will lose their jobs if they do
Keeping it real: Daniels believes Disney can get away with paying low wages because there will always be a young woman who wants to play a princess
'I'm just turning 32 this year and I finally have an OK relationship with food and my body I am saying OK, not great,' she added.
Daniels has also shared her thoughts on the low pay, which she doesn't see getting much higher any time soon.
Characters at the theme park only make somewhere between $11 and $20 per hour, but there is still a great demand to be a Disney princess.
'There are many women around the world who want to be a Disney princess. You can see that by just the views on my videos on TikTok,' she said. 'I haven't worked at Disney in a really long time, and people are still really interested in hearing about what it's like to work there.
'So, I think that because so many women will do the job, they don't need to pay more money, if that makes sense. They're like, "Well, there's always some 16-year-old girl who's gonna want to do this.
'There's always someone coming out of college who's gonna want to do this. There's always a girl graduating from high school who's gonna want to do this." And I think they don't respect how hard the characters work, and I don't think they ever will.'
Best friends are turning over $200,000 a week with natural beauty products that women claim have given them 'new skin'.
Founded by Queensland mates Simona Valev and Shannon Lacey in 2018, Rawkanvas is a vegan skincare brand that has been credited with curing chronic conditions including acne, eczema and rosacea.
Kiwi mum-of-two Kori Laine said she will 'swear by it forever' after the $59 Eternal collagen serum and $59 Limelight brightening lotion cleared her spots completely in a matter of weeks.
Ms Laine took to Instagram to praise the chemical-free, scent-free products, saying she feels like she has 'brand new skin'.
Kiwi mum-of-two Kori Laine (pictured before and after using Rawkanvas products) said they have given her 'brand new skin'
The brand (products pictured) is turning over $200,000 a week three years after launching
Packed with powerful natural ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, rosehip oil and Kakadu plum, the probiotic lotion promises to strengthen the skin's natural barrier function and fight signs of ageing.
Meanwhile the collagen serum is laced vitamin C and seaweed, which work together to clear pigmentation and reveal plumper, brighter skin.
Endorsements like Ms Laine's have sent sales skyrocketing, with Ms Valev and Ms Lacey turning over more than $200,00 per week for the past two months as demand for their range soars.
Last August, the pair revealed how they banked $15,000 in just 30 minutes after launching a clarifying red wine face mask.
Ms Valev and Ms Lacey teased the release of the $54 product on Instagram, and it wasn't long before shoppers snapped it up in their thousands.
'We had a waiting list of 25,000 before we launched at 6pm, and when the red wine mask went out, we were selling a product every 20 seconds,' Ms Valev said.
The duo believe the overwhelming response was largely due to the sheer volume of women suffering from 'mask-ne', a term coined at the start of the pandemic to describe the pimples that erupt in areas where your mask touches your face.
The $54 red wine mask (pictured in use) is made with Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc grapes, which work together to detoxify and purify the skin
What makes the red wine mask special? * It contains active ingredients including Halloysite Clay, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir grapes, as well as Kiwi Seed Oil. The mask (pictured) buffs away dead skin cells to uncover a smoother, brighter skin texture * The mask is self-heating, which helps in drawing out pore-clogging dirt and oil, and combats the appearance of breakouts. * It buffs away dead skin cells to uncover a smoother, brighter skin texture and allows increased absorption of other skincare products. * It tones, tightens and boosts collagen to reduce the appearance of fine lines for a refreshed glow. * It is scented with Vanilla, Sweet Orange and Clove essential oils. * It is described as microdermabrasion in a bottle, insofar as it works on the texture of the skin. Source: Rawkanvas Advertisement
'It took us 12 months to perfect the formula, but we are really proud of the results,' Ms Valev said.
The mask stands out from others on the market because it is made with Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc grapes, which work together to detoxify and purify the skin.
'It is like microdermabrasion in a jar,' Ms Valev said
'It's a heat warming mask that helps to draw out congestion, refine pores and give your overall complexion a boost.'
The product also contains Kiwi Seed Oil and Halloysite Clay, which help to buff away dead skin cells and reveal a smoother, brighter texture.
Before-and-after photos illustrate just how powerful the natural range is
Weeks after launching, the mask had already attracted rave reviews online, with many describing it as 'divine'.
'I was lucky enough to receive this early and review it. With lockdown in Auckland, I had a bit of a stress breakout arising but using this legitimately made my breakout shrink by the next morning and disappear,' one woman wrote.
A second said it swiftly became her 'weekly mask' of choice.
'I love how fresh and clear my skin looks without using any harsh chemicals,' she added.
US TV host Katie Couric has given a scathing verdict on Britain's royals in a new memoir where she settled scores from her four decades on television.
Over 500 pages in length, Couric tears into ex-boyfriends, former colleagues at NBC and CBS and ridicules Prince Harry, now based in California.
In 'Going There', she describes how Prince Harry, then 27, stank of cigarettes and alcohol when they met in 2012, and how Prince Andrew cozied up to Jeffrey Epstein at a bizarre dinner at his New York mansion.
DailyMail.com has seen the manuscript, which is out in late October and will be accompanied by an 11-city book tour.
Among the celebrities that Couric takes potshots at are Prince Harry, who she met at a polo match in Brazil during his 'wild-oats sowing phase' - two months before his infamous trip to Las Vegas, where he was photographed naked while playing strip billiards' in his hotel room.
She recalled that the smell of cigarettes and alcohol seemed to 'ooze from every pore' in his body.
The TV host was also among those who attended the infamous 2010 dinner at Jeffrey Epstein's house when Prince Andrew was also there.
Couric writes: 'I couldn't imagine what Epstein and Andrew were up to, apart from trying to cultivate friends in the media. Which, in retrospect, they must have figured they'd need when the pedophilia charges started rolling in.'
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US TV host Katie Couric claims in her new memoir that Prince Harry stank of booze and cigarettes when she interviewed him in Belize in 2012
The TV host was also among those who attended the infamous 2010 dinner at Jeffrey Epstein's house when Prince Andrew was also there. Pictured: Andrew and Epstein strolling in Central Park in 2011
She describes Epstein's $75million New York townhouse as 'Eyes Wide Shut with a twist - creepy chandeliers and body-part art'.
Guests ate lasagna out of shallow bowls and Epstein 'held court' in front of the fireplace to the likes of Chelsea Handler and Woody Allen and Soon-Yi Previn, George Stephanopoulos and Charlie Rose.
On the way home her ex-boyfriend Brooks Perlin remarked how young the women were who took their coats.
Introducing her interview with Harry on ABC, Couric said the Prince was 'known for his cheeky sense of humour and love of partying a bit'.
Among the celebrities that Couric takes potshots at are Prince Harry. She recalled that the smell of cigarettes and alcohol seemed to 'ooze from every pore' in his body
However, she added: 'But we got to see the warm and personal side when we talked about what his grandmother means to him.'
'When we were young, it was very easy to take our grandmother for granted,' Harry told Couric. 'She was just a grandmother to us and it's only been over the past five, eight to ten years that I've come to understand the huge deal she is.'
He alos opened up about his desire for a family, saying: 'I've longed for kids since I was very, very young. I'm waiting to find the right person and someone who's willing to take on the job.'
DailyMail.com has read the manuscript for Katie Couric's book 'Going There', which is out in late October and will be accompanied by an 11-city book tour
The royals are not the only ones to receive a short shrift in the scathing memoir.
Couric admits that she gave ex-colleague on the Today show Ashleigh Banfield the cold shoulder early in her career because helping her would have been 'self sabotage'.
She rips into Deborah Norville, who she replaced on the TODAY Show, for having a 'relentless perfection' which turned off morning show viewers.
When Couric switched from TODAY to host the Evening News on CBS, staffers fought back with an 'insurgency' which left her feeling like Hillary Clinton because she was so under siege, she writes.
Couric is just as blunt about her love life and says ex-boyfriend Brooks Perlin, who was 17 years her junior, was a 'mid-life crisis' while TV producer Tom Werner was a 'textbook narcissist'.
Couric rips into Deborah Norville, who she replaced on the TODAY Show, for having a 'relentless perfection' which turned off morning show viewers. The hosts are pictured in 1990
Couric puts down Martha Stewart, saying it took a 'some healthy humbling (prison will do that . . .) to develop a sense of humor.'
The book has sparked outrage among people who have seen the manuscript, one saying that it 'should be called Burning Bridges by Catty Couric as it literally reads like Kitty Kelley wrote it about Katie', referring to the notoriously snarky celebrity biographer.
'Going There' will be published in late October by Little, Brown and Company
Couric's last major gig was with Yahoo which ended in 2017. Another person said that after this book she will 'never get a job at any television network or cable channel ever again because she attacks everyone'.
'She'll be stuck with her newsletter and Instagram stories for the rest of her working life even though the book oozes of her desperation to be back on network television hosting her own show,' they said.
'Going There' does tell Couric's personal story including a moving chapter about the death of her father, whose shift into PR from journalism to have a steady income for his young family was Couric's inspiration to be a reporter.
But as the book progresses that narrative gets sidelined for sideswipes at people Couric feels have maligned her.
CONTEMPT FOR HER RIVALS
Among the most striking passages is Couric explaining how she didn't stick up for other women at work because she saw them as a threat to her own career.
She admits that she had bad feelings for Deborah Norville even though she replaced her hosting TODAY in 1991.
Norville took two months off for maternity leave and Couric filled in - when Norville didn't return Couric got the job permanently.
Couric claims there were 'residual bad feelings' towards Norville for her obvious differences with Jane Pauley, her former TODAY co-host who left in 1989 under acrimonious conditions.
Couric writes that Norville had a 'major relatability problem' because she was too perfect at a time in the morning when people were still getting ready for the day.
One colleague supposedly told Couric that 'with Deborah, people feel like they need to get dressed before they turn on the TV'.
Couric admits that during her time at TODAY she was unwelcoming to other women because she felt like she needed to 'protect my turf.'
She writes that she was aware that 'someone younger and cuter was always around the corner' and singles out Banfield as an example.
Couric writes: 'For a minute there, Ashleigh Banfield was the next big thing; I'd heard her father was telling anyone who'd listen that she was going to replace me. In that environment, mentorship sometimes felt like self-sabotage.'
Couric's book is over 500 pages in length and she tears into former colleagues at NBC and CBS. She's pictured in 1992 with her colleagues on the TODAY Show. Left to right: Gene Shalit, Bryant Gumbel, Deborah Norville. Barbara Walters, Hugh Downs, Jane Pauley, Katie Couric, Willard Scott, Tom Brokaw
She had little affection for Martha Stewart and at an awards ceremony in 1996 Couric roasted her with a snarky poem which said that 'anything I can do you (Stewart) can do better.'
Stewart was unamused and Couric writes that it took a 'some healthy humbling (prison will do that . . .) to develop a sense of humor.'
Couric left Joan Rivers so angry after asking if she had plastic surgery on her short-lived talk show 'Katie' that they never spoke again.
Backstage, Rivers said of Couric: 'Who does she think she is? She's on her knees blowing 14-year-olds', referring to Brooks Perlin, her much-younger boyfriend.
FAILED RELATIONSHIPS
While Couric writes emotionally about the death of her first husband Jay Monahan from cancer, she also admits that her fame drove a wedge between them.
Couric's celebrity status 'took up residence in our marriage like an overbearing houseguest', as she describes it, and claims that the bigger she got, the smaller Monahan felt.
Couric calls her relationship with Brooks Perlin as something that 'screamed midlife crisis' and that she was 'rebelling' because she had never done anything 'particularly scandalous.'
That rebellion sometimes went too far, like the night she drank so much she ended up in hospital on an IV drip - which she kept top secret, worrying that it would lead to headlines in the New York press like: 'Anchor hits Rock Bottom!'
Couric writes that she regrets moving Perlin into her home without asking daughters so they had to deal with a 30-something guy walking around shirtless
The relationship led to 'distance' between her parents and her children which Couric also regrets.
Couric writes emotionally about the death of her first husband Jay Monahan (pictured) from cancer and admits that her fame drove a wedge between them
Her relationship with Tom Werner ended when he dumped her by email and Couric brands him a 'textbook narcissist' who 'love bombed her' with flowers and gifts
Couric is just as blunt about her love life and says ex-boyfriend Brooks Perlin, who was 17 years her junior, was a 'mid-life crisis. Pictured together in 2007
'Going There' describes a bizarre 15 minute date Couric went on with Michael Jackson whose hand felt like a 'dead fish' when she shook it.
Her relationship with Tom Werner ended when he dumped her by email and Couric brands him a 'textbook narcissist' who 'love bombed her' with flowers and gifts.
In her 20s Couric went on a date with Neil Simon, the late playwright who was 30 years her senior.
They got back to his hotel, kissed and he had to stop because of his 'blood pressure medication' - Couric does not clarify what the exact condition was.
Around the same age Couric went for dinner at an Italian restaurant with Larry King, even though he was 24 years older than her.
Afterwards they went back to King's apartment where Couric described him making a 'lunge' for her on the sofa with his tongue and his hands.
She pushed him off and a dejected King said: 'When I like, I really like'.
UNFORCED ERRORS
After leaving TODAY Couric joined CBS to host the Evening News and do special reports for 60 Minutes on a salary of $15million a year, making her the highest paid journalist in the world.
It was a disastrous move and Couric describes how staffers felt she was an 'existential threat' to their existence.
Couric admits to making a number of 'unforced errors' such as giving her office a glam makeover which was out of step with the unfussy culture at CBS.
As CBS executives began talking publicly and privately against her, Couric writes that she suffered 'internal sabotage'.
The book has sparked outrage among people who have read it and one said that it 'should be called Burning Bridges by Catty Couric'. She will 'never get a job at any television network or cable channel ever again because she attacks everyone,' one critic said
Couric claims she was in an 'unwinnable' situation and her team 'thought we'd be greeted as liberators; instead we got an insurgency'.
Things got so bad that Couric felt 'embattled, defensive, misunderstood. I guess you could say I was feeling like Hillary Clinton.'
In 2011 Couric left CBS and felt that she 'never really belonged here' because 'the body had rejected the organ early on'.
While Couric takes aim at numerous people in 'Going There', she does offer some moments of self analysis.
When she joined TODAY, Couric announced to Monahan, her husband at the time: 'I used to want to be the most popular girl in school. Now I'm the most popular girl in the country'.
Monahan called her 'gross' and hit her with a pillow.
After being dumped by Tom Werner, Couric went to a therapist who asked her if she had ever considered the idea that not everyone was going to like her.
Couric writes: 'Honestly I sort of hadn't'.
While Netflix has led the way in streaming X-rated dramas into our living rooms, Amazon Prime is getting in on the action with its own very racy offering that's proving a hit with viewers.
The Voyeurs, which was released on the platform earlier this month, is a psychological thriller following a young couple who start watching their mysterious neighbours having sex.
But their life is soon thrown into turmoil when their peeping turns into an unhealthy obsession, with viewers eventually discovering they're part of a sadistic experiment about the dangers of looking into other people's lives.
The thriller features several full-blown sex scenes, oral sex, nudity, threesomes as well as various disturbing and gruesome scenes that viewers have described as 'twisted'.
The Voyeurs, which was released on the platform earlier this month, is a psychological thriller following a young couple who start watching their mysterious neighbours having sex
The film has left many viewers hot under the collar with erotic sex scenes and 'shaken' by it's unexpected ending, with some viewers calling it 'Fifty Shades with a better storyline'.
The story begins with Pippa (Sydney Sweeney) and Thomas (Justice Smith) who move to a large apartment in Montreal and soon realise they can see directly into their neighbours' flat from their window.
Their neighbours are Seb (Ben Hardy), an artistic photographer, and Julia (Natasha Liu Bordizzo), a former model - who routinely have racy sex in full view of their window.
On their first night the couple begin to watch as Seb performs oral sex on Julia, and while Thomas suspects the pair 'wanted them to watch' - Pippa insists they shouldn't be looking.
The thriller features threesomes, several full-blown sex scenes, oral sex, nudity, as well as various disturbing and gruesome scenes that viewers have described as 'twisted'
But after becoming captivated by the couple's life from afar, Pippa soon buys binoculars so she and Thomas can start watching them more closely.
Soon, they see Seb photographing topless models and cheating on Julia with one of them.
Meanwhile, Pippa starts to pleasure her boyfriend while watching her neighbour in another full on sex scene.
Not content with just watching, the couple decide to sneak into Seb and Juliet's Halloween party and bug their home, quickly hearing an argument between the couple about Seb's alleged cheating.
When Juliet apologises to her boyfriend wearing sexy lingerie and he refuses to accept it because of their argument - Thomas and Pippa become convinced Seb is a gaslighting, abusive partner.
In a strange twist of fate, Julia then becomes one of Pippa's patients at the eye clinic where she works as an optician, with the pair becoming fast friends and agreeing to meet up again.
Soon after Pippa witnesses a threesome between Seb and two models, and anonymously warns Juliet that her boyfriend is cheating - telling her to look for the condom he removed in the bin as evidence.
The story begins with Pippa (Sydney Sweeney) and Thomas (Justice Smith) who move to a large apartment in Montreal, Canada - soon realising they can see directly into their neighbours flat from their window. Pictured, Seb (Ben Hardy) and Julia (Natasha Liu Bordizzo)
The next morning, Pippa sees Seb discover Julia's body in the bathroom, after she seemingly slit her own throat. Thomas blames Pippa for their neighbour's death, and the pair break up.
Despite being heartbroken over their split, Pippa continues to watch Seb having sex, eventually following him to a nearby pub where they get chatting and eventually go back to his home to have sex.
While Pippa is at Seb and Juliet's flat - Thomas goes back to their home where he sips a drink left by his girlfriend in the fridge before throwing the rest in their bird feeder.
The next morning, he's found having hanged himself in his flat, with Juliet assuming he witnessed them having sex and was so devastated he took his own life.
When Pippa goes to Seb's exhibition, she discovers that Juliet is still alive and that their entire exhibition is a warped social allegory based around herself and Thomas' obsessive interest in their neighbours.
They reveal that they own Pippa and Thomas' flat, and that their home is rigged with cameras - something buried in their tenancy agreement - and they have been watching the couple since they moved in.
The film has left many viewers hot under the collar with erotic sex scenes and 'shaken' by it's unexpected ending, with some viewers calling it 'Fifty Shades with a better storyline'
Pictures reveal a topless Pippa taken at her neighbour's flat, the couple watching Seb and Juliet have sex and a disturbing picture of Thomas hanging which prompts outrage at the show.
When Pippa returns home and discovers dead birds littered nearby the bird feeder, and an empty drink in the fridge - she realises that Juliet and Seb orchestrated Thomas' death and made it appear like suicide to add depth to their exhibition.
Pippa, who works as an optician, takes her revenge by spiking Seb and Juliet and using the machine used in laser eye surgery to burn their retinas and blind the couple.
Viewers were hooked by the thriller and couldn't believe the twist ending, with one writing: 'Just finished the movie #TheVoyeurs, it was sooo amazing and messed up, took so many sharp twists. Definitely recommend'.
Another said: 'To me, this is like fifty shades of grey but 50 times better. The characters are likeable, the story is interesting, it's sexy, kinky, tense, thrilling, funny at points. This is like what Fifty Shades of Grey should be, what people pretend it is.'
A third wrote: 'Just finished watching and omfg. I didn't not expect thatttt, LIKE WTF!! I'm SHOOK in a very twisted way, this was a f**king masterpiece (pun intended)'
'Um this film was incredible but so twisty turning, disturbing and intriguing all at the same time. 10/10', said another.
Lead actress Sydney Sweeney, who recently found fame in HBO's hit series White Lotus, previously spoke about her own unhealthy interest in social media, saying it's 'sickening' how much of an impact it has on her
Lead actress Sydney Sweeney, who recently found fame in HBO's hit series White Lotus, previously spoke about her own unhealthy interest in social media, saying it's 'sickening' how much of an impact it has on her.
'It's the most unhealthy part of my life. The fact that I am second guessing and having anxiety over posting a picture is sickening', she told PA.
'I've never seen a movie, especially present day, explore the detrimental side of our society.
'Because you're constantly comparing yourself to their lives, what they're wearing, where they are, what they look like, and I think that's something that Pippa totally has a lot of problems with, and she's comparing herself to across the window and the couple.'
Director Michael Mohan said he was 'thrilled to be bringing back the erotic thriller genre' with Voyeurs.
'We live in a strange era where it is entirely socially acceptable to peer into the lives of complete strangers by looking at the manicured and cultivated version of the lives, they'd like us to think they lead. With 'The Voyeurs,' we're asking a simple question: Is it okay to watch?', he told Variety.
Queen Letizia of Spain was the picture of elegance as she inaugurated the 2021/22 academic year of Professional Training in Haro, La Rioja, Spain, earlier today.
The royal's visit was to celebrate vocational training and the introduction of new professional courses.
Looking typically suave, Letizia, 49, opted for a monochromatic frilled shirt with subtle embroidery of the same colour by brand, Uterque.
Opting for a classic, pared back look, the Spanish monarch chose a sharp pair of plain black trousers that flattered the blouse.
Queen Letizia opted for a monochromatic frilled shirt with subtle embroidery of the same colour by brand, Uterque
Letizia wore slingback court kitten heels with a bow on the toe by designer, Isabel Abdo.
Arriving at the event, the mother-of-two was greeted by officials who proceeded to show her round the hall and introduce her to the course information.
To round it off Letizia wore slingback court kitten heels with a bow on the toe by designer, Isabel Abdo.
The queen had previously stepped out in the same shoes for the Confirmation of her daughter, Princess Leonor.
Arriving at the event, the mother-of-two was greeted by officials who proceeded to show her round the hall and introduce her to the course information.
During her visit, Queen Letizia was shown round a workshop where she viewed a bronze plaque that has been eblazoned with a crown and the words: 'IES Ciudad De Haro'.
The queen wore her signature gold ring by brand Karen Hallam, an affordable European brand
The Queen was intrigued as she was shown a workshop during the course opening in Professional School
Queen Letizia during the course opening in Professional School academic year 2021/2022, Haro
The visit comes a day after Letizia and her husband, King Filipe attended the Prado Museum in Madrid to present the National Culture Awards to those in the creative fields.
The Queen will close her busy week tomorrow by attending the virtual opening ceremony of the World Food Forum, which is held in Rome.
Also in attendance will be Queen Maxima from Holland and global influencers, in a bid to help youth shape future of food.
Prince Albert of Monaco beamed with actress Sharon Stone at a charity screening of No Time To Die in Monte Carlo last night, while his wife Princess Charlene remains in South Africa.
Albert, 60, and the Hollywood star, 63, greeted each other with a friendly kiss on the cheek and chatted as they posted for photos outside Monte Carlo Casino.
Sharon, who looks strikingly similar to Charlene with her svelte figure and cropped blonde hair, looked elegant in a glitzy cocktail dress and matching heels.
This morning Charlene, who shares six-year-old twins Gabriella and Jacques with Albert, shared an Instagram video promoting her anti-poaching charity.
The mother-of-two is in South Africa while she continues to recover from a procedure to treat an ear, nose and throat infection she contracted while on a solo visit to the country earlier this year.
She has not been seen in Monaco since January and is not expected to return until some time next month.
She has missed a string of high profile events including the Monaco Grand Prix and the annual Rose Ball, as well as the two events Albert has attended with Sharon.
EXPERT COMMENT
Albert's A-list guest! Prince Albert of Monaco looked friendly with actress Sharon Stone at last night's No Time To Die premiere in Monte Carlo
Last week: It comes just a week after the pair walked the red carpet at the 5th Monte-Carlo Gala For Planetary Health, where Albert awarded Sharon with a lifetime achievement award
Charlene remains in South Africa while she continues to recover from a procedure to treat an ear, nose and throat infection she contracted while on a solo visit to the country earlier this year. She and Albert released photos from their reunion last month (pictured)
This morning Charlene, who shares six-year-old twins Gabriella and Jacques with Albert, shared an Instagram video promoting her anti-poaching charity, pictured
It comes as a friend said Charlene sees herself as a 'protector of the heirs' and not a royal.
Speaking to People Magazine, a source close to the former Olympic swimmer said: 'She sees herself as the protector of the heirs, as opposed to the princess of Monaco'.
The friend added Charlene 'only felt fully part of the family' after welcoming the twins which gave her 'a kind of security'.
'She's incredibly involved and protective ... in a very loving and providing kind of way, shunning other activities to be with them and making sure that they're kind of living a semi-normal life,' they added.
Meanwhile, Prince Albert has been preparing for his wife's return home after spending most of 2021 apart.
In a previous interview with People, he said Charlene was ready to come home and has been joking that she wants to clandestinely hop on a ship to make her way to Monaco.
Close: Albert gave Sharon a warm welcome to the event in Monte Carlo last night
Earlier this month, he told the magazine: 'She didn't leave Monaco in a huff! She didn't leave because she was mad at me or at anybody else She didn't go into exile. It was absolutely just a medical problem which had to be treated.'
He added that his wife had planned to travel to South Africa to reassess her foundation's work and to spend time with her brother and friends.
How Charlene and Albert made solo outings in South Africa and Monaco during seven months apart January 27 - Charlene is pictured with Albert for the Sainte Devote Ceremony in Monaco. March 18 - Charlene is pictured at the memorial for the late Zulu monarch, King Goodwill Zwelithini at the KwaKhethomthandayo Royal Palace in Nongoma, South Africa April 2 - Charlene posts an Instagram picture of herself, Albert and their twins Jacques and Gabriella for Easter. It is unknown where the image was taken. May 8 - Albert, Jacques and Gabriella attend a Grand Prix event in Monaco without Charlene May 10 - Albert attends Monaco Gala Awards in Monaco without Charlene May 18 - Charlene shares her first picture from her conservation trip in South Africa June 1 - Prince Albert II, Jacques and Gabriella attend event at Oceanic Museum in Monaco June 3 - New photos emerge of Charlene on her conservation trip June 5- Charlene puts on a united front as she shares a photo with her family to mark her niece's fifth birthday with her brother's family and Albert and the twins in South Africa June 7 - Albert and the twins attend the World Rugby Sevens without Charlene June 17 - Prince Albert attends Red Cross Summer concert in Monte Carlo with his sister Princess Caroline of Hanover June 18 - Prince Albert appears alone Monte Carlo TV Festival June 24 - Charlene's foundation releases a statement saying the royal is unable to travel and is undergoing procedures for an ear, nose and throat infection July 2 - Charlene and Albert mark their 10th anniversary separately. 'This year will be the first time that I'm not with my husband on our anniversary in July, which is difficult, and it saddens me,' Her Serene Highness Princess Charlene said in a statement. July 3 - Albert appears with glamorous niece Charlotte Casiraghi at the 15th international Monte-Carlo Jumping event, which is part of the Longines Global Champions Tour of Monaco, July 27 - Prince Albert attends Olympics alone in Tokyo August 13 - Charlene undergoes a four-hour operation. The reason is not announced August 25 - Charlene shares photos of Prince Albert, Gabriella and Jacques visiting her in South Africa September 23 - Albert attends 5th Monte-Carlo Gala For Planetary Health with Sharon Stone September 27 - Albert attends No Time To Die premiere with Sharon Stone August 31 - Speculation mounts in the media about couple's relationship Advertisement
Albert admitted he 'probably should have addressed' the rumours sooner, but was 'concentrating on taking care of the kids' and believed they would just 'go away'.
'Of course it affects her, of course it affects me,' he told the magazine. 'Misreading events is always detrimental... We're an easy target, easily hit, because we're in the public eye a lot.'
The Princess has missed out on countless public engagements and family events due to her extended stay in South Africa, including her children's return to school.
Last month it was announced that the royal had been admitted to hospital in in the port city of Durban in the southeastern KwaZulu-Natal province after collapsing at home.
'Her Serene Highness (HSH) Princess Charlene of Monaco was rushed to hospital by ambulance late Wednesday night after collapsing due to complications from the severe ear, nose, and throat infection she contracted in May,' her foundation said in a statement.
'The Princess' medical team is currently evaluating her but have confirmed that the Princess is stable,' it said.
Chantell Wittstock, director of the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation and Charlene's sister-in-law, later said that 'she has been released. She was released this morning'. 'Doctors are still establishing exactly what happened,' she said.
Her latest health scare was 'part of the recovery,' Wittstock said. 'She has been in a lot of pain.'
Charlene and Albert reunited last month for the first time in months after the monarch and their children flew to South Africa, but photographs of the pair embracing were branded 'awkward' by a body language expert.
In recent weeks, lifestyle magazines across Europe have speculated feverishly that the royal couple could be headed for divorce. French magazine Madame Figaro stated the images 'failed to convince the Monegasques' amid reports Charlene is looking for a house in Johannesburg.
According to The Daily Telegraph, the magazine asked: 'How long can she remain away from her children, her duties?'
'How long will the fight against rhinoceros poaching remain the Princess of Monaco's top priority? How long will Albert II of Monaco go on bearing this affront, which is becoming ridiculous?'
Historian Philippe Delorme said that 'lots of people got the impression it was an arranged marriage' between Charlene and Albert, adding: 'Albert chose a wife who resembled his mother, and Charlene clearly felt very ill at ease in this Grace Kelly role they wanted her to play.'
Charlene has been in South Africa since at least March, with media reports suggesting she is looking for a house there.
The prince, who already supports two illegitimate children, is alleged to have been in a relationship with a Brazilian woman which resulted in a daughter in 2005.
The claim, which his lawyers dismissed as a 'hoax', is particularly painful as he was dating Charlene at the time, having met in 2000.
However, Charlene has publicly supported her husband, and the palace have reiterated she is only in South Africa because she's unable to fly.
On August 13, the Monaco palace released a statement saying Charlene was to undergo surgery.
It read: 'Princess Charlene will undergo an operation today, Friday, August 13, for four hours under general anaesthesia.'
The princess will not return to Monaco until at least the end of October.
Princess Charlene, who has been well enough to conduct interviews from South Africa and has been seen out and about, has used the time to promote her anti-poaching initiative, Chasing Zero.
Charlene's last formal engagement was on January 27 when she joined Albert for the Sainte Devote Ceremony in Monte Carlo. She has not been seen at home since.
Last Monaco outing together: Charlene and Albert were last pictured together at an official event together in January at the Sainte Devote Ceremony in Monaco. Albert has made a few visits to South Africa since
Instead she has been keeping followers updated through social media posts and media interviews, in which she has spoken candidly about missing her children and described her husband as 'her rock'.
Speaking to South Africa Radio 702's host Mandy Wiener, the royal said: '[It's] very frustrating, terribly frustrating. I can't wait to get back to them, I can't wait to see my children.'
Princess Charlene's trials and tribulations in the Monaco royal family 1987 - Bea Fiedler, a German topless model, claims her son Daniel was the prince's son. 1992 - An American national files a paternity lawsuit against the Prince, claiming that he was the father of her daughter, Jazmin Grace. 2000 - Princess Charlene meets Prince Albert at the Mare Nostrum swimming competition in Monte Carlo 2005 - In May, a former flight attendant claims that her youngest son, whom she named Alexandre Grimaldi-Coste, was Prince Albert's child. She states that his parentage had been proven by DNA tests requested by the Monegasque government. On 6 July, a few days before he was enthroned on 12 July, the Prince officially confirms via his lawyer Lacoste that Alexandre was his biological son. 2006 - After a DNA test confirmed the child's parentage, Albert admitted, via statement from his lawyer, that he is Jazmin Grace's father. 2010 - Princess Charlene and Prince Albert announce their engagement 2011 - Princess Charlene was said to have bolted two days before the royal wedding after hearing Prince Albert had a third love child during their relationship. It was alleged that Charlene tried to flee home to South Africa three times before her 'arranged marriage', at one point taking refuge inside her country's embassy in Paris. Monaco officials were said to have coaxed her back by brokering a deal between the Prince and his reluctant bride that she provide him with a legitimate heir. After that she would be free to leave of her own free will. During the wedding, Charlene was in floods of tears, while her husband looked on impassively. Later in the year, Princess Charlene confessed she felt 'very lonely' in Monaco 2012 - Princess Charlene was reported to be 'depressed' at her failure to provide her husband with a legitimate heir. 2014 - Pregnancy was announced in May. In December Charlene gave birth to twins Princess Gabriella and heir to the throne Prince Jacques. 2017 - Princess Charlene visits Africa, tells media: 'I am African and this is my heritage. It will always be. It's in my heart and in my veins.' 2019 - In a rare interview, Princess Charlene confessed it is 'sometimes hard to smile' and said the year had been 'very painful'In another interview, she said she found motherhood 'exhausting' 2020 - Charlene debuts a shocking half-shaved hairstyle. It is announced Prince Albert of Monaco will appear in court in the new year to fight explosive claims he fathered a third love child with a secret girlfriend before marrying his now wife Princess Charlene. 2021 - January 27 - Charlene is pictured with Albert for the Sainte Devote Ceremony in Monaco. It is the last time she has been seen in Monaco this year. Advertisement
Charlene revealed: 'It's the longest period I've actually been away from Europe, let alone my children, but I'm FaceTiming them most days and they've been here and will be returning to see me again after my procedure.
'It's an amazing opportunity [to be here] but I'm very sad I can't be with my children this summer in Europe.'
She added that she was initially only supposed to be in her native South Africa for ten to 12 days for a conservation trip with her Princess Charlene of Monaco foundation.
However, the royal had a problem 'equalising her ears' and was told by a doctor that she was suffering from a serious sinus infection.
'It's taken time to address the problem that I'm having,' explained Charlene. 'I cannot go into full detail, but I cannot force healing so I will be grounded in South Africa until the end of October.
'The reason being I cannot fly above 3,000 metres otherwise I'll have a problem with my ears.
'I feel well, I feel good, it's just obviously a waiting game for me, but I've had a great opportunity to understand a little bit more about South Africa, the environment, the needs and it's been wonderful to be back in South Africa, and I think at this time it's crucial that people are aware of certain things via my foundation.'
Charlene joined the video interview from bush country in the KwaZulu-Natal region.
She has also shared videos released by the Monaco royal palace to mark her and Albert's 10th wedding anniversary, which took place in July. The couple spent the milestone thousands of miles apart.
But royal sources have suggested the princess has 'no plans' to return soon.
A palace source told Paris Match: 'The Princess has, for the time being, in reality, no intention of returning.'
The separation is also affecting Charlene's relationship with the people of Monaco.
Stephane Bearn uses an impeccably sourced piece in the latest Paris Match to discuss the torturous separation.
He describes subjects in Monaco becoming increasingly angry about their runaway Princess, as they criticise everything from Charlene's mood swings to her appearance.
'In Monaco, since the departure of Charlene, tongues have loosened,' Mr Bearn writes. 'In the whirlwind of a hard-nosed court, her fine shine is rubbing off. Her sad looks are regarded as haggard.
'Disappointed Monegasques talk about her anger, her whimsical moods, which are as changeable as her hair.'
He added: 'The Palace had to invoke a suffering Princess so often that the Monegasques today find it hard to believe. By crying wolf, the mother of Jacques and Gabriella would have discredited and isolated herself.'
During her trip, Charlene also debuted a dramatic new shaved hairstyle.
She showcased the 'French crop' hairdo - featuring a longer strip on top of the head and dramatically shaved back and sides - in snaps shared on her charity's Instagram page in late May.
The royal first stepped out with a dramatic half-shaved head in December 2020 but has since gone even shorter and bolder with the cut.
Charlene and Albert's marriage has been plagued with rumours from the start.
The couple met at the Mare Nostrum swimming competition in Monte Carlo in 2000, announced their engagement in 2010.
Former Olympic swimmer Charlene reportedly tried to flee Monaco for her native South Africa on three separate occasions before the royal wedding after discovering Albert had allegedly fathered a love child - his third - while they were together.
Monaco officials were said to have coaxed her back by brokering a deal between the Prince and his reluctant bride, saying she could leave once she had provided him with a legitimate heir.
One source said at the time: 'Charlene will provide an heir, then if things don't go well, she will receive a generous divorce settlement once she's served a decent amount of time.'
Charlene was seen in floods of tears on her wedding day in 2011.
Just one year after their wedding, it was reported that Charlene was 'depressed' at her failure to provide her husband with a legitimate heir.
Her pregnancy was announced in May 2014, and in December that year she gave birth to twins Princess Gabriella and heir to the throne Prince Jacques.
In the 10 years since, Charlene has rarely spoken publicly of her experience.
In 2017, the Princess made an emotional return to Africa, where she spoke about how much the continent means to her.
'I am African and this is my heritage. It will always be. Its in my heart and in my veins,' she told Eyewitness News.
Last year she admitted life was 'very painful', saying: 'I have the privilege of having this life, but I miss my family and my friends in South Africa and I'm often sad because I cannot always be there for them.'
Prince William 'has stepped up' following the Duke of Edinburgh's death and is the one 'paving the way forward' for the British monarchy, rather than his father Prince Charles, a royal expert has claimed.
Robert Lacey, British author of the best-selling book Battle of the Brothers, said the Duke of Cambridge, 39, is now one of the top three figures in the Royal Family.
He told People: 'The British throne has survived beheading, exile and enough scandal to stock entire libraries. Now a new leader - William, not Charles - is paving the way forward.'
Prince William (pictured) 'has stepped up' following the Duke of Edinburgh's death and is the one 'paving the way forward' for the British monarchy, rather than his father Prince Charles, a royal expert has claimed
The author added: 'Following the April death of Grandpa [Prince] Philip, William has stepped up to become one of the top three family figures, adding the ginger of youth to royal strategy.
'It's a crucial inflection point - this heir-in-waiting is under pressure like none before in recent history.'
The historian's remarks come amid great success for William as his new book about his ambitious Earthshot prize has topped the charts as it was released today.
Earthshot: How to Save Our Planet is said to be the definitive book of The Earthshot Prize, and aims to inspire a decade of action to repair our planet, with the Duke of Cambridge penning the foreword.
It's the first publication in Duke of Cambridge's decade-long global environmental competition.
The Prince of Wales attends the No Time To Die world premiere at Royal Albert Hall on September 28 in London
Described online as 'a book of action and optimism to save our planet', it immediately shot to the top of the Amazon bestseller list in several categories including Animal Habitats and the Environment.
The book was co-authored by Colin Butfield, former executive director at WWF, and multi-award-winning producer, director Jonnie Hughes, and has been released alongside a landmark five- part BBC One TV series in the autumn, created by Butfield and Hughes.
Launched by Prince William and the Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2020, and inspired by President Kennedy's 'Moonshot ', The Earthshot Prize is the most ambitious and prestigious award of its kind.
It aims to discover and scale the best solutions to help repair our planet over the next 10 years.
The historian's remarks come amid great success for William as his new book (pictured) about his ambitious Earthshot prize has topped the charts as it was released today
Every year from 2021 until 2030, The Earthshot Prize will find and reward inclusive solutions to five 'Earthshot ' goals: protect and restore nature; clean our air; revive our oceans; build a waste-free world; and fix our climate.
The book highlights the urgency of the environmental challenges facing the world while also providing readers with 'inspirational case studies of the incredible solutions happening globally to repair our planet'.
The creative heads behind the phenomenally successful documentary David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet and long-time advisors to The Earthshot Prize, the two co-authors have unparalleled access to the people, science and imagery behind the project.
Their significant TV credits include The Hunt, Our Planet and A Life on Our Planet.
Jenna Bush Hager has opened up about the 'almost evolutionary' experience of holding her newborn niece for the first time, recalling how she felt 'guilt' when she got pregnant with her third child because she knew her twin sister Barbara Bush wanted a baby.
The Today host, who is in Maine helping her sister, called into the morning show on Wednesday to talk about her family's newest addition, Cora Georgia Coyne, whose middle name is a tribute to their father, former President George W. Bush.
'I flew as soon as I could and got to hold her, and it was just one of those life moments Ill never forget,' Jenna, 39, told her co-stars Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie.
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New aunt! Jenna Bush Hager called into the Today show on Wednesday to talk about meeting her twin sister Barbara Bush's newborn daughter, Cora Georgia Coyne, for the first time
Family of three: Barbara, 39, and her husband Craig Coyne, 40, welcomed their first child on Monday in Kennebunkport, near the Bush family compound
Barbara, 39, and her husband Craig Coyne, 40, welcomed their first child on Monday in Kennebunkport, near the Bush family compound.
Jenna has three children of her own Mila, Poppy, and Hal and she described how special it is to be able to experience motherhood with her sister for the first time.
'I mean there was something almost evolutionary about it because as yall both know, my sister, we are inseparable, weve done all these things together, and the one thing she hadnt done yet was to have a baby, and so I got to meet that precious little girl yesterday,' she said.
Jenna explained that her sister has always wanted children, and people would constantly ask her when she was going to have a baby.
'When we would write books and travel, people would always say to her, "When are you going to have kids?"' she said. 'And it always kind of irritated me, like ask her about her work, theres other things. But I know that it was something she had in her heart.'
Jenna found out she was pregnant with her third child, two-year-old Hal, just a few months after Barbara and Craig got married in October 2018, and she admitted she was a bit concerned about how her sister would take the news.
Checking in: Jenna told her co-stars Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie that she is in Maine helping out her sister and brother-in-law
Update: Jenna revealed her sister had planned on giving birth in New York, but Cora came six weeks early. She added that the baby will be in the neonatal intensive care unit 'for a little bit'
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